← State of Embedded Finance 2026

BharatPe

Can a zero-MDR UPI QR business monetize 17M Indian merchants through lending and a partial bank stake before regulators tighten the embedded-credit playbook?

Founded2018
HQNew Delhi, India
FoundersAshneer Grover, Shashvat Nakrani, Bhavik Koladiya
Total raised$583M+
Latest roundLater Stage VC, $100M
Valuation$2.85B (2021 unicorn round)
IndustryFintech / SMB banking
The story

Founded 2018 as a zero-MDR UPI QR for offline merchants. Built distribution to 17M+ merchants then layered unsecured working-capital loans (via NBFC partners) as the monetization engine. Took a 49% stake in Unity Small Finance Bank in 2021 — its closest thing to a banking license — and acquired Trillionloans NBFC in 2023 to internalize lending. Now positioning as a full-stack merchant fintech with payments + lending + co-branded credit + consumer UPI under one brand, having absorbed the failed postpe BNPL product back into the parent.

Last 12 months
2026-03
2026-03
2026-01
Product timeline
2018
Launched India's first interoperable UPI QR with zero MDR· payments
2019
Forayed into unsecured merchant lending in partnership with RBI-approved NBFCs· lending
2020
Launched BharatSwipe card machine; became India's third-largest P2M UPI player· payments
2021
Acquired PAYBACK India loyalty program; reached unicorn status at $2.85B; acquired 49% stake in Unity Small Finance Bank; launched postpe BNPL· acquisition
2023
Resilient Payments received in-principle RBI nod as payment aggregator; acquired majority stake in Trillionloans NBFC; turned EBITDA positive in October· lending
2024
Launched BharatPe One all-in-one payment device; expanded into secured loans with OTO Capital and Volt Money· lending
2025
Rebranded postpe consumer app to BharatPe consumer· pivot
Regulated entities
Payment Aggregator
India (RBI) · 2023
Resilient Payments Private Limited
NBFC (majority stake)
India (RBI) · 2023
Trillionloans
Small Finance Bank (49% stake)
India (RBI) · 2021
Unity Small Finance Bank
The stack
Payments / PSP
BharatPe QR (self-operated)BharatPe One (self-operated)BharatPe Swipe (self-operated)BharatPe Speaker (self-operated)BharatPe UPI (self-operated, UPI TPAP)
Banking / BaaS
Unity Small Finance Bank (49% owned affiliate)
Card issuing
Unity Small Finance Bank
Ledger
in-house
Lending
BharatPe Money / Trillionloans (NBFC, majority owned) + RBI-approved NBFC partnersBharatPe Easy LoansPersonal Loan (up to ₹15 lacs)BharatPe Flex PayPay Later with BharatPeSecured two-wheeler loan (OTO Capital)Loan Against Mutual Funds (Volt Money)
Sponsor bank
Unity Small Finance Bank
Accounting gap: significant