Zoho Corporation, the Chennai headquartered global technology company, has significantly strengthened its position in India’s digital payments ecosystem with the introduction of comprehensive payment infrastructure solutions. The company’s strategic expansion into fintech represents a natural evolution of its enterprise software offerings, positioning it to compete in the rapidly growing digital transactions market.
From Enterprise Software to Payment Solutions
In February 2024, Zoho secured a payment aggregator license from the Reserve Bank of India, becoming the first enterprise SaaS company to receive this authorization. This regulatory approval enabled the company to launch Zoho Payments, a unified payment gateway designed to help businesses securely process transactions.
The company officially unveiled Zoho Payments during the Global Fintech Fest 2024, marking a significant milestone in its journey to provide integrated financial solutions for businesses. The platform supports multiple payment methods including UPI, cards, and over 35 net banking options, addressing the diverse payment preferences of Indian consumers.
Hardware Expansion and Recent Developments
Building on its payment gateway success, Zoho recently launched a suite of point of sale devices and QR-based payment solutions at the Global Fintech Fest 2025. The new hardware offerings include all in one POS terminals, smart POS devices, and static QR codes with sound boxes, enabling businesses to accept in person payments seamlessly.
These devices come equipped with built in billing modules, barcode scanning, and receipt printing capabilities, allowing merchants to generate invoices and collect payments in a single workflow. The embedded functionality eliminates the need for separate systems, streamlining operations for small and medium sized businesses.
Comprehensive Financial Ecosystem
Zoho’s payment solutions extend beyond simple transaction processing. The platform now includes payout capabilities for salary disbursements, virtual accounts for collections enabling automatic reconciliation, and marketplace settlement features that automatically distribute payments between sellers and platforms.
According to Sivaramakrishnan Iswaran, CEO of Zoho Payment Technologies, the company’s vision is to eliminate traditional silos between banking, business finance, and payments by creating a tightly integrated ecosystem. Zoho Payments integrates seamlessly with the company’s existing finance applications including Zoho Books, Zoho Billing, Zoho Invoice, and Zoho Inventory, providing businesses with end to end financial management capabilities.
Strategic Positioning and Future Integration
Founder and CEO Sridhar Vembu announced that Zoho’s messaging platform Arattai will soon integrate with Zoho Pay, enabling users to send and receive payments within chats. This integration follows a similar model to WhatsApp Pay, positioning Arattai as a comprehensive communication and payment platform.
Arattai has crossed 7.5 million downloads and has gained traction as a secure Indian alternative to WhatsApp, receiving endorsements from several Union ministers. The planned payment integration could significantly enhance the platform’s utility for both personal and business users.
Zoho’s entry into the fintech space represents a strategic expansion that leverages its existing enterprise relationships and deep integration with business workflows. By combining software, banking connectivity, and payment processing under a single compliant framework, the company offers businesses a comprehensive solution that addresses the complexities of modern financial operations in India’s rapidly digitizing economy.
