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Eco/Invest/Demography

PayTM sees surge in the use of its payment platforms, could turn profitable in 2021

Speaking at a panel on how technology can help tackle financial exclusion, Vijay Shekhar Sharma said the crisis had forced more merchants to use PayTM’s platforms as businesses were forced to accept digital payments.
PayTM, which began as a service for people to top up their mobile phones, offers a digital payment platform for merchants, money transfers and bill payments across India. Its lending businesses include credit cards, personal loans and merchant cash loans in partnership with other lenders.

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RBI forms panel to look into digital lending practices

The regulator said on Wednesday, it was setting up a six-member working group to evaluate digital lending activities and identify risks posed by unregulated digital lending to financial stability, regulated entities and consumers.
In December, the RBI had issued a notice about lending apps, warning that some engaged in “unscrupulous activities”, such as charging excessive interest rates and fees.

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COVID-19 spurs calls to boost protections for millions of homeworkers

“Homeworkers have been invisible for too long. But the explosion in homeworking during the pandemic has highlighted the poor working conditions experienced by millions worldwide,” ILO economist Janine Berg told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Homeworkers earn on average 13% less than non-homeworkers in Britain, 22% less in the United States, 25% less in South Africa and about 50% less in Argentina, India and Mexico, the ILO said in a report.

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Indonesian divers retrieve flight recorder from Jet crash

The black boxes will provide more information on what caused the plane to plunge more than 10,000 feet in a matter of seconds. Both pilots in command of Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 were experienced and the airline has a solid safety record, with no fatal accidents since it was founded in 2003. The 737-500 model itself also has a good safety record.

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