With the advent of cheap, a large number of countries are trying to go cashless. Going full digital will also help Government track their money better. Almost every country has devised its own payment app. After the pandemic, there were about 70 billion digital transactions that happened in 2020 alone. A number of people have now turned to online shopping at present. This is why in every country there was a surge in digital shoppers. Globally, the total transaction value in Digital Payments is expected to reach US$8,562 Billion in 2022.
But what is real-time payments you may ask, Realtime payments are platforms or networks via which online payments can be made 24/7.
So, let’s look at the Countries with the most real-time payments. These countries have innovated significantly in their digital payment space. This has enabled the common man to make transactions digitally.
Real-time transactions of different Countries in 2020
India has the most real-time payments. It seems that India has successfully designed payment technologies that can be used by the common man. India has a number of apps that are reliable for digital payment.
Companies like Paytm and Google Pay have pioneered digital payment in India. They have made digital payment accessible to the common man. The main game changer was UPI. This is what led to such high digital transactions. Paytm has also enabled QR-based payment for any kind of small business. This is why anyone could digitally pay anybody. After the pandemic, there was a significant rise in online shopping and which gave rise to digital contactless payments. Digital transactions grew close to 90% in the three years from FY19 to FY21. The value of digital payments in India in 2021 was 300 billion. In the financial year 2021, around 44 billion digital payments were recorded across India. Total transaction value in the Digital Payments segment is projected to reach US$142 billion in 2022. Market experts and statistics predict that it will grow to reach 1 trillion by 2026.
China has a huge amount of online transactions and it has a number of online payment app like Alipay, Wechat Pay, ApplePay, Tenpay, and others. AliPay and wechat pay are most widely used for digital transactions than any other company. A lot of businesses fully transact digitally. The businesses which operate with AliPay also transact digitally. As of December 2021, around 900million people used digital payment transactions in China. Total transaction value in the Digital Payments segment is projected to reach US$3,225 billion in 2022.
South Korea is another country that has digitized all kinds of banking and peer-to-peer transactions in a big way. Apps like Amex, Kakao Pay and has a lot of transactions in South Korea. There are other apps like Toss Pay, Payco, T-money, Cashbee, Visa payment. After the pandemic, a lot of businesses came online and started accepting payments online. This led to increase in online payment in South Korea. Total transaction value in the Digital Payments segment is projected to reach US$ 214 billion in 2022. The digital payments in south Korea is expected to reach $ 500 billion by 2024.
Thailand
Thailand is another country that is doing a lot in the field of online payment. They have come up with a payment platform called prompt pay. Before pandemic Thailand had about 7 million, now it has 14.5 million transactions in the whole country. There are also other startups that are coming forward and are building solutions to make digital payment more feasible. Total transaction value in the Digital Payments segment is projected to reach US$ 32 billion in 2022.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom also has a lot of digital transactions. There is a number of options for digital wallets in the United Kingdom. PayPal is one of the prime companies which provide all kinds of banking transactions. After the pandemic, there is a huge rise in online payment in e-commerce. There are also other fintech companies that are coming into the space to provide solutions in this sector.
The UK is trying to build a very robust online payment system and the adoption of people to digital ways is also increasing. Total transaction value in the Digital Payments segment is projected to reach US$ 436 billion in 2022.
Nigeria
Nigeria is another country that has tried implementing digital payment methods in its territory. There are many apps like Tingg, Paga, Mobile Money. After the pandemic, the digital payment penetration is very high. Though there are other challenges like poor internet, a lot of entrepreneurs are coming forward to provide solutions in this area. The real-time payment volumes grew hugely in 2020. The Real-time volume was 1.9 billion in 2020. It is expected to reach $7.7 Billion by 2025. Total transaction value in the Digital Payments segment is projected to reach US$ 13 billion in 2022.
Japan
Though Japan is a very technologically advanced country, it is still making a huge amount of transactions in cash only. Experts say that the scenario will change as a lot of the younger population will start transacting through online means. After the pandemic, Japan also saw a significant rise in digital transactions. In 2021, around 5.74 billion digital transactions were recorded. Total transaction value in the Digital Payments segment is projected to reach US$ 364 billion in 2022.
Brazil
Brazil is also taking huge strides to transition to online payment. Though in the present, people in Brazil do 40% of transactions by cash a lot of people are transitioning to online means. There are a number of Fintech companies that have mushroomed up in order to provide service in this space. Pix a fintech software launched by Brazil’s Central Bank is used hugely in this country. Total transaction value in the Digital Payments segment is projected to reach US$ 69 billion in 2022.
United States of America
The United States Of America also has a huge amount of online transactions in the world. Companies like PayPal and Google Pay are leading in the USA. They have redefined banking and has made banking transaction much simpler. After the pandemic, the USA also saw a significant rise in online transactions. Total transaction value in the Digital Payments is projected to reach US$ 1801 billion in 2022.
Mexico is transitioning to digital modes of payment recently but a lot needs to be done in this sector. Presently about 85% of transactions happen through cash. Strange behavior that has been noted in the Mexican people is that they consider cash to be more reliable than online payment. Even if they are buying something on any e-commerce, they prefer cash on delivery. Apart from that, the banks are also not very innovative. Total transaction value in the Digital Payments segment is forecasted to reach US$ 72 billion in 2022.
Conclusion
The Covid 19 has provided a massive boost to real-time payment applications as people were confined in their homes and opted for a cashless solution.
FAQs
Which country has most number of digital payments?
India is the leading country with 25.5 billion real-time payment transactions.
How many countries have instant payments?
54 countries have activated real-time payment systems.
Which country doesn’t use cash?
Sweden is a country where about 80 percent of Swedes use cards with 58 percent of payments being made by card and only six percent made in cash, according to the Swedish Central Bank.
The rate of growth in the world right now is at probably the topmost pace. The fuel for this growth is simply the technology sector behind every organisation. Lines and walls between companies are getting more and more transparent. Every company and entity is becoming a technological entity. All these utilities of technology have induced certain dependence in the world. That utility is worthwhile too, too much of an extent.
Technology, in a nutshell, has made our surroundings more convenient than ever before. We see transactions are getting easier and easier. We see that the entertainment sector is at an all-time high, in terms of revenue generation and visibility. We see that technology has invaded our homes and hands, the utilities it provides are endless.
All the utilities that the technology provides, make it a lucrative port for every other activity. Paying someone has become easier, and in fact, the transactions have become easier. Digital cryptocurrency is the new buzzword around the world corridors.
Most people support this trend of bitcoin and other crypto asset classes. India recently announced the commencement of a digital currency. The digital rupee is a new term for every Indian and this is a move that no one has ever imagined. There is a lot of hype among people about this but most people don’t know what it will be like. In this article, we will discuss what is a digital currency and how will it be different from the UPI method or unified payments method.
A digital payment mechanism is a tunnel through which payments can travel digitally. For instance, UPI is a digital payments mechanism. A Unified Payment Interface is a method by which people can transfer funds digitally and directly from the bank to another bank account.
The sole purpose of the digital setup of payments is the ease and convenience which it provides. The craze of digital payments grew so much in a very small time that it shifted to more serious business.
A Small Brief About Digital Currency
When digital payments are so easy and convenient, then why not all shift to digital payment methods? Moreover, why not make a digital currency? Nowadays, crypto is a popular buzzword. Let us see what digital currency means and what crypto is.
The world of cryptocurrency and digital assets. A cryptocurrency or just crypto is a digital currency that is designed and formulated to act as a medium of exchange. The whole system is decentralised, in fact, decentralisation is the core concept on which the world of crypto is being built.
Transactions happen through computers and computer networks. All the computer networks are not controlled by anyone’s authority, this by definition is known as decentralisation. There is no bank intermediary, a government or anyone else to maintain or uphold it.
A digital currency, as the name suggests, is a sort of digital money or electronic money is a sort of currency. It is money like an asset class that is primarily stored in a digital source or a computer. It is also stored and transmitted over the internet. It involves a lot of other asset classes. Types of digital currency include a lot more than just some of the asset classes.
Digital currency includes all sorts of cryptocurrency, virtual currency and all the currency which is accepted by digital currency. Except for the cryptocurrency, other asset classes may be recorded in a database that is centralised. A centralised database here means the database which is upheld by some central authority or a government figure.
This currency can be used to buy goods and services that exist in the real world. It can also however be used to buy things online, like something in an online game. Apart from being digital, digital currencies exhibit all the traits of a traditional currency. It doesn’t just have a physical form.
The fact that they are not physical in nature implies that they can be held by anyone with a computer device. This feature of digital money removes the cost of circulating physical money in the market. Transactions can happen seamlessly over the internet without any issues of lower denomination of notes.
