Zoho Corporation has contributed Rs 70 crore to the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) in order to bolster MSMEs’ access to technology and aid in the development of independent digital infrastructure in India.
The investment, according to the Chennai-based SaaS company, is intended to make digital commerce more accessible and compatible for small businesses.
“India’s economy depends heavily on MSMEs, yet they face challenges on all fronts, from limited market access to structural constraints imposed by conventional digital platforms,” said Sivaramakrishnan Iswaran, CEO of Zoho Payment Technologies and Global Head of Finance and Operations BU at Zoho.
In order to lower entry barriers for businesses, ONDC is constructing an interoperable e-commerce network with support from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). In FY26, the network handled 218 million transactions.
According to Zoho, products like Vikra, Zoho Books, Zoho Inventory, and Zoho Commerce are already assisting MSMEs in digitizing their operations and establishing connections with the ONDC network.
Within months of its launch, ONDC’s DigiDukaan initiative has onboarded over 10,000 kirana stores, and in FY26, order volumes for farmers, artisans, and rural sellers increased 11 times.
Vibhor Jain was named Managing Director and CEO of ONDC last month. Jain was acting CEO during the change in leadership and had previously been the Chief Operating Officer.
