Bharti Airtel has officially transitioned from a loan distributor to a direct lender following the approval of its NBFC license by the Reserve Bank of India on February 13, 2026. This move is backed by a massive capital commitment of 20,000 crore INR to be injected into its subsidiary, Airtel Money Limited, over the next few years. The capital structure for this venture is split with Bharti Airtel contributing 70% and the promoter group, Bharti Enterprises, providing the remaining 30%. This investment aims to build a credit book potentially reaching 1 trillion INR by leveraging a 5x capital-to-loan ratio. The company is entering a high-growth market where NBFC assets under management are projected to grow by 15% to 17% in the 2026 fiscal year. While traditional bank credit growth is stabilizing around 12%, the digital lending space continues to expand as India’s formal credit-to-GDP ratio remains at 53%. Airtel is building its direct lending business on a proven foundation. Its existing Lending Service Provider platform has already disbursed over 9,000 crore INR in loans over the past two years. This transition allows the company to retain higher margins and gain full control over product design and risk assessment. The competitive landscape is intensifying with the entry of telecom-backed NBFCs. Airtel now competes directly with Jio Financial Services and established leaders like Bajaj Finance. With 463.4 million mobile customers in India as of late 2025, Airtel holds a massive data advantage for underwriting and customer acquisition. Risk management remains a primary focus for the new entity. The company employs over 500 data scientists to power its underwriting models and real-time risk monitoring. This strategy aims to maintain industry-leading performance metrics as the broader NBFC sector deals with delinquency rates of 6% to 7% in unsecured segments. On the stock market, Bharti Airtel closed at 1,997 INR on February 23, 2026, reflecting a market capitalization of 11.38 trillion INR. While the stock has seen a 5.37% decline year-to-date, its five-year returns exceed 256%, signaling long-term investor confidence in its diversification beyond core telecom. This strategic pivot positions Bharti Airtel to capture the underserved credit market, specifically targeting the 22% to 23% growth seen in the affordable housing and MSME segments. By transforming into a comprehensive digital services platform, the company is securing a recurring, high-margin revenue stream for the next decade.