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In what could be one of the most strategic moves at the intersection of digital lending and artificial intelligence, Online PSB Loans Limited (OPL) -- the operator of India's largest public-sector-backed digital credit platform -- is in advanced negotiations to induct AvenuesAI Limited as a minority stakeholder by way of secondary share sale.
On Friday, AvenuesAI Limited in its stock exchange filings said that the board has approved the proposal to pick 7% minority equity stake in Online PSB Loans Limited (OPL) as a strategic investment. Speaking to ANI, Vishal Mehta, Chairman and Managing Director, AvenuesAI Limited said that term sheets have been signed and soon both the companies will start working on closing. He further clarified that the deal is expected to be concluded within this fiscal year, subject to statutory requirements. As per market experts, this deal would place AvenuesAI into a marquee shareholder consortium and further strengthen the institutional shareholder base of OPL that already reads like a who's-who of Indian banking -- including State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank, SBI Cards and Payment Services, BOB Capital Markets, Indian Bank, HDFC Bank, TransUnion and other blue-chip financial institutions. Post equity deal, AvenuesAI would be the only AI led platform company within the investor consortium bringing a differentiated combination of payments infrastructure, enterprise communication frameworks and large digital consumer base. As a shareholder, AvenuesAI will bring more than just capital. It brings merchant ecosystem that can turbocharge with OPL's lending engine while leveraging AvenuesAI's AI capabilities. While for AvenuesAI, the deal is an excellent opportunity to embed itself into the backbone of India's public-sector credit ecosystem. The company's AI models and vast merchant network could plug directly into OPL's high-volume lending engine. With India's digital lending infrastructure deepening rapidly, the convergence of AI frameworks, payments technology and data as well as public-sector digital banking is creating a new paradigm in credit access for the underserved. As per OPL website and LinkedIn post, today it has over 235 partner banks and financial institutions, has sanctioned loans worth more than INR 3,97,000 crore, and onboarded over 30 lakh MSMEs. Beyond its core operations, OPL has developed 70+ fintech and credit infrastructure products and powers multiple national-scale lending and government-linked financial platforms, including PSB Loans, JanSamarth, GST Sahay, and other digital credit initiatives. (ANI)
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