SAMACHAR - NOVEMBER, 2024  
 
 

IAMAI Requests TRAI to Keep CDNs Outside the Scope of Network Authorisation

The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) made a submission to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in November 2024 on its 'Consultation Paper on the Terms and Conditions of Network Authorisations to be Granted Under the Telecommunications Act, 2023', published in October 2022. The submission requested that Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) should be kept outside the scope of authorisations or registrations as CDNs were fundamentally different from telecommunication providers. The Association highlighted that as the CDN market was highly competitive, and TRAI should not stifle its growth by introducing regulations, unless there is a market failure.

IAMAI also requested TRAI not to have a separate authorization requirement for Cloud Service Providers as they were not substitutable with telecommunication services offered by licensed TSPs and were already sufficiently regulated under the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Consumer Protection Act, 2000, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, among others. soften
 
 
IAMAI Requests SEBI to Reconsider Proposal Requiring Platforms to Implement Preventive & Curative Measures to Be Recognised as SDPs
In a joint submission, the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and the Fintech Convergence Council (FCC) underlined the potential challenges which may emerge from the SEBI's proposal, made in a draft circular, requiring digital platforms to implement certain preventive and curative measures to qualify as specified digital platforms (SDP). The submission highlighted that the regulation of digital platforms did not fall within the jurisdiction of SEBI, and that such platforms were already sufficiently regulated under the IT Act and other legislations. The submission also put forth detailed responses to various clauses of the Draft Circular, broadly flagging ambiguities and compliance challenges with various measures proposed by SEBI in the draft circular.

Subsequently, the SEBI issued a clarification stating that it was not regulating digital platforms and that there was no obligation for digital platforms to be notified as SDPs.
 
 
IAMAI Submission to TRAI Underlines Need to Differentiate Between GBBs and SBBs
On November 22, 2024, the Digital Entertainment Committee of IAMAI submitted its recommendations to TRAI on the proposed regulatory framework for Ground-Based Broadcasters (GBBs). The submission highlighted that GBBs were distinct from the channels offered by Satellite-Based Broadcasters (SBBs) as they primarily catered to local audiences and on showcasing local programming. IAMAI emphasized the need for a light-touch regulatory framework to foster growth and innovation within the ecosystem.
 
 
PCI Submission to RBI Requests Improvement in Accessibility Features of POS Devices
IAMAI's Payments Council of India (PCI) made a representation before the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in November 2024 in response to guidelines released by the RBI on facilitating accessibility to digital payment systems for Persons with Disabilities on October 11. PCI requested improvement in accessibility features of point-of-sale (POS) devices and digital payment systems. The submission also requested clarification on the applicability of various payment products and modifications to existing deployed devices.
 
 
FCC Submission Requests Clarifications on Various Definitions in RBI Circular
The FCC's Digital Lending Committee submitted the feedback on the RBI's draft circular on “Regulatory Principles for Management of Model Risks in Credit,” highlighting challenges around the definition of credit risk models, governance requirements, third-party model inclusion, and the validation framework. The representation also recommended clarifications, for adjustments to the draft circular. The representation also seeks an in person meeting to discuss the same.
 
 
FCC Submission to NSE Puts Forward Various Recommendations Including One-time Referral Fees
The FCC's Investment Committee made a submission to the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in reference to the Circular Clarification on Incentives/ Referral Schemes, August 14, 2024. The circular regulates incentives and referral schemes. The FCC made several recommendations, including allowing one-time referral fees to incentivize referrers, restricting the scope of the circular to Indian referrers or retail clients, and limiting the number of referrals and rewards to avoid commission-based schemes. The submission also requested clarification on what constituted a referral.
 
 
IAMAI Releases Guidelines on Best Practices for Affiliate Marketing in India
IAMAI released a comprehensive Best Practices for Affiliate Marketing in India at the India Affiliate Summit 2024. The guidelines, developed by a task force of eight affiliate marketing companies, focuses on several key objectives such as establishing industry-wide standards, promoting transparency, providing compliance guidance, optimizing performance metrics, and mitigating risks associated with unclear contracts. By underlining the need for implementing these best practices, IAMAI seeks to enhance collaboration among advertisers and affiliates while ensuring consumer trust. The best practices framework is designed to navigate the complexities of affiliate marketing, ultimately driving innovation and growth within the digital marketing landscape in India.
 
 
IAMAI Forms Exports Working Group
IAMAI has formed an Exports Working Group comprising representatives from companies in the digital payments, fintech and supply chain, and logistics sectors. The Exports Working Group aims to identify the challenges in these sectors and advocate for potential solutions and policy changes for the same to various stakeholders. It unifies the efforts across various industry sectors in building multi-industry consensus to support effective and efficient policy making.
 