A digital currency is usually not issued by a government body and thus, these are not considered as legal tender in many countries except El Salvador. Digital currency can be owned by anyone, even outside the borders of a country. These features also make the government not accept it as a legal tender.
Depending on the situation and characteristics of the digital currency, it can be centralised and decentralised. Centralised means some organisation that is operated under the rules of a central body. Decentralised is an organisation that has no central body and no one person or entity can control it wholly. Centralised institutes include banks and the stock market. Cryptocurrency like Bitcoin is decentralised.
This is the new word that, after its inception, became a buzzword of the month. Nirmala Sitaraman made the announcement mentioning the word digital rupee in her speech. She introduced that the government will soon unveil a digital rupee that will have all the support from the RBI or Reserve Bank of India.
Among all the crypto hype, this digital rupee will be a welcoming move by the Government of India to the world. It is said to be launched in the next financial year. It will be a central bank currency in the digital format.
Another word for it can be, CBDC, which is a central bank digital currency. This currency will be valid in India and will be accepted and transacted in the whole of the country. Let us see what more we heard about this new head of currency.
Digital rupee to be issued using blockchain and other technologies; to be issued by RBI starting 2022-23. This will give a big boost to the economy: FM Nirmala Sitharaman#Budget2022pic.twitter.com/tUdj2DoZCR
Indians were surprised at the time when our finance minister made an uncommon statement. This proposal of a digital rupee had many people in surprise.
Vipin Kumar, CEO TechnoloaderPvt. Ltd said launching a digital rupee using blockchain will not be an arduous task for the government.
“People in India are already amicable with the concept of digital transactions or payments in the form of UPI ID and barcode. Presently a great many people are doing digital transactions in their way of living. If the government is planning to launch a digital rupee using blockchain; accepting it also will not be an arduous task. Government has to refurbish technical aspects. Only mobile applications desire to update and UPI id entail replacement with Wallet address as blockchain works on wallets addresses,” said Vipin Kumar.
There were immediate questions about how the digital rupee would operate. What will be its use cases and how we will be able to transact in digital rupee. How different it will be from the UPI payments that we make on a daily basis.
Digital money, built from blockchain technology will be transferred from one digital wallet to another like other cryptos assets. “One will have to punch in the wallet address of the recipient to transfer the money. It would be as good as today’s UPI transactions where the value of money is transferred from one’s wallet or bank account to another,” Kunal Jagdale, Founder, BitsAir Exchange
“As the usage of the Digital Rupee increases, it could also benefit things like cross-border remittances, an environment could be created for interoperability whereby faster real-time remittance occurs,” said Kunal Jagdale.
The Digital rupee which the government will unveil in the next financial year will be seamless and real-time. The transactions will be made through a digital currency tunnel.
Transactions will be real-time and every Indian can send their money to another person, even overseas and across borders. There will be no need for any central authority. This means that the transactions will happen at an instant and will be needing no intermediary in between transacting bodies.
Even though digital currency will not be available in the physical form, it will be acceptable. Digital currency will be as acceptable as cash and will be a legal tender in any sort of transaction. Payments made through CBDCs (Central Bank Digital Currency) will also reduce settlement risks and the demand for interbank settlements.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitaraman has also mentioned that the country will launch a digital version of the rupee as early as this year. It will be usable from the next financial year itself.
Apart from the announcement of a digital currency, the finance minister in her budget speech also mentioned that any trading gains or transfer gains of cryptos will be taxed. This means every gain from any crypto transaction or NFT (Non-fungible tokens) sales proceeds will be taxed 30 percent. All these gains will fall into the top class tax bracket in India.
The primary two motives behind launching a digital currency are simple. First, the digital currency will give a jump to the digital economy. Secondly, the digital currency will be cheaper for the government than producing physical currency notes. This way the government is trying to kill two birds with one stone.
Ms Sitharaman also said the magnitude and frequency of digital asset transactions “have made it imperative to provide for a specific tax regime”, where profits from transactions are taxed. Taxes of this sort will also be levied on any transaction of digital assets, which means that they will also be levied when someone gifts this asset to another. In this case, the receiver will be the liable person.
In 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi withdrew the currency notes of 500 and 1000 rupee from the financial system. Within very short notice, notes of this denomination got terminated as a legal tender and the economy was pushed to a digital world.
The Indian payments landscape changed forever, after demonetisation. Companies like Paytm, which works in the digital payments sector got an immense boost from this government direction. On the other hand, India’s neighbour China was also involved in some digital currency work. The United Kingdom also saw some potential at the time in digital currency.
Sumit Gupta, co-founder and chief executive of India-based cryptocurrency exchange CoinDCX, told the BBC that the initiative “has given legitimacy to virtual digital assets”. Sumit thinks that taxing digital assets would be good for the market but believes the rate is too high.
“A tax rate of 30% is on par with that imposed on gains from speculative activities like the lottery, gambling and other gaming activities. That proposed 30% might act as a dampener for greater adoption,” he said.
Among all the hype of a new digital currency, the ongoing digital crypto is seen as a new digital asset. The new digital currency will be a new thing by the RBI. However, with all the technological shields that we stand with today, the digital rupee has high hopes from citizens.
According to the Reserve Bank of India and the finance minister, the currency will be seamlessly transferred and will be easy for the government to take charge and control. This is a win-win for everyone. More details about the platform and transactions will be officially out soon from the RBI. However, with the announcement of a digital currency, cryptocurrency is seen as an accepted currency.
With all the speculations from the public and the unclearness of the new digital currency, many people are connecting the digital currency with that of UPI. Unified payments interface is a very famous transacting mechanism in India. It is, however, said to differ from the digital currency or the digital rupee which the government is planning to push into Indian markets. Before we get to the differences it is good to know some basic information about the UPI and how the unified payment interface works.
There is little possibility that you haven’t heard of UPI in today’s world. It is almost everywhere in every marketplace. It is easy, convenient, seamless and real-time. As the name suggests, a unified payment interface is a payment pathway in which a person can transact money via digital means. People can add multiple bank accounts to their UPI apps which are available in the market today and can start transacting. It is a real-time payment system for money transfers and the settlement is done in both the receiver’s and the sender’s bank account.
The UPI is developed by the National Payments Corporation of India or NPCI. This digital payment mechanism is regulated by the Reserve Bank of India. UPI can be used every day of the week and every month of the year, it is universal in nature.
All it needs is a bank account and an internet connection. However it is noted that there is no digital currency involved, it is simple to transfer bank funds from one person to the other. A UPI transaction can be initiated and accepted both by a person, any individual and also any business out there in the country.
The Unified Payments system is secure by all means and uses some of the same pathways as digital currency transactions. The unified payments system has a data log of VPA ids, which is a unique ID that is given to every individual who is getting into the UPI transactions.
This VPA ID or the Virtual Payment Address is the address where the payment has to be made. It is simply the bank account that is linked with the Virtual Payment ID to which or from which the payment is initiated. It can be made by a bank name or the person can choose one himself or herself as opposed to in digital currency transactions.
Most of the time, the email address or the mobile number of the person is made their VPA address. VPA is something that directs the payment/transaction path. Transfers can be inter-bank and they can also be intra-bank. A mobile number also works seamlessly in the UPI payment system, if it is attached/linked with the bank account of the sender or receiver.
Most UPI apps have no holding capacity. They are not wallets, except a few like Paytm. Most UPI apps like Google Pay does not offer wallet services. Companies like Paytm do that. It is however to be noted that UPI does not hold any money in between. Wallet services are the sole services of the payment pathways companies like Paytm.
UPI works simply by settling payments from one bank and the other. It works on request by the transferee and then works towards settling the money settlement among participating banks of persons involved. A sender can initiate a transfer using a two-step secure process: you have to login to a UPI app – then you have to type the VPA id or scan a QR code – then you can send money by entering your UPI Pin that is personal to you.
The payment hits instantly and in real-time. This means, by the time you get the notification of money sent, another person will get the notification of money received.
After a brief discussion, it is time to see how both the payments are different. The digital currency which the government will release next year and the Unified payments interface that we use even today. What are the most noticeable differences and what are the most significant upgrades over the UPI payments mechanism? Let us see the key differences between the digital rupee and the UPI payments.
How Digital Rupee Will Be Different From UPI Transactions?
UPI is our day to day useful item. We use it even multiple times a day. It is handy, easy and convenient. It works seamlessly everywhere and has almost negligible issues. But how it is different from the digital rupee that the finance minister just announced in India. This is a valid question. Let us see what will be the key differences between a digital rupee and the UPI apps and payment mechanisms
The first difference is that the Digital rupee will be a standalone payment mode. As opposed to the UPI which is a payment processing tunnel. If we use UPI methods, they all don’t act like the underlying asset in transactions, instead, they are the ones who will be processing the money in your bank account. In this case, your money in the bank is the underlying asset that will enter the transaction. In the case of a digital rupee, it will itself be the underlying asset that will enter the transaction.
