Google Pay adds Gemini-powered financial assistant, expands SBI Card RuPay partnership

Google Pay has launched Ask Google Pay in India, a Gemini-powered feature for spending analysis and financial guidance in 10 Indian languages. It has also expanded its Flex co-branded RuPay credit-card offering with SBI Card, enabling UPI-linked payments and in-app card management.

— Source publishedThu, 30 Jul, 2026, 11:20 IST·First seen Thu, 30 Jul, 2026, 11:53 IST·Source Business Today · Latest

What happened

Google Pay launched Gemini-powered Ask Google Pay in India for spending analysis and financial guidance, and expanded its Flex co-branded RuPay credit card

Key facts

  • 10 Indian languages

Why this matters

Banks, card issuers, and fintechs should view Google Pay as a more strategic distribution partner—and a stronger competitive threat—for AI-enabled credit acquisition, servicing, and cross-sell.

What to watch

  • Monthly active usage and repeat-query rates for Ask Google Pay, especially outside English-speaking metros.
  • Growth in SBI Card Flex issuance, activation, UPI-linked credit-card transaction volume and revolving balances.
  • RBI, NPCI or consumer-protection guidance on AI-generated financial recommendations, consent and transaction-data use.
  • Whether Google Pay adds account aggregation, bank-balance visibility, credit-score tools or investment/insurance partner journeys.
  • Competitive launches from PhonePe, Paytm, major banks and card issuers combining AI guidance with UPI credit products.
  • Evidence that AI recommendations increase merchant offer conversion, card spend or retention without raising complaints.
  • Add consent-led cash-flow forecasts, bill alerts, savings goals and credit-utilization recommendations tied to UPI and card data.
  • Expand co-branded RuPay issuance to additional banks and introduce pre-approved card or credit-line journeys for high-frequency UPI users.
  • Use Gemini to create localized merchant offers, reward optimization and contextual installment or EMI recommendations.
  • Build visible safeguards: source-linked explanations, financial-advice disclaimers, multilingual escalation and granular data-sharing controls.
  • Push merchant-side integrations that connect consumer financial insights to targeted offers and loyalty programs.