RuPay Contactless (Offline) feature

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has recently rolled out RuPay Contactless (Offline) feature. Introduced on a pilot basis, the feature provides reloadable wallets within RuPay Card, where customers can store money to transact even in poor internet connectivity at the POS machines.

Key Point for UPSC Prelims

  • The RuPay NCMC (National Common Mobility Card) offline wallet can be used for making payments for tickets while traveling bus, metros, cabs, etc.
  • It uses ‘Near Field Communication (NFC)’ technology and thereby reduces the time taken for doing physical payments.
  • The RuPay prepaid card was introduced by NPCI in the year 2014, to offer the feature of one card for all payments. Various features are being added to the card since then.
  • This Rupay contactless (offline) feature will strengthen the digital payment system.

RuPay

It is a domestic card payment service launched on March 26, 2012. RuPay card was designed and developed by NPCI. The card allows electronic payment at all financial institutions and Indian Banks.

RuPay contactless is a service that allows the customers to make a payment without inserting their cards at the terminals. Customers are only required to wave their cards in front of contactless payment terminals and payment is done.

National Common Mobility Card

It is a transport card that is enabled through Rupay. It was launched in March 2019. The idea of a common transport card for all local travels in the country was conceived by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)

It is an organization that was formed by an initiative of Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and RBI for creating strong payment and settlement system in India. It operates retails payments and settlement systems in India. It was founded in the year 2008 and is headquartered at Mumbai, Maharashtra. Various products of NPCI are Aadhaar Enabled Payment System, BHIM, Bharat Bill Payment System, National Automated Clearing House, National Financial Switch, National Common Mobility Card, Immediate Payment Service, etc.

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