“The payment rails like UPI, IMPS etc use the underlying currency/cash to transfer the funds. In other cases, it is expected that payment rails will work together with the digital rupee to ensure a seamless payment transaction,” said Mihir Gandhi, Partner & Payments Transformation Leader, PwC India.
Any payment that is made through the Unified payment interface, will be equivalent to the transfer of currency notes. As there are banks, the government and all the proper authorities at work, who allows the transaction. This means that every amount which is transacted by the UPI method is backed and supported by a physical currency transaction. Which makes the process of transaction impossible to jump through. In the case of the digital rupee, this will be even more efficient and effective.
“The digital rupee will be legal tender in and of itself and need not necessarily be backed up by physical currency,” said Sumit Gwalani, Co-Founder, Neobank Fi.
Another difference is the fact that UPI transactions are involved between participating banks and they have their own UPI handlers. In the case of the digital rupee, the digital currency will be equal to the physical currency. It will be operated by the Reserve Bank Of India and no commercial bank will enter the process.
They will be informed but the central figure of RBI will always recognise the transactions happening in the digital rupee. This will add more accountability to any sort of transaction.
The digital rupee is no different from your normal rupee; it can be used to do normal transactions like NEFT, UPI. The digital rupee will be operated by RBI and not by bank intermediaries in the case of UPI where each bank has a different UPI handler, said Manoj Dalmia, Founder and Director, Proassets Exchange
The digital rupee will eliminate settlements in commercial banks. It will be directed directly by the Reserve Bank India and thus, will be instant and seamless. Record keeping will also become easier.
UPI payments currently rely on the settlement of the transacting banks with the RBI, Digital Ruppe will be transacting directly from RBI, hence it will be settled instantly, said Vinshu Gupta, Founder and Director, Nonceblox Blockchain Studio.
It is evident from the above discussion that the digital rupee is definitely an upgrade over the Unified payments interface. It will add more accountability to the system of transactions. It will be more seamless and as real-time as possible.
These transactions will also be introduced in the market without incurring a lot of costs, as the digital rupee will be made at less cost than physical notes. These are the most noticeable benefits and there will be more benefits when it comes to the market. The government is welcoming the digital change of currency as it is more efficient.
UPI payments have been the most convenient money transacting mechanism that we have seen today. As the world becomes more and more tech-savvy, people are rethinking ideas of money and transactions. Which has led to the development of digital transactions and even currency that has no physical nature of existence. We now live in a world of numbers.
In the seven budget, the Indian Finance minister announced that the government will be launching a digital rupee. Many people are considering this as a welcoming move toward the cryptocurrency hype in the rest of the world. Others are just wondering if it will be a good decision.
It can be seen from the above discussions that the digital rupee is definitely an upgrade over the Unified payments interface payment tunnel. As transactions will be recorded and regulated by the Reserve Bank of India, It will add more accountability to transacting parties. The digital rupee will be more seamless and as real-time as UPI.
These transactions will also be introduced in the market without incurring a lot of new costs. The digital rupee will be circulated in public at a lesser cost than is needed to circulate physical notes. It is a move that simply implies that the government wants better governance over the money transactions happening in the country. It is imperative, as we are a really populous country and the digital rupee can be the perfect money.
FAQ
Which is the first digital currency?
Bitcoin is one of the first and most popular digital currencies.
What is digital or virtual currency?
A digital currency is a digital representation of currency that is stored in an electronic form that can be mobile or computer. It can be centralized or decentralized.
Is Bitcoin legal in India?
There are no regulations on crypto nor the Bitcoin is banned in India.
Artificial intelligence is the capability of computers or technology controlled by computers to perform a duty that is mostly done by humans. AI is used in different innovative ways by the banking sector and other finance organizations by utilizing time properly and making sure that there is an increase in revenue and decrease in cost. It helps in providing better and fast services by efficient and improved performance through AI applications in financial institutions.
Artificial intelligence helps financial organizations to know more about the customer through the data based on the experience of customer behaviour. It is mostly used in the banking sector, investment sector, insurance sector, and other financial institutions.
The banking sector has been one of the sectors which have gained the most benefit from AI in the finance field, It has benefited investment by automated data and other applications and also helped insurance by providing an Anti-fraud system, data related to customers and risk management.
AI makes it easy to interact with the customers and provides them services like mobile banking, smart wallet, and providing AI applications for customer support and lending decision-making advice on their savings and expenses.
Anti-Fraud System
It helps to prevent fraud, as AI is all about studying and reviewing data and the growth of financial institutes. Fraud investigator works efficiently to detect fraud and take corrective measures to take precautions at right time.
Credit rating
Ai helps get all the data related to a persons credit reliability by examining the person’s data. It helps to know whether the debtor data should be increased or not and what should be the amount that has to be credited to him.
Risk Management
It helps to detect theft and take effective measures against it. It helps to improve data quality. It helps to know about credit risk by the system which gives warning whenever there is a risk.
Customer service
It makes it easy to provide service to the customers through different AI tools that are used for customers so that customers are satisfied. It helps in making interaction with customers easy as for every financial organization it is important to have good relations with customers.
Saving and loan management-
It helps to know about the saving and expenses done by customers’ behaviour on their spending pattern and loan borrowing. AI helps in debt management using the data collected properly for the repayment.
A customer who has borrowed money can also use AI technology like apps provided by the bank or any other financial institute as it helps to keep track of the history and analyze data related to the loan provided.
AI helps to know about loan applicants’ behaviour and makes it easier for banks and apps of a financial institute to know whether the loan applicant is eligible or not for the loan.
Can AI Give You a Competetive Edge Over Your Non-AI Competitors?
It helps to know the customer wants through the data that is based on the current information provided and helps to get a competitive advantage over competitors mostly in the organization. It helps to know customers’ wants by studying customer behaviour.
All companies need to install all types of technology and artificial intelligence. As our country is heading towards being more digital and sophisticated, companies need to use artificial technology and advanced technologies. If a company fails to accept the dynamic technologies it will not be able to survive and therefore, it will lose its existence.
As everything is done through artificial intelligence it makes the company increase its ability to coordinate its activities regionally, nationally, and globally. Artificial intelligence assists the company to reach all the customers, but if a company does not have artificial intelligence they will be slow in doing their work, they might face loss.
If a company does not meet the needs of the customer its competitors will stifle its development, and if a company is not advanced or updated the customers will also be apathetic-towards its service.
Nowadays those companies who provide online services are the ones who are still surviving and earning a good amount and profit from those who do not provide online services. So, the company should ensure that every service they provide is online too. For example, people who are physically challenged, elderly people who cannot go physically to the service centre, but know about artificial intelligence and technologies can prefer AI-based companies to those who are not so advanced about AI.
A company with advanced AI and technology gets its work done more effectively and productively than the competitors who do not employ dynamic AI and technology.
Advantages of AI in Finance
It works faster and helps to make better decisions quicker by improving the quality of data.
AI helps to plan a useful and helpful way that is beneficial for a finance company and also for its customers.
AI helps to prevent fraud by its tools and efficiency to keep away from financial crimes. It helps by keeping track of previous fraud transactions so that they can be used to prevent getting frauded.
It helps to eliminate the mistakes that humans make and give better solutions that give more accurate data faster.
Disadvantages of AI in Finance
It has a very high maintenance cost depending on the use.
AI also creates risks of unemployment as everything is done through AI which leads to less use of human creativity. But it cannot replace a human even if machines performance is productive and faster than humans as when there are complicated tasks when a piece of expert advice is required this work can only be done by employees.
It can sometimes be dangerous to let AI have full control as sometimes there are some errors due to which there can be a problem in data and sometimes it can be difficult to detect it.
As there is more and more use of technologies or we can say AI it leads to a decrease in the use of human creativity.
Artificial Intelligence is very helpful in the field of finance as it provides different innovative services, saves time, keeps away from fraud, etc. It also helps to get a competitive advantage over the competitors as the customers prefer advanced and updated companies.
AI have different uses like anti-fraud system, credit rating, risk management, etc. AI is very helpful to both the finance company and the customers even if there are some disadvantages we can find solutions to make improvements.
FAQ
How AI will transform the future of finance?
AI will improve fraud detection, predict cash flow and can provide high-quality services to the customers.
How does AI help in banking and finance?
AI features such as chatbots, fraud detection systems, and digital payments are actively used in the finance industry.
How will AI affect financial services?
With the help of AI, you can get an edge over your competitors as it provides advanced security, more informed decisions, and reduces risk.
