Unified Lending Interface : From Genesis to Scale
India's digital transformation continues to redefine the global technology landscape. Following the resounding success of UPI, Unified Lending Interface (ULI) has emerged as the next beacon of India's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), under India's 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' Initiative.Name given by Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ULI aspires to become the definitive API-based ecosystem enabling frictionless credit access to Billion IndiansThis article offers an architect's inside perspective-capturing the design philosophy, engineering rigor, and real-world scaling of ULI from its inception to national rollout.
Genesis: Audacity Meets Possibility
The genesis of ULI was built on a singular, audacious question:
"Is it possible to engineer a national-scale frictionless lending eco-system enablement platform within the planned timeframe?"
The challenge united an exceptional consortium-RBIH veterans with Aadhaar experience, fintech specialists, cloud architects, and technology scholars-converging to design what was initially termed the Integrated Public Tech Platform for Frictionless Credit (IPTPF), then became Public Tech Platform for Frictionless Credit (PTPFC), which has been mentioned in various speeches introducing and propagating, the ULI platform by, then RBI Governor Honourable Shri. Shaktikanta Das Ji.
The blueprint anchored itself on three pillars:
API Marketplace: A comprehensive catalog of digital services for lendersService Consumers: Lending institutions (Scheduled Banks, SFBs, NBFCs, RRB, UCB, DCCBs/PACS)Service Providers: Digital data service providers
Meticulous architectural reviews, conducted by the Technology Advisory Group (TAG), ensured every blueprint decision prioritized scalability, security, and reliability.
From these foundations, the first line of code was committed-birthing what is now ULI.
Applicability: A Complete Greenfield design approach with 'Open Architecture' at its heart.
ULI was purposefully designed for modular adoption. Institutions could either integrate their entire Loan Origination System (LOS) with ULI or selectively onboard specific services to optimize costs and system resilience.
Key architectural decisions include:
Heavy lifting by ULI: Complex integrations and non-standard data normalizations are abstracted by ULI, offering a simple API interface to consumers.Dual API Gateway Design: Enables seamless handling of both synchronous and asynchronous transactions with full telemetry visibility.Self-Onboarding Framework: Service providers can independently onboard after adhering to rigorous checklists, accelerating ecosystem growth.Data Blind Principle: ULI does not retain data-ensuring trust and democratized access across lenders.Data security and privacy: A key consideration ensuring security and privacy of Data at both Rest & Transit. Hence by design compliant to the evolving DPDPA
This architecture empowers lenders of all sizes to access best-in-class services without compromising security, speed, or control.
Service-ability: Catalyzing a New Lending Paradigm
ULI offers a comprehensive suite of differentiated services, including:
Single API for similar servicesStandardized access and messaging protocolsState-wise land record searchesReal-time multilingual translations through "Bhashini"Crop phenology insights via satellite imagery and AI modelsMortgage due diligence frameworksLivelihood data such as milk pouring records for rural lendingAdvanced document verification, eKYC, eSign, eStamp, and GSTN integrations
A notable technical achievement includes the normalization of fragmented state land record datasets into a unified API schema-an unprecedented engineering feat supporting lenders nationwide.
Availability & Reliability: Non-Negotiable Standards
ULI enforces a 24x7 availability standard aligned with modern banking expectations.
Key strategies include:
Heartbeat Monitoring: API endpoints are validated in real-time before transaction initiation.Service Redundancy: Plurality of similar services ensures continuity even if a primary service fails.Comprehensive SRE (Site Reliability Engineering): Multi-layer observability across business, infrastructure, database, and network layers guarantees operational resilience.
Security is fortified through tokenized authentication protocols, third-party VAPT (Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing), and automated audit trails.
Scalability: Built for India's Growth Ambitions
ULI's microservices architecture, containerized deployments (Docker), and orchestration through Kubernetes allow elastic scaling-both horizontally and vertically.
Whether lenders experience predictable growth or unpredictable spikes (such as festive season campaigns), ULI is engineered to respond dynamically.
Proof in Action: Transforming Dreams into Reality
At a recent global conference, ULI showcased its full-stack capabilities by processing a farmer's Kisan Credit Card loan application-end-to-end-within five minutes:
Digital application intakeKYC and Bank account validationCrop analytics-based underwritingeSign and eStamp finalizationInstant loan disbursement notification
A fitting testament to the vision of
Viksit Bharat 2047
-building a financially inclusive, digitally empowered India.
ULI's journey from concept to scale is a powerful reminder that innovation, when anchored in purpose and executed with discipline, can reshape entire industries.
It is not merely a platform. It is a movement toward democratized credit, economic empowerment, and national progress.
Kyndryl is driving digital transformation for banking and financial institutions in India,
Know more
The author is Jayakrishnan Rajagopalan, Chief Architect, BFSI in Enterprise Architecture, Digital Data AI : Consult Engineering and Delivery, Kyndryl India.
Note: This article is a part of ETCIO's Brand Connect Initiative.
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