Update: A statement in from Airtel: “Airtel Payments Bank is fully compliant with all guidelines and follows a stringent customer onboarding process. Airtel Payments Bank accounts are opened only after explicit consent from the customer. A separate consent for Direct Benefit Transfer is taken from all customers. As per the latest guidelines, DBT amounts are automatically credited to the most recent Aadhaar linked bank account of a customer. If the Airtel Payments Bank account is the latest Aadhaar linked account opened by a customer, the DBT automatically gets routed to it. Airtel Payments Bank customers are duly notified about the subsidy credit via SMS and an automated call (available in 12 languages) saying ‘The govt. subsidy of Rs X has been credited to your Airtel Payments Bank Account’ and also as and when any interest amount is credited. The balance in Airtel Payments Bank Savings accounts can be withdrawn by customers at any Airtel Store or transferred to any bank account. There are no charges on the first cash withdrawal in a month. We continue to educate retailers and strengthen our processes to ensure transparency to customers and compliance with all regulations.” Earlier today: The UIDAI has ordered an investigation against Bharti Airtel for opening Airtel Payments Bank accounts of customers while carrying out Aadhaar verification of their mobile numbers, reports the Times of India, citing anonymous sources. The UIDAI initially sent the company a showcase notice. The report also cites Ajay Bhushan Pandey, the CEO of UIDAI, as saying…
