Visa And BillDesk Bring Bharat QR To More Than 300M Consumers

Payment processor company Visa and BillDesk, an India-based electronic payments provider, announced Wednesday (Sept. 6) they had successfully enabled 50 large service providers for the Bharat QR payments acceptance platform.

In a press release, the companies said the achievement occurred in a month, extending the digital payment facility to potentially more than 300 million consumers. Some of the merchants enabled include Tata AIG, ACT Broadband, Reliance Energy, Gujarat Gas, MTNL, Aircel, Tata Power, Pune Municipal Corporation and Calcutta Electricity Supply, the companies said in the press release.

“The core idea that binds technology and payments is simplicity and convenience, and QR code is a great example,” said T.R. Ramachandran, group country manager for India and South Asia at Visa, in the press release. “Having pioneered QR technology as low-cost payments solution for open loop networks, and having worked with the government and the industry in developing Bharat QR, Visa’s endeavor is to grow the acceptance network for Bharat QR in the country and make digital payments accessible to all. This is a strong testimony to our open collaboration with the innovation ecosystem to drive frictionless payments that empower millions of lives.”

Bharat QR is a secure and network-agnostic interface allowing customers to make payments using their bank apps on their smartphones. Bharat QR simplifies digital payments by eliminating the need for divulging card details at the point of sale. For example, to use Bharat QR to pay an electricity bill, a customer will simply need to log into his bank’s app and scan the QR code displayed on the electricity bill, enabling instant payment. A customer can also enter her unique customer ID online and generate a QR code that can be scanned using the bank app.

“BillDesk is delighted to engage with Visa to promote Bharat QR,” said Ajay Kaushal, co-founder of BillDesk, in the same press release. “This is a simple yet powerful solution with great potential to shift consumers and merchants from cash to digital payments for everyday spends. It provides the speed, security and convenience that cash payments cannot match. Merchant interest in and demand for Bharat QR is growing for it is simpler, faster and more reliable ways to accept digital payments with Bharat QR. We will continue to collaborate with Visa to enable online merchants for Bharat QR acceptance and simplify digital payments for consumers.”