Blog

In June this year, the Reserve Bank of India issued a notification to fintech players that sent shockwaves across the entire fintech ecosystem. The central bank notified all non-bank PPI (prepaid payment instruments) issuers to stop loading their wallets and cards through credit lines. “Any non-compliance in this regard may attract penal action under provisions contained in the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007,” the notification stated.

The announcement came as a blow to many digital lending startups, including Jupiter, EarlySalary and KreditBee, who reportedly halted such transactions via their prepaid cards.

This is not the first time that the RBI has come down heavily on the fintech industry. The clouds of regulatory uncertainties are always hovering over fintech, causing operational hiccups every now and then. Earlier in February, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed a 30% tax on income from cryptocurrencies, the highest tax band ever. 

Add to this the fear of a funding winter, global economic slowdown and skyrocketing inflation and one is forced to wonder if India’s fintech bubble has finally burst. But the answer is not as cut and dried as everyone thinks as data points to an otherwise promising picture. Consider this: In Q1 2022, the fintech sector raised $1.77 Bn across 81 deals, a whopping 155% increase in value compared to the year-ago period (Q1 2021) and a 45% rise since Q4 2021. 

Six months into 2022, fintech startups raised more than $3 Bn across 153 deals. Clearly, they have captured the attention of marquee investors like Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital and 3one4 Capital, who are pouring millions of dollars into these startups. 

For India’s fintech landscape, it is nothing short of a Dickensian twist – it is the best of times and it is the worst of times.

However, we cannot turn a Nelson’s eye to some pertinent questions that are bound to impact fintechs in one way or another. Can the fintech industry emerge stronger from the global downturn? How are the industry players navigating regulatory setbacks? Will fintech pave the way for India’s financial inclusion?

It is crucial to find these answers, and who would know the good and the bad of the fintech sector other than the investors, founders and product minds driving India’s fintech revolution?

After hosting the second edition of The Makers Summit, India’s largest product conference, in April, we are back with our maiden fintech conference, the Inc42 Fintech Summit.

Presented in partnership with Slack, Akamai, Manipal Technologies and Beams Fintech Fund, the two-day virtual event will be held on July 1 and 2. It will bring together more than 60 founders and leaders from the fintech community to decode the hottest trends, opportunities and challenges of the trillion-dollar fintech industry. 

Register Now

Join a host of dignitaries such as TV Mohandas Pai, chairman of Aarin Capital Partners; Dr Amar Patnaik, Rajya Sabha MP (BJD) and member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance; former SEBI chairman UK Sinha and many more industry stalwarts.

At the Inc42 Fintech Summit, founders and leaders of unicorns such as Open’s cofounder and COO Mabel Chacko; Oxyzo Financial’s CEO Ruchi Kalra and Nithin Kamath, founder and CEO of Zerodha, will also be covering the latest trends surrounding fintech. Also expect soonicorn leaders, including Jupiter’s Jitendra Gupta, Harshvardhan Lunia of Lendingkart and INDmoney’s Ashish Kashyap, to get down to the nitty-gritty of the fintech ecosystem.

Fireside Chats With Industry Moguls

How will the rules and regulations redefine Indian fintechs? Do stakeholders see the central bank as a vigilant watchdog or a guiding star? How can industry players align innovative techniques with the regulatory framework? More importantly, how will forward-thinking policies bolster the growth of the fintech industry? 

During a fireside chat, our speakers – UK Sinha and Siddarth Pai, founding partner of 3one4 Capital – will explore these questions. 

These fireside chats have been designed to help our participants get a sneak peek at what the top stakeholders think and delve deep into the actionable insights to help players navigate the regulatory challenges easily.

Globally, India accounts for the highest number of fintech adopters. And the bigger the total addressable market (TAM), the more challenging it is to map consumer behaviour and their journeys in Tier 1/Tier 2 cities and rural India. In a fireside chat titled Decoding The Real Fintech TAM In India, Zerodha’s Nithin Kamath and Posist’s Aashish Tulsian will look into the actual addressable base for fintech services in India, how players can tap into new audiences, the segments within the BFSI space and more.

Masterclasses And Keynotes: Lessons For Keeps

What is the future of the fintech industry in India? Will global giants continue to dictate the future of tech? Can AI democratise India’s fintech opportunity? Trust Padma Shri awardee and Aarin Capital Partners chairman TV Mohandas Pai to answer these questions during his keynote address at the Inc42 Fintech Summit 2022.

Tune in to the masterclass of Dean Houari, director of security, technology and strategy, APJ at Akamai Technologies, to know how fintech players can ensure data security, and protect sensitive information from cyberattacks. He will also discuss where most of these attacks frequently surface and share some helpful advice with fintech players on the cybersecurity capabilities required for different stages of digital maturity.

These hands-on masterclasses and keynote sessions will allow our attendees to interact with some of the leading names in fintech and get insights from their first-hand experiences. 

Register Now

Panel Discussions: Know The Hottest Market Trends And Topics

There is no denying that the pandemic created a frothy market situation in the initial days. Now that startup valuations are correcting not only in India but across the globe, most of the sectors are feeling the impact. In May this year, fintech funding in India slumped by 75% MoM. But the key question is: How will this downturn play out for fintech startups? Should fintechs focus more on expanding their user base or growing their revenue? Is it a good time to go for an IPO? 

Catch SALT’s cofounder Shinjini Kumar; Mukesh P Kalra, founder and CEO of ET Money; Prime Venture Partners’ Sanjay Swamy, India Quotient’s Anand Lunia and Posist’s Ashish Tulsian delving deep into the scope and potential of fintechs in a candid, unscripted live session at the Inc42 Fintech Summit. 

But there’s more!

Join Oxyzo Financial’s Ruchi Kalra, Kinara Capital’s Hardika Shah, Alok Mittal from Indifi and other prominent speakers as they explore the role of lending tech in boosting the growth of India’s SMBs, what the country’s open credit enablement network (OCEN) means for e-lending players, how the economic downturn will affect credit flow and a lot more.

Other panel discussions will feature a star-studded lineup of speakers, A91 Partners’ Kaushik Anand, Transak’s cofounder and CTO Yeshu Agarwal and Plum’s Abhishek Poddar, to name a few.

As many as 60+ speakers will discuss, agree, differ and share their experiences across 20 sessions on two parallel stages as they talk about some of the hottest trends and issues, crippling challenges and exciting opportunities for India’s fintech industry. 

If you are a fintech founder, entrepreneur, investor, policymaker or simply a fintech enthusiast curious to learn the ins and outs of the industry, it is time to block the dates and book your seat.

Register Now