National News
India’s gold demand improves as prices dip
Gold demand in India saw a slight improvement towards the week’s end as prices fell from record highs, yet remained below normal levels. Discounts in China persisted due to low activity, and India’s imports are predicted to drop significantly by 85 per cent in February. Meanwhile, gold trades in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan show varying premiums and discounts.
India’s gold demand improved in the second half of this week but remained lower than normal as prices retreated from all-time-high levels, while traders continued to offer discounts in China as activity remained lacklustre. Domestic gold prices were trading around 84,750 rupees per 10 grams on Friday after hitting a record high of 86,592 rupees last week.
Indian dealers this week offered a discount of $12-$27 an ounce over official domestic prices, inclusive of 6 per cent import and 3 per cent sales levies, down from the last week’s discount of $35.
National News
MDR For UPI: Credit Card Bill Payments and Jewellery Purchases Remain Free For Consumers
Consumers Are Advised That Merchant-Imposed Surcharges On Card Or UPI Payments Violate Current Payment Guidelines
Following recent industry discussions regarding the updated Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) framework for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions, financial experts and industry leaders have clarified that individual consumers will not incur any additional charges when paying credit card bills or purchasing high-value items like jewellery via UPI apps.
Zero Fees on Credit Card Bill Payments via UPI
Despite the implementation of the revised UPI MDR structure, consumers using UPI-enabled applications to pay their credit card bills remain entirely exempt from MDR fees.
No Cost Impact for Users: Cardholders can continue paying their bills through standard UPI QR codes or app-based transfers without losing reward points, credit float advantages, or incurring extra costs.
Understanding BBPS Fees: While standard bank-to-bank UPI transfers do not carry MDR, credit card bill payments processed through the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) may incur small convenience or processing fees set directly by participating payment platforms under their own commercial terms—not as part of the UPI MDR framework.
Framework for Jewellery Purchases and High-Value Merchants
For high-value retail transactions, including jewellery purchases, regulatory guidelines mandate that the burden of MDR falls strictly on merchants, not customers:
Consumer Exemption: Merchants and payment platforms are prohibited from passing MDR charges or platform surcharges directly onto buyers.
Capped MDR for Jewellers: Under the revised Person-to-Merchant (P2M) framework for transactions exceeding Rs 2,000, jewellers and high-value merchants absorb a capped MDR of 0.4% (up to a maximum limit of Rs 300 per transaction for purchases of Rs 75,000 and above).
Payment Transparency: While jewellers absorb nominal fees for bank-linked UPI transactions, standard credit card fees continue to apply to credit card swipes and RuPay-credit card UPI transactions.
Consumers are advised that merchant-imposed surcharges on card or UPI payments violate current payment guidelines.
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