Digital Payments a potential threat to Indian Banks

E-commerce has transformed the way business is done in India. The Indian E-commerce market is expected to grow to $111.40 billion by 2025 from $46.2 billion as of 2020. By 2030, it is expected to reach $350 billion. According to NASSCOM, despite COVID-19 challenges/disruptions, India's e-commerce market continues to grow at 5%, with expected sales of $56.6 billion in 2021. After China and the US, India had the third-largest online shopper base of 140 million in 2020. The financial services industry is in the midst of a significant transformation, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. And given the key role digitisation plays in the financial lives of more and more of the world’s population, electronic payments are at the epicentre of this transformation.

As per PWC survey, Payments are becoming increasingly cashless, and the industry’s role in fostering inclusion has become a significant priority. Payments also are supporting the development of digital economies and are driving innovation — all while functioning as a stable backbone for our economies. 86% agreed that traditional payments providers will collaborate with fintechs and technology providers as one of their main sources of innovation. Another solid reason for growth is India’s online shopping sector is currently worth $36.5 billion, a value that has consistently expanded at double-digit rates in recent years.

The digital payments sector in India has been growing at an exponential rate, with the penetration of technology in the deep interiors of the country. India's top banker Uday Kotak said lenders based in the country may end up losing large portions of their traditional business to digital wallet platforms such as Google Pay and Walmart-backed Phonepe. Google Pay and Phonepe, which are dominating the country's retail digital payments sector, are either owned or backed by deep-pocketed tech giants, Kotak pointed out while speaking at a