State Bank of India invites General Public for its SBI Fintech Innovation Incubation Program

          State Bank of India is keen to deploy cutting edge technologies to assist its account holders and staff to experience Safe Digital Banking, across all its product       

As on date, SBI has two Innovation campuses :

1) GITC : SBI Global IT Centre, CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai.

2) SBIIT : State Bank Institute of Innovation and Technology, Road no 12, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad

The innovation centre is housed in SBI Global IT Centre, CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai. The innovation centre is spread over 15, 000 sqft  with an investment of 100 crores.

In the long run, SBI plans to allocate 5 percent of IT budget for innovation. The Innovation Centre will have 30  members to oversee the programs.

State Bank of India has also a dedicated campus at Hyderabad specialising in Innovation and Technology.

Initially SBI will offer its fintech incubation program at its Navi Mumbai and Hyderabad Innovation campuses.

The innovation program is an ongoing one and Developers, Startups, Entrepreneurs (individuals or teams) having Fintech based innovative idea on emerging and new technologies are encouraged to apply through the Application provided on the webpage.

The selected candidates will join hands with SBI to be self-reliant and incubate novel technology and business ideas into viable commercial business products.

The whole program is split into two parts i.e

Part 01) __ Idea Modelling – 2 months

Part 02) __ Prototype Development – 10 months

The selected candidates are expected to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement and other documents specified by the Bank at the time of on-boarding into the program.

Incubatee shall offer Restricted IPR on the product developed under the program by signing Restricted IPR agreement by the Incubatee/Startup Company.

The applicants can seek any clarification on the guidelines by dropping a mail to :incubate@sbi.co.in

State Bank of India has made it very clear that all communications related to the scheme including announcements of shortlisted applicants and final selection of applicants will be sent to the applicants directly and will not be made available on this website.

Interested to be part of “SBI Fintech Innovation Incubation Program’, than follow the below process:

Apply - Interested individuals or team can apply by sending their application with full details on the form available on the link below.

Selection - The applicant of shortlisted entries will have to make a presentation on their idea/ solution to the Selection Board of Bank at GITC, Belapur, Navi Mumbai/ SBIIT Hyderabad as per the decision of the Bank.

On selection of the applicant’s idea/ solution the incubatee will be assigned an incubation mentor to assist the incubatee.

Post Selection - The incubatee should prepare project report covering Scope of Work, Timeline and milestones, Details of expenses and infrastructure etc.

The major differentiator between SBI Incubation program and other incubation programs is that this is on-going program and applicants can apply at any time.

Kumbh Mela @2019 – Visitors can access WiFi Hotspots

          The administrative authority of Kumbh Mela 2019 : Prayagraj Mela Pradhikaran has released ‘Expression of Interest’, document for providing Wi-Fi hot spots in KumbhMela – 2019.

          Kumbh is one of the world's largest religious gatherings and is held on a rotational basis in either of the four riverside towns of Haridwar, Allahabad, Nasik and Ujjain. The MahaKumbh is held every 12 years at Prayag (Allahabad), with the Kumbh being organized every 6 years.

The last MahaKumbh took place in 2013 which was attended by an estimated 10 crore people over a two-month period. The next Kumbh is scheduled to be held in Allahabad in 2019.

The estimates for Kumbh 2019 is 12 crore visitors from all parts of the world.  Looking at the modern day dependence on internet services, good quality optical fibre wireless internet services is planned to be provided in the Kumbh Mela 2019.

Prayagraj Mela Pradhikaran proposes to appoint an agency to provide good quality and high speed wireless internet services inside the Kumbh Mela Area in every sector for the period of Three (3) months.

Draft Scope of Work

·       The PrayagrajMelaPradhikaran intends to engage a service provider who can supply, configure, install, operate, and maintain good quality wireless internet service inside the KumbhMela area to an agency for 3 months (January - March 2019). Agency may make revenue by collecting tariffs and advertisement. The Agency shall be responsible for following work:

·       Agency shall install sufficient supporting infrastructure to provide seamless wireless internet connectivity throughout the Kumbhmela area, these might consists of but not limited to optical fibre, access switches, wireless access points, security equipments etc.;

·       Agency shall install operate and maintain wireless internet services;

·       The service provider shall be bound to pay all taxes/liabilities imposed by the Government or

·       any other Competent Authority in respect of the right of license;

·       Agency shall ensure 24x7 wireless internet service for KumbhMela period;

·       Agency will ensure 100% power back up for supporting infrastructure;

·       Agency shall incur all the costs and tax liabilities related to this project;

·       The service provider would be responsible for maintaining the user and other records as required under the applicable law/regulations;

·                Provide free service for a limited time period each day and later on can be charged as per defined by the Authority; and

·                 The agency shall adhere to TEC, DOT, TRAI or any other relevant or applicable guidelines

A WiFi hotspot is simply an area with an accessible wireless network. The term is most often used to refer to wireless networks in public areas like airports and coffee shops. Some are free and some require fees for use, but in either case they can be handy when you are on the go.

