Zoho Backs ONDC’s Small Business Push
The $7.3 million investment gives India’s open commerce network fresh private-sector support as it works to bring more MSMEs into digital markets.
Topics
News
- Zoho Backs ONDC’s Small Business Push
- AI Could Add $500 Billion to India’s Economy by 2030, Says IBM-IndiaAI Study
- HCLTech, Red Hat Partner to Build Enterprise AI Infrastructure
- Meta Launches Incognito Chat for Private AI Conversations
- AI Dispatch| May 8 - 14
- Google in Talks With SpaceX for Launches Linked to Orbital Data Centre Project
Zoho Corp. has invested ₹70 crore, or about $7.3 million, in the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to strengthen India’s digital commerce infrastructure and expand access for micro, small and medium enterprises.
The Chennai-based enterprise software firm said the investment will support the development of sovereign technology and make digital tools more accessible to businesses of different sizes.
ONDC is backed by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade and is building an interoperable ecommerce network that allows buyers and sellers to transact across platforms without being tied to a single marketplace.
“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,” said Sivaramakrishnan Iswaran, CEO of Zoho Payment Technologies and Global Head of Finance and Operations BU at Zoho.
The network recorded 218 million transactions in FY26, reflecting steady growth in usage.
Zoho said its business applications, including tools for accounting, inventory and online storefronts, are already integrated with the ONDC ecosystem and are being used by enterprises to manage operations and reach customers.
ONDC also said its DigiDukaan program has brought more than 10,000 kirana stores onto the network within a short period. It added that order volumes from segments such as farmers, artisans and rural sellers increased elevenfold during the fiscal year.
The investment comes as ONDC continues to scale its network and expand participation across different categories of sellers.
The organization recently appointed Vibhor Jain as its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.
