Mumbai, 7th May 2026: PayNearby, Bharat’s leading branchless banking and digital financial services network, announced that it has facilitated gold loan disbursals worth ₹550 crore in FY26 from small retail stores, primarily across semi-urban and rural regions. Of this, ₹100 crore was disbursed in March 2026. The company is expanding access to formal credit in underserved areas through its growing gold loan business, bringing fast, secured financing closer to customers across PayNearby's network.
Gold loans offer a fast and efficient way for households, small business-owners and micro-entrepreneurs to access funds. Since gold is a widely trusted asset, borrowers can avail formal credit with minimal paperwork, for business needs, emergencies or short-term requirements. Through its retailer network, PayNearby enables discovery and initiation of gold loan applications beyond traditional branch catchments, with final verification and disbursement at partner branches. The assisted model helps build create awareness and encourages customers to understand and adopt formal credit options.
Customers can access funds in as little as two hours, making gold loans a practical solution for urgent financial needs. As a secured lending product, they offer a reliable source of credit at reasonable rates, supporting both household requirements and micro-enterprise growth.
The model is also enabling greater participation from women. With gold being a commonly held household asset, it allows women to access credit and support income generation, strengthening their role in financial decision-making.
Speaking on the development, Rajat Agarwal, Chief Business Officer - Enterprise and Financial Assets, PayNearby, said, “Access to timely and affordable credit remains a key need across Bharat. Gold loans, backed by a trusted household asset, offer a simple way to address this need. Through our network, we are enabling customers to access formal credit closer to them, with speed and ease. We also see strong potential to work with more banks and NBFC partners to scale this further, using a plug-and-play model that combines reach, trust and technology.”
PayNearby continues to partner with banks and NBFCs to expand gold loan access across Bharat. By leveraging its distribution network, the platform enables lenders to reach customers at scale through a simple, plug-and-play model, while making credit more accessible, fast and reliable at the last mile.