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Top 5 Payment Banks in India 2025

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Payment banks provide service of banking at the doorstop. The prime objective of launching payment bank by RBI was provide financial services to small business, low-income household, migrant labour and common people of India living in remote and rural area.

In today’s fast-paced digital world, convenience is king, especially when it comes to handling money. Payment banks in India have emerged as game-changers, offering streamlined and user-friendly banking solutions for millions of people. But with so many options out there, which ones really stand out? Let’s dive into the top 5 payment banks in India in 2025 that are reshaping the financial landscape.

Payment Bank overview

Payment banks are different compared to normal bank. Payment banks are operating at lower scale. Payment bank can do most of the banking operations however, as it is operating at lower scale there are few restrictions associated with payment bank. Here is detail about services offered by Payment Banks in India.

  • A savings account and current account facility is available in the payment bank.
  • You can also get interest rates on the deposited money like traditional banks.
  • Payment banks accept a restricted deposit up to 1 Lakh.
  • You can also get ATM cum debit cards from these banks.
  • Mobile banking and internet banking facility is offered by these banks.
  • You can get the ability to transfer money from account to account.
  • Payment transfer facility RTGS/NEFT/IMPS and utility bill payment facility available.
  • A payment bank also provides other financial services like mutual funds, insurance products, pension products, and forex services.
  • These banks cannot issue credit card or provide loan to the customer.
  • NRI cannot use this facility.

Payment Banks

Top 5 Payment Banks in India 2025

#1. Indian Post Payment Bank

Indian Post Payment Bank. This bank has widest service reach. These bank is present in almost every district.

  • IPPB provide ease of banking.
  • You can get paper less banking experience at IPPB.
  • The bank also provides mobile banking facility.
  • You can enjoy QR card based payment facility at IPPB.
  • Third party services such as insurance, loans and investment are available at this bank.
  • You can also get instant mobile and DTH recharge, water and electricity bill payments facility.

You can enjoy all these facilities with ease. If you are living in the rural area you should make use of these bank.

#2 Airtel Payment Bank

Airtel Payment Bank is first in the of payment bank. Airtel payment bank is subsidiary of Bharti Airtel. Key features of Airtel Payment Bank are given below.

  • You can enjoy interest on the money deposited.
  • You can transfer money from any bank account using UPI and IMPS facility.
  • Cash deposit facility available at nearest Airtel banking point.
  • You can make use of selected ATM for withdrawal of cash.
  • You can recharge prepaid mobiles/ DTH and pay utility bills using these banks.
  • This bank also provides third party insurance products.
  • Atal Pension Yojana can be purchased from this bank.

You can shop online as well as book bus ticket and buy gift cards using this bank.

#3 Fino Payment Banks

Fino Payment Bank is next in the list. Fino payment bank provide best-in-class product with easy accessibility and wide reach. Key features of Fino Payment Bank are given below

  • Fino bank provide anytime, anywhere banking facility.
  • You can do instant money transfer from one account to another account across India.
  • Debit card facility is available and ATM withdrawal can be done at online and offline merchants.
  • Instant mobile and DTH recharge, water and electricity bill payments.
  • You can get mobile banking facility with secure and reliable payment services.
  • Free Insurance facility up to 2 Lakh is available as complementary.

This bank has got multiple awards in past five years.

#4. Paytm Payments Bank

Paytm is one of the most popular payment bank in India. You can do all your transaction using your mobile phone. You can get cashless payment transaction and enjoy following services at Paytm bank.

  • Zero balance saving bank account can be opened without any monthly average balance requirement.
  • Account opening is simple. You need to complete KYC by submitting document at nearby Paytm Point.
  • You can do fund transfer with a click of a button. The facility of UPI, NEFT and IMPS available.
  • Paytm bank account to Paytm Wallet money transfer facility available.
  • Commission amount is charged for money transfer.
  • Paytm also offers shopping and bill payment facility on the move.

#5. Jio Payments Bank  

Jio Payment Bank is next in the list. Jio payment bank provide simple banking with smart features. You can open digital saving account. It is paperless, fast, convenient and secure. Key features and benefit of Jio Payment bank are given below.

  • Account opening is free on this bank.
  • Minimum balance requirement is NIL.
  • The limit of account is 1 Lakh.
  • You can earn interest up to 3.5 % per annum.
  • Transfer facility from Jio Payment Bank to another bank is available.
  • Mobile banking facility is available.
  • You can enjoy bill payment facility using this bank.