WiFi hotspots are becoming very common in India now and majority of laptop users are familiar with WiFi hotspots.

Tips for a safe surfing experience

Tip 01) Pick up the correct network

Tip 02) Pick a secure network

Tip 03) Ask to connect

Tip 04) Be your own hotspot

Tip 05) Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network)

Amazon Pay to be India’s first interoperable Wallet

          Reserve Bank of India vide Notification No RBI/2018-19/61 DPSS.CO.PD.No.808/02.14.006/2018-19 dt. October 16, 2018 issued guidelines regarding ‘Interoperability Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs)’.

         

Q) What is Interoperability?

Ans: Interoperability is the technical compatibility that enables a payment system to be used in conjunction with other payment systems.

          Interoperability allows PPI Issuers, System Providers and System Participants in different systems to undertake, clear and settle payment transactions across systems without participating in multiple systems.

          Amazon Pay has kick-started the process to be offer interoperability to its wallet holders by tying up with Axis Bank.

          @apl  will be Amazon Pay’s UPI handle. The testing for interoperable launch is in progress with a CUG. Based on the feedback from the CUG users, Amazon Pay will fine-tune the compelte process.

          The date for the public launch is not in public domain.  However, the public launch will be in the near future

7 Benefits to Amazon Pay on this new business opportunity

Benefit 01) The first mover advantage

Benefit 02) Enable Amazon Pay to quickly onboard new merchants with UPI as the key differentiator

Benefit 03) Enable Amazon Pay to acquire a high number of customers through attractive cashback offers

Benefit 04) Enable Amazon Pay to save considerable costs associated with API integration on multiple eCommerce Sites. Amazon Pay wallet users can seamlessly transact with all the UPI handle users without any additional cost.

Benefit 05) More visibility for Amazon Brand across online as well as offline channel.

Benefit 06) Increase in the average balances held by wallet holders in Amazon Pay PPIs

Benefit 07) Increase the pressure on peers to quickly adopt wallet interoperability.

         

Q: What are the requirements for PPIs to achieve interoperability through UPI?

Ans: Requirements for achieving interoperability through UPI

1 PPI issuers shall facilitate all basic / standard features of interoperability of UPI.

2 PPI issuers shall act as Payment System Providers (PSP) in the UPI. NPCI will issue handle to the PPI issuers as per its policy / guidelines taking risk management aspects into consideration. Since *99# USSD is part of UPI, non-bank PPI issuers are also allowed to participate in the same.

3 PPI holders shall be on-boarded for UPI by their own PPI issuer only. PPI issuers shall only link their customer wallets to the handle issued to them.

4.PPI issuers as PSP shall not on-board customers of any bank or any other PPI issuer.

5 Authentication will be completed by the PPI holder as per his / her existing wallet credentials. In other words, a transaction will be pre-approved before it reaches the UPI.

6.  Settlement: For the purposes of settlement, a non-bank PPI issuer shall participate through a sponsor bank. Non-bank PPI issuers shall adhere to the requirements of sponsor bank arrangement in UPI as also meet all requirements of NPCI in this regard.

Additional Reading

RBI Guidelines For The Interoperability Of Prepaid Payment Instruments: A Boost For Digital Wallets?

Now Transfer Money From One E-Wallet To Another As RBI Kickstarts Interoperability

Will SUN Mobility assist India’s eRickshaws Heroes/Heroines?

Can SUN Mobility motivate its end users to accept Digital Payments??

SUN Mobility ‘Quick Interchange Stations’ to accept only Digital Payments

Government of India under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi is aggressively pushing for Electric Vehicles.

          One segment has already taken the lead in the switchover to eVehicles without waiting for any Government support. This segment is on the roads 24*7  to  cater to the vast numbers requiring last mile connectivity.

          The last-mile connectivity is to their homes from the nearest Transport Hub i.e Metro Stations, Railway Stations, Shopping Malls, Educational Institutions, Bus Depots, Religious Places, Local Fairs, and Shopping Hubs.

          Rickshaws are still a very popular mode of transport in Bharat and India too. They play a very important role in bridging the last-mile connectivity issues.

          Indian Rickshaw drivers are willing to switch over from conventional petrol/diesel vehicles to Electronic Rickshaws, in spite of challenges in charging the electric batteries.

           ‘E-rickshaw’ boom in Kolkata rides on ‘jugaad’

          Rickshaws also enable the tourists to soak into the local milieu and explore the bylanes of tourist spots safely and quickly.

          E-rickshaws in Jaipur: Freedom on three wheels

          Women rickshaw drivers at the vanguard - go ladies go!

          Indian decision makers at all levels are still slow in lending a helping hand to folks sweating out to reduce the pollution by adopting eVehicles.  

