Vi Business Ready for Next, Covering over 2.5 Lakh MSMEs
• Introduces Financial Readiness as the fourth pillar of assessment, beyond Digital Customer, Digital Workplace and Digital Operations
• Women-led MSMEs show strong digital progress, outperforming male led businesses
• 46.3% of Indian MSMEs have adopted cyber defence solutions to counter rising online threats
As India rapidly emerges as a global destination for AI adoption and a data centre hub, the growing MSME sector that contributes over 31 percent of the GDP, is accelerating its adoption. The latest edition of the VI Business MSME Growth Insights Study 2026, found that 57% of surveyed enterprises view AI as a core tool that can enhance and accelerate business growth, with 25% of enterprises having already integrated AI in their business practices and operational workflows.
The study maps insights from Vi Business's 'ReadyForNext' platform- India's largest digital advisory for small and medium businesses that engaged with over 2.5 lakh MSMEs across 16 sectors. This year, the Digital Maturity Index (DMI) increased to 60.8, up from 58.0 in 2025 and 55.9 in 2023. The study further identifies three technology vectors that will shape the next phase of MSME scale - AI to drive productivity and decision-making, SaaS-led workplace collaboration to enable scalable operations, and cybersecurity to build trust, resilience and business continuity.
Key highlights from the report include:
· Cybersecurity Adoption: Nearly half (46.3%) of Indian MSMEs have adopted cyber defence solutions to counter rising online threats, acting as a major driver for the country's overall DMI growth
· India's entrepreneurial landscape shows strong digital progress, with women-led MSMEs achieving a DMI of 61.6 and male-led businesses reporting 60.4. The sharp rise in digital maturity from 58 in 2025 to 60.8 in 2026 underscores how entrepreneurs are increasingly leveraging digital technologies to drive business growth, improve operational efficiency and build resilient enterprises.
· Digital Workplace has emerged as the fastest growing pillar of transformation, rising from 57.5 in 2023 to 65.7 in 2026, reflecting growing adoption of workplace collaboration platforms, productivity suites, HRMS solutions and digital ways of working. Digital Operations also recorded strong progress, increasing from 56.5 to 62.0 during the same period, as MSMEs increasingly leveraged technology to streamline processes, improve efficiency and strengthen business resilience.
To turn these digital gains into sustainable business growth, Vi Business has expanded its ReadyForNext assessment by introducing Financial Readiness. Serving as the fourth pillar alongside Digital Maturity, Digital Workplace, and Digital Operations, the Financial Readiness pillar will benchmark MSMEs funding readiness and risk coverage awareness. This strategic addition will allow next year’s study to map how effectively Indian enterprises are converting digital tools into financial strength.
Speaking on the occasion M P Sunil Kumar, Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Vodafone Idea Limited. said "India's MSMEs are moving beyond basic digitisation towards building intelligent, secure, and future-ready enterprises. The growing adoption of AI, rising digital maturity levels, and increasing investments in workplace and operational technologies reflect a perceptible shift. By collaborating with global tech giants, Vi Business is scaling its capabilities to provide solutions across cloud, security, communication and other enterprise solutions leading to measurable, impactful outcomes. By introducing the Financial Readiness Pillar, we aim to provide an all-inclusive ecosystem blueprint that helps small and medium size businesses evaluate their resilience, secure funding, and scale sustainably in a highly competitive global market."
Addendum – Detailed insights of the Vi Business MSME Study:
Sectoral Rankings & Digital Evolution: Digital maturity continued to improve across sectors, although the pace of transformation varied significantly. Financial Services emerged as India's most digitally mature sector with a DMI of 67.3, overtaking IT & ITeS (66.2), while Transportation (63.6), Energy & Utilities (62.9) and Tourism & Hospitality (62.0) also ranked among the leading sectors.
• Looking at the longer-term trend since the study's inception in 2023, Financial Services recorded the strongest improvement since 2023, gaining 14.3 points, driven by widespread adoption of digital payments, online onboarding, customer engagement platforms and cybersecurity solutions. Retail emerged as the second-most improved sector, recording a 9.9-point increase in DMI from 52 to 61.9, reflecting growing adoption of omnichannel engagement, digital payments and online customer acquisition channels. IT & ITeS (+7.2 points), Tourism & Hospitality (+7.0 points) and Energy & Utilities (+6.9 points) also registered strong gains, supported by increasing adoption of AI, cloud technologies, workplace collaboration tools, smart infrastructure and digital service platforms.
• Despite this progress, digital transformation remains uneven across sectors. Manufacturing, Agriculture, Telecom, Logistics, Mining, Media & Entertainment and Professional Services continue to lag in digital maturity growth, highlighting opportunities for deeper technology adoption, capability building and digital enablement across India's MSME ecosystem.
Regional and State Highlights: The study points to an uneven digital transformation landscape across the country. While South and West India continue to dominate the digital maturity rankings, no Eastern state features among the top ten digitally mature MSME ecosystems, underscoring the need for greater technology adoption, digital enablement and ecosystem support across emerging business centres in the region.
• Andhra Pradesh entered the Top 10 rankings for the first time, a significant marker of digital adoption spreading beyond established tech hubs into emerging MSME markets
• Telangana (68.3) and Karnataka (65.7) emerged as India's most digitally mature MSME ecosystems, followed by Maharashtra (65.2), Kerala (63.7) and Gujarat (62.8)
• Maharashtra recorded the highest digital maturity among women-led MSMEs
• Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Delhi emerged as the top states for AI adoption and intent among MSMEs
• Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana reported the highest adoption of cybersecurity solutions
• Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala led in the use of digital payments for business transactions
• Telangana recorded the highest Digital Maturity Index in Manufacturing, while Maharashtra led in Financial Services and Haryana topped the rankings in IT & ITeS
Among the overall key takeaways from the report, it was found that four-fifths of MSMEs are now online in some form, with over 35% having their own websites. However, there exist certain gaps, such as one-fifth of MSMEs still being fully offline and a significant chunk without a website presence.
To read more Download the ReadyForNext MSME growth Insights Study 2026: https://www.myvi.in/content/dam/vodafoneideadigital/business/msme/RFN5.0-Vi.pdf
To Take the ReadyForNext assessment please click here: https://www.myvi.in/business/enterprise-segments/smb/msme-readyfornext-digital-assessment
About Vodafone Idea Limited
Vodafone Idea Limited is an Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group partnership. It is amongst India’s leading telecom service providers. The company holds a large spectrum portfolio including mid band 5G spectrum in 17 circles and mmWave spectrum in 16 circles. The Company provides Voice and Data services across 2G, 4G and 5G platforms and is expanding 5G services across 17 circles. To support the growing demand for data and voice, the Company is committed to delivering delightful customer experiences and contributing towards creating a truly ‘Digital India’ by enabling millions of citizens to connect and build a better tomorrow. The Company is developing infrastructure to introduce newer and smarter technologies, making both retail and enterprise customers future ready with innovative offerings, conveniently accessible through an ecosystem of digital channels as well as extensive on-ground presence. The Company’s equity shares are listed on National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the BSE in India. For more information, please visit: www.MyVi.in
About Vi Business:
Vi Business, the enterprise arm of Vodafone Idea Limited, is committed to providing innovative Telecom solutions that empower businesses across India. With a focus on connectivity, cloud, IoT, communication and security, Vi Business aims to be at the forefront of technological advancements that drive growth and efficiency. For more information, visit: www.myvi.in/business
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