Money is the basic set of resources everyone needs. While there are two methods to make money, one is through hard, slow and honest work and the other is by duping people fast, people tend to choose the second. In this world where everyone wants to afford things fast it has been increasingly seen that people are trying to find shortcuts to everything. This, of course, is not the right thing to do. You cannot get rich tomorrow, by any means.
It is true that you need money to be stable and all. People all over the world try hard to amass as much as they will be needing in future. However, some notorious humans try to dupe the rules and regulations that are made to safeguard the integrity of the nation. They try to avoid taxes illegally, try to amass much money that is either illegally earned or hidden and transported by any means. This article talks about that issue, which has money as the epicentre.
The conflict of money laundering in this world. We will first develop a little understanding of what money laundering is and then we will discuss what has been the cases that had the largest impact on the world. This article will end with precautionary measures. Read on to learn something about the loophole called money laundering.
Money laundering can be defined as some window dressing that is done to the ‘money’, to make it appear as if it was legitimately earned. It is to ensure that illegally earned money (Or even black money) looks white and pure and looks legitimately earned. It is done with some tweaks to prevent any issues that might happen in any future transactions. Thus, Money laundering makes the illegally acquired money look as if it has been obtained genuinely.
This method can be used for more than one purpose like it can be used to change or hide the nature, location, source, situation and even the movement of criminal activity. It makes the proceeds that are earned from illegal activities look legitimate and legal.
In simpler terms, laundering is the process by which hides or converts illegally earned income. It helps criminals get away with getting their money a clean and clear image. The process of money laundering is a huge criminal behind all that is wrong in the world. It provides a safe and secure passage for all the proceeds that one can earn with bad works. Any activity that is illegal, wrong and criminal is effectively hidden by the means of money laundering.
It can be drug trafficking, or even as much heinous as terrorist funding, laundering makes it look legitimate and legal. Thus, the process of money laundering is something that converts the money (from any criminal activity) to money from a legitimate source, thereby maintaining the credibility of the money earned.
Laundering is a serious crime and is done in probably every country in the world. Not only is it illegal but it is also immoral. It is such a serious problem that it encompasses both the white-collar and the street-level criminals. The roots of this business run deep in many parts of the world.
How Does Money Laundering Work?
The process of money laundering is super important for tricksters and all the criminal organisations all over the world. It is their only way on which they can rely to get their illegal money in a legitimate manner.
They are so reliant on this method that they are even ready to pay a lot of money in return for laundering money for them. This is how much they are ready to launder their illegal money. This process is not often easy, it has to be done with precise work of hands.
Anything wrong here or there can demolish the whole organisation. To avoid any errors and issues, there are different phases through which it happens. There can be many illegal ways to launder money but some points in the process are always the same and constant. We here will discuss those three common touchpoints which are common in most money laundering cases –
There are three predictive points and those are –
Placement
This is mostly the first step in a money laundering process. The first is always the entry of illegal money into the system. As soon as illegal money is placed in a tight spot, it becomes necessary to layer it with a protective genuine financial system or to cover them in legal ways.
Layering
Layering refers to the layering that is needed to cover the fingerprints on the notes, not exactly but similarly to a criminal investigation. Layering is layering the money with various transactions and accounting or bookkeeping tricks. Any accounting loophole that can hide the source of the unaccounted money, is useful here. Not to mention that it is done by experts having good knowledge and bad intentions.
Integration
The cash that is laundered through layering it with multiple accounts and transactions are now withdrawn. It is withdrawn in order to return the proceeds to the original criminal that will look like legitimately earned money. This is the integration of money in one place.
All these three methods are the most commonly seen and mostly seen/abbreviated steps in the money laundering process. But it is here to note that there can be more steps than just these three. There can be more layers and more routes by which money is integrated.
Common Methods of Money Laundering Used by Criminals
Exports
There can be Exports that are faked multiple times, in fact, it is one of the common ways criminals do this. A fake export can look like the money is legitimate and is travelling to some other country or province in some official manner. It was very frequently used in Europe in recent years.
Stock Markets
Another unsaid method is via investing the money out. Stock Markets are the major regulator of money supply and the money can be hidden behind this big money machine. Anyone can purchase shares, stakes to bonds from stock market brokers in any part of the world. Noting that the Stock market has a ubiquitous approach in all its workings, more money can be transported and invested in these money markets. Stock markets capitalise on the transaction and make it look legitimate.
Expensive Paintings
If you are a Hollywood fan, then this method would be quite familiar to you. It is evident in movies that gangsters buy some expensive art to cover the money that they have. Thus, Antiques and paintings that are ridiculously expensive can be used too. Hide money or even turn the illegal black money into legitimate white money.
Electronic Means
Then comes the smart modern way of pulling out money laundering. That is, by Electronic means. It has become increasingly easy to transfer money to each other’s wallets. This has not to mention also eased the hard work of money launderers. Now you can just transfer money with a click of a button or a few taps. Electronic means provides a wonderful and magical opportunity to exchange money without revealing its true identity or form.
If you are a modern thief, this trick would come in really handy. Criminals can convert real money to untraceable digital money, which is super hard to trace. That illegal or black money can also be stored in a cloud of games and rewards. It can be distributed through auctions and sales through gambling websites.
Cryptocurrency
If you move ahead in technology and money transactions, you will hit a block. That block is no other than the blockchain. As the world of cryptocurrency rises, so do the concerns of money management all over the world. It is forecasted that it will become extremely easy to get away with black money in the form of cryptocurrencies. What can be worse? They are not even regulated with one organisation, it is power in the hands of people and what if they fail to manage the power. Although there are proper ledgers at place working overnight to record all the transactions, it still can be hard to track individuals involved in the theft.
Up till now, we have all learnt that money laundering is a complex process and can include many forms and types. This calls for some real study on scams that the world has witnessed already. Let us now discuss which tricksters (read criminals) were able to dupe the national security laws of money laundering. This is the history that saw some of the biggest cases of money laundering in the world –
HSBC
HSBC was one of the top firms that showed signs of money laundering. The organisation was tried by the senate. It came under the limelight in the year 2012 when the United States Senate triggered a search in its operations.
On further investigations, it was found that they were breaking AML laws. AML here is Anti-money laundering laws. It was found that the entity HSBC was found to be guilty of the following frauds and illegal activities.
Firstly, they offered banking services to clients hailing from Saudi Arabia, even after knowing the fact that the clients had contacts with terrorists. HSBC sanctioned money transactions from Iran and North Korea without raising any sort of ticket that signifies any issue with those transactions.
HSBC let a subsidy of them having relations with a Mexican counterpart go, even when that counterpart had ties with drug trafficking. HSBC ignored all the risky factors and let the relationship with such a threat of an organisation go without any issue.
The reports say that an estimate of about 881 million Dollars was laundered in summation. This was a huge amount and the entity was banned from any workings for the foreseeable future. HSBC was a reminder that every entity has to be regulated so that it runs according to the lines seated by AML laws. HSBC was fined $1.9 billion dollars for laundering money.
BCCI (Bank of Credit and Commerce International)
The name BCCI is an acronym for Bank of Credit and Commerce International. It is a name now long forgotten. It was however not the same in history. In the mid 19s, BCCI was the seventh-largest private bank in the world. In the mid-1980s the bank was found to be involved in some really serious business of money laundering and even drug smuggling.
BCCI was found with sums of money that were in billions in criminal profits. The name that is forgotten now is estimated to have hidden and laundered a sum of almost 23 billion dollars. This much money was laundered and the bank made a name for itself in the black market of thieves and money launderers.
It is reported that the bank was too picky of its clients, it had relations with some really big names in the industry. BCCI has been reported with relations with Saddam Hussain (Former military dictator of Panama Manuel Noriega) and Palestinian terrorist leader Abu Nidal. By 1990 BCCI was entangled in its own corporate structure and ran into obscurity. That was when the time came for its investigation.
The US Senate report says that Price Waterhouse started an investigation on this matter. The credit and commerce bank shut down its operations even before the investigations were completed.
Even after an early shutdown, the bank owed hefty amounts of fines due to the AML (Anti-money laundering) laws it broke. It was also reported that the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) user accounts listed on the BCCI, to fund Afghan Mujahideen during their war with Russia (The soviet union) in the 1980s. On the land of money laundering accusations, the Bank of Credit and Commerce transferred about 20 billion dollars in money laundering
Nauru
Nauru Island
Nauru is the name of a tiny pacific island. It is about 1100 miles away from the coast of New Guinea. The place might be small and dingy but it is quite an epicentre of money laundering. This small land has been the go-to place for the highest-profile of criminals and gangsters. In the late 1990s, Russian criminal gang lords laundered about 70 billion dollars through banks that were registered in Nauru. Those banks were mostly called ‘Shell’ banks.
