Mint Explainer | What you should know about RBI’s new e-mandate rules
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday tightened and consolidated rules for e-mandates—automated instructions that allow recurring payments—aimed at improving transaction processing by payment system operators (PSOs) and reducing friction for users.Mint explains what has changed, why it matters, and what payment system operators will need to adjust.An e-mandate is a one-time authorization that allows a bank to automatically process recurring payments on a customer’s behalf. These are used for subscriptions such as OTT services, mutual fund investments, utility bills, insurance premiums, and loan instalments.Setting up an e-mandate requires a one-time registration and authentication using an additional factor of authentication (AFA), alongside the issuer’s standard process.Each mandate must specify a validity period, which customers can modify or withdraw at any time.
It can be set for a fixed amount or a variable amount, subject to RBI-specified caps. For variable mandates, issuers must allow customers to define a maximum transaction limit.The overhaul is part of RBI’s broader effort to consolidate overlapping and amended guidelines on card-based mandates and digital payments issued over time.
These have now been brought together in a single final circular.The move also follows rising complaints over auto-debits in recurring payments and difficulties in cancelling mandates. Mint reported in February that RBI had asked the National Payments Corp.
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