Over the last year, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)<\/b> has made Payment Aggregator (PA) audits a core part of its compliance supervision. Under rbi pa audit framework<\/a>, fintechs that collect or process digital payments must now undergo mandatory system audits every year. These audits ensure data protection, merchant due diligence, and fund settlement accuracy.<\/p>\n The move follows several cases of weak escrow practices and delayed settlements in 2024, which exposed gaps in how fintechs handled merchant and customer funds. RBI\u2019s focus now is on \u201cend-to-end traceability\u201d \u2014 ensuring that every rupee collected from a customer is accounted for until it reaches the merchant.<\/p>\n Simply put, Payment Aggregators are no longer just technology intermediaries \u2014 they are now regulated financial service providers expected to operate with bank-level transparency.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Insight:<\/b> RBI\u2019s audit goal is clear \u2014 \u201cno invisible flow of funds\u201d between customers, aggregators, and merchants.<\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n Under pa compliance checklist<\/a>, RBI has defined 10 key control areas for PAs. Each must be monitored quarterly and verified by a CERT-In\u2013empanelled auditor. These include:<\/p>\n RBI\u2019s 2025 directive also mandates \u201cDynamic Escrow Visibility,\u201d meaning fintechs must provide real-time access to their escrow positions to both partner banks and auditors.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tip:<\/b> Build automated dashboards that show real-time settlement, merchant balances, and pending chargebacks.<\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\nWhat Fintechs Must Track in 2025<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Audit Red Flags: Common Mistakes Found<\/b><\/h2>\n