Kicking off Stripe’s private beta in India
I have really high hopes from this. There is currently no good way for a SaaS startup in India to get money from international customers. I think this is why many are forced to incorporate in the US&#x2F;Singapore&#x2F;etc. I am a single founder working on a SaaS project and receiving payments from outside India is one of the biggest challenges for me. I do not want to raise funds but may have to got that route just so that I can incorporate outside India and start receiving payments.<p>I have three requests for Stripe:<p>1) I hope that Stripe does not come out with a limited version for India, and that it is possible to charge international customers a variable amount every month, like you can do in the US.<p>2) I also hope that they come up with a prompt way of issuing FIRCs for every payment received. Without an FIRC there is no way to prove that the transaction was an export and therefore you have to pay GST on it, which is normally 18% for services. This reason alone is pushing me to incorporate in some other country. I stand to lose thousands of dollars this year because I can&#x27;t get an FIRC for the payments I receive via Paypal&#x2F;Wire transfer&#x2F;Transferwise.<p>Paypal and Transferwise have procedures to get FIRCs, but when you approach their banks they either don&#x27;t respond or come up with hundred reasons to not issue one. Citibank absolutely sucks at this. I really hope that Stripe just charges me whatever they want and couriers the FIRCs to my address automatically.<p>3) I hope that Stripe has a legal setup that is compatible with RBI regulations regarding the filling up of SOFTEX forms. There are some restrictions which in my understanding prohibit Indians from using international gateways like fastspring.