IBEF flags ONDC, AI and digital payments as market-access levers for MSMEs
An IBEF blog outlines how digital payments, AI tools, ONDC and government programmes can help Indian MSMEs improve productivity, financial inclusion and access to wider markets.
What happened
IBEF outlines how digital payments, AI, ONDC and government initiatives are helping Indian MSMEs improve productivity, financial inclusion and access to wider
Why this matters
Use the policy momentum to screen partnership or acquisition targets that simplify ONDC onboarding, MSME payments, credit access and AI-led merchant productivity.
What to watch
- New ONDC buyer-app, logistics or seller-network integrations with measurable transaction commitments.
- Government incentives, procurement mandates or state-level MSME digitisation programmes tied to ONDC or digital payments.
- Falling seller acquisition fees or new zero/low-commission marketplace offers.
- Growth in UPI transaction data-based credit, invoice financing or embedded working-capital products.
- Evidence of higher ONDC fulfilment reliability, lower cancellation rates and improved seller repeat orders.
- Track ONDC order growth, active seller retention and repeat-purchase metrics rather than seller-registration counts.
- Assess whether payment providers, SaaS firms and marketplaces bundle AI catalogue creation, vernacular support and reconciliation tools for MSMEs.
- Monitor lender and fintech partnerships using digital transaction data for inventory and working-capital credit.
- Evaluate logistics, returns and customer-service capabilities as the main bottlenecks to converting digital onboarding into profitable omni-channel sales.