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IAMAI Submission to DoT on Draft National Telecom Policy Raises Several
Concerns
The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) made a
submission to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on the Draft National
Telecom Policy, 2025 (Draft Policy), with a number of suggestions. The IAMAI
requested that the Draft Policy clearly define its scope to exclude broadcasting
and maintain its focus on the core mandate of telecommunication, i.e., carriage
and infrastructure. The submission raised concerns about the proposed broad,
potentially mandatory, data sandbox, and urged the Government to focus on data
contribution under a more defined, controlled, equitable, and importantly,
voluntary framework. The Association submitted that reliance on existing legal
frameworks – grounded in necessity and proportionality was sufficient to safeguard
innovation, security, and user freedom.
The submission highlighted that the Draft Policy should focus on improving the
implementation of existing frameworks to detect unsolicited commercial
communication/spam instead of putting in place any new frameworks. Concern was
also raised relating to cost, feasibility, and legality stemming from the
introduction of a mandatory mobile number validation service (MNVS). The IAMAI
urged the DoT to ensure that the Draft Policy upheld the principles of net
neutrality by ensuring non-discriminatory treatment of internet traffic. With
respect to a proposed regulatory framework to implement active and passive
infrastructure sharing, the IAMAI underlined the importance of ensuring that all
relevant stakeholders affected by any proposed infrastructure sharing initiative
between any service providers, possess the right to assess its potential for
misuse, and to consequently define and implement appropriate remedial actions.
Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chair - GFF2025
Advisory Council, Chairman, Axilor Ventures & Co-founder, Infosys addressing
virtually (on screen) the GFF 2025 curtain raiser press conference. Others on
the dais are (L-R) Mr. Yashraj Erande, Global Leader, Fintech and India leader,
Financial Institutions, BCG; Mr. Madhusudanan R Co-founder, M2P Fintech, and
Member, GFF Founders' Council; Mr. Vishwas Patel, Joint Managing Director,
Infibeam Avenues, Chairman, Payments Council of India (PCI), and Member, GFF
2025 Advisory Council; Mr. G. Padmanabhan, Member, GFF 2025 Advisory Council,
Former Executive Director, Reserve Bank of India, Ex ED RBI and Ex Chairman BOI;
Ms. Sohini Rajola, Member, GFF 2025 Advisory Council, Executive Director -
Growth, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI); Mr. Srinivas Jain,
Executive Director and Head of Strategy, SBI Mutual Fund, and Member, GFF 2025
Advisory Council, and Mr. Gaurav Chopra, Executive Director, Payments Council
of India (PCI)
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IAMAI's Digital Entertainment Committee Raises Concerns with NPCI on UPI Autopay
Restrictions
| The IAMAI's Digital Entertainment Committee (DEC), made a
representation to the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) regarding
Operational Circular 215A in July 2025 which places restrictions on the use of ten
UPI APIs, including the UPI Autopay transaction execution API w.e.f. 1st August
2025. In follow-up, the IAMAI Secretariat met with NPCI officials to highlight the
concerns of publishers of online curated content, particularly around the
potential ~2% decline in recoveries because of these restrictions. During the
meeting, IAMAI suggested that NPCI may consider increasing the allowed retries for
failed transactions to at least seven, if not the earlier nine. The NPCI officials
noted IAMAI's concerns and assured that if there was evidence of significant
disruption to subscription services, the NPCI would constitute a task force and
initiate further industry consultations.
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Digital Entertainment Committee Holds First Meeting Under New Leadership
| The Digital Entertainment Committee (DEC) of the IAMAI held its first meeting on 11th August, 2025 under the leadership of the newly elected Chair, Mr. Kiran Mani of Jio Hotstar, and Co-Chair, Mr. Deepit Purkhayastha of Inshorts. Members discussed the need for a comprehensive and forward-looking industry report that captures the growth of the digital entertainment sector. Members also emphasized the importance of IAMAI being part of the task force on privacy, being set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, especially in light of the piracy report released last year by IAMAI together with EY.
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IAMAI, NITI Aayog Publish Report on 'Rethinking Homestays: Navigating Policy
Pathways'
| The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), in
collaboration with NITI Aayog, published a report titled 'Rethinking Homestays:
Navigating Policy Pathways' . The report outlines a strategic roadmap to catalyse
the homestay and BnB sector as a driver of sustainable tourism, local
entrepreneurship, and inclusive economic development in India. It was released by
Shri Suman Bery, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog. Senior officials of the Ministry of
Tourism, Ministry of Culture, and state governments including Goa, Kerala,
Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh, as well as Industry stakeholders from Airbnb,
MakeMyTrip, ISPP, and Chase India were present at the launch of the report.