Shell banks are the banks that exist only on paper and nowhere else in real life. They cannot be traced on a map, nor do they have any physical office/branch in real life. Nauru even allowed those banks to record transactions without naming the people behind those transactions. This was done to incentivise more and more transactions. The small land of the Nauru coast of Australia turned into a shell corporation heaven for the Russian mafia. The place is now only known for being a money-laundering favourable place after being a natural resource hotspot.
After the US treasury found out about the illegal money business going on in Nauru, they imposed heavy sanctions on that land. Only to surprise, it was found that the penalties were even more than the penalties imposed on Iran (Another laundering place).
With factors like those of Shell Banks, and recording money transactions without account names, cooked all this hassle. All of the factors above made Nauru a safe place for money launderers. The island has been blacklisted and all the shell banks that were once there, are deregistered on the spot. Since 2001, Nauru has taken steps to clean up its act and has accepted financial aid from Australia.
Standard Chartered
Standard Chartered is one of the biggest banks in the world. This humongous financial institution was accused of helping out the Iranian government to launder an amount of about 265 billion dollars. This huge amount was reported to be laundered as there were not enough/sufficient checks at places. This lack of governance of checks and looks made this big money to be transported illegally.
When it was investigated and regulated by concerned authorities, the organisation paid about 350 million dollars in fines in 2012. Standard Chartered also paid 350 million dollars again in fines and settlements in 2014 for not improving their AML (Anti-money laundering) face and compliance with the assigned rules. After that, they improved their AML sector within the organisation and since then, it has been on a check.
Pablo Escobar
All the Pablo fans out there, do you know how big that criminal was. Pablo Escobar, the most successful criminal ever known to known history. He was so rich and had money in such amounts that it is said once, he spent 1000 dollars in a consecutive week on rubber bands which were used to hold up the bundles of cash that he had. Not to mention, his business was drugging and although the business was illegal, he was a master of the trade.
He was so good at the drugs business, it is reported that he once in time-controlled about 80 per cent of the world’s drugs business (Cocaine trade). With such a hold over the most profitable business, he had loads of money. And because of that, he was forced to make more ways to launder his money to look legitimate. He was so into money laundering that probably the epicentre of his business was just that, ‘Cash Laundering’.
The recipe that he followed in getting all the money back to himself was simple. He paid bankers some bribe to which they returned the favour by turning his black cash into legitimate money. In 1989, reports say that his personal fortune was worth about 9 billion dollars, which made him the seventh richest person in the world at that time. He died in a gunfight in 1993 with Colombian authorities.
Wachovia
It is now a part of Wells Fargo, Wachovia was among the biggest banks in the United States in the 2010s. The bank was found to have allowed drug cartels in Mexico to launder close to US$390 billion through its branches during 2004-2007. The drug cartels had one job specific to money laundering. They laundered money (Proceeds) that came from selling drugs in the United States to the other side of the Mexican Border. Then, they used money exchangers to deposit the money into their bank accounts in Mexico.
“Wachovia’s blatant disregard for our banking laws gave international cocaine cartels a virtual carte blanche to finance their operations,” said Jeffrey Sloman, the federal prosecutor. Yet the total fine was less than 2% of the bank’s $12.3bn profit for 2009. On 24 March 2010, Wells Fargo stock traded at $30.86 – up 1% on the week of the court settlement.
At the Mexico border, the requirements were not clear and regulated which added to the money laundering situation. The regulatory requirements with regard to the source of funds were not on par with current standards. Later on, the money that was transported to Mexico was roped in back to Wachovia’s accounts in the US. The total money laundered by this bank amounted to 390 billion dollars.
Now you must be thinking about what happens if the situation is not controlled, and that is a legit question. If money laundering is not stopped, it can raise havoc. How? Let us find out –
When some money is unaccounted for and lies around in society, it can be used for any purpose. The intentions can be constructive as well as destructive. Depending on the purpose, it can create a ruckus for the society we live in.
As we all know, money can be used as an incentive for many things, it can be an incentive for good things, hardworking and it can also be an incentive for bad things for society. In that situation, the social and political cost of such money can be severe.
In addition to that factor of thought, money laundering can weaken society as a whole. It can lower the boundaries of social and collective ethical standards. In developed countries, it can be efficient and effectively used in terrorism and any sort of destructive activity or behaviour.
On the other hand, if unaccounted money or money laundering is in an underdeveloped country then it can be serious damage to the progress of the country and the integrity of such a nation. For example, those examples can be disastrous in the second most populous nation, India.
What are the Precautions for Money Laundering?
There can be precautions as well for this money laundering influence. These precautions can lead to a safer environment for all, the government and the citizens. Let us discuss some of the precautions that are advised by experts and are worth a read –
Tax Evasion
First of all, the process of one laundering starts from the intention of tax evasion. At the heart of the issue is hiding the income to save some pennies of taxes. This has to be completely stopped. Tax evasion has to be stopped in all steps of production to consumption. This will help make people aware of the monitoring. This will also reduce significant money movements from one place to another.
Local governments should be held accountable for the money management of an area. They have to be fully authorised as well to do their duties on full throttle. For this purpose, the government and the media can work hand in hand to be more effective in maintaining the secrecy of sensitive topics.
Reducing Tax-free Earnings
The private sector has to be regulated as well. Cartels should be prevented and any sort of underground economy should come to an end. This can be done by reducing the tax-free earnings as much as possible in nature. This can be hard for developing countries, as they rely on taxes for development but they can do small changes as well.
AML(Anti-money laundering)
Businesses can protect themselves by strictly accounting for all the transactions as well as adhering to the AML(Anti-money laundering) norms. For which they can use the AML software available in the market such as Sanction scanner and many others available throughout the internet.
AML (Anti-money laundering) Initiatives
Throughout the article, we have mentioned something called AML, we did mention it but what it is actually? Anti-money laundering is a set of initiatives that rose to global prominence in the year 1989. They were formed by a group of companies and countries who were concerned about the issue. It is an entailing part of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The mission of which is to prevent and control the money transactions that are unrecorded and benefit from money laundering all around the world. In October 2001, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, FATF expanded its mandate to include combating terrorist financing.
Another important organisation that controls the fight against money laundering is the IMF or the International monetary fund. Just like the FATF, the IMF also runs on a mission of preventing money laundering as they assert influence on countries and corporations to act according to the accepted international standards.
Laws like these are effective and work in a manner that prevents market manipulation, trade in illegal goods, corruption on public funds and even tax evasion on a global level (large scale).
Laundering is a serious crime and is done in probably every country in the world. Not only is it illegal but it is also immoral. It is such a serious problem that it encompasses both the white-collar and the street-level criminals. The roots of this business run deep in many parts of the world. With this rooted problem, it can be a serious hindrance to the development of countries and even corporations at a smaller level.
There are many international corporations like the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) and IMF (International monetary fund) trying to influence these numbers. Reading the history of money laundering, it is threatening that it can happen today too. In this world where we talk about decentralised currency as the new currency. It is going to be hard to prevent such happenings in today’s world. It does not just harm corporations and societies but even the society and constituents of society.
FAQ
How does money laundering cash work?
The money that needs to be laundered is carried into foreign bank accounts in small amounts and then is transferred back to where it came from.
What is the most common way to launder money?
The most common ways to launder money is investing in gold, investing in stocks or transferring money to foreign bank accounts.
Is laundering money illegal?
Yes, Money laundering is illegal as the laundered money can be used for illegal activities.
The average life of a global enterprise is usually just 2 years; most of them fail and cannot survive after this time, due to different factors. Among them, we can find financial lack of control, bad administration, and a little vision to take them into the future. In the next top 8, we will be able to give you some tips to prevent your business from failing and even to boost it.
Researching the market is probably the number one step that every entrepreneur or business owner should take. This is as such a tool applied through surveys, evaluations, and file information, which allows knowing the real needs that consumers have, their tastes, preferences, and profile.
It should be done in order to know how the competition develops, what customers are they looking for and the opportunities they have to be a strong company. By having this information very well-identified, viable business models can be created and adapted, which by themselves are already promising for the future.
2. Take Care of Finances
Take Care of Finance
The administration of financial resources is very important to be able to support the entire business and prevent it from falling. The rules that must be followed include the constant review of the financial statements, the measurement of expenses and income, and taking into account the need for financing at some point.
In other words, every business that wants to accelerate its growth needs to obtain sufficient financial resources to achieve it. In one of the reports on credit and growth, we learned that only 40% of entrepreneurs focus their resources on strategies that can create long-term value.
3. Set Goals and Objectives
Set Goals and Objectives
It is important that you adhere to the business plan that you created, in order to have the goals and objectives established and to know where it is necessary to direct your business. In other words, this helps you know what you and your team need to do in order to take the company to the next level.
You can follow work methods in which everyone knows and defines their tasks to fulfil them on an estimated date, and thus obtain the improvement and growth metrics they are having.
