📷 Image: Indianstartupnews (via NewsData)
Business
Meta in Talks to Invest Over Rs 37,000 Cr in Kunal Shah's CRED
🗓 20 Jun 2026, 02:32 AM
👁 1
US tech giant Meta is reportedly in discussions to invest in Indian fintech startup CRED, potentially valuing the company at over Rs 37,000 crore. The move signals Meta's intent to bolster its presence in India's rapidly growing digital payments sector.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is reportedly in advanced discussions to invest in Kunal Shah's fintech venture, CRED. According to a Moneycontrol report, the potential investment could value the Bengaluru-based unicorn at over $4 billion, approximately Rs 37,000 crore. This proposed valuation surpasses CRED's marked-down valuation of $3.5 billion in 2025, though it remains below its peak valuation of $6.4 billion from 2022.
The discussions are understood to have explored various deal structures, including a primary investment by Meta, a potential full acquisition at a lower valuation, or even bringing founder Kunal Shah into an operational role within Meta. For Meta, such an investment would represent a significant step towards strengthening its foothold in India's competitive digital payments and commerce landscape.
Founded in 2018, CRED initially focused on credit card bill payments for affluent users and has since diversified into a broader financial services platform. Despite facing increased competition and operating losses, the company has shown revenue growth and an increase in monthly transacting users, with its total payment value processed also seeing a significant rise in the fiscal year ending March 2025.
The discussions are understood to have explored various deal structures, including a primary investment by Meta, a potential full acquisition at a lower valuation, or even bringing founder Kunal Shah into an operational role within Meta. For Meta, such an investment would represent a significant step towards strengthening its foothold in India's competitive digital payments and commerce landscape.
Founded in 2018, CRED initially focused on credit card bill payments for affluent users and has since diversified into a broader financial services platform. Despite facing increased competition and operating losses, the company has shown revenue growth and an increase in monthly transacting users, with its total payment value processed also seeing a significant rise in the fiscal year ending March 2025.