Afterpay vs PhonePe: Founders, CEOs and History
Afterpay was founded in 2014 by Nick Molnar, Anthony Eisen and is led by Jack Dorsey (Block parent). PhonePe was founded in 2015 by Sameer Nigam, Rahul Chari, Burzin Engineer and is led by Sameer Nigam.
Company facts
Founders
Afterpay
Nick Molnar
Nick Molnar co-founded Afterpay and served as co-CEO through the Block acquisition. Block's 2024 shareholder letter said he would lead a centralized sales function across Block, including Square, reporting to Jack Dorsey. Nick Molnar was born in 1990.
Anthony Eisen
Anthony Eisen co-founded Afterpay in 2014. As the older, highly experienced financial architect, he secured the massive initial debt facilities required to actually fund the consumer loans before merchants were paid.
PhonePe
Sameer Nigam
Sameer Nigam co-founded PhonePe in 2015. While serving as the Senior Vice President of Engineering at Flipkart, he witnessed the absolute nightmare of processing massive cash-on-delivery payments in India.
Rahul Chari
Rahul Chari co-founded PhonePe in 2015 alongside Sameer Nigam. As a highly experienced technical architect (he previously served as VP of Engineering at Flipkart), he built PhonePe's incredibly robust backend infrastructure, ensuring the app could smoothly pro…
Burzin Engineer
Burzin Engineer co-founded PhonePe in 2015. He played an absolutely critical role in building the core architecture and maintaining the intense reliability of the platform's early UPI integration, acting as the Chief Reliability Officer to ensure seamless bank…
CEOs and their tenures
Afterpay
- Nick Molnar2014–2022
Co-founder and Co-CEO
As Co-Founder and Co-CEO, he served as the public face of the company, rapidly scaling the 'Buy Now, Pay Later' (BNPL) model globally before orchestrating the massive sale to Block.
Source - Anthony Eisen2014–2022
Co-founder and Co-CEO
As Co-Founder and Co-CEO, he navigated intense regulatory scrutiny from the Australian government regarding predatory lending practices.
Source - Jack Dorsey2022–present
CEO of parent company Block
As CEO of Block (formerly Square), he bet the future of his company on the premise that Afterpay's massive merchant network could close the loop between Square's sellers and Cash App's consumers.
Source
PhonePe
- Sameer Nigam2015–present
Founder & CEO
Nigam holds a computer engineering degree from the University of Mumbai and an MBA from The Wharton School. His technological foresight built the largest digital payments pipeline in India.
Source - Burzin Engineer2015–2024
Co-Founder
Burzin Engineer co-founded PhonePe in 2015 alongside Sameer Nigam and Rahul Chari.
Source
Timeline: Afterpay and PhonePe side by side
2014Afterpay
Afterpay founded
Nick Molnar and Anthony Eisen founded Afterpay in Sydney.
2015PhonePe
PhonePe incorporated in Bengaluru by Sameer Nigam, Rahul Chari, and Burzin Engineer.
2016Afterpay
ASX listing
Afterpay listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and reported ~$903,000 (A$1.4 million) of FY2016 revenue.
2016PhonePe
Acquired by Flipkart in April; launches India's first UPI consumer app in August ahead of demonetization.
2017Afterpay
Touchcorp transaction
Afterpay acquired Touchcorp and the combined business became Afterpay Touch Group.
2018Afterpay
United States launch
Afterpay expanded its installment service into the United States.
2018Afterpay
ClearPay stake acquired
Afterpay acquired 90% of ClearPay Finance Limited for one million Afterpay shares.
2018PhonePe
Walmart acquires 77% of Flipkart Group, becoming the ultimate majority owner of PhonePe.
2019Afterpay
Clearpay launched in the United Kingdom
Afterpay launched in the United Kingdom under the Clearpay brand.
2020Afterpay
Canada expansion
Afterpay added Canada to its operating markets.
2020Afterpay
EmpatKali acquired
Afterpay acquired Singapore-based EmpatKali, which operated in Indonesia.
2020Afterpay
Pagantis agreement
Afterpay agreed to acquire Pagantis and PMT Technology to support expansion in southern Europe.
2020PhonePe
Successfully migrates millions of users to multi-bank architecture in 24 hours during Yes Bank crisis; launches insurance.
2021Afterpay
Block acquisition announced
Square and Afterpay announced a recommended scheme under which Square would acquire all Afterpay shares.
2021PhonePe
Crosses 1 billion monthly UPI transactions, cementing #1 market share in Indian digital payments.
2022Afterpay
Block acquisition completed
Block completed the scheme of arrangement on January 31, 2022.
2022PhonePe
Completes corporate separation from Flipkart; reverse-flips domicile to India; acquires Indus OS.
2023PhonePe
Raises $850 million at a $12 billion valuation from General Atlantic, Tiger Global, and Walmart; launches Share.Market.
2024Afterpay
Afterpay marks ten years
Afterpay reported more than 24 million active customers and more than 348,000 global merchants.
2024PhonePe
Launches Indus Appstore nationwide; surpasses 550 million registered users and 40 million merchants.
2025Afterpay
Australian BNPL credit rules commence
Australian BNPL contracts became regulated credit contracts from June 10, 2025.
2025PhonePe
Files a confidential DRHP for an Indian IPO; FY25 revenue rises 40% to ~$825 million (₹7,115 crore) and net loss narrows to ~$200 million (₹1,727 crore).
2026PhonePe
Pauses its IPO in March, citing market volatility. Crosses 700 million registered users in April.
Acquisitions
Afterpay
- EmpatKali2020Undisclosed
- Pagantis SAU and PMT Technology SLU2020Undisclosed
- ClearPay Finance Limited (90% stake)2018Undisclosed
- Touchcorp Limited2017Undisclosed
PhonePe
- Indus OS (Indus App Bazaar)2022$60M
- WealthDesk & OpenQ2022$75M
- GigIndia2022$12M
Questions about Afterpay vs PhonePe
Who is the CEO of Afterpay Limited and PhonePe?
Afterpay Limited is led by Jack Dorsey (Block parent) and PhonePe is led by Sameer Nigam. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Afterpay Limited founded vs PhonePe?
Afterpay Limited was founded in 2014 — 1 year before PhonePe, which was founded in 2015. Afterpay Limited's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger PhonePe.
How many employees does Afterpay Limited have compared to PhonePe?
Afterpay Limited employs approximately 1,300 people, while PhonePe employs approximately 20,000. PhonePe has the larger workforce at 20,000 employees, compared to Afterpay Limited's 1,300. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Afterpay Limited and PhonePe headquartered?
Afterpay Limited is headquartered in Australia and PhonePe is headquartered in India. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded Afterpay Limited and PhonePe?
Afterpay Limited was founded by Nick Molnar, Anthony Eisen. PhonePe was founded by Sameer Nigam, Rahul Chari, Burzin Engineer.
Which company has a longer operating history — Afterpay Limited or PhonePe?
Afterpay Limited has been operating for approximately 12 years, making it the more established of the two companies. PhonePe has been in operation for around 11 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Afterpay vs PhonePe overview