Airtel Payments Bank
Airtel Payments Bank is a digital-only payments bank and subsidiary of Bharti Airtel that provides savings accounts, UPI, AePS, RuPay cards, and transit payment solutions to India's unbanked and digitally active consumers through the Airtel Thanks App.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersGurugram, India
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Airtel Payments Bank does
Airtel Payments Bank Limited is a digital-only payments bank and wholly-owned subsidiary of Bharti Airtel, headquartered in Gurugram, India. Founded in 2016 and operating under RBI payments bank regulations, it serves as the financial services arm of the Airtel ecosystem, targeting India's unbanked and underbanked population alongside digitally active consumers. Its core product is a paperless digital savings account offering interest rates up to 6.5-7% per annum with zero-balance onboarding via video KYC through the Airtel Thanks App. The bank complements this core with RuPay On-The-Go NCMC cards (over 5 million issued) for interoperable transit payments, the Safe Second Account security product, FASTag toll services, EV wallet recharges via Bharat Connect, and a biometric RuPay payment card.
The underlying technology stack is built on UPI, RuPay, and NPCI rails with AI-driven fraud prevention, anomaly detection, and Face Match biometric verification for onboarding and transaction security. Its distribution architecture leverages Bharti Airtel's nationwide retail footprint of 10,000+ touchpoints and partner networks (Across Assist, DMRC, government schemes) covering 90%+ of Indian pin codes. The bank monetizes through transaction and fee-based income (approximately 76% of payments bank income), interest on customer deposit balances (Rs 4,612 crore as of FY26), and cross-selling of digital financial services. With 28.8 million monthly transacting users and a 184 million customer base, it is the third-largest mobile bank in India by user base, processes one in four AePS transactions in rural markets, and holds the second-largest position in UPI Autopay mandates.
Airtel Payments Bank firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Airtel Payments Bank
- Legal name
- Airtel Payments Bank Limited
- Website
- https://airtel.in
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Airtel Payments Bank is a digital-only payments bank and subsidiary of Bharti Airtel that provides savings accounts, UPI, AePS, RuPay cards, and transit payment solutions to India's unbanked and digitally active consumers through the Airtel Thanks App.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Airtel Payments Bank industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Retail Banking
- NAICS
- Savings Institutions and Other Depository Credit Intermediation (522180)
- SIC
- National Commercial Banks (6021)
- akta.pro primary industry
- A2A Collections & Direct Account Funding (FSAMAFAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Virtual Card Issuance & Tokenized Corporate Cards (THACAJAA)
Keywords
Where Airtel Payments Bank is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gurugram
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Airtel Payments Bank business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Transaction and Fee-based Income: Primary revenue stream from transaction fees, payment processing, and fee-based services. Approximately 76% of payments bank income comes from non-interest sources.
- Interest Income on Deposits: Interest earned on customer deposits held in savings accounts. Customer balances grew 26% to Rs 4,612 crore in FY26.
- Digital Services and Financial Products: Revenue from cross-selling financial products and services through the platform including bill payments, recharges, and other digital services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Savings Account with up to 7% interest |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Airtel Payments Bank product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Airtel Payments Bank is a digital-only payments bank offering savings accounts with up to 7% interest, UPI-based payments, AePS, RuPay On-The-Go NCMC cards, FASTag, and EV wallet recharges. It serves 28.8 million monthly transacting users, processes one in four AePS transactions in rural markets, and focuses on financial inclusion for unbanked and underbanked populations across India.
Product overview
Airtel Payments Bank operates as a digital-only payments bank offering a integrated suite of financial services centered on digital payments, savings accounts, and transit solutions. The core product portfolio includes savings accounts with competitive interest rates, RuPay On-The-Go NCMC cards for interoperable transit payments, and government scheme card issuances. Add-on services include the Safe Second Account for enhanced transaction security, EV wallet recharges via Bharat Connect, FASTag for toll payments, and RuPay biometric payment cards. The bank leverages deep tech and AI for fraud prevention and operational efficiency, while its extensive rural distribution network supports financial inclusion objectives.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Safe Second Account: A financial product designed to help users separate daily transactions from savings to protect their core funds against cyber fraud.
