E-commerce platform Flipkart has secured a lending licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), allowing it to offer loans directly to customers and sellers on its platform, a report has said.

This is the first time that the RBI has granted a large e-commerce player in the country a non-bank finance company (NBFC) licence, news agency Reuters reported.

Though e-commerce platforms offer loans in tie-ups with banks and NBFCs, the latest move allows Flipkart to lend directly.

However, the RBI has allowed the e-commerce platforms permission to only offer loans, not take deposits.