MUMBAI: Digital payments are moving at breakneck speed, and Cashfree Payments is keeping pace like a fintech sprinter on a caffeine high. The company has just bagged a cool $53 million (Rs 450 crore) in a funding round led by Korean digital entertainment giant Krafton, with continued backing from Apis Growth Fund II, managed by Apis Partners Group (UK) Limited. This fresh infusion of cash is set to supercharge innovation, fuel market expansion, and catapult Cashfree onto the global stage.

At its heart, Cashfree Payments is all about making transactions effortless—helping businesses collect payments, send payouts instantly, verify identities, and sniff out fraud before it even thinks about knocking. And the numbers don’t lie: merchant signups have skyrocketed 130% year-over-year, proving that Cashfree is scaling faster than your last online shopping spree.

With a mission to redefine digital transactions, Cashfree enables businesses to start accepting payments within a day through popular platforms like Shopify, Wix, WooCommerce, and WhatsApp.

Cashfree Payments CEO & co-founder Akash Sinha shared his excitement, “We are excited to welcome Krafton as a strategic partner with continued support from our existing investors, Apis Growth Fund II and the team at Apis Partners. Our mission at Cashfree Payments has been to empower Indian businesses with the ability to transact in the digital economy with unparalleled security and efficiency. This investment will help us accelerate our key efforts - across cross-border and security innovations and international expansion - as we enter the next phase of our growth journey. Growing sustainably has been core to our identity and how we function at Cashfree Payments. We are focused on driving profitable growth as we scale. Our mission is clear: to create long-term value for our customers and lead innovation in the payments space, both in India and internationally.”

Krafton sees Cashfree’s market dominance as a springboard for global expansion. Krafton India CEO Sean Hyunil Sohn highlighted, “India's fintech industry is experiencing remarkable growth, and we believe Cashfree Payment's dominant position in India can be replicated globally. As the media and entertainment sector and content consumption patterns in India continue to evolve, full-stack payment systems that specifically address the needs and requirements of the sector are crucial for enhancing user experience. The investment is part of Krafton’s ongoing efforts to support innovative solutions that drive growth and foster a dynamic startup ecosystem. We look forward to further strengthening this partnership and exploring future opportunities.”

Adding to this, Apis Partners co-founders & managing partners, Matteo Stefanel and Udayan Goyal stated, “As an industry leader with a history of pioneering innovations, Cashfree Payments’ proven track record continues to put it in a leadership position. We are excited to continue our support for its continued growth and success. Apis’ investment philosophy is that there should be no trade-off between returns for LPs and positive societal impact, and the investment in Cashfree is proving to be a perfect example of that.”

Among Cashfree’s latest advancements is Secure ID, a comprehensive identity verification stack designed to curb fraud.

. AI-powered KYC flows that minimise user input and reduce drop-offs.

. Intelligent fraud detection that reads and verifies identity documents with pinpoint accuracy.

. Over 1 billion identity and user verifications completed to date.

As security threats evolve, Cashfree is doubling down on tech-driven solutions that protect both businesses and consumers.

With $80 billion in annual transactions and a customer base of eight lakh businesses, including Swiggy, redbus, Zepto, bigbasket, and Bajaj Finance, Cashfree is not slowing down. The company is authorised by the RBI to operate as a payment aggregator for domestic and cross-border payments, making it one of the first entities in India with such approval.

Beyond India, Cashfree is expanding into the UAE and exploring opportunities across the Middle East, further solidifying its global ambitions.