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PCI Submission to RBI on Audit Standardisation
| In continuation of its long-term efforts around Audit
Standardisation the IAMAI's Payments Council of India (PCI) submitted a detailed
document on PA Audits to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The document highlighted
the regulatory overlaps and repetitions across various guidelines. The submission
was followed by meetings with RBI on the same issue.
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PCI Submission to RBI on Numberless Card Proposal Underlines Security,
Inclusivity
| The PCI Cards Network Committee submitted industry feedback to the RBI
regarding the proposal to remove card details (e.g., number, expiry, CVV) from the
surface of physical payment cards. The industry highlighted the need for a secure,
inclusive, and user-friendly approach aligned with the RBI's goal of strengthening
payment system resilience.
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FCC Representation on Challenges in Implementing Portions of the Digital Lending
Directions, 2025
| The IAMAI's Fintech Convergence Council (FCC) made a representation to
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), regarding the 'Practical Challenges in Implementing'
para 6 of the Digital Lending Directions (DLD), 2025. While supportive of the framework
of the DLD, the FCC expressed concerns over the complexity of execution and the broader
impact on the lending ecosystem. The representation also recommended a more flexible and
pragmatic approach to the implementation of the Digital Lending Directions.
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FCC Submission to SEBI Suggests Creation of MCC and Enhancing Net-Banking Limits for
PMS and AIF Managers
| The FCC made a submission to the Securities and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI), seeking the creation of a distinct Merchant Category Code (MCC) for transactions
pertaining to Portfolio Management Services (PMS) and Alternative Investment Funds
(AIF). The submission also included a suggestion on exempting PMS and AIF from upper
net-Banking transaction limits, to improve ease of transactions and enhance efficiency
for investors and service providers. This representation aims to streamline operations
for PMS and AIF players in the ecosystem, removing bottlenecks, and achieving higher
efficiency.
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FCC Submission to Union Consumer Affairs Ministry Suggests Regulatory Recognition of
Digital Gold
| The FCC, in consultation with digital gold ecosystem players, made a
submission to the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs suggesting regulatory recognition
of Digital Gold. The submission highlighted the widespread impact that the regulation of
Digital Gold can have for consumers as well as the economy as a whole. This aims to
bring oversight to a historically unregulated space, ensuring better consumer protection
while encouraging confidence among investors engaging in digital gold products.
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Click 2025 Emerges as India's Leading Performance and Growth Marketing
Conference
Delegates engrossed at a full house session at Click
2025
The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) organised India's
leading performance and growth marketing conference, Click 2025, on August 20-21, 2025
at Andaz, New Delhi. Carrying the decade-long legacy of one of India's foremost
affiliate marketing conference the India Affiliate Summit, Click 2025, appeared with a
new name and far wider scale. The conference brought together top marketers, industry
leaders, and innovators to discuss emerging trends and strategies in performance
marketing. It registered over 6000 footfall, and more than 100 speakers from the digital
marketing ecosystem addressed over 20 sessions across two days, including 25+
masterclasses and case studies.
Among the major speakers at CLICK 2025 were Lee-Ann Johnstone - Founder, Affiverse;
Rajiv Dubey - Vice President - Marketing, Dabur India; Sidharth Shakdher - CMO &
Business Head, Paytm; Vikram Singh - Digital Marketing Head, ITC Hotels; Anchit Chandra
- Digital Marketing Head & CRM, Muthoot Fincorp ONE; Dennis Yu - CEO, Blitz Metrics;
Parul Bhargava - CEO, vCommission; Srikanth Bureddy - Co-founder, Valueleaf; Sanjay
Sindhwani - CEO, Indian Express Digital; Meetu Mulchandani - Head, Brand Factory, Honasa
Consumer; Prajakta Rathe - Deputy General Manager, Reliance Retail; Chanpreet Arora -
Chief Business Officer, Wholsum Foods (Slurrpfarm & Mille); Simon Stanley - Head of
Affiliates, Kaspersky; and Pankaj Sharma - CEO & Director, MGID.
The partners of CLICK 2025 were vCommission, Valueleaf, Singhtek, Apptrove by Trackier,
Confluencr, MGID, Affise, GrabOn and Offer18. The conference is also supported by ONDC.
