Microfinance borrowers of NABARD Financial Services can now repay EMIs and overdue instalments through more than 1,000 banking and payment apps and 8 lakh local collection agents under a new Bharat Connect integration covering 19 states.
NPCI Bharat Bill Pay Ltd (NBBL), a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India, has onboarded NABFINS on its platform under the Loan Repayment category. Canara Bank facilitated the onboarding as the biller operating unit.
The integration is expected to cover more than 1 lakh NABFINS customers. It will allow borrowers to use both digital and assisted payment channels, including local collection agents, for loan repayments. The arrangement is aimed at extending payment access to customers in underserved communities, according to the organisations involved.
Dr Y Haragopal, managing director of NABFINS, said the partnership would support seamless, secure and convenient digital payment solutions for customers. He described the initiative as part of the company’s effort to use technology to promote financial inclusion and improve customer experience.
The expanded repayment network also reflects the role of interoperable payment infrastructure in microfinance, where borrowers may have differing levels of access to banking applications, payment platforms and formal financial services. By combining app-based payments with assisted collection points, the integration provides more than one route for borrowers to settle instalments.
Canara Bank executive director Sunil Kumar Chugh said the integration would expand digital loan repayment options for microfinance borrowers. He added that the bank remained committed to digital innovation and strengthening the digital payments ecosystem.
NBBL managing director and chief executive officer Dr Noopur Chaturvedi said the integration would extend Bharat Connect’s interoperable payment network to microfinance borrowers and make loan repayments more accessible and convenient.
The Loan Repayment category on Bharat Connect currently includes more than 400 billers, including banks, non-banking financial companies and microfinance institutions. In the first half of financial year 2026-27, the category processed more than 18.8 crore transactions worth approximately Rs 1.23 lakh crore. Transaction volume increased 18% year on year, while transaction value rose 31% during the period.
NBBL operates Bharat Connect as an interoperable platform for bill payments and collections. Its services include consumer bill payments, business-to-business collections, invoice management, reconciliation and access to structured financing options. The company also operates Banking Connect, which enables interoperability between banks and payment aggregators for merchant transactions, and serves as the settlement agency for the Open Network for Digital Commerce.
