Zoho is gearing up to launch Zoho Pay UPI app for consumers

Zoho is officially jumping into the consumer payments game with a brand-new UPI application that will reportedly be called Zoho Pay. The app is nearing launch already, marking the company’s first major push into this crowded space.

The company is prepping the new app to work in two clever ways. It will be a completely separate, standalone app you can download for all your transaction needs. It will also be baked directly into Arattai, Zoho’s own messaging platform. The integration should allow users will be able to send or request cash without ever leaving their chat thread.

Yet another Paytm/PhonePe competitor

Sivaramakrishnan Iswaran, who heads up Zoho Payment Technologies, confirmed the plan to Moneycontrol. He described the goal as offering a “smooth, secure, and integrated payment experience”. He explicitly stated it will be available “both as a standalone app and within Arattai”.

This move is a pivot for the company, though Zoho isn’t new to fintech. It already holds a payment-aggregator licence and runs Zoho Payments for merchant transactions. That solution, however, is built for businesses to collect payments. This new Zoho Pay is aimed squarely at regular consumers for their daily peer-to-peer transactions, bill settlements, and other personal payments.

Arattai itself launched back in 2021 as Zoho’s privacy-focussed answer to other chat apps. Integrating payments seems like a natural next step to make those conversations more functional. This strategy mirrors a growing trend of bundling messaging and payments to drive engagement.

ALSO READ: How to remove your mobile number from all apps and services

This new manoeuvre is just one piece of a much larger financial puzzle Zoho is assembling. Iswaran noted Zoho is building an interconnected financial stack. The company is also working on Zoho Billing for invoices and subscription management, plus deeper payroll integration with banks. The long-term roadmap apparently includes future expansions into lending, broking, and even insurance.

As for the actual release of Zoho Pay, there is no public launch date just yet. The product is reportedly in a closed testing phase right now.