The payment banking sector in India is thriving like never before, and these top 5 banks are leading the charge. From Paytm’s tech-driven innovations to India Post’s reach, each bank has carved a unique niche. As we move forward, one thing is clear: payment banks are here to stay, simplifying finances and empowering individuals and businesses across the country.

FAQs

Q: What is a payment bank?

A payment bank offers basic banking services like savings accounts, deposits, and money transfers but cannot issue loans or credit cards.

Q: Are payment banks safe?

Yes, payment banks are regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and follow strict guidelines to ensure your money’s safety.

Q: Which payment bank is best for rural areas?

India Post Payments Bank stands out for its extensive reach in rural areas, thanks to the vast postal network.

Q: Can I earn interest on savings in a payment bank?

Yes, most payment banks offer competitive interest rates on savings accounts.

Q: How do I open an account with a payment bank?

You can usually open an account online or through a local agent with basic documents like Aadhaar and PAN cards.

LIC Bima Jyoti Plan 860 – Features, Benefits Review

LIC Bima Jyoti Plan 860 is new plan by LIC in the year 2021. The new plan is being launch by keeping tax saving season in mind. The plan is expected to be launched on 22nd Feb, 2021. LIC Bima Jyoti is Non-linked, Non- participating, limited premium endowment plan. The guaranteed addition on this plan is already announced by LIC. LIC Bima Jyoti Plan 860 will give 50 Rs per thousand guaranteed additions.

LIC Bima Jyoti provides life cover during the policy term and sum assured and bonus on survival as maturity. This plan can be purchased offline as well as online.

LIC Bima Jyoti Plan

LIC Bima Jyoti Plan 860 Eligibility

Minimum Entry Age 90 days (completed)
Maximum Entry Age     60 years (nearer birthday)
Policy Term 15 years to 20 years
Premium Paying Term 5 years less than policy term
Premium Paying Mode Yearly, Half Yearly, (Quarterly and Monthly – ECS Only)
Sum Assured 1 Lakh and above
Minimum age at Maturity 18 years
Maximum age at Maturity 75 years
Loan After 2 Years
Surrender After 2 Years
Revival Within 5 Years from FUP

Key Features

  • Premium paying term is 5 years less than policy term.
  • No bonus is offered against this plan instead fixed guaranteed addition at rate of Rs.50 per thousand basic sum assured offered at end of each policy year.
  • On maturity sum assured along with Guaranteed additions is given to policy holder.
  • Options for additional term rider is available. You can get accidental, disability and critical illness rider.
  • Loan option is offered after 2 years
  • Settlement option available for maturity and death benefits in installment 5, 10 and 15 years

LIC Bima Jyoti Plan 860 Benefits

Maturity Benefit

On the life assured surviving to the end of the policy term, Sum Assured on Maturity along with accrued Guaranteed Additions, shall be payable. Where sum assured on maturity is equal to basic sum assured.  

Example

Age 20 years, Policy Term 20 years

Premium Paying term in above case would be 15 years.

Sum assured – 10 Lakh

Maturity Amount – Sum Assured + Guaranteed Additions

Guaranteed Addition is fixed Rs.50 /1000 Sum assured yearly.

1 Lakh Sum Assured = 5000 Guaranteed Addition

10 Lakh Sum Assured = 50000 Guaranteed Addition

20 Years = (50000 x 20 years) = 10 Lakh Guaranteed Addition

Death Benefit

On death during the policy term Sum Assured on Death along with accrued Guaranteed Additions
Where Sum Assured on Death is defined as the higher of 125 % of Basic Sum Assured or 7 times of annualized premium.

Example

Age 20 years, Policy Term 20 years

Sum Assured – 10 Lakh

Death of Policy Holder at 30 Years (During policy term)

Death Benefit = Sum assured + Guaranteed additions

Sum assured in above case would be 125% of basic sum assured or 7 times of annualized premium whichever is higher.

In above case death benefit would be 10 x 125% + (50000 x 10 years) = 12.5 Lakh + 5 Lakh = 17.5 Lakh

Other Benefits

Loan Facility – After 2 years

Surrender – After 2 years

Policy Revival – Within 5 years

Grace period – 15 days for monthly mode, 30 days for any other mode

Tax benefit – Premium under section 80C

Maturity / Death Benefit – Exempt under section 10(10D)

LIC Bima Jyoti Plan 860 – Review

Bima Jyoti is endowment plan. It is non- linked and non-participating plan. The main benefit of this plan is guaranteed addition. The policy will not offer any bonus.

