Credit Card Primer – Interchange, MDR & Surcharge

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This post provides a quick primer on MDR, Interchange, and Surcharge, and covers a few recent updates to rules around these key concepts in the credit card industry. 1. Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) When you buy something worth $100 and pay with a credit card, the merchant gets $97.62. The difference of $2.38 is the … Read more

Six Sharp Practices Followed By New Age Startups

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Here are six sharp practices followed by new age startups: #1. REDBUS This bus ticket aggregator buys five seats in a bus with 45 seats. When four out of these five seats are booked on its app / website, RedBus flashes a warning saying “only one seat left”. I heard this directly from the horse’s … Read more

Unveiling What Merchants & Banks Learn About You When You Tap Your Credit Card

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Among others, the credit card value chain comprises the following entities: Consumer (aka Customer, Cardholder), who uses the credit card to pay for the purchase Merchant (aka Store, Retailer), who sells what the consumer purchases Issuer Bank, which issues the credit card to the consumer Acquirer Bank, which issues the POS terminal and Merchant Agreement, … Read more

Zepto Becomes The First Quick Commerce Unicorn

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Zepto just became the first unicorn in the Quick Commerce space. Zepto, an India-based grocery delivery company, secured a $200 million Series E at a $1.4 billion valuation in a deal led by Stepstone Group. – Axios Pro. Compared to UDAAN and a couple of other startups that became unicorns in six months or so, … Read more

Pune Metro Second Impressions

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After trying out the Aqua Line of Pune Metro last month, I recently checked out the Purple Line. When it’s fully commissioned, this route will connect PCMC on the north to Swargate in the south of Pune. As of now, Purple Line is operational between PCMC and the downtown Civil Court station. Two stations on … Read more

Economic Times Publishes My Take On Corporate v. Consumer Credit Rating

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Dear Editor of Economic Times: This has reference to the op-ed entitled Credit Ratings Need To Get Personal in today’s Economic Times. The article makes a false equivalence between the scope of corporate credit rating and consumer credit rating and misses two crucial points while making the case for enriching consumer credit rating by comparing … Read more

Calling BS Of Bank Fintech Partnership

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Fintech came into existence with the charter of disrupting traditional banks. It sought to achieve its mission by democratizing finance with modern technologies and superior customer experiences. The plan was to unbundle banking into multiple products, be a CHILL entrant in each product, bring the unbanked and underbanked into its fold first, then work its … Read more

Pune Metro First Impressions

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Pune Metro has two routes: Aqua Line running East-West from Ramwadi in East Pune to Vanaz in West Pune via Ruby Hall Clinic in downtown Pune. As of now, this route is operational between Ruby Hall Clinic and Vanaz, with the Ramwadi-to-Ruby Hall Clinic section expected to be commissioned by the end of the year. … Read more