Bharti Airtel on Monday, 23 February, announced plans to significantly expand its Non-Banking Financial Company NBFC subsidiary, Airtel Money Limited, with a capital infusion of ₹20,000 crore over the next few years.
“The NBFC subsidiary will be capitalised with ₹20,000 crore to be injected over the next few years. Airtel will contribute 70 per cent with the promoter group via Bharti Enterprises Limited, bringing in the balance 30 per cent,” Airtel said in a statement.
Airtel Money received its NBFC licence from the Reserve Bank of India on 13 February 2026.
The expansion marks Airtel’s entry into direct lending as part of its broader push into digital financial services.
The company said 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.”
“The platform has already achieved hyperscale adoption with over ₹9,000 crore in disbursements supported by best-in-class delinquency outcomes, driven by robust underwriting models, disciplined portfolio management, and real-time risk monitoring,” the company said.
“The success of our LSP platform 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,” said Gopal Vittal, Executive Vice Chairman, Bharti Airtel.
“Our NBFC expansion strengthens this foundation and reflects our ambition to build a differentiated, future-ready digital lending business – one that stands for trust, innovation, and financial inclusion,” Vittal added.
Airtel stated that the disbursement journey of the NBFC will be seamlessly integrated with the LSP platform, while maintaining clear operational segregation between the two, giving the customer best-in-class experience.
The company cited data from Care Edge Ratings showing that India’s formal credit-to-GDP ratio stands at 53 per cent, indicating significant headroom for credit expansion.