On doing calculation it seems to be attractive. The premium detail of plan is not yet known but overall guaranteed addition would be 5% only. This means you will get return less than fixed deposit.

So if you are planning to purchase this product as insurance product you should avoid it and purchase term plan. From investment point of view also you should avoid this plan.

How to open SBI FD online? – SBI Fixed Deposit Interest Rate

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SBI FD Online – State Bank of India is India’s largest public sector bank. SBI FD is one of the most preferred, popular, and safe investment options. SBI FD’s are offered with an interest rate of 2.9% to 6.2%. SBI fixed deposit can be purchased offline as well as online. You just required a net banking facility to open SBI fixed deposit online. You can also renew or close fixed deposit online.

SBI Fixed deposit key features

  • SBI Fixed deposit interest rate payment is monthly, quarterly, or maturity basis as per your requirement.
  • The rate of interest applicable is different based on duration and amount of FD.
  • A higher interest rate applies to the senior citizen.
  • Deposit tenure is 7 days to 10 years.
  • The minimum deposit amount is Rs.1000. No limit on the maximum amount.
  • The nomination facility is available on the fixed deposit.
  • Premature withdrawal can be done by paying a penalty.
  • TDS is applicable if form 15G or 15H is not submitted.
  • Automatic renewal is done in case instruction for closure is not given.

SBI FD Options

SBI Term Deposit

SBI Term Deposit is also known as normal fixed deposit. This type of deposit is opened for a specific term. Term deposit offers guaranteed returns, choice of interest payout & liquidity. The tenure of this deposit is from 7 days to 10 days. Interest payout is monthly, quarterly, half-yearly and yearly.

SBI Tax Saving FD

The fixed deposit that is used for saving tax is known as Tax Saving FD. The rate of interest applicable to SBI Tax Saving FD is same as that of term deposit. The lock-in period for tax saving FD is 5 years. The amount is payable only at the time of maturity.

SBI Recurring Deposit

A recurring deposit is one that allows investor to invest fixed sum over a period of time. The minimum period is 12 months and the maximum period is 120 months. The minimum deposit amount is Rs.100 per month.

SBI FD reinvestment scheme

SBI FD reinvestment scheme is a scheme where interest earned is reinvested in the fixed deposit again to generate appreciation. The maturity duration is 6 months to 10 years. If you are not in need of money for long term you can opt for a reinvestment scheme.

SBI FD Online

Who can open SBI FD?                                

The eligibility criteria to open SBI FD is given below.

  • The depositor must be an Indian resident
  • NRI are also eligible to open NRE fixed deposit
  • Partnership firm and HUF

SBI FD Interest Rates 2021

Domestic term deposit interest rate below 2 Cr.

Tenors Revised Rates For Public w.e.f. 08.01.2021 Revised Rates for Senior Citizens w.e.f. 08.01.2021
7 days to 45 days 2.90% 3.40%
46 days to 179 days 3.90% 4.40%
180 days to 210 days 4.40% 4.90%
211 days to less than 1 year 4.40% 4.90%
1 year to less than 2 year 5.00% 5.50%
2 years to less than 3 years 5.10% 5.60%
3 years to less than 5 years 5.30% 5.80%
5 years and up to 10 years 5.40% 6.20%

How to open SBI FD Online?

Step by step method to open SBI FD online is given below.

  • Visit SBI net banking website and login via net banking user name and password.
  • Under fixed deposit section you will find e-TDR/e-STDR (FD). Click on that option to proceed. TDR stands for term deposit and STDR stands for Special Term Deposit.
  • Select the appropriate option and click on Proceed. You will be able to see multiple bank accounts that you have with SBI.
  • You need to select the account from which the money needs to be debited.
  • Now enter the fixed deposit principal amount in the amount column.
  • Select the tenure of the deposit. You have options to select days, years, months, days or maturity date.
  • Now choose the maturity instruction on your tem deposit. Click on the terms and condition and press submit button.
  • Your Fixed deposit will be generated with complete details such as name, tenure, principal amount, maturity amount. You need to press OK button.
  • You can note down the transaction number for the future reference. The on screen PDF can be downloaded.

You will need documents such as identity proof – Aadhaar card, Passport, PAN card, passport size photos. Bank will also ask for resident proof, age proof and income proof for opening for fixed deposit.

ULIP Tax Rules 2021 – Should you still invest?

