JSW, Tata, Birla’s entry into B2B e-commerce augurs poorly for Infra.Market, OfBusiness. For almost a decade, B2B e-commerce has been the domain of startups like Infra.Market and OfBusiness. Now, conglomerates like Tata, JSW, and Aditya Birla Group have launched their own marketplaces. The big manufacturers launching their own shop fronts are turning rivals for Infra.Market and OfBusiness.
An industry letter to the central bank has sought clarification on the regulator’s advice to some NBFCs to cease or modify their supply-chain finance products. The Reserve Bank of India is likely rethinking its stance on supply-chain finance products sold by non-banking financial companies. According to a letter addressed to the RBI by the Finance Industry Development Council, the central bank has advised some NBFCs to stop offering certain supply-chain finance products or modify them.
The article asks why so many OfBusiness employees run other companies. It focuses on three companies, Zarielle Projects and Services LLP, Lendcierge Estate Pvt. Ltd, and Strike Infracon LLP, with links to employees. The existence of these related entities raises questions about whether they are used to overcount revenue or as a way to avoid or save on Goods and Services Tax (GST). This corporate structure is also linked to the company’s credit business.
The company is aiming for an IPO by August next year. But what exactly is this firm—a financing operation, a tech business, an overvalued minefield of round-tripping or something else entirely? In an efficient physical world, a company like OfBusiness would have no reason to exist. Today, OfBusiness trades both almonds and steel bars on the same platform. These are just two out of the many products it deals in.
