Bharti Airtel Share Price Falls 3.5% After ₹20,000 Crore NBFC Expansion Plan

Bharti Airtel to Infuse ₹20,000 Crore into Airtel Money

On February 23, 2026, Bharti Airtel unveiled plans to invest ₹20,000 crore over the next several years to scale up Airtel Money Limited. The company will contribute 70% of the capital, while the promoter group, Bharti Enterprises Limited, will provide the remaining 30%.

The expansion follows the receipt of an NBFC licence from the Reserve Bank of India on February 13, 2026. The move formally enables Airtel Money to expand its digital lending operations under a regulated framework.

Bharti Airtel to Leverage Data and Digital Infrastructure for NBFC Growth

Airtel plans to capitalise on its extensive digital infrastructure and data analytics capabilities, supported by a team of more than 500 data scientists. The company has already built a high-performance credit engine through its Lending Service Provider (LSP) model, which has disbursed over ₹9,000 crore to date. According to the company, the platform has delivered “best-in-class” delinquency outcomes through strong underwriting standards and real-time risk monitoring.

The NBFC’s disbursement journey will be seamlessly integrated with Airtel’s existing LSP platform, while maintaining clear operational segregation between the two entities to ensure governance and compliance.

Bharti Airtel Targets India’s 53% Credit-to-GDP Opportunity

The investment targets a significant opportunity in India, where the formal credit-to-GDP ratio stands at 53%, highlighting a vast underserved population. Gopal Vittal, Executive Vice Chairman of Bharti Airtel, said the NBFC expansion strengthens the company’s foundation and reflects its ambition to build a “future-ready digital lending business” focused on trust, innovation, and financial inclusion.

Bharti Airtel Sees NBFC as Next Growth Engine Amid ARPU Stagnation

The expansion is seen as a natural adjacency for Airtel, leveraging its large customer base to diversify revenue streams beyond telecom services. With over 600 million customers across 15 countries, Airtel aims to create a new growth engine amid stagnating average revenue per user (ARPU) trends in the telecom sector.

Kranthi Bathini, Director – Equity Strategy at WealthMills Securities, described the investment as a “low-hanging fruit,” adding that the 70:30 investment split signals promoter confidence. He noted that Airtel’s scale, cash flows, and established customer base provide a strong foundation for entering the lending space, provided risk management remains robust.

Titus Michael, Practice Director at The Everest Group, termed telco-fintech a “proven playbook globally,” but emphasised that underwriting discipline and credit risk governance will be critical to success. He added that Airtel Money’s subsidiary structure could lower customer acquisition costs compared to standalone fintech firms and improve utilisation of Airtel’s platforms and apps.

Bharti Airtel Aims to Set New Benchmark in Digital Financial Services

By combining technology, data analytics, and customer scale, Airtel aims to set a new benchmark in India’s digital financial services landscape. The company believes the integrated yet operationally segregated NBFC model will deliver a best-in-class customer experience while maintaining regulatory discipline.

Headquartered in India, Bharti Airtel remains one of the world’s largest communications providers, offering 5G mobile services, fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), and digital payment solutions. With the ₹20,000 crore NBFC expansion, the telecom giant is positioning itself to play a larger role in India’s evolving financial ecosystem.

Bharti Airtel Share Price Slumped Over 3.5% on Tuesday

Bharti Airtel share price declined as much as 3.78% to hit an intraday low of ₹1,921.80 apiece on the NSE in early trade on Tuesday, February 24. The fall came a day after the telecom major announced an ambitious expansion of its non-banking financial company (NBFC) arm, Airtel Money Limited, aimed at narrowing India’s credit gap. As of 11:35 a.m., the stock price was trading at ₹1,940.80 per share, down by 2.83%. In the last year, the stock price has surged by over 21%, while in the last 3 years it has been up by 156%.