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Flash, one-click, lightning-fast, when it comes to payments in India, speed is the norm. Tap a button, snap your fingers, or blink an eye, and the payment is complete.
But have you ever wondered how a payment is actually processed? Or how an entire ecosystem of banks, networks, fintechs, and regulators work seamlessly together to make it happen?
Let’s take a peek under the hood and explore the fascinating, ever-evolving world of payments!
My entire professional journey has been rooted in banking, finance, payments, technology, and fintech. And those who have worked in this ecosystem often use jargon and terms that can seem incomprehensible to others.
So, before we dive deep into the world of payments, let’s first understand the language of payments.
Chapter 1: Payments Language
Understanding the language of payments is crucial because it lays the foundation for grasping how the entire ecosystem works. Payments are powered by a web of interconnected players, processes, and technologies, each with its own terminology. By decoding these terms, we can better appreciate the intricacies of payments and how they seamlessly power our everyday transactions.
- PA (Payment Aggregator)
In India, Payment Aggregators are RBI-licensed regulated entities that offer collection services to merchants. They collect money on behalf of merchants using various different approved payment methods. This ensures that merchants operate within the legal bounds set by different regulators.
- PG (Payment Gateway)
Payment Gateways offer all technical services as that of a PA, except for collecting funds on behalf of the merchant. Generally, a PG offers its payments technology stack with a PA in the backend for handling funds.
- Acquiring Bank
An Acquiring Bank is simply a bank that a merchant or a PA appoints for collecting funds. This bank represents the merchant/PA in the banking ecosystem and assumes all associated risks and responsibilities.
- Issuing Bank
An Issuing Bank usually refers to a consumer’s bank account, from which they make payments. In a case where a customer uses a credit card, the issuing bank is the bank that issued the credit card. In the case of UPI, the issuing bank is the underlying bank account linked to the VPA.
- Switch
A switch is software that follows specific rules set by regulators, networks, or intermediaries to process payments. Banks use this technology to handle transactions when they issue cards or accept payments.
- 2FA
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is a security method that requires two steps to verify a customer’s identity. For example, in making a card payment, the first step is entering the card details like the card number and CVV. The second step is entering the OTP (one-time password) sent to your phone.
- TID
A Terminal ID is a unique identifier issued by acquiring banks to identify a merchant. It is assigned based on a combination of the Payment Aggregator (PA) and merchant context.
- Hosted Checkout Page
This is simply a checkout page provided by the Payment Aggregator (PA) or Payment Gateway (PG), designed to look like the merchant’s own payments page through branding and customization. The PA/PG manages all payment-related compliances on behalf of the merchant, ensuring a seamless and secure transaction experience.
- Native Checkout Page
A Native Checkout Page is a checkout interface owned and hosted directly by the merchant. Payments are processed through APIs provided by the Payment Aggregator (PA), ensuring seamless transactions while maintaining compliance. This approach is typically adopted by merchants with high transaction volumes.
- Subscription
Subscriptions refer to recurring payments where the merchant charges the customer at regular intervals without requiring approval for each transaction. This allows for seamless automated billing at the agreed-upon frequency.
- PPI
Prepaid Instruments are a form of electronic payment that lets users store funds in advance to pay for goods and services, access financial services, or make remittances. Examples include digital wallets.
- Chargeback
A chargeback occurs when a consumer disputes a transaction, typically due to non-delivery of goods or services, and the merchant fails to provide a refund. The issuing bank steps in to mediate between the consumer and the merchant, ensuring the dispute is resolved fairly and in favor of the rightful party.
Card Specific Language
Network/Scheme
ACS
Token
Cryptogram
PAN
3DS
UPI Specific Language
TPAP
PSP
VPA
INTENT
COLLECT
QR
Technology Language
APIs
SDKs
Having learned the language of payments, you’re now equipped to “talk the talk” and understand discussions about payments.
Payments function as an ecosystem, with multiple players and their respective technology stacks involved in processing a payment. Since there are numerous participants engaged, various workflows and API calls are executed to complete a transaction.
You can think of payments as a relay race, where each participant passes the baton to the next until the race concludes. The winning team, or the most efficient system, is determined by:
- Faster athletes: Fast and responsive technology and processes.
- Reliable baton passing: Smooth collaboration between different players in the ecosystem.
- Great understanding of the rules: Knowledge of the regulations set by payment and external regulatory bodies.
- Practice & coaching: The ability to scale and the robustness of technology tested with multiple merchants and banks.
To better understand this relay, we will now look at a payment workflow, focusing on UPI as the payment method.
Chapter 2: Payment Workflows
Chances are, you’ve made an online purchase from an e-commerce site or a D2C brand, booked a ticket online, or made a payment for one of your utility needs. These everyday transactions are part of the seamless and fast-paced world of online payments that we rely on for convenience and efficiency.
Behind the scenes, however, there is a complex network of technology, processes, and regulations working together to ensure that each payment is processed securely and without delay. From the moment you click “pay,” multiple players are involved in ensuring that your transaction goes through smoothly, making it important to understand the journey of a payment.
Now, imagine you’ve selected your product or service and reached the payments page. Some websites or apps feature a native payments page, owned by the merchant, where the payment process is seamless. Others use a hosted checkout page, where you’re redirected to a page hosted by a Payment Aggregator (PA).
In this scenario, let’s say you choose to pay via UPI, and the brand you’re purchasing from is using a Cashfree Payments hosted checkout page. The following image will give you an understanding about all the various steps involved in the payment process from start to finish.
Workflows are what make payments both fascinating and complex. The workflow outlined below represents one of the simplest processes in payments. However, there are many other payment instruments, such as cards, net banking, pay-later options, and EMIs, that introduce additional layers of interaction between various parties.
This is where business and technology converge, creating a dynamic payments fintech ecosystem. And, needless to say, India is leading the way in this rapidly evolving space.
Chapter 3: Payments Business
In this final chapter, we learn how to visualize the payments business, breaking it down through a consumer-first approach focused on channels. There are two main payment channels: offline and online. Whether you’re making an online purchase or paying in person at a store, these two channels define how payments are made. Offline doesn’t mean disconnected from the internet; it simply refers to physically being present while making the payment.
Consumers interact with an interface during every payment, whether it’s an online checkout page, a POS machine offline, or a QR code (either online or in-store). These interfaces are what the consumer sees and understands, making them visually intuitive and easy to grasp.
For merchants, the challenge lies in the application of these interfaces. An online merchant must determine how to integrate a checkout page within their app, choose the appropriate technology stack, and decide whether to use an SDK or APIs. Similarly, an offline merchant must figure out how to integrate a POS system or dynamic QR codes. This is where the application layer of a Payment Aggregator (PA) or Payment Gateway (PG) plays a crucial role, enabling seamless integration for merchants.
Paymodes, such as debit/credit cards, UPI, net banking, wallets, and pay-later options, are what issuing banks offer to consumers. Each paymode serves a specific need, and today’s consumers have access to multiple payment instruments. Offering a wide range of paymodes increases sales conversion and customer satisfaction.
From a PA perspective, businesses come in all shapes and sizes, with different needs depending on their scale. An entrepreneur running their business on Instagram or WhatsApp may have different requirements compared to a large organization with hundreds of employees. This is where the value-added services (VAS) on top of core payments come into play. A PA must adapt its products to meet various merchant needs, evolve with them as their businesses grow, and ensure that collection processes remain efficient.
Lastly, one of the most critical aspects of any business is distribution. For a PA, effective distribution channels include direct merchant acquisition, partners and orchestrators, bank referrals, and TSP (Third-Party Service Provider) solutions, all of which help expand the reach and success of their payments business.