          A focussed policy for easy financing and easy licensing to these Rickshaw Drivers will

01)  Reduce noise pollution

02) Reduce environmental pollution

03) Reduce maintenance   costs  of both public and private vehicles

04) Increase job opportunities

05) Increase earning capacity

06) Increase the happiness quotient

07) Increase footfalls at tourist spots

          SUN Mobility business model is to provide pre-charged Electric Batteries to Electric Vehicles in India.

         

SUN Mobility’s business model separates the battery from the vehicle making EVs financially viable for the first time.

SUN Mobility modular Smart Batteries™ are smaller, lighter, and swiftly swappable confronting long-charging time.

All SUN Mobility Smart Batteries will be connected to the Quick Interchange Station Network.

This will enable SUN Mobility to track its batteries performance all the time without any manual interface.

The end result is to create a convenient refuelling infrastructure, faster and cheaper than existing petrol and diesel pumps for ICE vehicles.

The only mode of payment at the SUN Mobility QIS’s is Digital. Physical Cash is not accepted.

This digital payment mode can be leveraged by SUN Mobility to :

A)   Introduce a Open-Loop Card/Semi-closed Loop Card

B)    eAuto and eRick  drivers can accept digital fares from their customers to this card.

C)    The payments at the QIS can be made through this card

D)   Tie-up with Finance companies can be done for eAuto and eRick drivers to own Safe eVehicles.

E)    Auto deduction of Daily instalment from the eAuto / eRick Driver’s Card to the Finance Company can be set up.

F)    Finance companies can track the performance of the eAuto/eRick through the SUN Mobility Network. Any aberrations can be dealt immediately before the Loan turns into NPA

    

          Quote

A total of 635,698 three-wheel vehicles were sold during the fiscal year that ended in March – a 24 percent increase from a year earlier, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. By comparison, about 3.3 million passenger cars were sold, mostly all powered by gasoline or diesel.

          One hindrance to the potential growth of EVs is the lack of charging and battery-swapping stations nationwide. India had about 425 publicly available charging points at the end of last year. By 2022, government and private efforts are expected to boost that to an estimated 2,800 charging points, according to BNEF.

Instead of waiting, some companies are starting to build their own infrastructure. SmartE partnered with Delhi Metro Rail Corp. to provide charging near 10 stations, with plans to expand throughout the 214-station system by the end of 2020.

Another hindrance is the lack of bank financing for traditional rickshaw drivers, who typically earn low incomes, said Shishir Agrawal, managing director of Shigan eVoltz Ltd., the parent company of manufacturer GreenRick.

UnQuote

Looking forward to a Less Pollution future for our countrymen/women

Further Reading

01)  How Reva founder Chetan Maini is trying to redefine the future of urban transport

02) E-Rickshaw Revolution Sees India Leave China In The Dust

03) There are more e-rickshaws in India than battery-powered passenger cars in China

Reserve Bank of India releases Dissent Note on Inter-Ministerial Committee for finalization of Amendments to PSS Act

Extract:

An Inter-Ministerial Committee for finalization of amendments to the Payment & Settlement Systems Act, 2007 was formed by the Government under the chairmanship of Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs. RBI was represented in the Committee.

             

Draft report of the Committee has been placed in public domain by the Government. RBI representative has submitted a dissent note on certain recommendations of the Committee, a copy of which is reproduced below for public information.

              Dissent Note : -

Payment systems are a sub-set of currency which is regulated by the RBI. The overarching impact of Monetary policy on payment and settlement systems and vice versa provides support for regulation of payment systems to be with the monetary authority.

There is an underlying bank account for payment systems which is under the purview of banking system regulation which is vested with the RBI.

Settlement systems are finally posted in the books of account of banks with the RBI to attain settlement finality. Regulating these entities goes hand in hand with the settlement function.

There are certain payment systems like cards which are issued by banks globally. Dual regulation over such instruments will not be desirable.

In India, the payment system is bank-dominated. Regulation of the banking systems and payment system by the same regulator provides synergy and inspires public confidence in the payment instruments.

Regulation of the Payment System by the Central Bank is the dominant international model for stability consideration. Thus, having the regulation and supervision over Payment and Settlement systems with the central bank will ensure holistic benefits.

There has been no evidence of any inefficiency in payment systems of India. The digital payments have made good and steady progress. India is gaining international recognition as a leader in payment systems. Given this, there need not be any change in a well-functioning system.

The Payments Regulatory Board (PRB) must remain with the Reserve Bank and headed by the Governor, Reserve Bank of India. It may comprise 3 members nominated by the Government and RBI respectively, with a casting vote for the Governor to ensure smooth operations of the Board.

The composition of the PRB is also not in conformity with the announcements made in the Finance Bill by the Honorable Finance Minister.

Generic comments of RBI on certain recommendations of the report can be read here.