Bharti Airtel shares in focus on ₹20,000-crore mega plans for NBFC arm to scale digital lending

The ₹20,000 crore will be injected into the subsidiary over the next few years, with Airtel contributing 70% and the promoter group, through Bharat Enterprises Ltd, contributing the remaining 30%.

The NBFC subsidiary will be capitalised with ₹20,000 crore to be injected over the next few years.

Airtel Money received its NBFC license from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on February 13, 2026.

In a regulatory filing on Monday, the company said that it aims to rapidly expand access to “simple, secure and innovative” digital financial services across India, supported by strong digital assets, a large data and analytics engine powered by more than 500 scientists and deep operational expertise.

The company said that it has built a high-performance credit engine over the last two years, powered by its digital platform and deeply integrated channels, resulting in “one of India’s strongest” lending service provider (LSP) models.

It noted that the platform has already achieved hyperdcale adoption with more than ₹9,000 crore in disbursements, bolstered by “best-in-class” delinquency outcomes and driven by “robust underwriting models, disciplined portfolio management, and real-time risk monitoring.”

It noted that the expansion is a “natural adjacency” that will leverage the large Airtel customer base to build the next growth engine for the company and further diversify its portfolio.

The disbursement journey of the NBFC will be seamlessly integrated with the LSP platform, while maintaining clear operational segregation between the two, Bharti Airtel added.

Commenting on the development, Gopal Vittal, Executive Vice Chairman of Bharti Airtel, said: “The success of our LSP plaƞorm over the past two years is proof of our ability to combine technology, data, and customer trust to deliver impact at a national scale. We have built one of India’s most trusted and scalable digital credit engines—reaching millions with high-quality credit supported by industry-best performance metrics.”

The NBFC expansion strengthens this foundation and reflects the ambition to build a differentiated, future-ready digital lending business, "one that stands for trust, innovation, and financial inclusion, Vittal said.

This strategic expansion in India’s fast-growing financial services sector underscores Airtel’s commitment to deepening financial inclusion and empowering underserved consumers, the statement elaborated.

Formal credit to GDP ratio in India is at 53%, according to Care Edge Ratings, with the statistics highlighting the scope for lending in the country.

Shares of Bharti Airtel closed 1.01% higher at ₹1,997.30 apiece on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). However, the development was announced after the market closed.