India's financial backbone is now getting a digital makeover. Supply chain financing, traditionally characterized by delayed payment cycles and classical banking, is being redesigned with artificial intelligence, automation, and digital exchanges. For millions of MSMEs with acute cash shortages, this shift is bringing in newer avenues to grow faster and compete at a global level.
In this episode of the Analytics Insight Podcast, host Priya Dialani speaks to Manish Kumar, CEO, and founder of KredX, on how digital technology is reshaping the future of supply chain financing.
Priya starts the conversation by highlighting how digital transformation has made global supply chains faster, more transparent, and reliable. Manish adds that AI enables businesses, mainly MSMEs, to access funds seamlessly while connecting them with various financial institutions via platforms like KredX’s Domestic Trades Exchange (DTX).
From being kept waiting for 60–90 days for payments, these businesses now stand a chance to discount invoices and get instant liquidity.
“This shift reduces risks, improves cash flow, and strengthens supplier-buyer collaboration,” Manish says. “For MSMEs, it can mean the difference between stalling and scaling.”
KredX, founded in 2015, pioneered invoice discounting in India. Through the course of time, it has evolved into the remit of cross-border trade financing, alleviating a $98-billion-a-month credit gap witnessed in the Indian export-import ecosystem.
In conjunction with the RBI's TREDS structure, KredX has developed its own SaaS-enabled Cash Management System to ensure that businesses not only access finance but also enhance the efficiency with which payables and receivables are managed.
Unlike the past days when MSMEs had to rely on one or two banks that dictated rates and charged higher interest; AI-enabled exchanges now democratize access and extend credit at rates that were previously available only to large corporates.
From Citi Financial to HSBC and then to setting up KredX, Manish’s journey is governed by one clear vision: to make it easy for businesses to raise capital. Today, KredX is the foremost SCF platform in India, the only one licensed for both domestic and cross-border financing.
As Manish concludes, “Technology ensures MSMEs don’t have to leave their office to raise funds. With AI and digital platforms, financing becomes accessible, affordable, and transformative.”