Participants of the Bharat Connect platform

• Customer

  A Customer is any person residing in India or abroad (NRIs) who has to make a payment to a service provider in India.

• Agent

  Collecting payments from Customers requires Agents, from Kirana stores to bank branches, as well as digital apps. Agents are authorised to collect payments and provide the necessary infrastructure for Customers to make payments.

• Agent Institutions

  Since thousands of Agents are required to cater to Customers, Bharat Connect partners with banks and non-bank institutions. They are responsible for onboarding Agents in their respective locations and act as intermediaries between Agents and Bharat Connect.

• Customer Operating Units

  Customer Operating Units are RBI-authorised banks or non-bank organisations. Just like Agent Institutions, it is the responsibility of COUs to onboard Agents in their respective locations and in some cases, act as intermediaries between Agents and Bharat Connect. The difference between COUs and Agent Institutions is that COUs are RBI-authorised, and Agent Institutions have not applied for RBI authorisation or are in the process of being authorised.

• Bharat Connect Central Unit

  Bharat Connect Central Unit functions as the single authorised entity operating the Bharat Connect platform. On the Customers' side, BCOU onboards COUs. On the side of service providers or Billers, it onboards BOUs and their respective Billers. It also performs other operational duties and supports all partners with the technological infrastructure to collaborate efficiently.

• Biller Operating Units

  Similar to COUs, Biller Operating Units are RBI-authorised banks or non-bank organisations. They play a similar role to COUs on the service provider’s side of the system and are responsible for onboarding and engaging with service providers. They provide the infrastructure and support that service providers need to conveniently collect payments.

• Billers

  Billers are any service providers across India that generate bills to collect payments from Customers for the services they render.

• Developers

  Developers are empanelled by Bharat Connect and specialise in integrating partners like Billers or Operating Units into the system using tailor-made Bharat BillPay technology.