UPI AND ONDC
How intelligent commerce is shaping the next frontier of merchant payments
For a decade, the task in India’s merchant payments was to get every shop and website to accept digital money. The value, leaders argued, at GFF 2026, is now moving to identity, risk, credit and growth, and to preparing the checkout for AI agents that may soon shop on consumers’ behalf.
Women entrepreneurs can power Asia’s digital trade boom
Women entrepreneurs across Asia are increasingly turning to digital trade, enabling them to reach markets far beyond their local confines. This transition allows them to bypass traditional mobility challenges and limited funding opportunities. A variety of initiatives are in place to bolster women-led enterprises through training and improved financial access.
Apple Pay’s India launch shows how RBI’s outcome-based regulation lets technology evolve
Apple Pay was launched in India after significant regulatory developments by the Reserve Bank of India. This new payment option allows users to pay securely without needing an OTP, which can facilitate fraud. The RBI has shifted towards regulating outcomes rather than prescribing specific technologies for digital payments. While Apple Pay currently does not support RuPay or UPI, it shows how regulation can foster innovation.
Be agent provocateur: India's internet needs an AI makeover
As India's digital ecosystem experiences rapid transformation, it is imperative to enhance support for the growing presence of AI agents in business and services. By tackling the obstacles within the navigational framework, costs for these agents can be significantly lowered. Revamping e-commerce catalogs and improving data availability will optimize purchase processes.
ONDC facilitates purchase of financial products from any provider via any app
India's Open Network for Digital Commerce is transforming financial services. It connects buyers and sellers, making loans, insurance, and mutual funds accessible. This open digital marketplace operates like a 'financial internet'. It allows anyone to access any provider through any app. This democratizes finance, benefiting both consumers and smaller businesses. The network is expanding to include more products and services.
Zerodha Mutual Fund goes live on ONDC, broadening access to mutual fund investing
Zerodha Mutual Fund integrates with ONDC, becoming a pioneer in offering mutual funds on the open digital commerce network. The move aims to make investing simple, transparent, and widely accessible across India.
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UPI no more a technology, it's a population-scale habit: FIDE CEO Sujit Nair
"UPI is no more a technology in some sense. UPI is a population-scale habit. You have 500 million people using DPI, UPI as a way of life, and that idea, that way of thinking of how do you bring large population, especially the people who probably do not have access formal access to the economy, bring them together closer and make government, public, private sector all come together to serve people and small businesses," said Nair, talking to ANI, on the sidelines of Carnegie Global Technology Summit.
Real-time payments gaining ground fast in Asia: JP Morgan
Many Asian countries, including India, are moving away from older payment methods like ACH in favor of real-time systems such as UPI. JP Morgan Chase is investing in distributed ledger technology and partnering with ONDC to support this shift and enhance e-commerce and financial services.
BHIM looks to bulk up with ONDC to take on digital payment heavyweights
NPCI-built app to foray into ecommerce space via separate division. Despite marketing challenges, BHIM aims to improve user experience through partnerships and new initiatives like BHIM 2.0.
ONDC logs into international B2B marketplace with Singapore’s Proxtera
With this move, ONDC, an initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), aims to establish connections between SMEs, logistics services and payment transfers, facilitating seamless export opportunities for Indian businesses.
We are not trying to put anybody out of business through ONDC: DPIIT Secretary
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Secretary, Rajesh Kumar Singh, has said that the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) initiative is not trying to put anybody out of business. He added that the goal is to democratise e-commerce for MSMEs and smaller producers, and provide a level playing field.
ONDC has potential to dilute market concentration
Platform fees for food delivery using ONDC are being reported at a fifth of those charged by the market leaders. This is a considerable reduction in the cost of intermediation. This also holds out the potential to break the dominance of Swiggy and Zomato, and eventually even that of retail platforms like Amazon and Flipkart.
ONDC gearing up for next phase of growth, formal launch this year: Official
Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal held a meeting this week to take stock of the progress of ONDC. ONDC has been touted as a Unified Payments Interface-type protocol that would democratise the e-commerce businesses by onboarding millions of small retailers of the country.
