‘Why not use our own Indian app?’: Anand Mahindra reveals why he switched to BHIM UPI after meeting NPCI chief | Today’s news
Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra revealed why he switched to BHIM, a digital payments app developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), after speaking to its Managing Director and CEO Dilip Asba.
In a post on Monday, Mahindra recalled being asked which digital payment app he was using. When he named his preferred platform, his friend asked, “Why not use BHIM, our own Indian app?” Mahindra admitted that he knew little about the app, after which his friend introduced him to Asbe.
BHIM, or Bharat Interface for Money, was launched in December 2016. Developed by NPCI, the app allows users to send and receive money directly through their bank accounts using UPI (Unified Payments Interface). Unlike consumer-facing platforms like PhonePe, Google Pay and Paytm, BHIM is NPCI’s own UPI application.
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Anand Mahindra explains NPCI’s role in India’s UPI ecosystem
Mahindra said his conversation with Asbe helped him understand the difference between the payment apps consumers use and the underlying infrastructure that enables those transactions.
“We all know the payment apps we use every day. PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm, BHIM… But think of them as trains running on the railway network. NPCI provides the tracks. And what an extraordinary railway India has built!” he said.
To highlight the scale of India’s digital payments infrastructure, Mahindra reported more than 2,400 million UPI transactions processed on an average of over 80 million transactions per day in September.
The numbers, he suggested, highlighted the reach of the payment system, which has become an integral part of everyday financial transactions in India.
“India is now the world’s largest real-time payments market. A true global force multiplier,” he said, describing Asbe as one of the key individuals behind this success.
NPCI plans to expand India’s digital payments infrastructure
The conversation also covered NPCI’s plans to develop additional infrastructure to support digital financial services.
According to Mahindra, Asbe was considering ways to build on the approach behind UPI adoption and develop systems that could enable new applications in other areas of finance.
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“His mind is buzzing with plans to build more ‘railroads’ that will enable new applications in the broader realms of finance,” Mahindra said.
Anand Mahindra praises Dilip Asbe’s humility
Mahindra said what impressed him about Asbe was not just his technological expertise or the extent of his contribution to India’s financial technology ecosystem, but his humility.
“But that’s what struck me most about him. Not the scale of his success. Not his knowledge of technology. His humility.”
The industrialist described Asbe as a leader who seemed more focused on the work of his organization than on seeking personal recognition.
“Dilip is well known in finance and technology circles. But I met a man with no emotion, no sense of self-importance and seemingly little interest in the limelight. Only immense pride in what his team had achieved and a real sense of privilege to serve his country,” he wrote.
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Mahindra also recalled learning that Asbe’s mother was a teacher and wondered if her influence contributed to his grounded personality.
“People like him derive their satisfaction not from being seen, but from seeing their work make a difference,” Mahindra noted.
Mahindra concluded his narrative by thanking Asbe for showing how ambition and humility can co-exist. He also revealed that the conversation prompted a change in his own digital payment habits.
“And now I’ve switched to the BHIM app!”
