What is BHIM?

BHIM stands for Bharat Interface for Money , which is an easy way of transferring money from one bank account to an other via a smartphone using the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform. It is an instant payments application meant for sending money as well as requesting for payments.

How is it different from UPI?

BHIM is no different than UPI.

But in the case of BHIM, customers don't have to download mobile applications of multiple banks, instead a single BHIM app downloaded from Android Play Store is sufficient. Other than that, payments can be made through a virtual payments ID or through account number and IFS code, same as UPI.

What you need to use BHIM?

BHIM can be used across an droid smartphones with version 4.0 and above, also it will be made available on iPhones and Windows smartphones very soon. Further, for feature phone users they need to use the USSD feature by dial ing *99#.

Why was the need for BHIM felt when UPI is already in place?

With various banks managing their own apps, any kind of bug or glitch reported in the UPI platform took a long time to be resolved due to lack of centralised control. NPCI, which manages the railroads of UPI and also BHIM , says it is easier to fix bugs and update the new app in case of issues.

How can customers register with BHIM?

Bank customers need to download BHIM from Android Play Store and then register with the app using their mobile number registered with the bank. Following which, an OTP will be sent to them for verification. Customers then need to create a UPI personal identification number and provide their debit card details to activate the account.