Over a year after discontinuing its flagship buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) offering, Paytm Postpaid, fintech giant Paytm has relaunched the product as a UPI-linked credit line, in partnership with Suryoday Small Finance Bank. The revamped product now operates under the scheme titled “Spend Now, Pay Next Month”, offering users short-term credit with up to 30 days repayment window.
Table of Contents
ToggleInitially launched as a BNPL product, Paytm Postpaid allowed users to make purchases and pay at a later date, often with zero or low interest. Over time, it was repositioned as a small-ticket loan product to meet changing regulatory and market conditions. However, due to growing concerns around asset quality across the lending industry, the service was halted in May 2024, and later paused indefinitely in December 2023.
Now, with India’s UPI ecosystem booming, Paytm has adapted Postpaid to suit the new lending landscape, turning it into a credit line directly linked to UPI transactions — a move that aligns with user behavior and regulatory preferences.
The new Postpaid service is currently being rolled out selectively, targeting users with a higher likelihood of utilizing short-term credit responsibly. This selective rollout allows Paytm and Suryoday Bank to manage risk while optimizing credit disbursal. A wider launch is expected in the coming months, based on performance and user response.
Under the new format, eligible users can access instant, short-term credit for UPI payments, which they can repay in full by the end of the billing cycle, up to 30 days later. This positions Paytm Postpaid not just as a convenience tool, but also as a financial inclusion product catering to those in need of short-term liquidity.
When Paytm paused its Postpaid product in 2024, it cited industry-wide concerns over declining credit quality and rising delinquencies in the BNPL segment. At the time, the company had stated that it would not resume the offering until the macroeconomic environment stabilized and lenders regained confidence in issuing small-ticket credit.
Despite these challenges, Paytm always maintained that BNPL remains a valuable financial tool, particularly for India’s large population of new-to-credit users. The relaunch signifies Paytm’s belief that market conditions have improved, and that integrating Postpaid into UPI-based credit infrastructure offers a safer, more scalable way forward.
The return of Paytm Postpaid comes at a time when regulatory scrutiny on digital lending remains high. By partnering with a regulated bank (Suryoday Small Finance Bank) and shifting to a UPI-based model, Paytm is ensuring greater compliance, transparency, and risk mitigation.
Moreover, this move signals a broader trend in India’s fintech space, where UPI credit lines could become the future of small-ticket consumer lending, replacing traditional BNPL products.
Paytm’s decision to relaunch Postpaid as a UPI-linked credit line reflects both strategic adaptation and renewed confidence in India’s digital credit ecosystem. As the company gradually scales the offering, it could redefine how short-term credit is delivered to millions of users, blending convenience, compliance, and customer-centric innovation.