Google is going to manufacture smartphones in India.
While Google sees India as an important growth market, it also faces commercial and regulatory challenges in the country.
Google is betting on India to make Pixel smartphones. According to media reports, a Google executive said on Thursday that **the company will start producing smartphones in India, and its flagship product Pixel 8 will be available next year. **At the Google India event, Rick Osterloh, senior vice president of Google Devices and Services, said that Google will work with international and Indian manufacturers to produce smartphones locally. At the same time, Google also said on Thursday that it will cooperate with DMI Finance, a non-bank lender in India, to provide small loans to merchants with an initial loan amount of 15000 rupees (about 180 US dollars). Google operates one of the largest payment apps through Google Pay. Google Payments has already issued loans through partnerships with some lenders and will also work with large banks to launch credit services through UPI, a service recently allowed by India's central bank. While Google is ramping up its lending efforts, demand for small personal loans in India is soaring. **It is worth mentioning that Google sees India as an important growth market, but Google also faces commercial and regulatory challenges in India. **Startups and companies like Disney have filed legal action against some of Google's app policies. Google is also battling multiple antitrust lawsuits, including one over Google's alleged abuse of its position in the Android market.