Stories
PhonePe to Hire 20,000, Deploy 50 Lakh Payment Devices in Major Expansion
- •PhonePe plans to hire over 20,000 frontline sales personnel and deploy more than 50 lakh payment devices across India within the next 12 months.
- •The expansion aims to significantly grow PhonePe's merchant network, focusing on smaller towns and rural areas, with 50% of devices targeting rural India.
- •The company expects this initiative to extend digital payment acceptance to Tier 6 towns and deeper rural geographies.
- •PhonePe attributes its long-term merchant expansion strategy to the new MDR framework and a dedicated fund for small-merchant growth.
- •A larger workforce will help onboard merchants, complete KYC, deploy devices, and provide support, potentially improving access to formal financial services for eligible merchants.
Key Questions Answered
PhonePe plans to hire over 20,000 frontline sales personnel and deploy more than 50 lakh payment devices across India over the next 12 months to expand its merchant network in smaller towns and rural areas.
Around 50% of the deployed devices, including SmartSpeakers and point-of-sale (POS) terminals, will target rural India and Tier 6 towns. The larger on-roll frontline workforce will help onboard merchants, complete KYC processes, and provide support.
PhonePe cited the recently announced merchant discount rate (MDR) framework and its dedicated fund—using 5% of the MDR amount collected from small merchants—as key factors supporting long-term investments in rural areas. Additionally, faster hiring has been attributed to streamlined compliance under the labour codes introduced last year.