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ULIP Tax Rules are changed in Budget 2021. Capital gain tax is applicable on the gain from ULIP policy provided yearly premium is exceeding 2.5 Lakh. The new rule is introduced to bring equality between mutual funds and ULIPs. Let’s demystify ULIP Tax Rules 2021.

ULIP is a unit-linked insurance policy. ULIP provides life coverage as well as wealth generation to the purchaser. In ULIP part of the premium goes for the life insurance coverage and the remaining is invested in the market in the combination of equity and debt. The return of the money invested varies based on the investment done by the ULIP fund.

ULIP Tax Rules

ULIP Tax Benefits

#1 ULIP tax benefits on premium

The premium paid for the ULIP plan allows you to claim tax deduction under section 80C and 10D. You can claim up to 1.5 Lakh. You need to make sure that you continue the ULIP policy for 5 years to get the tax exemption benefits. In case you stop contributing to the ULIP plan before lock-in period of 5 years the entire amount claimed in the earlier years shall be considered as income in the termination year and tax is charged as per the applicable tax slab.

#2 ULIP tax benefits on maturity

ULIP is a market link product. However, the maturity amount on ULIP was tax-free, provided the premium amount is less than 10% of the sum assured.  Now the rule of tax-free maturity is tweaked. As per the new rule if the premium paid for the policy is exceeding 2.5 Lakh per annum you need to pay capital gain tax on the maturity amount.

#3 ULIP withdrawal tax rule

Withdrawal from the ULIP fund is allowed after 5 years of lock-in period. If you make a withdrawal of money from the ULIP plan, you need not to pay any taxes on the withdrawal amount provided the withdrawal amount is not exceeding 20% of fund value. In case of the death of the policyholder, the entire amount received from the fund which includes sum assured and return generated is tax-free.

New ULIP Tax Rules 2021

The tax rule applicable to ULIP is now modified. As per new tax rules, the maturity amount from the ULIP is no longer tax-free in case the yearly premium amount is more than 2.5 Lakh. The investors need to pay capital gain tax on the maturity amount as per section 112A. The new rule is applicable for the ULIP policy purchased after 1st February 2021. This means if you have already purchased a ULIP policy where the yearly premium amount is more than 2.5 Lakh you need not worry.

Let’s understand this by example –

Old ULIP Policy Holder

ULIP Policy purchased – Before Feb 2021

Premium Amount – Monthly premium more than Rs.20833 (Yearly premium above 2.5 Lakh) or less than Rs.20833.

Premium paid on the policy – Less than 10% of the sum assured

Lock in period – 5 years (Policy in force since 5 years)

Under above case policy holder will enjoy benefits of section 80C up to 1.5 Lakh as well as tax free maturity amount. No rule change for old ULIP policy holder.

New ULIP Policy Holder

Case 1

ULIP Policy purchased – After Feb 2021

Premium Amount – Yearly premium of the policy less than 2.5 Lakh

Premium paid on the policy – Less than 10% of the sum assured

Lock in period – 5 years (Policy in force since 5 years)

Under this case the policy holder still enjoys the tax free return on the maturity of the policy. All income tax related benefits will remain same.

Case 2

ULIP Policy purchased – After Feb 2021

Premium Amount – Yearly premium of the policy more than 2.5 Lakh

Premium paid on the policy – Less than 10% of the sum assured

Lock in period – 5 years (Policy in force since 5 years)

Under case 2 income or return on maturity shall be treated as long term capital gain and charged as per section 112A. The capital gain in excess of 1 Lakh shall be taxable @ 10% without indexation.

Should you still invest in ULIP?

After understanding the new tax rules applicable you must be thinking is it advisable to invest in ULIP or not. Here are few pointers in this direction.

  • The 80C deduction up to 1.5 Lakh for the ULIP premium paid is still available to the investors.
  • If the yearly premium amount is less than 2.5 Lakh you will still enjoy the tax-free return from the ULIP.
  • ULIP is now treated at par with equity-oriented funds as per section 112A.
  • You can enjoy the flexibility of switching between various funds.
  • ULIP comes with lock-in period of 5 years.
  • You can enjoy the benefits of insurance as well as wealth generation by investing in ULIP.

ULIP is claimed to be a good investment option however, you need to be extremely careful before investing in ULIP. The returns generated by most of the ULIP is very low. ULIP is not liquid as it comes with lock in period.

As per me, you should go for a combination of term insurance plans and Mutual funds instead of investing your money in ULIP.