The fee to be paid by network participants on the ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) network could initially work out to about 1% of the transaction value and be lowered progressively as transaction volumes pick up, according to industry sources.

Network participants, or the buyer and seller apps, are expected to pass on the fee to vendors and consumers, according to the thinking among participants. The proceeds will be utilised to maintain the ONDC protocol.

Meanwhile, Dun and Bradstreet has agreed to assign a D-U-N-S number for sellers on the ONDC protocol. D-U-N-S is a unique multi-digit identifier which would facilitate consumers’ purchases.

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The average number of daily transactions on the ONDC network is currently around 200 having gone up from 30-40 a day in December. Sources said some B2B vendors are expected to join the protocol soon, possibly within a month.

ONDC now has close to 37 network participants and more than 20,000 merchants, while close to 100 network participants are in various stages of integration. The current set of vendors is primarily from verticals such as food, textiles and fashion; other verticals with fewer vendors include home décor and beauty. While mobility is now available in Kochi, it could soon become available in Bengaluru and Kolkata, sources said.

Among the current crop of network participants, around 18 are seller apps, half a dozen are logistics players while the remaining are buyer apps like Paytm and IDFC FirstBank. Kotak Mahindra Bank and PhonePe are among the buyer apps that are currently in the process of integrating with the system, sources said.

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Last Friday, Amazon said it will integrate its logistics network — from pick-up to delivery — and SmartCommerce services with ONDC. This would enable MSMEs onboard the ONDC network. The network is currently in the beta phase and has conducted pilots in select cities. So far, the transactions on ONDC in cities like Bengaluru have been restricted to very few vendors and consumers. In August, last year, the Small Industries and Development Bank of India (SIDBI) agreed to onboard its large eco-system of MSMEs on the network.