PhonePe's ecommerce app Pincode live on ONDC network
The company launched Pincode – a hyperlocal ecommerce platform that enables online commerce between local offline stores and customers in the neighbourhood – in Bengaluru on Tuesday. Pincode will pilot in Bangalore with categories such as grocery, food, pharma, electronics and home decor, a statement from the company said.
For small stores to be big e-league
UPI has, however, exposed the limitations of technology to improve competition. The platform is overwhelmingly dominated by PhonePe and Google Pay despite regulators seeking enhanced competition. ONDC, too, requires supporting regulation to break market silos. By itself, it has the potential to democratise ecommerce. But liabilities need to be apportioned judiciously along the value chain.
ONDC is actively engaging with brands, says DIF head Arvind Gupta
A Publicis Groupe’s report on ONDC said more than two million retailers will be enabled with ecommerce, over 250 million buyers will be able to purchase goods and services, and the platform will enable 75% pin code coverage across India
As many as 2,200 transactions have taken place on ONDC: Piyush Goyal
The government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) has the ability to transform e-commerce across the whole world, and not just in India, commerce minister Piyush Goyal said Friday.
UPI, AA and ONDC will reorder Indian supply chain: Nandan Nilekani
Nandan Nilekani was speaking at the launch of new UPI solutions by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) during the Global Fintech Fest.
Onboarding Flipkart, Amazon may provide ONDC scale and credibility: report
Onboarding some of the larger incumbents early might actually provide ONDC the much-needed scale as well as credibility with buyers and sellers, it said.
Exclusive: NPCI set to pick up 9-10% stake in government’s e-commerce project ONDC
The government’s National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) and Bank of India are also expected to acquire stakes in ONDC; network plans B2B entry
Logistics startup Grab.in integrates with government’s ONDC
While Reliance Retail-backed Dunzo is already on the ONDC as one of the logistics partners, Grab's entry marks Reliance's formal entry into the much-hyped network, pitched as a disruptor to break the dominance of ecommerce companies Amazon India and Walmart-owned Flipkart by bringing unorganised retailers online.
SoftBank, Sequoia, other VCs push ONDC to portfolio firms
The Indian Venture Capital Association (IVCA) also recently held a meeting with the ONDC team to understand how various startups could collaborate on the network.
Govt’s open ecommerce network not as easy to execute as UPI: Jefferies
Equity research firm Jefferies said in a recent report that compared to ONDC, the issues that the digital payments railroad, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), had faced were simpler.
ONDC can become next UPI, says Vaishnaw
"UPI is a fabulous solution. Three countries have already signed up agreements with us to use it. But, can we take it to a large scale?" asked Vaishnaw, who handles Railways, Communications and Electronics as well as Information Technology portfolio as Cabinet minister.
Flipkart, RIL, Amazon may join India’s open ecommerce network ONDC
Logistics providers Ekart, Dunzo sign up on network; PhonePe in final stages of integration
Retail's WhatsApp moment: Indian ecommerce on the cusp of a great disruption
The Open Network for Digital Commerce will enable buyers and sellers to be visible to each other. The timing of the launch is significant because India is poised to digitally onboard the next half-a-billion people, almost all of whom will do so through mobile phone.
India launches pilot phase of open e-commerce network
The initiative is also aimed at curbing the dominance of two large multinational e-commerce players, which control more than half of the country's e-commerce trading, limit access to the market, and give preferential treatment to certain sellers and squeeze supplier margins.
Is ONDC the slingshot that'll bring down retail Goliaths? 10 things
ONDC or Open Network for Digital Commerce is a government-backed electronic platform for India’s mom-and-pop stores or kiranas who have, so far, weathered the Amazon and Flipkart storm with innovations such as home deliveries and discounts for regular customers.
ONDC to help small retailers serve customers with modern ways of delivery: Piyush Goyal
As UPI is to the digital payment domain, ONDC is to e-commerce in India. It will enable buyers and sellers to be digitally visible and transact through an open network, no matter what platform/application they use.
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