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Walmart’s Flipkart Secures RBI Approval for Direct Lending in India

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Walmart-owned Flipkart has obtained a non-bank finance company (NBFC) licence from India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), enabling the e-commerce giant to directly lend to customers and sellers on its platform. This marks the first time RBI has granted such a licence to a major Indian e-commerce player, allowing Flipkart to offer loans without relying on third-party lenders.

The certificate of registration, officially recognizing Flipkart Finance Private Limited as an NBFC, was issued on March 13, 2025. Flipkart applied for the licence in 2022, and the approval, previously unreported, was confirmed by company spokespersons after Reuters reviewed the official documents.

Currently, Flipkart offers personal loans through partnerships with banks and NBFCs like Axis Bank, IDFC Bank, and Credit Saison. With the new licence, it can launch a more profitable direct lending operation on its e-commerce platform and its fintech app, super.money. The company is also considering offering financing options to sellers on its platform.

The start of lending operations depends on internal steps such as appointing key management and finalizing business strategies. A source familiar with the matter expects Flipkart to commence lending “in a few months.”

Flipkart, valued at $37 billion following a $1 billion funding round led by Walmart in 2024, is in the process of shifting its holding company from Singapore to India. Walmart acquired a controlling stake in Flipkart in 2018, which also included ownership of PhonePe, a fintech firm planning its own IPO.

Flipkart’s competitor Amazon recently acquired Indian NBFC Axio, but that deal awaits RBI approval.

Amazon Unveils AI Upgrades to Delivery, Logistics, and Warehouse Operations

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Amazon announced a series of new artificial intelligence initiatives aimed at enhancing its delivery, logistics, and warehouse operations, showcasing how the technology could significantly speed up package delivery and improve efficiency across its sprawling supply chain.

At the center of these developments is Amazon’s creation of a new group within its Lab126 device unit, tasked with developing warehouse robots powered by “agentic AI.” Unlike today’s robots that perform single, repetitive tasks, these AI-powered machines will be capable of multitasking — such as unloading trailers, retrieving parts, and making decisions based on natural language prompts. This flexibility is expected to be particularly beneficial during peak demand periods like the holiday season.

“For our customers, it’s, of course, faster delivery,” said Yesh Dattatreya, a robotics scientist leading the initiative. The robots will also contribute to minimizing waste and reducing carbon emissions, Amazon said, aligning with its broader sustainability goals.

Agentic AI — which allows systems to autonomously make and execute decisions — has become one of the most promising investment areas in AI development. Amazon’s version aims to transform warehouse robots into multi-functional assistants capable of responding to human commands in natural language.

Smarter Mapping for Delivery Drivers

Beyond warehouses, Amazon is using generative AI to improve mapping for delivery drivers. The new software provides highly detailed information about building layouts, obstacles, and navigation routes, particularly aiding deliveries to complex locations like large office parks or apartment complexes.

“This innovation is making it easier for Amazon drivers to find the right delivery spot, especially in tricky places,” Amazon stated.

The company also confirmed, for the first time publicly, that it is exploring AI-powered eyeglasses for its delivery drivers. These smart glasses would feature embedded screens to provide turn-by-turn directions, freeing drivers’ hands while navigating and delivering packages. Although still in development, the glasses could eventually integrate the advanced mapping technology already in use.

According to Viraj Chatterjee, vice president of Amazon’s Geospatial unit, U.S. drivers are already using the AI-generated maps daily, though they are not mandated to do so. This approach may help Amazon avoid legal challenges related to excessive control over gig economy workers.

AI Enhances Inventory Forecasting and Same-Day Delivery

In addition to physical logistics, Amazon is applying AI to better predict customer demand and optimize same-day delivery operations. The new forecasting software considers multiple variables—including price, convenience, weather, and special events like Prime Day—to ensure that popular products are pre-positioned in fulfillment centers closer to where they are most likely to be ordered.

“It allows us to sell a different set of books in Boston than we would in Boise, and cater to different tastes really, really efficiently across the communities that we serve,” said Nathan Smith, director of demand forecasting for Amazon’s supply chain optimization technologies unit.

With these AI upgrades, Amazon aims to maintain its competitive edge in e-commerce by delivering packages faster, improving the delivery experience for drivers, and further automating warehouse operations.

Reddit Sues AI Firm Anthropic for Alleged Unauthorized Use of Data

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Reddit has filed a lawsuit against artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, accusing it of illegally using Reddit’s content to train its AI models without permission or a licensing agreement. The suit was filed Wednesday in San Francisco Superior Court, marking the latest legal clash over AI companies’ use of third-party online content.

In the complaint, Reddit alleges that Anthropic has scraped and exploited data from the platform over 100,000 times, despite publicly claiming last year that it had blocked its bots from accessing Reddit. According to Reddit, Anthropic’s Claude chatbot even acknowledged it was trained on at least some Reddit data, but could not confirm whether deleted content had been included.

“Anthropic refuses to respect Reddit’s guardrails and enter into a license agreement,” the complaint says, contrasting the company’s stance with that of Google and OpenAI, both of which have entered licensing arrangements with Reddit.

Reddit claims Anthropic’s actions violate its user policies and have allowed the startup to enrich itself by “tens of billions of dollars.” The lawsuit seeks unspecified restitution, punitive damages, and an injunction to stop Anthropic from further using Reddit content for commercial purposes.

Anthropic Responds

An Anthropic spokesperson said the company disagrees with Reddit’s claims and intends to defend itself vigorously. The lawsuit adds further scrutiny to Anthropic, whose backers include tech giants Amazon and Alphabet (Google).

Anthropic recently launched its latest Claude models, Opus 4 and Sonnet 4, on May 22, and has reportedly reached $3 billion in annualized revenue, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Growing Legal Tensions Over AI Training Data

This legal dispute highlights a broader industry-wide debate over how AI companies source and utilize data to train large language models. Many websites and publishers argue that AI firms are profiting from content without compensating the creators, while AI companies contend that publicly available internet data falls under fair use.

In a statement, Reddit Chief Legal Officer Ben Lee emphasized the platform’s support for an open internet but said AI companies need “clear limitations” when it comes to scraping and monetizing content.

Both companies are headquartered in San Francisco, located just a few blocks apart.

The case has been filed under Reddit Inc v Anthropic PBC, California Superior Court, San Francisco County, No. CGC-25-524892.