Small NBFCs want to use WhatsApp or SMS to help technologically challenged customers, here’s how
In a letter to NPCI, a representative body of non-banking finance companies said many small NBCFs do not have well-developed websites and their customers are also not so tech-savvy
Mumbai: NBFCs with asset base of below Rs 500 crore have requested the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to provide a simpler method such as WhatsApp or SMS for cancellation of NACH mandate for their customers.
National Automated Clearing House (NACH) mandate is a direction to the bank to honour recurring payments like loan instalments, insurance or systematic investment plans (SIPs). In order to facilitate online submission of customer requests for mandate cancellation, NPCI has asked banks, NBFCs and corporates to provide an option to the customers to submit the cancellation/stop request through their website or any other electronic channels.
In a letter to NPCI, Finance Industry Development Council (FIDC) said many small NBCFs do not have well-developed websites and their customers are also not so tech-savvy.
It requested NPCI to provide “cancellation facility (for NACH) through simpler means such as Whatsapp/SMS in a secure manner such that customers could be encouraged to adopt those simpler means rather than access the companies’ websites to carry out such a request.”
The industry body urged NPCI to allow these NBFCs to provide cancellation facilities on a ‘best effort’ basis and not as a mandate.
It said most of the customers of smaller NBFCs are not tech-savvy and are not comfortable with transacting on electronic platforms but they may be comfortable in using SMS or WhatsApp.
Small NBFCs have with great difficulty convinced their customers to use electronic/non-cash means for EMI (equated monthly instalment) payments, but still the prevalence of cash repayments is significant, the letter said.
“Provision of the facility for cancellation of NACH mandates therefore is neither feasible nor effective in achieving the ultimate objective of customer empowerment given the nature of these customers,” FIDC said.
NACH, a web-based solution, was implemented by NPCI for banks, financial institutions, corporates and government to facilitate inter-bank, high volume, electronic transactions which are repetitive and periodic in nature.
It can be used for making bulk transactions towards distribution of subsidies, dividends, interest, salary, pension, and also for collection of payments pertaining to telephone, electricity, water, loans, investments in mutual funds and insurance premium.
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