New Delhi: Nearly nine years after Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma declared, “We are as Indian as Maruti,” the statement has finally become a reality. With Chinese giant Ant Financial’s complete exit from Paytm’s parent company, One97 Communications, Paytm is now 100% Indian-owned.
Antfin (Netherlands) Holding BV sold its remaining 5.84% stake in Paytm for approximately ₹3,800 crore via a block deal, eliminating all Chinese ownership in the company. A person familiar with the deal remarked, “Paytm is now as Indian as Tata.”
This change not only reaffirms Paytm’s Indian identity but also marks a significant shift in its cap table, now dominated by domestic and global institutional investors.
Vijay Shekhar Sharma has consistently emphasized Paytm’s alignment with India’s growth narrative. As early as 2016, he had stressed the company’s commitment to local regulations, an India-first innovation strategy, and a focus on empowering Indian consumers and merchants.
The timing of this ownership transition coincides with Paytm’s strong Q1 FY26 results. The company posted a net profit of ₹123 crore—its first fully profitable quarter—exceeding analyst expectations. Operating revenue grew 28% year-on-year to ₹1,918 crore, while contribution profit rose 52% to ₹1,151 crore.
Paytm continues to lead in digital payments innovation. It recently introduced five new features: payment hide/unhide options for added privacy; quick-access widgets like ‘Receive Money’; personalised UPI IDs that mask phone numbers; downloadable UPI statements in Excel/PDF formats; and a unified view of total UPI-linked bank balances.
Expanding globally, Paytm now supports UPI payments in the UAE, Singapore, France, Mauritius, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal—facilitating seamless transactions for Indian users abroad.
