Homegrown digital payments platform PhonePe on Monday announced that it will enable digital payments for over 25 million small merchants across India in the next one year.

The fintech company will also onboard these kirana store owners on its PhonePe for Business app. This will enable end-to-end control of the payment process for the merchants including instant payment confirmations, receipts and reconciliations.

The company is planning to reach 5,500 talukas via its merchant acquisition team and create more than 10,000 jobs in semi-urban and rural areas through the process. The initiative is meant to help bridge the “digital divide” across India, it said.

“Despite the rapid penetration of digital payments, kiranas across India still rely on cash. Kirana owners have smartphones, data and the aspiration to adopt newer technology, but there are no services that match their aspirations,” PhonePe said in its official release.

“Customers, on the other hand, are looking for safety and convenience while continuing to access their local trusted neighbourhood merchant,” it said.

Vivek Lohcheb, Vice-President - Offline Business Development, PhonePe said, “Kiranas and merchants across small villages and towns are striving to progress and prosper. We are really excited to partner with them in this journey and take digital payments to the last mile of India across every village and town.”

The app offers a personalised store page to merchants where they can list details about their business including store timings, product catalogue and home delivery options. Customers can then connect with the stores over a call or through the chat feature to place their orders and pay remotely via the stores tab on the PhonePe app.

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