Zoho Commits Rs 70 Crore to India's ONDC Network

ONDC was launched by India's Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade to create an interoperable, open-protocol digital commerce layer, allowing buyers and sellers to transact across platforms without dependence on any single marketplace. The network has positioned itself as a structural alternative to dominant e-commerce aggregators, with a particular emphasis on onboarding small and rural merchants. Zoho serves a substantial base of small and mid-sized business customers in India through its cloud software suite, making ONDC's MSME focus a natural area of strategic alignment. Private investment from established technology firms signals growing confidence in ONDC's infrastructure role, though broad merchant and consumer adoption remains a continuing challenge for the network.