 
10th India Affiliate Summit Brings Together Stalwarts of Performance, Programmatic and Affiliate Marketing Sectors

Neil Patel, Founder, NP Digital (on screen) and Parul Bhargava (right),
Co-founder, Vcommission, addressing IAS 2024

The 10th edition of India's annual premier conference on performance, programmatic and affiliate marketing, the India Affiliate Summit (IAS), was organised by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) on November 7-8, 2024 in Leela Ambience, Gurugram. The two-day summit brought together leading marketers, industry experts, and innovators, creating a dynamic forum to explore the latest trends and strategies in performance marketing. The conference featured an expansive expo floor, engaging agenda of keynotes, masterclasses, panel discussions, and networking sessions, providing invaluable insights into the future of the industry.

Key issues discussed by stalwarts at the conference included 'Modern Data Stack: Revolutionizing Customer Insights and Marketing Agility', 'Tech Driven Influencer Marketing: Maximizing ROI in Digital Age', 'Future Trends: Shifting Paradigms of Affiliate Partnerships' and 'Affiliate Marketing in the age of AI - Opportunities and Challenges'. Among the main speakers were Neil Patel, Founder, NP Digital; Marisha Lakhiani, Chief Growth Officer, Mindvalley; Parul Bhargava, Co-founder, Vcommission; Lavin Punjabi, Founder, Affinity; Nidhi Rastogi, Head of Marketing, Uniqlo; Alessandro Gherardi, Co-founder & Director, Fomento; Vivek Malhotra, Group CMO & COO (Consumer Revenue) and COO (Enterprise Strategy), India Today; Shantanu Chauhan, Head of Marketing, Noise, and Akash Anand, Founder, Bella Vita.

Over 1,500 companies participated in the summit, with over 75 exhibitors and 7,500 footfalls.
 
 
Webinar on RBI's Amendments to KYC Master Directions
The FCC and the PCI conducted a webinar, in collaboration with the PwC on the RBI's recent amendments to KYC Master Directions, on 18th November 2024. The session focused on the recent updates in the KYC Master Directions and discussed key industry challenges in this regard. Over 200 industry professionals participated in the webinar.
 
 
PCI Workshop on Card tokenization
The PCI held a day-long workshop in Mumbai, focusing on the intricacies of card tokenization. The workshop covered the current landscape of card tokenization, regulatory challenges, and various use cases of card tokenization, particularly in indirect channels. Forty-three professionals from 23 organizations participated in the workshop. Zubin Tafti, Executive Director - Payments Transformation, PwC India; Kanishk Sarkar, Associate Director, PwC India; Shantanu Shirke, Director - Solution Architect, Mastercard; Parivesh Ohri, Vice President, Network Products & Capability, American Express; Nidhi Jakhodia, Regional Vice President APAC, Diners Club International; Raghuram Kolathu, Director - Partner Business Solution, American Express, and P. Rajagopal, Head - Digital Payment Solutions, India and South Asia, Visa addressed the workshop.
 
 
PCI Facilitates Payment Aggregators and Card Networks Discussion on Chargeback Fraud
The PCI facilitated a dialogue between the Payment Aggregators and the Card Networks to address chargeback fraud. Several strategies were proposed at the meeting to mitigate chargeback abuse, including re-evaluation of reason codes, especially for offline transactions, implementation of velocity checks to limit chargebacks initiated by customers, issuers providing proof of transactions before raising chargebacks, and enhanced collusion detection methods for acquirers.
 
 
Cross-Committee interaction between the Digital Advertising Committee and International Remittance Committee.
The PCI hosted a cross-committee interaction between members of the Digital Advertising Council and the PCI, on November 8, 2024. Exporting affiliates and international remittance players participated in the meeting. The group discussed various challenges faced by the advertising services exporters from India, and identified potential collaboration opportunities and solutions that can mitigate bottlenecks and frictions between the two sectors.
 
 
FCC and NSE Launches 8th Round of Creative Awareness Campaign
The FCC in collaboration with the NSE has been campaigning to spread awareness to small retail investors enabling them to make informed investment decisions. This campaign went live on 15th April 2024. Several member participants including Paytm Money, ICICI Securities, Fintoo, Experian, LXME, and Stockgrowth participated in this.

The campaign is in its eighth round of creative initiatives. The message for November was, “Fraudsters create groups on messaging apps and lure you with promises of high returns. Stay alert and never become part of such groups. Do your own research before investing."