Products and services
- Airtel Payments Bank Savings Account Digital savings account with zero-balance option, paperless video KYC onboarding, and interest rates up to 7% per annum, designed for individual consumers seeking banking services via the Airtel Thanks app.
- Safe Second Account Secondary savings account that separates daily digital payment transactions from primary bank accounts, featuring fraud alarms, Safe Pay three-factor authentication, spend limiting controls, and Sleep Mode for pausing transactions.
- RuPay On-The-Go NCMC Card Co-branded RuPay National Common Mobility Card enabling interoperable transit payments across metro systems, buses, and other public transport networks. Supports NFC balance checking on Android smartphones, with over 5 million cards issued.
- EV Wallet Recharge via Bharat Connect Service enabling electric vehicle owners to top up charging wallets through the Bharat Connect (BBPS) platform, supporting interoperability across multiple charging point operators.
- Pink Saheli Smart Card Government-issued smart card providing free bus travel for women and transgender residents of Delhi, integrated with NCMC system and linked to Aadhaar for verification, usable across DTC, cluster buses, DMRC, and RRTS.
- FASTag Electronic toll collection service linked to Airtel Payments Bank accounts, enabling automatic toll payments across national highways.
- RuPay Biometric Payment Card India's first RuPay biometric payment card enabling fingerprint authentication as a second factor for digital transactions, designed to meet RBI's two-factor authentication regulations. Currently in pilot testing.
Quantifiable outcome
- 18.4% revenue growth year-on-year to Rs 3,207 crore
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Airtel Payments Bank
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Airtel Payments Bank technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability6 records
Feature4 records
Airtel Payments Bank partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and strategic.
- Mumbai Metro Line 1minorLaunched RuPay 'On-The-Go' Card in partnership with Airtel Payments Bank for use across Mumbai's metro network, marking 12th anniversary of Metro-1 operations.
- Across AssistcorePartnership with Gurgaon-based protection and incident response platform to leverage Airtel Payments Bank's estimated 10,000+ touchpoints for last-mile distribution. Enables distribution across more than 90% of Indian pin codes.
- Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC)corePartnership to launch co-branded RuPay National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) 'On-The-Go' cards enabling commuters to use a single interoperable card across metro systems, buses, and other transit networks nationwide. Cards available as both debit and prepaid instruments.
- Delhi GovernmentcoreAuthorized card issuer for Pink Saheli Smart Card scheme enabling free travel for women residents on DTC and cluster buses, with integration for Delhi Metro and RRTS services.
- Hindon Mercantile Limited (MufinPay)coreJoint issuance partners for Delhi government's Pink Saheli Smart Card scheme providing free bus travel for women and transgender residents. Cards integrated with NCMC system and linked to Aadhaar for verification.
- NPCI Bharat BillPay LimitedcorePartnership to enable EV wallet recharges via Bharat Connect (BBPS) platform on the Airtel Thanks app. Allows electric vehicle owners to top up wallets seamlessly, instantly, and interoperably across different service providers.
- IDEX Biometrics and Hitachi Payment ServicesstrategicLaunched India's first RuPay biometric payment card at Global Fintech Fest, enabling fingerprint authentication as second factor for digital transactions. Card designed to meet RBI's new two-factor authentication regulations.
- NPCI, Razorpay, and OpenAIstrategicAI-driven payments pilot enabling users to make UPI payments through ChatGPT. Airtel Payments Bank serves as one of the banking partners alongside Axis Bank, with BigBasket as first merchant. Uses UPI's 'reserve pay' feature.
- MastercardcorePartnership combining telecom reach with payment infrastructure to serve the unbanked population in India through digital payments and mobile wallets.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Airtel Payments Bank competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Jupiter (India): Indian neo-banking startup offering digital savings accounts, UPI, bill payments, and investment products via partner banks. Competes for the same digitally native, mass-market customers that Airtel Payments Bank targets through its app-led experience.
