Mahindra Chairperson Anand Mahindra met NPCI chief Dilip Asbe and switched to BHIM after their conversation. The exchange highlighted NPCI's UPI infrastructure, Asbe's humility and BHIM's homegrown credentials.Anand Mahindra switches payment apps after NPCI chief gives him a peek behind UPI Mahindra Group Chairperson Anand Mahindra shared how a conversation with the CEO of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) convinced him to switch to BHIM, India's homegrown digital payments app.In a post on his official X account, Mahindra recalled how a friend recently asked him which digital payments app he used.

When he mentioned his choice, she suggested he try BHIM instead, introducing him to the app as India's own. Admitting that he did not know much about it, Mahindra said his friend offered to connect him with someone who could tell him more.That introduction led him to Dilip Asbe, Managing Director and CEO of NPCI, who agreed to meet him for a conversation.

Mahindra described their discussion as “illuminating, to put it mildly”, saying it gave him a better understanding of the infrastructure powering India's digital payments' ecosystem.He explained NPCI's role through a railway analogy, comparing payment apps such as PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm and BHIM to trains. “NPCI provides the tracks,” he wrote, emphasising how the organisation enables these platforms to function through the UPI network. Mahindra also pointed to the scale of India's digital payments revolution, noting that UPI had processed more than 2,400 crore transactions in September, averaging over 80 crore transactions every day.He credited Asbe as one of the key people behind this achievement and said the NPCI chief was working on plans to build more digital infrastructure for financial services.

However, what impressed Mahindra most was not Asbe's professional achievements or technical knowledge, but his humility. He described him as someone who had little interest in the spotlight and took pride in his team's work and the opportunity to serve the country.Mahindra also mentioned that Asbe's mother was a teacher, wondering whether her influence had helped shape his grounded personality.

Reflecting on the conversation, he wrote, “People like him derive their satisfaction not from being seen, but from seeing their work make a difference.”He thanked Asbe for the meeting and ended his post with a personal update: “And I've switched to the BHIM app now!”Take a look at the post here:A friend recently asked me which digital payments app I was using. When I told her, she promptly asked, “Why not use BHIM, our very own Indian app?” I admitted I didn’t know much about it. “Well, let me introduce you to someone you’ll enjoy meeting.” That someone was Dilip Asbe, MD & CEO of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

Dilip kindly agreed to come over for a chat. That conversation was illuminating, to put it mildly.

We all know the payment apps we use every day. PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm, BHIM But think of them as trains running on a railway network.

NPCI provides the tracks. And what an extraordinary railway India has built!

In September, UPI alone processed over 2,400 crore transactions. That’s more than 80 crore transactions every single day!

India is now the world’s largest real-time payments market. A true global force multiplier.

And Dilip has been one of the key people behind that remarkable achievement. His mind is buzzing with plans to build more ‘railroads’ that will enable new apps in wider financial spheres.

But here’s what struck me most about him. Not the scale of his achievement.

Not his knowledge of the technology. His humility.

Dilip is well known in financial & technology circles. But I met a man with no airs, no sense of self-importance & seemingly little interest in the spotlight.

Just immense pride in what his team has accomplished & a genuine sense of privilege at being able to serve his country. I also learned that his mother was a teacher.

Perhaps I’m biased, but I’ve always believed that mothers who are teachers have a special knack for instilling values that last a lifetime. And I couldn’t help wondering if that explained something about Dilip’s grounded personality.

People like him derive their satisfaction not from being seen, but from seeing their work make a difference. Thank you, Dilip, for the conversation.

And for reminding me that ambition & humility can indeed travel together on the railroad to success. And I’ve switched to the BHIM app now! #MondayMotivation— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) October 26, 2026The post also got users talking about their own experiences with the app.

Several said they had been using BHIM without facing issues and found it just as reliable as alternatives such as Paytm and Google Pay.Others thanked Mahindra for inadvertently promoting an Indian-made payment platform.One user pointed out the unusual advantage Mahindra had enjoyed, noting that while most people received app demonstrations from sales representatives, he had got a personal masterclass from NPCI's chief himself.Another user, who had been using BHIM since its launch, said that while the app had faced some issues initially, most had since been resolved. They also remarked that it was better late than never for Mahindra to discover it.Launched in December 2016, BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money) is a digital payments application developed by NPCI and built on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

It allows users to send and receive money directly between bank accounts using a UPI ID, mobile number or QR code. NPCI operates the underlying UPI infrastructure that enables different banks and payment apps to facilitate instant transactions.- Ends