Overview

BharatNXT, the B2B payments platform serving lakhs of Indian businesses, announced that it is now live on the Bharat Connect for Business network, an interoperable B2B invoicing and payments infrastructure built by NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd (NBBL). The integration was unveiled at the Global Fintech Fest 2026 in Mumbai and is executed in partnership with PayU, which serves as BharatNXT’s regulated payments partner on the network.

Partnership Details

The collaboration extends BharatNXT’s existing invoicing and payment capabilities beyond its own platform, allowing its MSME users to transact with suppliers across all participating platforms on the Bharat Connect for Business network. PayU provides the underlying payments layer, ensuring compliance and settlement across the ecosystem. Both parties highlighted the strategic fit: Akshat Birla, Founder & CEO of BharatNXT, emphasized that the move expands the platform from payables to receivables and collections, while Vineet Sethi, Chief Growth and Marketing Officer at PayU, noted that B2B will define the next decade of Indian payments and that the network supplies the missing standard.

Product Features and Seller Hub

The integration introduces a suite of friction‑reducing features:

  • Verified B2B identity: Businesses obtain a verified B2B ID using GST or Udyam registration, enabling direct connection with suppliers.
  • Digital invoicing: Invoices and purchase orders flow directly into the BharatNXT app, eliminating email exchanges and lost attachments.
  • Instant payment: Buyers can review transaction details and pay instantly using multiple payment and credit options.
  • Automatic reconciliation: Real‑time ERP reconciliation keeps books accurate without manual effort.

In addition, BharatNXT is launching a Seller Hub that provides suppliers with collection links, automated payment reminders, and invoice discounting. The Hub also acts as a marketplace where buyers can onboard their sellers, and existing BharatNXT sellers gain an extra discovery channel to connect with potential buyers. When linked to Bharat Connect for Business, the Seller Hub can convert every buyer‑approved invoice into a faster, lower‑cost collection experience, a capability BharatNXT intends to extend to other platforms on the network.

Impact on MSMEs and Credit Ecosystem

The partnership aligns with NBBL’s five‑pillar vision for Bharat Connect for Business, which includes Payments, Credit, Collections, Inclusion Financing, and a marketplace for lenders. Automated GST e‑invoice reconciliation can transform buyer‑confirmed invoices into financeable records, enabling cash‑flow‑based underwriting. As invoices traverse the network, suppliers build a verified transaction history that formal lenders can access, facilitating inclusive credit policies. BharatNXT is collaborating with RBI‑recognised lenders to translate this history into cash‑flow‑based credit products, while the network lowers acquisition costs for reaching traditionally underserved MSMEs.

The integration also offers a public‑interest dividend: end‑to‑end tracking of invoices and beneficiary payments provides government and public‑sector lenders visibility into fund flow to India’s smallest micro‑enterprises. BharatNXT plans to work with inclusion‑focused organisations, public sector banks, and government ministries to further this transparency.

Company Background

BharatNXT aims to build a financial operating system for India’s micro and small businesses, unlocking credit and enabling its use for everyday payments such as vendor invoices, GST, and utilities. To date, the platform has unlocked close to $2 billion in credit for over 300,000 transacting MSMEs, drawn from a registered base of more than 2 million businesses. Founded by Akshat Birla (Founder & CEO) and Aljo Joseph (Founder & CBO), the company is headquartered in Mumbai and targets powering the next ten million Indian entrepreneurs.

Statements from Key Executives

  • Akshat Birla (Founder & CEO, BharatNXT): “We started BharatNXT with one belief… a business should see an invoice wherever it sits and pay it from one place. That ambition now extends beyond payables to receivables and collections… Our ceiling just moved.”
  • Aljo Joseph (Founder & CBO, BharatNXT): “MSME B2B is a credit and collections problem as much as a payment one… Every invoice on this network creates a marketplace that builds credit history for the buyer, gives the supplier a faster way to collect, and adds to a transaction trail that can bring genuinely inclusive lending to the smallest MSMEs.”
  • Vineet Sethi (Chief Growth and Marketing Officer, PayU): “B2B is where the next decade of Indian payments will be built, and Bharat Connect for Business gives the market the standard it has been missing. BharatNXT has built genuine depth on the buyer side of MSME payments, and we are glad to power their move onto the network.”
  • Noopur Chaturvedi (MD & CEO, NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd): “The future of B2B commerce will be built on interoperability, with standardized digital infrastructure.”

Conclusion

The integration positions BharatNXT as a buyer‑led channel on the Bharat Connect for Business network, broadening ecosystem participation, enhancing credit visibility, and delivering a unified invoicing‑payments‑collection experience for India’s MSME sector.