DBT Bureau
Pune, 17 May 2026
Zoho Corporation, a global technology company headquartered in Chennai, announced that it has invested ₹70 crores in Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), to support the development of sovereign technology in India. This investment strengthens the company’s commitment to making technology more accessible and inclusive for businesses of all types and sizes.
“India’s economy depends heavily on MSMEs, yet they face challenges on all fronts—from limited market access to structural constraints imposed by conventional digital platforms that rarely align with their unique needs. ONDC, which is an excellent initiative, gives power back to MSMEs, enabling them to expand their customer reach and achieve sustainable growth,” said Sivaramakrishnan Iswaran, CEO of Zoho Payment Technologies and Global Head of Finance and Operations BU, Zoho.
“Zoho shares with ONDC its philosophy of building sovereign technology to champion accessibility, flexibility, and inclusion of business of every size. We further believe that the private sector must play its part in nation building. In alignment with this vision, Zoho is proud to contribute to this ambitious initiative, strengthening the country’s Digital Public Infrastructure and paving the way for broader, more equitable participation in the digital economy,” he added.
ONDC is building open digital rails to democratise commerce in India by enabling interoperability, inclusivity, and efficiency across sectors. Through its open-network approach, ONDC is addressing structural challenges in digital commerce, including fragmented systems, high entry barriers, and trust deficits, while empowering businesses of all sizes to participate and grow. With 218 million transactions enabled in FY 2025–26, ONDC continues to expand its impact by building foundational digital infrastructure for Bharat’s next phase of growth.
Through its finance suite of applications such as Vikra (seller app on the ONDC Network), Zoho ERP, Zoho Books, Zoho Inventory and Zoho Commerce, Zoho has been promoting digitisation among MSMEs, helping them connect to the vast expanse of India’s market through the ONDC Network. The company’s investment will continue to help expand the network’s ecosystem, and accelerate adoption, enabling more businesses to participate in the digital economy.
Across sectors including retail, logistics, mobility, and financial services, ONDC’s interoperable network model is expanding access to digital commerce, strengthening unit economics, and unlocking new opportunities for consumers, enterprises, and gig workers alike. For example, ONDC DigiDukaan has onboarded 10,000+ kirana stores within months of launch, accelerating digitisation of general trade procurement. Order volumes for Kisaans, Karigars, and rural artisans grew 11 times in FY 2025–26 through ONDC-enabled commerce models.
On the logistics front, ONDC has also helped scale the FIFO fleet allocation model by 50 times within six months, improving utilisation and earnings opportunities for gig workers. Meanwhile, metro ticketing, powered by ONDC, is now live across nine metro systems and available through 25+ apps, demonstrating adoption beyond traditional e-commerce.