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IAMAI's DAC Organise Insightful Roundtable on Mastering Media in the Age of
AI
The Digital Advertising Council (DAC) of the Internet and Mobile
Association of India organised a closed-door roundtable, titled 'Beyond India', focusing
on the theme 'Mastering Media in the Age of AI with Clarity, Control and Confidence', on
August 20, 2025, at Andaz, New Delhi. The roundtable brought together top marketers,
media leaders, and digital innovators to unpack the trends redefining the advertising
industry. The programme was designed as a strategic dialogue on how to drive
performance, protect brand equity, and future-proof media strategy, especially with the
upcoming holiday buying season in focus.
Participants of the Beyond India roundtable after the
session
Among the key speakers at the roundtable were Amit Khanduja, Global Lead, TCS; Anjali
Dutta, Digital Transformation & Marketing Leader, Tech Mahindra; Anshul Minocha, Deputy
VP, Postcards Hotels; Debikalyan Dash, Senior Manager - Performance Media and Brand
Commerce, ITC; Himanshi Kharoo, Head of Sales and Marketing, Mahindra Group; Jigar
Rathod, Digital Media Manager, Adidas; Kanika Tomar, Media and Digital Orchestration
Lead, Chanel; Kunal Singhal, Lead Digital Media & E-Commerce Performance Marketing, Boat
Lifestyle; Nikita Singh, Marketing, Brand & Digital Specialist, Fortis Healthcare, and
Purvaa Kapadia, Head of Marketing, Marks & Spencer.
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PCI-FCC Knowledge Session on LEIs and Regulatory Compliance
| The Payments Council of India (PCI) and the Fintech Convergence Council
(FCC), in collaboration with the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF),
hosted a session on Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) and Regulatory Compliance on 13th
August 2025. Mr. Vikas Panwar, Country Business Manager, GLEIF, addressed the knowledge
session. He explained mandatory requirements for obtaining and using LEIs in India and
their role in payments, securities trading, and derivative contracts. The session saw
participation from more than 90 attendees.
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FCC Knowledge Session on 'How Global Sanctions are Evolving and What that means for
India's Fintech Ecosystem'
| The FCC's Digital Lending Committee conducted a session on 7th August
2025, on 'How Global Sanctions are Evolving and What that Means for India's Fintech
Ecosystem'. The session was addressed by Mr. Mike Meadon, Director-Asia Pacific, LSEG
(London Stock Exchange Group) Risk and Intelligence. The session explored the Global
Sanction Index for policy and risk controls, privatization trends, extraterritorial
reach of sanctions, and risks for Indian businesses. It also highlighted practical
considerations for sanctioning screening standards. Over 100 industry professionals
participated in it.
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FCC-UIDAI Knowledge Session on Face Authentication & Revised SWIK Rules
| The FCC, in collaboration with Unique Identification Authority of India
(UIDAI), organized a knowledge session on 8th August 2025, on 'Face Authentication &
Revised SWIK (Social Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge) Rules'. The session was addressed
by Mr. Akshaya Yadav, Director, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). He
highlighted key updates on SWIK Rules and practical insights on face authentication and
discussed regulatory perspectives and implementation aspects for the financial
ecosystem. More than 120 industry professionals attended the session.
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MCX-FCC Sign MoU to Launch Investor Awareness Campaign
| The FCC and the Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd. (MCX) have signed
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch a social media campaign aimed at
increasing investor awareness. The initiative aims to empower investors with the
information they need to make informed financial decisions. The campaign will go live on
15th September 2025.
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Global Fintech Fest 2025: All Set For October 7-9
Unique Mix of Insights, Networking and Exposure to
Cutting-edge Technology
The movers and shakers of the global fintech ecosystem are all set to converge under one
roof for three days, October 7-9, at the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2025, the world's
largest fintech conference, being organised by the Payments Council of India (PCI), the
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and the Fintech Convergence Council (FCC).
Policymakers, central bankers, industry captains, investors, and academicians will
deliberate on how to leverage fintech to build a better world, in alignment with the
overarching theme of GFF 2025: 'Empowering finance for a better world powered by
AI'.
True, insights from financial ecosystem experts will be at the heart of the conference.
However, GFF 2025 is designed to be much more than just speaking sessions. A special
attraction of the conference this year will be the Bharat AI Experience Zone by NPCI and
NVIDIA. There will also be a huge expo, with more than 400 exhibitors showcasing the
latest in fintech. These apart, a plethora of ancillary activities such as workshops,
hackathons, investment pitches, fintech awards, and numerous networking events,
including Night Fests and gala dinners are designed to turn the conference into a unique
mix of insights, deep and wide networking and exposure to cutting-edge technology: an
unmatched festival of the fintech sector.
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