Flipkart becomes the first major e-commerce player in India to get a direct lending license
Flipkart Secures RBI’s NBFC Licence To Offer Direct Loans : E-commerce giant Flipkart has received a non-banking financial company (NBFC) license from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). With this, the company will now be able to move towards providing facilities like direct loan, EMI, or “Buy Now, Pay Later” to its customers. This approval was given in March 2025, which has now been officially confirmed.
Although the company has not yet clarified when and how it will start using this license, it is believed that this step will give the company an opportunity to penetrate deeper into India’s digital finance market. Currently, Flipkart has been luring customers through the EMI model during festive seasons and big sales, which it will now be able to do on its own.
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What is the meaning of an NBFC license?
After getting an NBFC license from the RBI, any company can provide finance-related services, such as personal loans, consumer loans, installment financing, and daily EMI, directly in its name. Till now, Flipkart had to take the help of third-party loan companies or banks for this. But now it will be able to provide these facilities on its own.
What will be the benefit to the customers?
Customers who till now had to wait for the approval of the third-party bank will now be able to get EMI or a loan instantly.
The entire financing process will be completed within the app itself, which will improve the user experience.
Flipkart’s NBFC model can prove to be useful, especially in tier 2 and tier 3 cities where access to credit scores is limited.
Background of Flipkart
Flipkart was started in 2007 by Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal. Starting from a small online bookstore, this company has become one of the largest online retail companies in India today. In 2018, American retail giant Walmart bought a 77% stake in it for about Rs 1.6 lakh crore, which is considered the biggest deal in India’s startup history.
Preparing for IPO and structure change in India
Flipkart had announced to change its holding structure in early 2025. The company is now bringing its holding structure from Singapore to India to pave the way for IPO. This will also give strength to the government’s “Make in India” and “Digital India” initiatives.
What does the company say?
The company said in a statement, “We are inspired by the vision of the Government of India and the environment of ease of doing business. We are making this structural change considering our core operations, India’s huge potential and the power of digital innovation.”
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