Mumbai, Aug 24: The Reserve Bank on Wednesday lifted the restrictions on American Express Banking Corp and allowed onboarding of new domestic customers on its card network.

The central bank had imposed curbs on American Express Banking Corp for being non-compliant with the directions on Storage of Payment System Data effective May 1, 2021.

"In view of the satisfactory compliance demonstrated by American Express Banking Corp with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) circular... on Storage of Payment System Data, the restrictions imposed... on onboarding of new domestic customers have been lifted with immediate effect," the central bank said in a statement.

In April 2018, all payment system providers were directed to ensure that their entire data (full end-to-end transaction details/ information collected/ carried/ processed as part of the message/ payment instruction) relating to payment systems operated by them is stored in a system only in India.

They were also required to report compliance to RBI and submit a board-approved System Audit Report (SAR) conducted by a CERT-In empanelled auditor within the specified timelines.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



New Delhi: The Canadian government has denied any connection between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to criminal activities within Canada.

A statement from Nathalie G. Drouin, the national security and intelligence advisor to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, clarified that there is no evidence implicating the Indian leaders. "Any suggestion to the contrary is both speculative and inaccurate," the statement read.

The clarification follows a report by The Globe and Mail alleging links between the Indian leadership and the death of NIA-designated terrorist Hardeep Nijjar in Canada. India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) strongly refuted the report, labelling it "ludicrous" and dismissing it with "the contempt it deserves."

The MEA reiterated its stance, calling such allegations part of a "smear campaign" that harms already strained diplomatic ties.

This development comes amidst heightened tensions between India and Canada. Prime Minister Trudeau had previously claimed "credible allegations" of India's involvement in Nijjar's killing, which India vehemently denied, describing the accusations as "absurd" and "motivated."

Nijjar, a Khalistani activist, was killed outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. Following the incident, India recalled six diplomats after they were declared "persons of interest" by Canadian authorities.

India has consistently expressed concerns over extremism and anti-India activities in Canada, urging the Trudeau government to take appropriate action against such elements.