Payments banks seek Rs 5 lakh deposit limit, push for lending nod: Report

Along with seeking a higher deposit ceiling, payments banks have also requested permission to lend to the microfinance sector, albeit with a cap on loan amounts.

Payments banks in India have urged the Union Finance Ministry to increase the deposit limit per account to Rs 5 lakh, up from the current cap of Rs 2 lakh, Business Standard reported, citing a source who attended a recent meeting chaired by Department of Financial Services Secretary M Nagaraju in New Delhi.

This marks the latest push by payments banks for regulatory changes, following the previous increase in April 2021, when the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised the maximum end-of-day balance from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh.

Along with seeking a higher deposit ceiling, payments banks have also requested permission to lend to the microfinance sector, albeit with a cap on loan amounts. If approved, this would represent a significant shift in their operating framework, which currently mandates that payments banks invest exclusively in government securities.

“The meeting reviewed the financial status of payments banks, and the government sought a road map for financial inclusion,” a source told Business Standard. Discussions also covered licences for small finance banks (SFBs), which payments banks can apply for after five years of operation, provided they meet RBI’s regulatory requirements, including a minimum paid-up voting equity capital or net worth of Rs 200 crore. Fino Payments Bank applied for an SFB licence last year, the report added.

The meeting was attended by representatives from leading payments banks, including Jio Payments Bank, Airtel Payments Bank, Fino Payments Bank, NSDL Payments Bank, India Post Payments Bank, and Paytm Payments Bank, alongside RBI officials.

A separate source told Business Standard that the financial services secretary praised India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) for its contributions to financial inclusion and door-step banking, encouraging other payments banks to expand their efforts in these areas. As a state-run entity, IPPB operates 650 branches and more than 163,000 access points nationwide, offering savings and current accounts, virtual debit cards, domestic money transfer services, bill payments, insurance products, and child enrolment services for children below five years old.