4. Identify Areas of Opportunity
Identify Areas of Opportunity
Identifying the areas of opportunity is the only way in which a business can improve and be more likely to continue operating and attracting customers. Ideally, you should constantly get feedback from your customers, to know what your service is like, the quality of your product, or even what they need.
You must identify those aspects within the business that need to be improved, for example, manufacturing, administrative, or even maintenance processes, and think about how you can improve them.
5. Find the Differentiation
Find the Differentiation
One of the very important qualities that prevent a business from failing is its differentiation. By offering something totally innovative that makes the business stand out, it is possible to attract an endless number of clients and consumers who wish to satisfy any need.
Companies that manage to be disruptive stand out from their competition and even manage to change the development of their industry. In Latin America, different businesses have been created that start from being SMEs to achieving a big breakthrough.
6. Attract Customers Constantly
What makes a business work, in addition to finances, are the clients since they are the source from which the capital is obtained so that everything continues. There are different ways to attract them, for example, digital presence, different sales channels, advertising on social networks, and other marketing strategies that you can adapt to the vision of your business.
At this point, we recommend that you must know very well the profile of your clients/consumers and that your efforts really serve and turn into sales.
7. Startup Costs for Starting your Business
In addition to infrastructure and personnel costs, it is necessary to take into account the costs of setting up the company itself. The main expenses to start a business are the fees of the Board of Trade and the issuance of the permit, if applicable, in addition to others that vary between states.
The total cost by traditional means can vary from R$700 to R$2,000. However, the facilities of the internet already influence these processes and the costs to start a business online may be lower than that.
8. Working the “Fear” of the Risks of Starting a Business
Working the Fear of Risks
One of the biggest fears faced by the entrepreneur is making mistakes and, consequently, losing the money and time invested. Among the risks of starting a business, this one stands out. This fear usually arises from insecurity in making some important decisions that involve risks. The tip is: take risks, even though you are going to make mistakes. You might take wrong decisions and will make a lot of mistakes but this is natural.
It is estimated that out of 1,000 businesses, 800 fail in the initial stage of growth due to their negligence towards several crucial factors. Therefore, by following the above tips, you can increase the chances that your business will continue to develop in the market.
FAQs
What is the most common cause of failure for a startup?
The causes for startup failure are money running out, lack of research/being in the wrong market, ineffective marketing, bad partnerships, etc.
Why do 90% of Startups fail?
The major reasons behind the startup failure in India are lack of motivation, lack of funds, lack of focus, lack of agility, business model failure, etc.
How can startup failure be avoided?
The startup needs to be updated with the technology and the software that they are using. All the members of the company should communicate, motivate and channelize the energies of the team to be successful. By following this we can avoid startup failure.
What happens when Startups fail?
When startups fail they would apply those payments to any outstanding debts, liquidate assets to pay debts. In many cases venture, capital investors, and other investors will end up with the loss.
Everyone who has achieved success in life has a story to tell. An event that forever altered their lives and shaped who they are today. An event or an incident that gave them the guts and motivation to fulfill their life ambitions and goals.
There are many motivators and gurus present on the internet today who share knowledge about investments, startups, businesses, financial planning, personal life, and whatnot. There is one such prominent person who is an angel investor as well as a well-renowned YouTuber, Ankur Warikoo. Understand more about this gentleman – Ankur Warikoo’s journey in this writeup.
Ankur Warikoo is a business owner, motivational speaker, mentor, and angel investor by profession. Secondshaadi.com, Gaadi.com now Cardekho.com, and Nearbuy.com are some of the few startups that he co-founded.
Ankur Warikoo was one of the first employees hired by Groupon to launch and oversee its India operations in 2011 as it was its inception time. Deal-hunting was the most popular online activity at that time.
Ankur Warikooo Education
He completed his schooling at Don Bosco School in the capital city, New Delhi. Then he enrolled in Hindu College for a B.Sc. in Physics (B.Sc Physics). After that, he enrolled for Ph.D. in Physics (MS, Astrophysics) from Michigan State University, which he left after finishing his MS. He then went on to complete his MBA (Masters of Business Administration) at the Indian School of Business after returning from the United States.
Ankur Warikoo – Personal Life
Ankur Warikoo is a Kashmiri Pandit who was never born into a wealthy family. But he had a clear idea of what he wanted to achieve with his life, which turned out to be nothing like what he is doing now.
Despite his desire to work for NASA and travel to Mars, life had other plans for him. He dropped out of his Ph.D. program because he was unhappy with his work. Something was always lacking for him. He buried his emotions for years before seeing that this was not the road for him.
Ruchi Budhiraja Warikoo is the wife of Ankur Warikoo. She was Ankur’s love in high school. She met her when he was a student at the Hindu college and she was a resident of Miranda House. They met on the bus on their way to college, where Ruchi and her friends used to perform silly charades virtually every day.
Ruchi is the only one who truly understands and supports Ankur in whatever he does. Uzma andVidur, are their two children.
Ankur enjoys public speaking and is frequently seen giving talks at corporations, universities, schools, and conferences on topics such as motivation, leadership, consumer internet, and entrepreneurial attitude.
Ankur Warikoo at TEDxSBSC- Entrepreneurship As A State Of Mind
Ankur Warikoo – Career
After completing his studies, Ankur landed a position at AT Kearney, a consulting firm. Warikoo worked in the real estate industry and media and entertainment sectors in Dubai, New York, and India while working at Kearney. After getting his MBA, he worked at Kearney for three years until deciding to establish his own business in 2010.
While Ankur was at ISB, along with his batch mates he started his first venture, secondshaadi.com. In those few years after quitting his job, he joined in building various websites across industries like automobiles, education, and finance. One of the biggest hits was Gaadi.com which was eventually sold to goibibo.com.
Soon after these two startups, Ankur joined hands with Groupon as the founding CEO in India. Along with that he also managed businesses in Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia for Groupon. He led Groupon’s business in India for around four years until 2015. That year he took a major step and bought a major shareholding of India business from Groupon with Sequoia Capital and transformed it into a whole new independent startup, Nearbuy.com.
He started Nearbuy, a lifestyle company, in 2015 which provided interesting deals on restaurants, spas, beverages, and other local businesses. This startup was funded by Sequoia capital. He left his position as CEO in 2019 to pursue a career as a content creator. The other two co-founders still run the business of Nearbuy.
Ankur Warikoowas named toFortune India’s 40 Under 40 list, was the Social Media Entrepreneur of the Year held by CMO Asia in 2017, and was also featured in the LinkedIn spotlight in 2019.
Ankur Warikoo- An Author
Ankur Warikoo’s authored books- Do Epic Shit & Get Epic Shit Done
Ankur Warikoo as a content creator always shared productivity and life skills on different platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
In 2021, He published all his posts compendium titled “DO EPIC SHIT” (National Bestseller), in which he talks about success and failure, habits, awareness, entrepreneurship, money, and relationships.
Again in 2022, he published another book on actionable hacks titled “GET EPIC SHIT DONE“, in which he intricacies of management of life like mindset, focus, meditations, etc.
Story Behind the Brand ‘Warikoo’
When Ankur was the CEO of nearbuy.com in 2016, he created the brand Warikoo. The brand was created with the goal of owning the stories and building a brand for future talent. Ankur volunteered for the job since he enjoys public speaking, and one lovely Wednesday, he filmed a video with the headline “If you don’t ask, the answer is always no!”
It was named “Warikoo Wednesdays” by him.
Since then, the brand has expanded by leaps and bounds, and it can now be found on nearly every major social media platform. The brand continues to expand mostly through video content, which assists consumers in making decisions based on awareness rather than ignorance.
Ankur Warikoo encourages young people in their twenties and thirties to explore new things, make errors, and learn from their failures. Spending time with individuals who aren’t like us was one of the three factors that let him live a life without a plan. “It is so easy for us to take our failures seriously and consider them the end of the road,” he writes on his website ankurwarikoo.com in a PDF document titled My Failure Resume. I am the best proof that self-doubt exists, as well as the finest proof that it can be conquered — it’s simply a never-ending struggle.”
FAQs
What is the net worth of Ankur Warikoo?
The net worth of Ankur Warikoo is approximately $10 Million.
What is the education qualification of Ankur Warikoo?
Ankur Warikoo did BSc in Physics from Hindu College, dropped out from MS in Astronomy and Astrophysics from Michigan State University, and MBA in Finance from ISB.
What does Ankur Warikoo do?
Ankur Warikoo is a content creator, public speaker, and entrepreneur.
A business is not just about buying and selling a product or service. It is much more than that. For a business to run properly, everything needs to be on point, for that management is necessary.
In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that management is necessary for every step of a business. The most important factor in this is to manage the financial assets, risk, and other investments of the business.
