By Upasana Taku

"The 2020 budget is a crucial one for the country and the economy. As an Indian company that started up 10 years ago, and is now a key player in the fintech segment, MobiKwik is eagerly awaiting the proposed regulations and policies relating to the fintech industry. 

With the recent developments in the Indian digital payments segment and the onset of zero MDR policy, it is evident that the budget will surely encompass policies tailor-made for the segment, which is booming right now. 

As a start-up that has scaled up from scratch, the expectations from the budget are varied. From an entrepreneurial point of view, we definitely expect more on bettering the ease of doing business in India. Though the government has taken several initiatives including GST, the setup and running compliance cost is still very high. Moreover, Indian start-ups are starved of exit options owing to antiquated listing norms that do not help the new age tech ecosystem.  Relaxation in listing guidelines would be of help to the India Inc.

When it comes to the fintech segment, policies like zero MDR are sure to have an impact on the digital payments industry. Policies and proposals of this magnitude need to take the interest of all the stakeholders into consideration. In the case of zero MDR, it disincentivizes investment (by all stakeholders) in payment technology and infrastructure, which is required to provide world-class services.. This will eventually dilute the collective opportunity of making the digital economy larger than the cash economy. We definitely need a continued push towards digital payments while keeping the interest of all stakeholders in mind and creating a win-win scenario for the entire ecosystem."

(Upasana Taku, Co-founder, MobiKwik)