Bipin C. Shah

1938 - 2022

Bipin C. Shah, a resident of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully in his sleep on September 4, 2022. He lived by the motto: “There are no failures in life; there are only delays.” Born on July 23, 1938 in Patan, Gujarat, India to Manilal Mohanlal Shah and Verma Keshar, Bipin was the youngest male of 11 siblings. Bipin grew up in Patan and lived in Rangoon, Burma for most of his formative years. In Patan, he attended Seth B.D. High School, a British higher secondary school. In Rangoon, he attended his first year of college at I.E.S. Central School, which was operated by the University of Calcutta. His love for American movies and lifestyle fueled his determination to move to the United States. Among his favorite movies were Picnic (1955) with William Holden and Kim Novak. After conducting extensive research as to how to obtain a college scholarship in the United States, in 1958, Bipin was admitted to Baldwin Wallace College in Berea, Ohio, on a full scholarship with room, board—and a job. He graduated in 1962 with a degree in philosophy. He later served on the Baldwin Wallace board of trustees and in 1998, he established the Bipin C. Shah Explorations Scholarship, which continues his legacy. He proudly became an American citizen on August 30, 1967. Upon graduation from Baldwin Wallace College, he attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he pursued a master’s degree in philosophy. Early in his career, he worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and American Express. After leading the creation of direct deposit of payroll, he continued to expand upon his financial technology and marketing expertise at CoreStates Financial Corp, where he pioneered the first PIN-protected point-of-sale technology, the first nationwide ATM network, pay-at-the-pump for gas stations and a surcharge-free ATM network that revolutionized modern banking. After leaving banking, Bipin started a series of entrepreneurial endeavors. The first of which was private-equity-funded, Gensar, a technology-payments company started in early 1992. On June 9, 1995 American Banker ran an article and dubbed him, “the Bill Gates of Payment Systems.” Bipin was an animated, captivating storyteller. In his younger years, he loved to fly kites, fish, build sand castles and play tennis. Throughout his life, he was an avid reader and enjoyed traveling, cooking and gardening. Yet, his greatest passions were his work and his three daughters. He served on many boards, including The Franklin Institute, Visa USA and Visa International. Bipin is survived by his three daughters Nelie, Sarah Lynn and Genevieve, his stepson Kyle Ober, his former wives Fay and Ellen, his youngest sister Kokila, cousins Dipak and Ajay Shah, also many other relatives. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Bipin C. Shah Explorations Scholarship at Baldwin Wallace. Donations can be sent to: Center for Philanthropy, Baldwin Wallace University, 275 Eastland Road, Berea, Ohio 44017-2088, or by visiting www.b-wcommunity.net/give, please select the Bipin C. Shah Explorations Scholarship under designation. A celebration of Bipin’s life will be held on September 13. Please contact the family for details.