From financial planning to look after bonds and equity of investors, it includes everything. Now, we all know business and risk go hand in hand. Therefore, in a business apart from investment management, risk management is also required.
Risk management is all about recognizing and controlling those venturing threats that can affect the organization’s financial assets. It is mostly done to protect the company from harm and its future. Risk management makes the work environment safe.
Now, thanks to technological advances, this also can be done by software. This article talks about the biggest investment and risk management software, BlackRock Aladdin.
“Wealth is only a benefit of the game of money. If you win, the money will be there.”
No, as the name suggests, it is not related to Aladdin and the magic lamp from the Arabian Nights. Although the work it does is not less than that of a genie fulfilling wishes. Aladdin (Asset, Liability, Debt, and Derivative Investment Network) is a system whose work is to keep an eye on the markets and stop anything going wrong.
It connects people and technology together to manage funds. It is part of BlackRock, Inc an American global, Investment Management Company. This system was found after BlackRock’s was founded in the year 1988. In the year 2000, Aladdin was introduced as a system for investment management user
This software works with thousands of computers for 34 hours and is continuously striving to manage the financial ecosystem of the world.
Interestingly, Aladdin was first created to handle BlackRock’s business. Now, apart from BlackRock, it is used by different clients of BlackRock’s to manage their investments.
Since the financial crisis in 2008, the demand for Aladdin has surged all over the world and it has now become one of the most important parts of the investment management industry in the world.
How does Blackrock Aladdin Work?
The system is involved in portfolio management to risk management; it’s all about providing a smooth investment process to the client with the help of a number of computers and people. With the tools required for portfolio management like trading, operation, and accounting, it gives out proper risk analytics.
Aladdin gives out powers through its tools to the user so that they can communicate efficiently and if any problem arises, they can solve it quickly during the investment process.
Aladdin contains a climate risk reporting app, that notifies if there is any risk that can be caused by climate change to their portfolio.
Top Companies that use Aladdin
Genworth Financial
This is an insurance company founded in the year, 2004 by Dave Reedy. Aladdin manages Genworth Financial, along with eFront, another software that manages the alternative investment, it keeps an eye on risk management and asset allocation of the company.
Fannie Mae
Fannie Mae is an enterprise that deals with mortgage financing. It was founded by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938; its main motive is to create a sustainable housing finance system. In 2015, Fannie Mae associated itself with Aladdin.
Macquarie
The global financial service deals with asset management, wealth management; principal investment were founded in 1969 by Stan Owens. Macquarie has taken up Aladdin in the team for their asset management.
The capability of the software Aladdin by BlackRock can be seen since the 2008 financial crisis. It has become the world’s most powerful risk management system and some of the largest enterprises are dependent on it. Needless to say by managing $21 trillion and counting, it is ruling the investment management industry of the world.
FAQ
Is Aladdin a Part of BlackRock?
Yes, Aladdin is an electronic system for investment management by BlackRock.
Who is the CEO of BlackRock?
Laurence Douglas Fink is the CEO of BlackRock.
Which companies use BlackRock Aladdin?
Genworth Financial, Fannie Mae, and Macquarie are some of the top companies that use BlackRock Aladdin.
The economic crisis that jolted the Indian subcontinent in 1991 did not happen overnight. It was facilitated by a plethora of factors including poor economic policies, trade deficits that lead to the Balance of Payment crisis, inefficient public sector etc. The economic imprudence of the 1980s had started to set the tone for the impending crisis which was called a “policy-induced crisis par excellence” by Joshi and Little in their seminal work.
As the country’s fiscal policies were going loose at the behest of the country’s worst drought since independence and a global oil shock in 1979 caused by the Islamic revolution in Iran, the recommendations of the seventh Finance Commission was rather one-sided than concentrating on means to cater to both consumers and suppliers.
It recommended a significant increase in the revenue shares of states without easing the responsibilities of the central government, which caused the existing fiscal deficit of the government to sour.
The increasing political assertions of the marginal groups along with the decaying powers of political institutions also resulted in mere populist measures to address problems that were not only insufficient but also short-termed.
Along the same line, the country saw an increase in procurement prices with no corresponding increase in issue prices. Taxes were reduced and subsidies burgeoned ten times their value last year.
Import Liberalisation and its Ramifications
Deviating from its regular economic conservatism in 1976 the Indian government liberalised import which was expected to increase the supply of intermediate and capital goods. However, export growth could not keep up with it.
By 1985, imports swelled and India was facing twin deficits. One that of fiscal deficit and the other that of trade deficit. Average fiscal deficits moved up to 6.5% from 5% in the 1970s. The only factor that held everything together was the increasing remittances from employees in the Gulf region.
Political Instability and other indigenous and Exogenous Factors
The central government was going through a tumultuous time as the ruling party (Janata Party) split into two and collapsed. This political instability was accompanied by severe drought and the oil shock of 1979.
As agricultural productions nosedived by a sixth in terms of trade, oil prices and current account deficit soured. It was only the timely procurement of food grains over the year that saved the nation from famine.
The Deal With the IMF (International Monetary Fund)
In order to expand the energy sector, exports and savings, along with reviving the Indian economy the central government approached the IMF to fund its package in 1980. The IMF however, resorted to different financial measures which the country had to abide by.
Later, the Chandra Sekhar government failed to pass the budget and the poor ratings given by Moody made India ineligible for any short term loans. In this situation, the IMF also stopped their financial assistance which forced the government to mortgage the country’s gold for bailing out.
In May 1991, India had to airlift more than 20 tones of gold to raise $240 million. Although the desperate move was heavily criticized, it was inevitable.
Newspaper cutout of 1991
Balance of Payment Crisis
The 1980s also saw a BoP crisis as the current account deficit remained between 40% and 50% of the exports in the latter half of the 1980s. It resulted in the increase of external liabilities in the 1990s, 50% of which as owned by the public sector. India’s forex reserves started to deplete as imports increased.
By July 1991, India had only less than $1 billion in its foreign reserves which can last to fund three weeks of imports. The major cause of the Balance of Payment crisis was the inability of exports to catch up with imports, improper management of the investment savings which resulted in deficit and depending on non-concessional external borrowing to cater to that deficit.
The Gulf War in the 1990s was the tipping point for the already fragile Indian economy. The fuel prices skyrocketed which affected the prices of all goods in the country. The war also meant that a lot of Indians lost their jobs and had to come back. Thus, the remittances which held the economy together was not available anymore. India fell into a deep economic crisis where it was at a disadvantageous position from all sides.
The Revival of the Indian Economy
The Narsimha Rao government with Manmohan Singh as the Finance Minister, began its journey towards economic recovery. First, to reduce inflation and promote internal markets, export subsidies were cut.
The value of the rupee was first depreciated by RBI to 9% and then to 11%. Further, domestic supply constraints were cleared and doing business was made easier by reducing the complexity of procuring permits and licenses.
India: Gross domestic product (GDP) in current prices
The economy was liberalised, privatisation was promoted. Foreign Direct Investments were also largely encouraged. Industries were given better structural and operational freedom which helped them expand and develop. The budget of 1991-92 was more about continuing these economic reforms to sustain and strengthen the changes.
Conclusion
The efforts of the Narasimha Rao government was not in vain. Indian economy started to boom in the years that followed. At a time when the country is struggling with negative growth rates and shrinking GDP, the lessons learned from the 1991 financial crisis should be revisited and analysed so as to come up with efficient solutions. There is absolutely no doubt that there will be flaws.
Even the economic reforms of 1991 also had its own flaws and it still bears the grunt of the criticisms. However, it is important to come up with valuable reforms that can save the economy from an economic depression like in 1929.
FAQ
What caused the 1991 currency crisis in India?
The 1991 financial crisis was caused due to currency overvaluation.
Who was the finance minister of India in 1991?
Manmohan Singh was the finance minister of India in 1991.
Who was the prime minister in 1991 in India?
P. V. Narasimha Rao was the prime minister of India in 1991.
Nowadays we all have a bank account. This might sound a bit awkward but there are people out there who don’t have one. Try to remember how long did it took to open a bank account? Probably a couple of hours or weeks in some cases.
Do we know what happens with our money? Nobody knows. Because once you deposit, it’s not yours anymore it becomes the bank’s money. Banks just aggregates all that capital and invests or loans it out. Your account balance is just a number in the bank’s ledger. Whenever you make a transaction, banks instruct the ledger to move to the second person.
Before I go into detail, let us first look at the brief history of the banking system:
Banking may appear complex now, yet it was created to make life easier. Italy was the epicenter of European trade in the 11th century. Merchants from across the continent intended to trade their goods, but there was one concern: there were too many currencies in circulation.
Merchants in Pisa had to cope with seven distinct types of coins and often exchange their money. The word bank comes from the Italian word “banco,” which means “bench.” This exchange transaction often was conducted outside on benches.
