Visa, Mastercard may be allowed a share of India's online payments

Growing from nothing in 2016, the smartphone-based UPI - a public utility - handled nearly Rs 13 trillion ($160 billion) in December

India’s dealings with American card networks has been frosty. Visa Inc. and Mastercard Inc. have grumbled to Washington about the lack of a level playing field as New Delhi has cajoled banks to shift to a homegrown alternative. For their alleged failure to comply with local data-storage rules, Mastercard, Discover Financial Services and American Express Co. have run into regulatory trouble in the second-most-populous nation. Recurring payments from the country have been a disaster for failing too often.

It may be time for a thaw in the relationship. According to news portal The Morning Context, the Reserve Bank of