Google is expanding its push into consumer finance in India with the launch of a UPI-linked credit card, betting on a country of more than 1.4 billion people where fewer than 50 million currently hold a credit card.
On Wednesday, Google entered India’s growing co-branded credit card market with the launch of Flex by Google Pay, partnering with private lender Axis Bank to expand access to credit in the country’s UPI-driven payments ecosystem.
India’s rapid adoption of digital payments through the government-backed Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has transformed how consumers pay but has not translated into broad access to credit. That gap has created an opportunity for technology companies and banks to embed lending into widely used payments apps, helping explain Google’s move into the space.
Flex by Google Pay is issued digitally through the Google Pay app and can be used both online and at physical merchants, the company said. Built on the Indian government-backed RuPay network, the card includes a rewards programme that credits virtual “Stars” on transactions, with each Star worth ₹1. Users can monitor spending and bills within the app, choose to repay balances in full or convert them into installments, and manage security settings such as blocking the card or resetting a PIN.
The launch builds on Google Pay’s broader effort to expand access to credit in India, where it has already partnered with banks and non-bank lenders to offer personal and gold-backed loans through the app. As one of the country’s most widely used UPI platforms, Google Pay offers Axis Bank access to a large, digitally active user base at a time when lenders are increasingly looking to scale credit distribution through technology platforms rather than physical branches.
While Google has started with Axis Bank, it aims to add more issuer partners soon to expand its co-branded credit card offering in India.
Image Credits:Google
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