Towards a Cashless India?

Are we missing a trick here?

8th November 2016 : All hell broke loose

In India and in America, albeit for different reasons..

It’s more than 2 weeks now…

“Bank manager in Rohtak dies in office after spending three days at work” – Blame PM Modi for it.

“Hordes of Indians standing in the queue for hours and hours together” – Yes, Modi is the culprit.

“Innocent people with years of savings now under a spot of bother” – Modi, how can you be so inhuman?

“BJP top brass already knew about it.. ofcourse they deposited lakhs of black money planning in advance” – I always knew he was “very fair”

“School students join hands to mint the new 2000 rupee notes” – Thank god, now the cash shortage will surely end..

Best of all – “Why aren’t the dudes of Baramati, UP and Bihar behind the bars for hoarding black money?” – Modi, you have truly failed..

Stories, gimmicks, humbug, mudslinging..

Well, India once again shies away from development and slides into the abyss of “political slugfest”.

As I sit down and take stock of the events that have transpired, rhetoric and blame-game aside, I begin to realize – We surely have missed a trick or two, here.

Idea amazing, implementation not upto the mark – There are no two ways about it. But what we have failed to understand is the door, Modi unlocked.

For years and years together, bureaucracy remained India’s Achilles heel. Thanks to the new government, bureaucratic world has suddenly turned upside down. But what bothers me today is –

If India truly has become hospitable for businesses and investment, where are the sparks flying, where are the signs of change?

Where are the likes of Visa, MasterCard? And what has happened to the intense power struggle of Android Pay and Apple Pay? Why are PayPal, InstaMojo, Citrus Pay sleeping on the cards? If I were HDFC, Citi, HSBC or Barclays, demonetization would be a gold mine…not referring to the black money converted gold mine…

Electronic payment, few years back, was solely defined by the possession credit cards, debit cards – a luxury enjoyed by the upper echelons of Indian society. In comes Technology, and the electronic payment sphere witnessed revolution.

21st century saw the rise of Mobile Payment and Digital Wallet Services packed with the potential to not only replace hard green stashes but also the entire gamut of cards. And that perplexes me – Is it only me who sees the opportunity bestowed by PM Modi thanks to demonetization?

“You can only lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink”

If I were Google and Apple, instead of fighting over the supremacy of Apple Pay and Android Pay, I would join hands with the government and usher the masses to utilize their platform. Never in the history of our country has a competitive tussle contributed towards our betterment and prosperity. But the demographics can change if every smartphone user (atleast 20% of 1.3 billion mobile phone users) adopts mobile payment.

Its astonishing to see a country like India be behind the rest of the globe in terms of Smartphone Penetration, Internet Usage and Financial Literacy. It’s time to catch up with the rest of the world. Smartphone manufactures, Internet Service Providers, Financial Experts – It isn’t just Modi who runs the government. You all play an important part too.

Here’s a chance for you to prove. Here’s that “chance of a lifetime” as they say.

“Strike whilst the iron is hot”

It’s time to raise awareness. It’s time to stick together and co-operate. It’s time to embrace the transition.

Online Banking, Credit cards, Debit cards, Payment Gateways – the once pale Indian dinner has now been richly served with Gulab jamun, rasgulla – All it awaits is the willingness to eat..

Awaiting the announcement of Exciting offers, subsidized transaction rates and affordable mobile payment gateways..

The mouth watering prospect of Truly Cashless India…