The Citizen Advocate Summary: Declaring
April 11 as Safe ePay Day
Proposing April 11 as Safe ePay
Day to mark UPI’s pilot launch on April 11, 2016, by NPCI with 21 banks,
initiated by Dr. Raghuram G. Rajan in Mumbai. This initiative celebrates UPI’s
seamless integration of banking and merchant payments.
August 24 – Appeal No 94
April 11 – Declare ‘Safe ePay
Day’,
Yes, April 11 is vacant in the UN
Observance Day calendar
UPI 10th Birthday -April 11 2026 – 230 Days to go
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August 24 –
Foundation Day of the Discalced Carmelite Sisters: From Avila to April 11
The Foundation Day of the Discalced Carmelite Sisters is celebrated on August 24, 1562, when St. Teresa of Ávila founded the Convent of St. Joseph in Ávila, Spain, marking the start of the Discalced Carmelite reform.
This event established a new branch of the
Carmelite Order, emphasizing a return to a life of simplicity, poverty, and
contemplative prayer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discalced_Carmelites
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August 24 –
Foundation Day of the Discalced Carmelite Sisters: Reflections on Trust and the
Vision of Safe ePay Day 🌱💳
A Spiritual Foundation and a
Digital Future
On August 24, 1562, in
Ávila, Spain, St. Teresa of Avila founded the first community of Discalced
Carmelite Sisters at the Convent of St. Joseph. It was a humble
beginning—marked not by grandeur but by simplicity, faith, and above all, trust
in God’s providence. That day became known as the Foundation Day of the
Discalced Carmelite Sisters, celebrated worldwide as the symbolic start of
a spiritual movement rooted in prayer and contemplation.
Fast forward to today, as I
reflect on this anniversary from my own perspective, I see not just a spiritual
milestone but also a powerful metaphor for another foundation I care deeply
about—the proposed April 11 Safe ePay Day, a day dedicated to safe and
secure digital payments.
Though separated by centuries and
contexts—one rooted in faith, the other in fintech—both share the same
underlying principle: trust as a foundation for community life.
🌱 A Foundation of Trust: The
Carmelite Story
St. Teresa’s vision in 1562 was
revolutionary. She sought to build a foundation where spiritual life would be
simplified and safeguarded from external distractions. This was not easy in her
time, but her persistence created a movement that eventually spread worldwide.
Every August 24, Carmelites
recall that beginning through rituals like the Te Deum, a hymn of
thanksgiving. Globally, convents and monasteries unite in spirit, celebrating
the birth of a foundation that has endured for nearly five centuries.
What strikes me most about this
story is how the entire foundation was based not on wealth or power, but on trust—in
God, in the community, and in the strength of spiritual discipline. Trust
became the invisible thread that bound the sisters together, sustaining them
through challenges.
🔒 Safe ePay Day: A Foundation for
Digital Trust
Trust is not only a spiritual
concept—it’s also the lifeline of our digital economy. Today, billions of
transactions happen online through UPI, net banking, wallets, and cards. Each
time I pay for something digitally, I place my faith in a system I cannot see.
But as we know, this trust can be
fragile. From phishing scams to fake apps, digital fraud threatens to erode
confidence. Just as St. Teresa’s foundation was meant to safeguard the
contemplative life, I believe we need a foundation that safeguards our digital
financial lives.
That is why I advocate for the
proposed Safe ePay Day (April 11).
💡 My vision: A globally recognized
observance that highlights the importance of secure digital payments, promotes
awareness of best practices, and ensures that financial inclusion is matched by
digital safety.
Why April 11? Because it was on April
11, 2016, that the UPI pilot was launched in India—an innovation
that transformed not just how Indians pay, but also how the world views digital
payments.
📅 Two Foundations, One Lesson
- August 24, 1562: A
foundation of faith—St. Teresa’s Carmelite community in Ávila, Spain.
- April 11, 2016: A
foundation of digital trust—the UPI pilot in India.
Both remind me that trust is not
built overnight. It is cultivated slowly, strengthened by discipline, and
protected against erosion. The Carmelite Sisters safeguarded spiritual trust;
Safe ePay Day, I hope, will safeguard digital trust.