- Slice (North Carolina Fintech) / slice (India): Indian fintech offering prepaid cards, UPI, and consumer credit targeting young, underbanked users through a mobile-first app. Overlaps with Airtel Payments Bank's prepaid card and digital payments offerings but emphasizes credit-led monetization.
Broad incumbents
- PhonePe: India's largest UPI processor, competing directly for digital payment volumes and merchant acceptance, and now expanding into financial services (insurance, lending, wealth). Comparable on UPI/AePS scale, customer base, and digital-first model.
- MobiKwik: Listed Indian fintech offering digital wallet, UPI, prepaid cards, and Buy Now Pay Later products targeting similar mass-market and small-merchant segments. Comparable on digital payments, prepaid instruments, and financial inclusion focus.
- Paytm (One97 Communications): Broader digital payments and fintech platform that historically integrated Paytm Payments Bank with wallets, UPI, merchant acquiring, and consumer credit. Overlapping on UPI volumes, AePS reach, and digital savings accounts even as the standalone bank is constrained.
Direct peers
- Jio Payments Bank: Reliance-backed payments bank leveraging Jio's 400M+ telecom subscriber base for distribution, targeting the same unbanked/underbanked segment and rural AePS market as Airtel Payments Bank. Closest head-to-head competitor given parallel telco-distribution play.
- India Post Payments Bank: Government-backed payments bank using India Post's unmatched rural post office network for last-mile banking, DBT, and AePS. Comparable payments bank license, customer segments, and financial inclusion mandate.
- NSDL Payments Bank: Indian payments bank backed by NSDL focusing on digital savings accounts and UPI/AePS-led financial inclusion. Similar license, product mix, and competitive set as Airtel Payments Bank.
- Fino Payments Bank: Fino Payments Bank is an Indian payments bank with a similar license structure (deposit-taking, no lending) and a focus on financial inclusion through banking correspondent and BC-led distribution. Directly comparable business model, regulatory constraints, and target segments to Airtel Payments Bank.
- Paytm Payments Bank: Was a leading Indian payments bank backed by Paytm's digital wallet ecosystem with similar digital savings account and UPI focus. Now operationally restricted by RBI but historically the most direct peer in business model and customer target.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Airtel Payments Bank social profiles
Digital presenceAirtel Payments Bank financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Airtel Payments Bank leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Airtel Payments Bank funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Airtel Payments Bank M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Airtel Payments Bank
What does Airtel Payments Bank do?
Airtel Payments Bank is a digital-only payments bank offering savings accounts with up to 7% interest, UPI-based payments, AePS, RuPay On-The-Go NCMC cards, FASTag, and EV wallet recharges. It serves 28.8 million monthly transacting users, processes one in four AePS transactions in rural markets, and focuses on financial inclusion for unbanked and underbanked populations across India.
Is Airtel Payments Bank a public or private company?
Airtel Payments Bank is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Airtel Payments Bank founded?
Airtel Payments Bank was founded in 2016. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Airtel Payments Bank based?
Airtel Payments Bank is headquartered in Gurugram, India, in the Asia region.
How does Airtel Payments Bank make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Transaction and Fee-based Income is the primary driver. The others are interest Income on Deposits and digital Services and Financial Products.
Who are Airtel Payments Bank's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Jupiter (India) and Slice (North Carolina Fintech) / slice (India). Broad incumbents are PhonePe, MobiKwik and Paytm (One97 Communications). Direct peers are Jio Payments Bank, India Post Payments Bank, NSDL Payments Bank, Fino Payments Bank and Paytm Payments Bank.
Does Airtel Payments Bank have an API?
Yes. Airtel Payments Bank provides API infrastructure for digital recharge and bill payment services as part of India's API-based recharge ecosystem. The company is also a banking partner in the NPCI-Razorpay-OpenAI Agentic Payments pilot, supporting UPI-based autonomous transactions through ChatGPT.
What industry is Airtel Payments Bank in?
Airtel Payments Bank's product category is Retail Banking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMAFAH, A2A Collections & Direct Account Funding, with a secondary code of THACAJAA, Virtual Card Issuance & Tokenized Corporate Cards. Its NAICS code is 522180 and its SIC code is 6021.