Zoho will likely be entering the consumer payments space with Zoho Pay, a standalone app that will also be embedded within its chat platform Arattai, placing it in competition with players like Google Pay and PhonePe. Sivaramakrishnan Iswaran, CEO of Zoho Payments Tech, said the product will allow users to send and receive money, make secure payments, and perform seamless transactions. The move marks Zoho’s deeper foray into the financial technology space, where it already operates business payments and point-of-sale (POS) solutions.
The company intends to expand this vertical beyond payments and POS devices into lending, broking, insurance, and wealthtech, in line with its philosophy of building long-term, self-sustaining businesses. Arattai, launched in early 2021, is Zoho’s homegrown chat and collaboration app built in response to privacy concerns around foreign messaging platforms.
The app gained early traction and has since evolved with features such as group chats, video calls, file sharing, and now, upcoming payment integration through Zoho Pay. “Arattai is our consumer-facing platform that connects people and small businesses. Integrating Zoho Pay into it would be a natural progression to enable meaningful transactions within those conversations,” Iswaran said.
He added that the company’s fintech roadmap also includes Zoho Billing, a new invoicing and subscription management solution, and deeper integration of Zoho Payroll with banking systems. “We intend to build an interconnected financial stack, from collecting payments to managing cash flow and automating payouts,” he said.
With Zoho Pay and its expanding fintech portfolio, the company is gearing up to serve both consumers and small businesses across the transaction lifecycle. “Zoho has always built products that serve both individuals and enterprises seamlessly. With Zoho Pay, we’re extending that philosophy to financial services,” Iswaran said. The product is currently being tested internally and is expected to roll out in phases over the coming months.