🌍 Spain Today: From Spiritual
Roots to Digital Trust
It feels symbolic that the
Carmelite Sisters’ Foundation Day traces back to Spain, because Spain is also
now a leader in digital payments innovation—another domain built on trust.
Bizum: Spain’s Digital Success
Launched in 2016, Bizum
has become one of Spain’s most trusted payment platforms, with 27.6 million
users in 2024. What makes Bizum remarkable is not just its reach, but the
confidence it has built among citizens—allowing people to send and receive
money instantly, safely, and simply.
Consumer Shift Away from Cash
According to a 2024 Banco de
España study:
- 51% of online payments in Spain are made via cards.
- 26% use digital wallets and other
e-payment solutions like PayPal and Bizum.
- In-store mobile payments nearly doubled from 4%
in 2022 to 7% in 2024, while reliance on cash continues to decline.
This shift shows that digital
trust is reshaping daily life in Spain, just as spiritual trust reshaped
life in St. Teresa’s time.
Cross-Border Collaboration
Spain is part of the European
Payments Alliance (EuroPA), enabling seamless mobile transfers across
countries like Italy and Portugal. Imagine scanning a QR code in Madrid and
having it securely connect to Lisbon—that’s the future of cross-border trust in
action.
🕯️ Global Lessons from Spain
Spain’s story offers important
lessons for Safe ePay Day:
1.
Adoption Comes with Trust: Bizum
succeeded because people trusted it. Safe ePay Day must build similar
confidence worldwide.
2.
Safety Equals Growth: As
digital safety improved, adoption soared. Fraud prevention isn’t just
security—it’s an economic growth enabler.
3.
Global Connections: Just as
EuroPA connects Spain with neighbors, Safe ePay Day could connect the world
under a shared commitment to safe digital payments.
🤝 Trust: The Common Currency
Whether I look at the Carmelite
Sisters in Ávila (1562), or Bizum in Spain today, or the dream of Safe
ePay Day in India (April 11), the common thread is trust.
- Spiritual Trust: A
nun in the 16th century joining Teresa’s foundation, confident that her
life would be protected and meaningful.
- Digital Trust: A
student today paying tuition online, confident her money will reach the
right place safely.
In both, the essence is the same:
without trust, no system—spiritual or digital—can endure.
🌐 Looking Ahead
As I reflect on August 24, I also
look forward. The next decade of payments will be shaped by:
- AI-powered fraud detection
- Blockchain-secured transactions
- Biometric authentication
(fingerprints, iris scans)
- Global interoperability of instant payments
But amid all these innovations,
two timeless principles must remain:
1.
Everyone must be included.
2.
Everyone must be safe.
The Carmelite Sisters taught the
world about foundations of care and prayer. Spain’s Bizum shows the world how
digital trust can scale. Safe ePay Day, if realized, could unite these
lessons—reminding us that in both faith and finance, safety and trust are the
foundations of all progress.
✨ Closing Reflection
As the Discalced Carmelite
Sisters mark their Foundation Day on August 24, I take inspiration from
their legacy of trust and care.
And as I advocate for April 11
Safe ePay Day (proposed), I envision a similar foundation—one where trust
in digital payments is nurtured, safeguarded, and celebrated.
🌱 From the
spiritual foundations of Ávila to the digital trust of UPI and Bizum, the
journey of trust continues.
💳 From monasteries to
mobile apps, trust remains the true currency of life.
“August 24 – Foundation of Faith. April 11 –
Foundation of Safe ePay.” ✨
Appeal for Safe ePay Day 🌟
## Call to Action
I urge governments, financial institutions, businesses, and
communities worldwide to join hands in declaring April 11 as **Safe ePay Day**.
Let’s celebrate UPI’s milestone by making **Safe ePay Day** a
global movement for secure, innovative fintech.
Together, we can build a future where financial access is
universal, and every e-payment is safe—starting with **Safe ePay Day** in 2026.
No Vada Pav, not even one bite,
Till SafeePay Day takes off in flight.
Quirky vow with a Mumbai flair—
Announce the date, and I’ll be there!
Disclaimer:
- The only Joy is Safe ePayments. Nothing More – Nothing Less.
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