Paytm Curbs: RBI May Consider Review Of Feb 29 Deadline, If Need Arises

The Reserve Bank of India may consider a review of the Feb. 29 deadline for Paytm Payments Bank, if adequate customer deposits are not withdrawn, according to two people in the know.

The regulator has not taken any final decisions in the matter yet and will only review the need for an extension next week, the people said.

On Jan. 31, RBI placed severe business restrictions on Paytm Payments Bank to curtail fresh deposits, top-ups or credit transactions on customer accounts after Feb. 29. The strictures were put after the regulator noted persistent non-compliances and material supervisory concerns.

But 10 days in, the outflow of deposits has been slow as customers are still dealing with the uncertainty around the future of Paytm. The RBI wants to avoid a situation where multiple customers are not able to access their money after Feb. 29, the people cited above said.

The regulator has directed Paytm Payments Bank to allow transactions from dormant accounts, if the money is being transferred to their source bank accounts, the people said. The RBI, at present, is closely monitoring the outflow of deposits to decide on future course of action, they said.

NDTV Profit previously reported that RBI found material non-compliances with know-your-customer norms, where multiple accounts were linked to the same permanent account number, stoking fears of money laundering. Some of these accounts were used to conduct crores of rupees worth transactions. There were multiple dormant accounts, which could have been used as mule accounts.

RBI also found that Paytm Payments Bank and its parent Paytm had co-mingled financial and non-financial systems, not maintaining an arm’s length distance.