Digital payments are transactions that take place electronically, using a digital device or channel. They can be partially, primarily, or fully digital.
1. Dr. P. Pirakatheeswari, Asso. Prof., S
RCAS, Coimbatore.
1
DIGITAL PAYMENTS
Dr. P. PIRAKATHEESWARI
Associate Professor of B Com – PA,
Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts &
Science (Autonomous),
Coimbatore – 641006.
1/3/2025
2. WHAT IS DIGITAL PAYMENT?
1. Digital Payment is a transaction that takes place
via digital or online modes, with no physical
exchange of money involved. This means that
both parties, the payer and the payee, use
electronic mediums to exchange money.
2. Digital Payments can take place on the internet
as well as on physical premises. For example, if
you buy something from Amazon website and
pay for it via UPI, it qualifies as a digital
payment.
3. Similarly, if you purchase something from your
local store and choose to pay via UPI/Card
instead of handing over cash, that also is a
digital payment.
3. DIGITAL PAYMENT IN INDIA – A REVIEW
1. India has always been extremely comfortable with the
traditional method of making payments, which is “via
cash”. Nevertheless, it is important to understand
how digitization with regard to making payments has
helped the country in numerous ways.
2. It is a known fact that India has taken a sharp turn
towards “becoming a cashless economy” after
demonetization and it has nudged the country even
more towards settling as a digital mode.
3. Digital India movement/initiative by the government
has led to a humongous shift in the way Indians deal
with making payments for purchases.
4. REASONS FOR INCREASE IN DIGITAL PAYMENTS
1. Greater Convenience
2. Improved Security Features: Banks/institutions
spending millions of dollars on cyber security.
3. Helps you keep track of your payments
4. Tax Benefits
5. Demonetization/Digital India: In November 2016,
Indian govt. announced the demonetization of all
500 and 1,000 banknotes of old currency
₹ ₹
6. Expanding Use of Smartphones: Increasing use of
Smart phones which enables many people to go for
cashless mode
7. Offers, Rewards, Cashbacks and Discounts: This
is the strategy of many companies/Banks as a
marketing to improve the sales which also leads to
more Digital payments
5. TYPES OF DIGITAL PAYMENTS
1. Banking Cards (Debit/Credit): Banking cards offer consumers
more security, convenience, and control than any other payment
method. The wide variety of cards available – including credit, debit
and prepaid offers enormous flexibility, as well. These cards provide
2 factor authentications for secure payments e.g secure PIN and
OTP. RuPay, Visa, MasterCard are some of the example of card
payment systems
2. Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD): This service
allows mobile banking transactions using basic feature mobile
phone, there is no need to have mobile internet data facility for
using USSD based mobile banking ex- CRN 5676788
3. Unified Payment Interface: Unified Payments Interface(UPI)is a
system that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile
application. It also caters to the “Peer to Peer” collect request which
can be scheduled and paid as per requirement and convenience.
4. Internet Banking/ Mobile Banking: Internet banking, also known
as online banking, e-banking or virtual banking, is an electronic
payment system that enables customers of a bank or other financial
institution to conduct a range of financial transactions through the
financial institution's website/or Mobile App.
6. Continued….
5. National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT) Using NEFT,
people can electronically transfer money from any bank branch
to a person holding an account with any other bank branch,
which is participating in the payment system. Fund transfers
through the NEFT system do not occur in real-time basis and
the fund transfer settles anytime in 24hrs.
6. Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) Real-Time Gross
Settlement (RTGS) is another payment system in which the
money is credited in the beneficiary’s account in real-time. The
RTGS system is primarily meant for large value transactions
that require and receive immediate clearing.
7. Immediate Payment Service (IMPS): Immediate Payment
Services(IMPS) is a real-time instant inter-bank funds transfer
system managed by National payment corporation of India.
IMPS is available 24/7 throughout the year including bank
holidays, unlike NEFT and RTGS.
7. ADVANTAGES OF ONLINE PAYMENTS
Instant Payment: Electronic payments are much faster
than the traditional methods of payments such as cash
or cheques. In the case of online payments, you do not
have any constraint of time or location. You can easily
make payments at any time from anywhere across the
globe.
Higher Payment Security: Electronic payment
systems offer you multiple ways of securing your
payments such as tokenization, encryption, SSL, etc.
Now your customers do not have to enter their card
details every time as they can save their card details or
complete their transactions by using a One Time
Password.
Fast and convenience: Electronic payments can help
you to provide Fast and convenient payment experience
to users/customers.
8. Low risk of Theft: If you are using cash for
accepting payments from customers, chances are
there it can be stolen. Also, you need to take high
safety measures in depositing cash into your bank
account. But this risk can be decreased if you are
using a secure electronic payment system in your
business.
Transparent: At most Transparent in all type of
transactions that happen digitally.
Contactless: In the times of the COVID-19
pandemic, people have started finding ways of
avoiding human touch to save themselves from
getting affected by the coronavirus. Due to this, the
need for contactless payments has increased.
Low Maintenance for Banks: They can reduce
cheques, and most of the paper works.
9. DISADVANTAGES OF DIGITAL PAYMENTS
Service fees
Payment gateways and third-party payment
processors charge service fees.
Online payment methods are inconvenient for offline
sales.
Vulnerability to Cybercriminals: Cybercriminals can
disable online payment methods or exploit them to
steal people’s money or information.
Relaying more on telecommunication infrastructure
Internet and server problems can disable online
payment methods.
Miscellaneous Technical problems
Threat for diminishing small businesses
10. BARRIERS OF DIGITAL PAYMENTS IN INDIA
Illetracy is the biggest problem in India. Inrural are
most of the people do not use digital payment they
are using cash. do not have proper knowledge about
digital payment.
Fear of losing money
Merchant do not accept digital payment
Digital Payment will be shown on bank
account statement so it will be taxable for merchants
that’s why they are not taking payment.
Habit of using physicalcash
People are habitual of using cash they are not
using digital payment. They are using cash since
ages so they find difficult to change their habit..