Walmart-owned Flipkart gets NBFC licence from the Reserve Bank of India

06 Jun 2025, 11:18 AM

This is the first time the central bank has granted a large e-commerce player in India a lending licence.

Team Head&Tale

Walmart-owned e-commerce platform Flipkart has received an non-bank finance company (NBFC) licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). 

This will allow Flipkart to offer loans directly to customers from its own books. This is the first time the central bank has granted a large e-commerce player in India a lending licence. 

Earlier Flipkart offered loans in partnership with third-party lenders, including banks and NBFCs. Some of its lending partners, include Axis Bank, IDFC Bank and Credit Saison.

The central bank issued its certificate of registration to Flipkart Finance Private Limited on March 13, reported Reuters. 

Walmart, which currently holds 80% stake in India's largest e-commerce platform, bought a majority stake in 2018. In April this year, Flipkart said that it plans to relocate its holding company from Singapore to India ahead of initial public offering. 

Flipkart, last valued at $37 billion in 2024 when it raised $1 billion in a funding round led by Walmart.