Xflow adds global card payments for Indian businesses

Xflow has launched card payment acceptance for Indian businesses receiving payments from overseas customers, expanding its cross-border payments platform with support for international card transactions that settle in Indian rupees.

The new capability allows eligible businesses to accept card payments directly through invoices issued via Xflow. Transactions are processed through the company's existing Reserve Bank of India-authorised cross-border payment infrastructure before being settled as compliant INR payouts.

Card demand

The launch addresses growing demand for card payments from international customers, particularly in the United States, where cards remain one of the most widely used payment methods for business transactions.

According to Xflow, 48% of suppliers globally expect buyer demand for card payments to increase significantly over the next five years. The company said many Indian businesses have struggled to meet this demand because cross-border card acceptance has often involved multiple service providers, lower transaction success rates and foreign exchange costs that are difficult to identify.

The platform is designed to consolidate card acceptance, cross-border payment processing and settlement into a single workflow.

"Cards are how global customers, especially in the US, want to pay, and that preference is only growing. 48% of all suppliers globally expect buyer demand for card payments to rise significantly over the next five years. Until now, Indian businesses had to choose between fragmented setups, poor success rates, and high operational overhead. Xflow card payments are built to close that gap: local processing performance, transparent pricing, and settlement through the same compliant infrastructure our customers already trust," said Ashwin Bhatnagar, Co-founder, Xflow.

Payment performance

Businesses using the service can enable card payments as an option when issuing invoices to overseas customers.

Xflow said it is recording card payment success rates of more than 90% through the platform. The company compared this with an industry average of about 60% for cross-border card transactions processed by Indian businesses.

Higher payment success rates can reduce failed transactions, improve cash flow and lower the need for customers to retry payments through alternative methods.

The company also said the platform provides transparent pricing by separating foreign exchange costs from payment processing charges, allowing businesses to better understand the cost of accepting international payments.

Settlement process

Cross-border payments are processed through Xflow's RBI-authorised Payment Aggregator for Cross-Border framework, which the company said already handles millions of US dollars in transaction volume each month.

Once payments are processed, businesses receive settlement in Indian rupees through the same infrastructure, reducing the need to reconcile transactions across separate payment processors, foreign exchange providers and settlement services.

The launch extends Xflow's existing offering for businesses ranging from freelancers and small businesses to mid-sized enterprises and larger platform operators serving international customers.

The company said the new capability is intended to simplify international collections while allowing Indian businesses to offer payment methods that match customer preferences in overseas markets.

Xflow was founded by Anand Balaji and Ashwin Bhatnagar, both of whom have backgrounds in the payments sector. The company focuses on cross-border payment infrastructure for businesses receiving international payments and is backed by investors including Lightspeed, General Catalyst and Stripe.