Digital lending and BNPL

Personal loans from apps 12 companies

These lenders take the application on a phone, decide in minutes and send the money straight to the borrower's bank account.

Large consumer lenders

Lenders with many kinds of loan.

Bajaj FinservBajaj Finserv, with engineers in Pune and Bengaluru, is the group behind Bajaj Finance, one of India's largest consumer lenders.PuneHired recently

InCred Financial ServicesInCred lends to individuals, small businesses and students.Bengaluru

RupeekRupeek, with engineers in Bengaluru, lends against gold, which is valued and collected at the borrower's doorstep.Bengaluru

NaviNavi, founded by Flipkart's co-founder, sells personal loans and home loans from an app, with UPI payments and mutual funds beside them.

Credit SaisonCredit Saison, the Indian arm of a Japanese lender, lends directly and through the checkouts of other apps. It has engineers in Bengaluru.

Small loans and salary advances

Small, short loans and credit lines for young and lower-income borrowers.

Olyv India (SmartCoin)Olyv, formerly SmartCoin, gives small loans through an app.BengaluruHired recently

Refyne IndiaRefyne, with engineers in Bengaluru, lets employees draw the salary they have already earned, before payday.Bengaluru

KreditBeeKreditBee, with engineers in Bengaluru, gives small personal loans through an app.

KisshtKissht, with engineers in Mumbai, gives small personal loans through an app.

mPokketmPokket lends small amounts to students and young earners.

ZypeZype, with engineers in Mumbai, gives small personal loans through an app.

NIRANIRA gives lower-income salaried workers a credit line they can draw on whenever they need it.

The tech, explainedInstant personal loan app Earned wage access (EWA)Gold loan

Pay-later and credit cards 5 companies

Shoppers without a credit card can pay in instalments at the online checkout, or get cards and credit lines that work through UPI.

SnapmintSnapmint, with engineers in Delhi NCR and Bengaluru, lets shoppers without a credit card pay in monthly instalments at online checkouts.Delhi NCR

axioaxio, with engineers in Bengaluru, sells pay-later at the checkout, with a money-management app.

Uni CardsUni Cards sells cards issued with partner banks, with their own rewards.

ZETZET, with engineers in Bengaluru, sells a credit card whose limit is set against a fixed deposit the customer opens, which helps build a credit record.

RioRio, with engineers in Bengaluru, builds credit lines that are spent by scanning a UPI QR code.

The tech, explainedCredit line on UPI Secured and co-branded credit cards

Lenders in other countries 7 companies

Several digital lenders abroad build their apps in India.

EarnInEarnIn, with engineers in Bengaluru, is an American app through which workers draw their pay as they earn it.Bengaluru

TalaTala, with engineers in Bengaluru, lends small amounts through a phone app in Kenya, the Philippines and Mexico, deciding each loan from the phone's data.

Kredivo GroupKredivo, with engineers in Bengaluru, runs Indonesia's pay-later service and a digital credit line, and has its own bank.

Cermati.comCermati is an Indonesian website where borrowers compare loans from many lenders.

Tilt (Empower)Tilt, formerly Empower, gives Americans small cash advances against their next pay.

Vola FinanceVola Finance gives Americans small cash advances against their next pay.

UpdraftUpdraft gives British borrowers one cheaper loan to replace several costly ones.

Education loans 4 companies

Families borrow for school fees and for study abroad. These companies lend, or arrange the loans.

Credila Financial ServicesCredila, with engineers in Bengaluru, lends to students going abroad for tuition and living costs.BengaluruHired recently

zendazenda, with engineers in Bengaluru, lets parents pay school fees in instalments.

LeapLeap, with engineers in Bengaluru, guides Indian students through admission to universities abroad and arranges their loans.See alsoCampus placement and career platforms

WeMakeScholarsWeMakeScholars finds scholarships for students and processes their education loans.See alsoCampus placement and career platforms

The tech, explainedEducation loan

How it all worksDigital lendingA rider with no salary slip, approved in minutes.

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What's changing

The loan is decided before it is asked for.

Lenders that can see a person's payments and income can offer a loan before the person applies. The offer appears inside the app they are already using, at the moment they need it.