Inspired by a conversation with NPCI chief Dilip Asbe, Anand Mahindra has adopted the BHIM app, reaffirming his commitment to homegrown digital payment technology. On social media, Mahindra shared the incident recalling how a friend recently asked him which digital payments application he used.
Admitting that he knew little about the platform, Mahindra was introduced to Asbe for a conversation about India's digital payments ecosystem. "That someone was Dilip Asbe, MD & CEO of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)," he said in a post on X. "Dilip kindly agreed to come over for a chat."
Mahindra said the discussion gave him a deeper understanding of NPCI's role in building the infrastructure that powers India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Drawing an analogy with railways, he compared digital payment applications such as PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm and BHIM to trains, while describing NPCI as the provider of the tracks on which they operate.
Highlighting the scale of India's digital payments revolution, Mahindra noted that UPI processed more than 2,400 crore transactions in September, averaging over 80 crore transactions a day. He described,"India is now the world's largest real-time payments market. A true global force multiplier."
Mahindra also credited Asbe as one of the key figures behind this transformation, noting that the NPCI chief was exploring opportunities to build additional digital infrastructure that could support new applications and expand financial services.
Mahindra said, "His mind is buzzing with plans to build more ‘railroads' that will enable new apps in wider financial spheres. But here's what struck me most about him.
Not the scale of his achievement. Not his knowledge of the technology. His humility."
"Dilip is well known in financial & technology circles. But I met a man with no airs, no sense of self-importance & seemingly little interest in the spotlight," he added.
Instead, he displayed pride in his team's achievements and a strong sense of responsibility towards the country. Mahindra also mentioned that Asbe's mother was a teacher, reflecting on how a teacher's influence could help instil lasting values and shape an individual's character.
Concluding his post, Mahindra thanked Asbe for the conversation, saying it reinforced his belief that ambition and humility could go hand in hand.
He also confirmed that he had switched to BHIM, underscoring his newfound interest in the Indian digital payments application and the infrastructure supporting the country's expanding cashless economy.
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