In digital India, cash is king: Paytm founder Vijay Sekhar Sharma

Bengaluru: Even more than three years after demonetization and all-out efforts to make most transactions through electronic, cash is still king, as it thrives in a digital India, said fintech start-up Paytm founder Vijay Sekhar Sharma.

“While the cashless economy is not possible in India, less cash economy will be in the future. Less cash is the only solution, not the elimination of cash,” Sharma told IANS in an interview after unveiling an all-in-one payment gateway on Tuesday.

Asserting that it would take 5-10 years for India to make the transition to digital payments from the traditional mode of cash, Sharma, 41, said the e-payment industry benefitted more from the November 8, 2016 note ban and withdrawal of old Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denominations.

“I think it (demonetization) helped the industry despite a lack of specific help. But the world has changed since then. It is about the scale of distribution of merchants that is what is propelling digital payments,” said Sharma.

Most of the cash not only came back into circulation but also remains as the mode of payment for the majority due to its convenience for the people used to such transactions.

Expounding Paytm’s zero service charge, Sharma said the strategy is sustainable as it leads to acquiring more customers and merchants, enabling newer business opportunities.

Paytm also does not levy a service charge to small merchants for its payments services, unlike organised players like Uber.

“Though there is a monetisation model, the merchants who are small shopkeepers, become our financial services customers as they open a bank account, which is profitable.”

Paytm secured a Payments Bank license from the Reserve Bank of India to offer a savings bank account, Rupay debit card and money transfer services.

“We are banking on payment services acquiring customers and merchants who avail banking, lending, insurance, wealth and software services like billing software and business ledger software services eventually,” Sharma noted.

The mobile-first bank services include zero balance and zero digital transaction charge accounts.

“Basically, payments, cloud, commerce and financial services are a cohort we follow. So, payments is our customer as well as merchant acquisition. If it breaks even, we are happy because other line items make more money, he affirmed.

Noting that in a market like India, one cannot price services at a premium unlike in a developed country like the US, the billionaire businessman said a consumer in a developing country would not be able to afford such a hefty charge.

Forbes ranked Sharma as India’s youngest billionaire in 2017, with a net worth of $2.1 billion.

While several countries operate on the model of higher service charges, Sharma said newer business models have to be discovered in India, as customer lifecycle value is accounted for more stages than in other nations.

Asked about an upscale retailer like Zara not giving a wallet payment option during its recent end of season sale in Bengaluru, Sharma said Paytm was addressing such hiccups with its all-in-one payment solutions.

“It’s an opportunity because if the retailer has our all-in-one point of sale machine, wherein they enter the amount, it shows both the Quick Response code (QR) and card payment options,” he observed.

Sharma compared older swiping payment machine to feature phones and modern ones to feature-rich smartphones. (IANS)

Also Read: Paytm rolls out all-in-one payment gateway for SMEs

Also Watch: Woman set on fire by in-laws in Katigara under Cachar, Rescued after one month