People were concerned about the perils of going with counterfeit money and the difficulty of getting alone. It was time for a change: home brokers began extending loans to entrepreneurs, and Genovese shoes pioneered cashless transactions. Bank networks were strewn across Europe, extending credit to the church and European rulers.
Business model of Banks
When it comes to building a value proposition, banks face a unique challenge since they must encourage clients to trust them with their money while also making them feel like they are getting the best value for their money. Once consumers have invested with a bank, the bank must endeavor to retain them and persuade them to purchase more products.
Their business model is customer-centric meaning being consistently striven for and develop an excellent reputation for transparency, trust, integrity, and being responsive to customer needs. They offer financial products and advice that is aligned with your financial goals. Their emphasis on corporate governance and CSR initiatives is something to look forward to as their entire business model is based on the services they offer.
Let’s imagine ten people each put $100 million into a bank. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has now imposed two restrictions, namely, SLR and CRR. In essence, the CRR (cash reserve ratio) is a modest percentage (4%) of the entire deposit under RBI’s jurisdiction. The statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) is the proportion (19.5%) of the amount deposited that you keep or invest in liquid assets such as cash, gold, or government securities, among other things.
The RBI imposes certain restrictions to protect your funds. The remaining 76.5 percent of the entire sum is offered to you as loans. In summary, banks make loans at a rate of 12 percent interest from the 76.5 percent, and those who deposit $100 million will receive a 4 percent return, leaving the bank with an 8 percent profit. This circulation of money is also known as a fractional reserve requirement.
Interchange fees:
When you pay for things, let’s take an example of a supermarket like D-mart with a debit or credit card, D-mart receives the money first. A tiny percentage of the proceeds is subsequently distributed to merchant banks, from which D-mart purchased their card swipe machine. The merchant banks keep a portion of the money and then transfer the balance to your account. These are known as interchange fees.
Service fees:
It is the fees imposed by banks for services such as locker (for holding gold), NEFT/RTGS, debit/credit card, internet banking, and Demat account.
Charging fees:
Low bank balances, lost debit/credit cards reissued, cheque bounces, overdrafts, and transaction fees (if you withdraw 4 or 5 times a month from an ATM) all result in banks charging fees.
Insurance & Mutual funds:
Typically, banks sell insurance plans on behalf of firms, such as life insurance, health insurance, and automobile insurance, for a commission. They also distribute mutual funds and are compensated by fund houses.
Trading in the financial market:
Most banks, particularly investment banks, are listed on the stock exchange, which provides them with an additional source of revenue. They also profit from foreign currency exchange, which means they buy a currency when the rate falls and sell it when the rate rises. They invest in the bond and commodity markets and profit from them as well.
Investment advice:
Investment banks charge high fees for the advice they give to corporations or public institutions when it comes to issuing bonds or shares.
How do Banks generate revenue now?
Banks are involved in risk management. People deposit their money in banks and get a nominal interest. This money is taken by the bank and lent out at substantially higher interest rates. It is a calculated risk as some people might default on repayment. This process is critical to our economy because it offers resources for people to purchase items like houses and for businesses to expand and grow. As a result, banks take money that savers aren’t using and turn it into money that society can use.
The main issue with banks today is that many of them have abandoned their original position as long-term financial product suppliers in favor of short-term rewards that come with far larger risks.
During the financial boom, most big banks created complex financial structures and conducted their trading to make quick money and reward their executives and traders millions in bonuses.
Other forms of funding are rapidly gaining traction today. They are:
New investment banks
New investment banks charge a yearly fee and do not receive commissions on sales, giving them an incentive to operate in their clients’ best interests.
Credit union systems
To avoid credit sharks, credit unions were founded in the nineteenth century as cooperative efforts. In short, they prioritize shared value over profitability. The mission is to assist members in establishing small enterprises, expanding farms, and building family homes while also investing in the community. Their members are in charge, and the board of directors is democratically elected.
Worldwide Credit unions range in size from a few hundred members to multibillion-dollar corporations with tens of thousands of members. Credit unions’ emphasis on member benefits influences the level of risk they are willing to take, which explains why, despite their difficulties, credit unions fared better than traditional banks during the recent financial crisis.
Crowdfunding
Not to mention the recent boom of crowdfunding. Aside from making fantastic video games feasible, platforms evolved that allow people to obtain loans from large groups of smaller investors without having to go into a bank. But it also works in the business world.
On Kickstarter or Indiegogo, a lot of innovative technology startups emerged. The funding individual gains the joy of being a part of something bigger, and they may invest tonight as they believe in while spreading the risk so evenly that the damage is minimal if the project fails.
Microcredits
Last but not least, there are microcredits. In developing countries, many extremely small loans that help people transcend poverty were met with skepticism. People who previously couldn’t receive the funds they needed to establish a business because they weren’t thought to be worth the time. Microcredit lending has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry.
Final Thoughts
While banking may not be your cup of tea, the role of banks in providing funds to individuals and businesses is critical to our society and must be carried out.
That’s all for today, folks.
FAQ
What is the main business model of a commercial bank?
Commercial banks make money by providing and earning interest from loans such as auto loans, business loans, and personal loans.
How do banks make their money?
Banks make money from service charges and they also earn money from interest they earn by lending out money to other clients.
What is the largest source of revenue for banks?
One of the largest sources of revenue for banks is interest received from customers who take loans.
The major cities of India have been under lockdown from the month of April and most of them have increased the lockdown to 31 May 2021 as of now. Even after the economic shutdown the Indian business magnate Rakesh Jhunjhunwala has conveyed positive sentiments towards the Indian economy and stock market, whereas certain institutions have conveyed that they expect around 10% growth in the GDP of the country. Let’s look at what they have spoken about the growth of the GDP in India.
In an interview with a senior journalist, the Indian business magnate, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala has disapproved of the sentiments of the media and showed a positive approach to the Indian economy. The interviewer had spoken to Rakesh Jhunjhunwala about various issues faced by the country such as growth rate, investment and GDP and added that the country is facing an economic crisis.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala had conveyed down all the worries and said that he expects that the country would have a 10% growth for this fiscal year.
He added that considering the unexpected situation faced by the country, he expects the market to revive by the month of July which is with the reduction in cases due to the second wave of the pandemic.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala on Future of Indian Economy
While the journalist had expressed about the rise in economic problems in the country such asrise in unemployment, the decline in the purchasing power of the individuals and added a question asking when the citizens of the country are losing their lives, no money in their pocket and while the bodies are floating on the river how the stock market was doing well.
To the question, Jhunjhunwala answered that the market works on reality and not on the basis of sentiments. He said that the GST collection in the country during the month of April was 1.41 lakh crores and there has been a rise in the income of all the major companies from the past 3-4 quarters.
The journalist had asked another question asking if the market is being manipulated and how can there be a positive sentiment by the investors when the unemployment is increasing. To this, he answered by saying that investments are made based on the future projections and it looks promising.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala on Centre’s Economic Management
After ensuring that the country’s economy is far from sinking, Jhunjhunwala had conveyed that he would give a score of 9 out of 10 for the economic management of the Centre. He also added that the effect of introducing major reforms in the sector such as agricultural, mining, labor and power sectors will be seen later.
He also pointed out the digitalization made by the government which has helped people to transfer money easily within minutes whereas a few years back people had to pay transactional fees and wait for a while to transfer the money.
He said that the GDP growth is in the right direction and added that the only way to get rid of poverty is to increase in growth which will, in turn, increase the wealth of the people.
Whereas multiple analysts and financial agencies have downgraded the GDP for the country for the present fiscal year. Barclays had predicted the GDP growth of India to be more than 10% in the beginning but now they have lowered it to 10%. The latest forecast was done by JP Morgan who has lowered it to 9%.
The Chief Economist of the SBI group has said that there is a possibility for the economy of India to grow to the sub of 10% during the FY 2022. He added that the month of April was somewhat a washout, while May has been a complete washout and June is also expected to have a little bit of washout.
FAQ
Is India doing good in GDP?
India’s economy had expanded by 3.1 per cent in the March quarter and FY20 GDP growth was around 4.2 per cent.
What is the growth rate of Indian economy in 2020?
GDP at Current Prices or Nominal GDP in the year 2020-21 is estimated to attain a level of Rs 195.86 trillion, as against Rs 203.51 trillion in 2019-20
Which sector is backbone of Indian economy?
MSME is considered as a backbone of Indian Economy.
Conclusion
He said that when all these factors are being taken into consideration the situation of the country is not looking so good. SBI economists have also cut the forecasts of the Indian economy from 11% to 10% and he added that they are focusing on that number until 31 May 2021.
Ashwini
PV Vyshnavi
