Google partners with Indian bank to roll out credit card

Google has launched a credit card in India in partnership with Axis Bank.

Flex by Google Pay uses the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), a payment system used in India which allows real time transactions between mobile phones.

Google said people can apply for the card through the Google Pay app “in minutes” and manage features such as transaction limits and PIN through the platform.

The card is powered by the RuPay network, India’s domestic card network created by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), and allows users to pay at “millions” of offline merchants.

Additionally, when users spend on the card they can earn rewards, called stars, which can be redeemed on certain transactions.

Google said the launch of the card is in line with its aim of making credit simple and easy to access by partnering with trusted financial institutions which provide credit options.

While credit cards can be a tool for financial flexibility, Google said that transactional credit in India is an underpenetrated market with only around 50 million credit card holders

The company said it sees a “unique opportunity” to reach the next generation of card users.

“This launch continues our long-standing approach of partnering deeply with India’s financial ecosystem to build helpful and scalable solutions,” said Sharath Bulusu, senior director product management at Google Pay. “Most recently, we deepened this commitment by onboarding IDFC First Bank, L&T Finance, PayU Finance, and SMFG India Credit as our latest partners.”