VisVoice

 Proposed UPI transaction charges:  Is the action justified?  UPI transactions, exempted from MDR charges so far, are going to be charged effective 15th Oct 2026. Transactions up to ₹2000 under UPI are exempted and the proposed charges, to be levied above the exempted limit, carry a caveat that it shall not be passed on to the users/ultimate consumers. After all, UPI is part of the whole gamut of digital transactions, which form the majority of banking transactions today.  While the debate is going on as to  whether the consumers/small merchants are being fleeced in the process,  I would like to present certain facts about digital transactions before conveying my views on the proposed charges. 1. Digital Transactions carry convenience, reduced costs and increased opportunities: a. For the bankers: Digital transactions reduced the marginal operational expenditure like costs in carrying physical cash,  tallying, maintenance, staff salaries, branch renta...

  S BT Foundation Day 12th September 2026 Certain things cannot be restored in life. During such  situations, the counsel says "Accept reality; reconcile yourself". I accepted my retirement, sitting at home without work and all that; but yet to reconcile to the fact that my mother Bank SBT ceased to exist.  I joined SBT, when the work was carried out manually. Then I worked in a partially computerised set up followed by a fully computerised core banking environment as well. I mostly I worked in branches, till I entered administrative offices at higher levels. Month after month, on all salary days, I used to see, interact, and offer a 'cup of chai' to my senior retirees, who used to throng the branch for withdrawing money and updating their passbooks. The situation did not change, even when the ATM cards were introduced, passbook printing machines were kept alongside the online ATM machines.  Most of the retirees preferred cash withdrawal from the counters, (select so...