AvenuesAI Plans strategic investment in scaled new-age NBFC Ratnaafin Capital to drive AI-Led embedded lending
New Delhi, May 29
AvenuesAI Limited is planning a minority investment of up to 2.5% in Ratnaafin Capital, a scaled new-age NBFC with a lending book exceeding INR 2000 crores, as part of its strategy to build an AI-led embedded finance and digital lending ecosystem through partnerships with specialised NBFCs.
On Friday, AvenuesAI Limited through stock exchange filings, informed that the company board has approved the strategic investment proposal in Ratnaafin Capital.
Speaking to ANI, Vishal Mehta, Chairman and Managing Director of AvenuesAI Limited, said the proposed investment aligns with the company's "liability-light" lending strategy, under which AvenuesAI intends to operate as an AI-driven distribution and orchestration platform while partner NBFCs manage underwriting, capital deployment and lending operations.
As part of this broader strategy, AvenuesAI also plans to pursue multiple strategic minority investments in scaled and new-age NBFC platforms to build a diversified AI-led embedded finance and digital lending ecosystem.
Mehta described Ratnaafin Capital as a fast-growing new-age NBFC with strong SME lending capabilities and said the partnership would enable AvenuesAI to combine its AI infrastructure, payments ecosystem, enterprise communication capabilities and merchant distribution network with Ratnaafin's lending platform to expand embedded lending opportunities.
Ratnaafin Capital is an RBI-registered NBFC focused on SME financing and backed by the Ratnamani Sanghvi Family Group. The company is headquartered in Ahmedabad.
Under the proposed strategy, AvenuesAI plans to leverage platforms including CCAvenue, Rediff and RediffPay to offer merchant-focused lending solutions such as working capital finance and invoice discounting, while lending exposure and balance-sheet risk would remain with regulated NBFC partners.
The company also plans to build broader AI-led analytics frameworks to support risk monitoring and customized lending products across its digital ecosystem.
According to the company, the proposed investment would mark AvenuesAI's expansion from a technology and payments platform into India's emerging AI-led digital lending infrastructure ecosystem.
— ANI
Reader Comments
"Liability-light" lending sounds good on paper, but what happens when these AI models make mistakes? We've seen enough tech layoffs and loan defaults to be cautious. Hope the RBI keeps a close eye on risk management, especially since they're leveraging CCAvenue and Rediff's customer data. Privacy concerns are real. 🤔
Ahmedabad-based NBFC backed by Ratnamani Sanghvi Family Group—that's solid pedigree! These Gujarat-based NBFCs have deep understanding of SME cash flows. Combining that with AvenuesAI's tech stack makes perfect sense. This is how Indian fintech should evolve: partnerships, not reinventing the wheel. 🇮🇳💼
Only 2.5% investment? That's more like a toe-dip than a strategic move. If they're serious about building an "AI-led lending ecosystem", they should go bigger. Otherwise it looks like a PR move to pump stock price. Let's see actual disbursements before celebrating. 😒
Invoice discounting for merchants through RediffPay? That could actually solve liquidity issues for small traders during festivals and off-seasons. If they get the AI underwriting right with Ratnaafin's data, this could be a big step for India's digital lending. Just hope interest rates don't end up exploitative like some fintech apps. 🤞
Interesting how AvenuesAI is going from payment gateway to lending platform—very similar to what PhonePe and Google Pay are doing. But with CCAvenue's merchant base and Ratnaafin
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.