Yubi, an AI-powered operating system for financial services, has partnered with Protean eGov Technologies Limited to integrate digital identity, Know Your Customer (KYC), and data capabilities into India’s lending ecosystem. The collaboration aims to accelerate customer onboarding, strengthen credit underwriting, and deliver a seamless digital experience for lenders and borrowers.
Although India’s credit ecosystem has made considerable progress, limited access to reliable borrower information continues to restrict credit accessibility. A recent report found that only 28% of Indian adults aged 18–60 are credit-active. Additionally, another estimate placed the formal credit gap for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) at more than ₹60 lakh crore, partly due to lenders’ limited access to verified information about business operations.
Addressing this gap requires reliable and verified insights into borrowers’ identities and financial activities at the point of credit assessment.
Commenting on the collaboration, Gaurav Kumar, Founder & CEO, Yubi Group, said, “India has built world-class digital public infrastructure, yet lenders still make too many credit decisions without a clear view of who the borrower is. That gap is a big part of what keeps first-time borrowers and small businesses outside the formal system. Protean’s trusted identity and data capabilities, combined with the lending infrastructure Yubi provides to banks and lenders, can help close it. Our aim is to give lenders the confidence to say yes more often and to give borrowers a faster, fairer, and more transparent path to credit at a national scale. That is how we deepen India’s debt market and expand credit accessibility.”
While Protean brings digital identity, verification, and data capabilities designed for population-scale applications, Yubi contributes its lending technology infrastructure, which has facilitated more than ₹3.2 lakh crore in credit for banks and other financial institutions.
Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Ajay Rajan, MD & CEO, Protean eGov Technologies Limited, said, “Digital Public Infrastructure can be a powerful catalyst for transforming India’s lending ecosystem. Our collaboration with Yubi brings together Protean’s expertise in building trusted, scalable digital infrastructure and Yubi’s technology-led lending platform to simplify lending journeys, strengthen digital trust, and drive greater operational efficiency. We see this partnership as an opportunity to translate DPI capabilities into tangible business value and accelerate innovation across the financial services ecosystem at scale.”
The collaboration will integrate Protean’s digital public infrastructure, including identity verification, KYC, consent management, and eSign services, with Yubi’s lending platform across four key stages of the loan lifecycle.
First, the integration will enable faster customer onboarding by embedding verified identity, KYC, and consent processes into digital journeys for individuals and MSMEs. This is expected to reduce customer drop-offs and acquisition costs.
Second, lenders will be able to streamline compliance through CKYC searches during onboarding, digital re-KYC, and updated verification records. The partnership will also support the portability of KYC information and documents across co-lending partners, helping financial institutions reduce duplication and compliance costs.
Third, the collaboration will strengthen credit underwriting by enabling lenders to analyse consent-based bank statements and income tax returns (ITRs) automatically. These insights can provide a clearer understanding of borrowers’ cash flows, potentially improving credit access for MSMEs and individuals with limited credit histories while supporting more informed risk assessments.
Finally, the integrated platform will facilitate digital loan closures through online signing and stamping of agreements, sanction letters, and security documents. This is expected to reduce manual processes, accelerate disbursements, and improve audit trails.
For borrowers, the partnership aims to simplify onboarding and documentation while creating a faster and more transparent lending experience. It also seeks to improve access to formal credit for first-time borrowers, small businesses, and underserved segments.
Highlighting the partnership’s approach to combining digital trust with lending infrastructure, Mr. Rakesh Dosi, Chief Business & Product Officer, Protean eGov Technologies Limited, said, “One platform, one verified borrower, from first click to final signature, built on public rails and scaled by private innovation will be a game changer.”
The collaboration will operate within India’s regulatory and consent-based frameworks and comply with applicable laws, including data protection regulations. Both companies have identified data privacy and security as key priorities as they work towards strengthening the country’s digital lending ecosystem.
