Industry partnership is core to Google’s success in India, says APAC MD Archana Vohra

Google has been engaging with the regulators and industry bodies to check the proliferation of fake lending apps beside strengthening its in-house tech team to thwart fraudulent transactions via its payment app—Google Pay, a dominant player in the UPI ecosystem.

Industry partnerships, including with banks, regulatory bodies and fellow fintech players, is fundamental to the success of Google in the country, said Archana Vohra, managing director payments and commerce, Asia Pacific, Google as the tech giant aims to build a “localised app”.

“Partnership is at the core of our strategy. Whether it’s with regulatory bodies or banking institutions or fellow TPAPs (third party payments apps), we have been very specific about making sure that we extend partnerships to ensure we provide a holistic and efficient service to our users," the MD said while speaking at an event in New Delhi.

Applauding the success of UPI, Vohra said Google’s focus lies on creating fintech products that cater to a diverse user base.

Unlike many other tech verticals, fintech, including payments and credit, requires solutions that are relevant to all users, all the time, she said.

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"Fintech products need to be built for scale and for a vastly different cohort of users. Everybody doesn't use an app exactly the same way. It is important for us to realize the nuance of India and solve for this locally,” Vohra said.

She further mentioned how innovations like multiple language options, including Hing-lish, voice transactions, and equal credit offerings for both merchants and consumers are crucial in making the app accessible and relevant to a broader audience.

Google has been engaging with the regulators and industry bodies to check the proliferation of fake lending apps beside strengthening its in-house tech team to thwart fraudulent transactions via its payment app—Google Pay, a dominant player in the UPI ecosystem.

In terms of business expansion, the tech major recently invested nearly $350 million in Walmart-owned e-commerce firm Flipkart for a minority share. In June 2023, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai had announced that Google will be investing $10 billion in India's digitisation fund.