Bain, NPCI Bharat BillPay flag interoperable layer to close India’s MSME credit gap

A joint report says linking invoices, payments, banks and public systems through a centralised digital layer could improve B2B reconciliation and enable cash-flow-based financing for MSMEs facing a Rs 60 lakh crore formal credit gap.

— Source publishedFri, 11 Sept, 2026, 12:23 IST·First seen Fri, 11 Sept, 2026, 12:30 IST·Source ET Small Business

What happened

NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd · A Bain and NPCI Bharat BillPay report says an interoperable digital layer linking invoices, payments, banks and public systems could

Key facts

  • Rs 60 lakh crore MSME formal credit gap
  • Institutional channels meet 30-40% of MSME debt demand
  • More than Rs 130 lakh crore in business-sector economic activity
  • 45% of India's gross value added
  • Over 20 crore monthly GST e-invoices
  • Rs 8 lakh crore in delayed MSME receivables

Why this matters

Banks, fintechs and payments platforms should assess partnerships around invoice, receivables and public-data integrations as the interoperability stack for MSME finance takes shape.