Razorpay Pivots Beyond Payments to Build AI Operating Layer for India's Small Businesses

Founded by Harshil Mathur and Shashank Kumar, Razorpay is making its biggest strategic bet yet—evolving from a payments processor into an AI-driven 'brain' for India's SMBs, signaling a broader ambition to embed itself across small-business operations.

— Filed Wed, 1 Jul, 2026, 01:20 IST · Source Inc42 · Quick Commerce · Updated

Razorpay, founded by Harshil Mathur and Shashank Kumar, is expanding beyond payments to become an AI-driven operating layer for India's small businesses, marking its biggest strategic bet yet.

Why this matters

The shift echoes recent signals showing Razorpay pivoting from payments to an AI operating layer and 'AI brain' for India's SMEs, reinforcing a consistent strategic direction toward small-business operations.

Retail-company signals are accelerating, up 453400% QoQ.