Government-backed open commerce network ONDC has secured Rs 220 Cr of a Rs 430 Cr round from strategic investors including Zoho (Rs 70 Cr), Uber, Paytm and SBI (Rs 60 Cr each), and BSE Technologies (Rs 30 Cr). Capital will fund AI-led commerce, DigiCatalog and MSME digital rails as transactions hit 218M in FY26.

Entrackr · Newsletter · 6/2/2026, 5:18:17 PM

Uber and Paytm have each committed ₹60 crore to ONDC, following Zoho's ₹70 crore round, deepening ties with the government-backed network now powering 300,000 metro tickets/day across 5 cities and tracking toward 218 million transactions in FY26.

Business Standard · Companies · 6/2/2026, 3:54:27 PM

ONDC raised ₹220 Cr ($23.1 Mn) via private placement, with Zoho putting in ₹70 Cr, Uber and Paytm ₹60 Cr each, and BSE ₹30 Cr. The capital deepens strategic backing as the network scales to 7.64 lakh sellers across 616 cities and clocks 21.8 Cr transactions in FY26.

Inc42 · Buzz · 6/2/2026, 12:17:15 PM

May 22 verdict permanently restrains Google from monetising HINDWARE trademark as an ad keyword. With competitor bids costing ₹8-25/click vs ₹60-150 for generics, the ruling could lift paid CAC 20-30% for D2C, fintech and marketplace advertisers leaning on rival-name arbitrage.

Outlook Business · 5/29/2026, 12:18:53 PM

CFO Kevan Parekh flags multi-year India bet as iPhone revenue hits $57B globally on 22% YoY growth. Six Apple stores now live, with App Store billings at ₹44,500 crore. Next wave targets tier-2/3 cities beyond Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Pune, Noida and Chennai.

Hindustan Times · Business · 5/29/2026, 6:24:29 AM

NPCI is developing a common interoperable soundbox letting merchants accept payments from any UPI app on a single device. The move reduces hardware duplication for India's kiranas but squeezes Paytm (1.5 Cr subscription merchants) and PhonePe (9.19 Mn devices), whose soundbox rentals underpin offline monetisation as UPI hit 22.35 Bn April transactions.

Inc42 · 5/18/2026, 6:42:21 AM

Indian celebrities are stacking the D2C shelf with Hyphen (skincare), The Tribe (fitness), Maya (fragrance) and Dear Diary, while Zoho's Rs 70 Cr bet on ONDC signals deeper sovereign-stack backing for MSME digitisation and open commerce rails.

YourStory · 5/14/2026, 2:37:48 AM

Chennai-based Zoho has invested Rs 70 crore in ONDC, reinforcing sovereign digital commerce rails for MSMEs. ONDC clocked 218M transactions in FY26 with 11X order volume growth, onboarded 10,000+ kiranas via DigiDukaan, and just named Vibhor Jain as MD & CEO.

Entrackr · 5/13/2026, 11:57:55 AM

Zoho has pumped ₹70 Cr ($7.3 Mn) into ONDC to shore up India's open digital commerce rails, even as retail transactions fell from a 6.5 Mn peak in October 2024 to 4.6 Mn by February 2025. The network now spans 616 cities and 7.64 Lakh sellers, with 10,000 kiranas onboarded and 11x rural seller growth in FY26.

Inc42 · 5/13/2026, 10:12:57 AM

Zoho's ₹70 Cr ($7.3 Mn) bet backs ONDC's sovereign commerce stack as the network scales to 7.64 Lakh sellers and 11x rural order growth in FY26. But retail volumes have softened from the 6.5 Mn October 2024 peak to 4.6 Mn in February 2025, raising questions on post-subsidy traction.

Inc42 · 5/13/2026, 9:27:51 AM

Chennai-based SaaS major Zoho is investing Rs 70 crore in ONDC to back sovereign digital commerce rails and accelerate MSME digitisation. The capital reinforces Zoho's Vikra seller app, Books, Inventory and Commerce integrations on a network that clocked 218M transactions in FY25-26 with 11x order volume growth.

YourStory · 5/13/2026, 8:55:56 AM

Zoho Corporation will invest ₹70 crore in ONDC to expand the open network's ecosystem and drive adoption, targeting MSME market access gaps as India's digital commerce rails scale beyond metro strongholds.

The Hindu BusinessLine · 5/13/2026, 6:32:46 AM