Overview
Paytm (acronym for "pay through mobile") is an Indian multinational financial technology company, that specializes in digital payments and financial services, based in Noida. It was founded in 2010 by Vijay Shekhar Sharma under One97 Communications. The company offers mobile payment services to consumers and enables merchants to receive payments through its QR code, Payment Soundbox, Android based-point of sale machine and online payment gateway offerings. In partnership with financial institutions, Paytm offers financial services such as microloans and buy now, pay later to its consumers and merchants. Apart from bill payments and money transfer, the company also provides ticketing services, retail brokerage products and online games.
Paytm's parent company, One97 Communications, got listed on the Indian stock exchanges on 18 November 2021 after an initial public offering, which was the largest in India at the time. For the fiscal year 2022–23, Paytm's gross merchandise value (GMV) was reported to be .
History
Paytm was founded in August 2010 with an initial investment of by its founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma in Noida, Delhi NCR. It started off as a prepaid mobile and DTH recharge platform, and later added debit card, postpaid mobile and landline bill payments in 2013.
In October 2011, Sapphire Ventures (fka SAP Ventures) invested $10 million in One97 Communications Ltd. By January 2014, the company had launched the Paytm Wallet, which the Indian Railways and Uber added as a payment option. It launched into e-commerce with online deals and bus ticketing. In 2015, it added education fees, metro recharges, electricity, gas, and water bill payments. Paytm's registered user base grew from 1.18 crore in August 2014 to 10.4 crore in August 2015. Its travel business crossed $500 million in annualised GMV run rate, with 20 lakh tickets booked per month.
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