One of India’s biggest digital payments companies, PhonePe, will not be going ahead with its plan to acquire ZestMoney—a buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) platform—according to a report in The Economic Times. The deal is being called off owing to “lapses” that came to light during the due diligence process, the report added. Moreover, there were concerns around ZestMoney’s sustainability and shareholding structure spread across Singapore and India which also contributed to the eventual fallout, the business daily said. Why it matters: The development may come as a death knell for ZestMoney which is rumoured to be strapped for cash, and may find it difficult to find buyers. It highlights how start-ups are struggling to raise funds in a challenging economy as companies tighten their purse strings. Moreover, it also underscores the importance of due diligence which has become a critical aspect of acquisitions in light of reports of start-ups manipulating their financial data. It remains to be seen how this impacts PhonePe’s plans of becoming a one-stop solution for all things finance, but it does affect the company’s lending ambitions adversely. Was there a problem with ZestMoney’s loans: The Economic Times reported that ZestMoney’s default ratio on loans disbursed by it might have been a problem. The report said that the ratio was very high, with an estimate of over 10 per cent, adding that it should be at 2-3 per cent for quality lenders. There was a disagreement over the valuation of the company as it came down to as low as $40-$50…
