What an auto driver taught me about digital payments

A conversation with an Auto driver gave me more insight into #DigitalPayments than any conference session.

After the ride, he asked me to pay in #Cash.

I was surprised.
He was an older gentleman, so I asked:

“Are you not comfortable with #UPI? Let me help you understand how it works.”
“No. I don't trust UPI because of the #Scams.”

I asked him what scams he meant.

He explained:
People show him a payment-success screen on their phone.
But the money never reaches him.
When he asks them to check, they simply say:
“My app says payment successful. Maybe it's a network issue on your side.”
After facing this repeatedly, he has gone back to cash.

That got me thinking, from my Product hat: what could be some of the improvement ideas?

1. Standardise payment confirmation
Today, with 100+ UPI apps available, each has a different payment success screen!
Could there be a universally recognisable payment-success experience across the ecosystem, defined by #NPCI?

2. Don't leave transactions hanging
“Payment will be completed within 2–24 hours” creates uncertainty for both parties.
If a transaction cannot be confirmed within a short window, fail it and let the user initiate a fresh transaction.

3. Give the receiver a way to independently verify
If instant confirmation isn't possible, could the payment confirmation screen generate a QR code that the receiver can scan to independently verify the transaction? At least, this will provide satisfaction to the receiver that the sender is genuine.

4. Take fake-payment mechanisms seriously
Apps designed to create fake payment confirmations aren't just harmless utilities.
They undermine trust in the entire payment ecosystem.
Developers enabling such fraud and people knowingly using them should face serious consequences, just like using fake currencies!
Because in today's economy:
UPI is money.
And #Trust in money is non-negotiable.

And that brings me back to the auto driver.
He wasn't avoiding UPI because he was old.
He was avoiding it because he didn't trust it.

Technology adoption isn't just about convenience.
It's about trust.
Lose that trust, and people go back to cash.