Google Pay is prioritising India’s domestic digital payments over cross-border transfers, with a focus on security, transaction success, and AI-driven merchant support, signalling a strategic shift in its growth trajectory.
Google Pay is prioritising India’s domestic digital payments market over cross-border transfers and remittances, with Kunal Rana, the company’s director of merchant services, saying the business is focused on making everyday transactions faster, simpler and safer. Speaking on the sidelines of the 3rd edition of FinInvest in New Delhi, Rana said domestic payment performance remains the main target rather than international money movement.
Rana said transaction success rates are a key measure of that effort, adding that Google Pay believes it is among the strongest performers in the sector. He said the company is also working on safety features designed to warn users when a payment recipient appears suspicious, including alerts in the recipient’s local language. Google’s own safety guidance says users should be cautious about sending money to people they do not know and should report fraudulent activity quickly.
Security remains central to Google Pay’s pitch. Google’s Safety Centre says contactless payments use a virtual account number so merchants do not receive the real card number, and that payment information is securely stored. The company also says users can remotely lock a lost phone, sign out of their Google Account or erase data to protect payment details. Rana said even a tiny amount of fraud can undermine confidence in digital payments, describing fraud prevention as an ongoing race against new tactics.
Rana also pointed to artificial intelligence as a potential advantage for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, saying it could help smaller merchants gain capabilities usually associated with larger firms. He said AI could be used to interpret customer feedback and make practical decisions about stock and shop operations, while noting there is still room to improve merchant credit access. On the zero-MDR regime for UPI, he said Google Pay would follow whatever path is set by the government, lawmakers and the National Payments Corporation of India. Google’s payments pages also show the breadth of its wider payments footprint, including business tools and availability across many countries, even as its current focus in India stays firmly on domestic transactions.
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