# Paytm

> Paytm is an Indian digital payments and financial services company that built a wallet and UPI franchise and launched Paytm Payments Bank.

Source: https://www.neobank.wiki/wiki/paytm
Last updated: 2026-08-11
Categories: Financial technology, India neobanks, Payment platforms, Licensed neobanks, Consumer neobanks, Public companies, Companies founded in 2010

**Paytm** (brand of **One97 Communications**) is an Indian financial technology company founded by Vijay Shekhar Sharma. It grew from mobile recharges and a stored-value wallet into one of India's best-known digital payments brands, spanning UPI, merchant QR, credit cards and a payments bank, and listed publicly in 2021.[^pt1]

## History

One97 began in the 2000s; the Paytm consumer brand scaled after India's 2016 demonetisation surge in digital payments. Paytm Payments Bank launched as a specialised bank for deposits and payments, while the parent listed on Indian exchanges in 2021. The company later faced significant regulatory actions affecting Paytm Payments Bank operations, forcing a restructuring of how banking services were delivered to customers.[^pt2]

## Founder

**Vijay Shekhar Sharma** is the founder and long-time chief executive of One97 Communications / Paytm. An engineer-entrepreneur from Delhi's startup scene, he built Paytm into a national consumer brand synonymous with QR payments and mobile wallets before UPI became ubiquitous, then navigated public markets and regulatory upheaval around the payments-bank franchise.

## Payments bank and licences

Paytm Payments Bank operated under India's payments-bank licence—allowing deposits and payments but restricting lending—distinct from full commercial banks and from partner-bank [neobanks](/wiki/neobank) such as [Jupiter](/wiki/jupiter). Separate group entities handle lending partnerships, insurance distribution and payments. Regulatory interventions in the mid-2020s reshaped the bank's ability to onboard customers and hold deposits, a major case study in Indian fintech supervision.

## Products

Consumer products have included wallets, UPI payments, bill pay, merchant QR acceptance, Paytm Mall commerce experiments, credit cards and personal-loan distribution. Merchant tools cover in-store QR, payment gateway and business accounts. Product availability has shifted as licensing and banking partnerships changed.

## Reception

Paytm popularised digital payments for millions of Indians and remains a top consumer finance brand, while its stock and payments-bank troubles made it a cautionary tale about regulatory risk. It competes with [PhonePe](/wiki/phonepe), Google Pay and bank UPI apps for payment share, and with digital lenders and [neobanks](/wiki/neobank) for adjacent financial products.

## Infobox

- **Type**: Public (NSE: PAYTM)
- **Industry**: Digital payments / fintech
- **Founded**: 2010 (Paytm brand)
- **Founder**: Vijay Shekhar Sharma
- **Headquarters**: Noida, India
- **Model**: Payments / payments bank

## Frequently asked questions

### What is Paytm?

Paytm is an Indian digital payments and financial services company that built a wallet and UPI franchise and launched Paytm Payments Bank.

### When was Paytm founded?

Paytm was founded in 2010 (Paytm brand).

### Where is Paytm headquartered?

Paytm is headquartered in Noida, India.

### Who founded Paytm?

Paytm was founded by Vijay Shekhar Sharma.

### What type of company is Paytm?

Paytm is described as Payments / payments bank in its neobank.wiki profile.


## References

[^pt1]: Paytm is the consumer brand of One97 Communications, an Indian digital payments company. — https://paytm.com/
[^pt2]: Paytm Payments Bank faced major Reserve Bank of India supervisory actions affecting its operations. — https://www.rbi.org.in/