Fintech Report 2019
Fintech Report 2019
Fintech Report 2019
SUMMARY
INDIA
FINTECH
REPORT
2019
VIEW THE LAST PAGE OF THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE FULL REPORT
INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Dear readers,
It is evident that great strides have been made – and continue to be made – in India’s FinTech sector. There
should be no doubt that the progress made in FinTech in collaboration with banks can be a key driver of India’s
growth story. The report you are about to read will serve as a testimony of this. I’m very pleased to write the
foreword to this timely and important research effort – the India FinTech Report. We are blessed to live in an
era where both the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the government are driving innovation-led policies for the
digitization of payments. Let me begin with an overview of what the future holds for technology platforms like
UPI in the FinTech innovation journey that India is traversing with confidence.
The Indian digital payments market has significantly grown over the years. Convenience coupled with security
is the mantra that all digital payment solutions, including UPI, have adopted. NPCI has always endeavored to
be the prime mover in the transition to an economy that is more digital and less cash-intensive. In December
2018, UPI transactions increased 25% from 2017, crossing the one-lakh-crore mark. With UPI 2.0 well-poised
to achieve the 'Digital India' vision for payments as put forth by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the
Government of India, NPCI remains committed to collaborating with banks and startups within the FinTech
ecosystem. Going forward, RuPay/National Common Mobility Card and UPI are geared towards increasing
the acceptance and usage of digital payments by the larger population in India.
Online payments in India have only been increasing, driven by the growth in the number of smartphone users
across the country and coupled with favorable mobile service regulations. We at NPCI take pride in the
services we offer, including Bharat BillPay, National Electronic Toll Collection, and National Automated Clear-
ing House. Through these services, we aim at gaining increased trust in our systems and processes from both
customers and merchants.
The India FinTech Report you are about to read dives deep into broader FinTech segments and will provide
valuable insights into domains including, but not limited to, Payments, Lending, WealthTech, InsurTech, and
Corporate Banking. Within each segment, you will find that in-depth research has been conducted to produce
an accurate picture of what is currently happening in these segments, looking closely at trends, innovative
business & tech models, inhibitors, and challenges.
Another interesting aspect of this report is the section on what lies beyond banking solutions. FinTech, as you
would know, is leveraged by and has had an impact on more than just payments and other banking processes.
‘Beyond Banking,’ accordingly, gives due importance to other verticals such as AgriTech, PropTech, Health-
Tech, RegTech, blockchain, and cybersecurity as well as what is happening at their intersection with financial
services.
In India, the FinTech startup ecosystem can no longer be classified as merely ‘emerging.’ It is experiencing
rapid growth in collaboration with banks, supported by a large market base in a landscape that is driven by
innovation. It is important, therefore, to acknowledge and encourage such a report that will help the industry at
large through its in-depth insights on a variety of topics, and provide significant value to a range of stakehold-
ers including banks, startups, investors, universities, students, technologists, and government bodies. It
sheds light on not only the progress that has been made so far but also elaborates on key challenges that lie
ahead and looks at what possibilities the future holds for this sector. Like many other countries, India should
have a FinTech policy to provide strategic direction for the ecosystem. This report can provide valuable inputs
to the government and the regulator while helping to shape the global FinTech agenda going forward.
I hope you will enjoy going through this and make good use of the insights herein.
Best wishes,
DILIP ASBE
MD & CEO
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)
MEDICI has a rich volume of information in both quantitative and qualitative forms, curated through our
industry analysis and market engagement initiatives. In the secondary research process, we
conducted an in-depth study of the Indian FinTech landscape, understanding the key stakeholders, drivers,
trends, challenges, and opportunities. The key sources referred for the secondary research process spanned
from company & industry reports, press releases, government & other official sources, national & international
databases, and our partners like CleverTap, Mumbai FinTech Hub, RupeePower, Signzy, Riskcovry, Faircent,
Paysense, TallyX, PayNearby, SME Corner, M1 Exchange and many other partners who facilitated valuable
data-driven insights.
Primary research formed the most crucial source of information gathering for this study. It
complemented the secondary research with insights from industry veterans in Payment, Lending, Insurance,
Wealth Management, and Corporate Banking segments. Over 50 interviews in the span of three months were
conducted with industry experts to gain most updated and valuable insights on segments covered in the
report.
The qualitative & quantitative findings and insights from these research stages were curated by MEDICI
analysts to present a comprehensive view of the FinTech landscape. These were further refined through
MEDICI experts’ segment and ecosystem insights that have been developed through years of deeply tracking
the developments and bringing together the ecosystem.
This summary provides snippets from the full Indian FinTech Report 2019, which comprises over 100 pages of
valuable insights.
India’s Evolution as a
Progressive FinTech Nation (1/2)
FinTech is able to offer or help offer better financial services experience to the customers. This is usually
driven by data (more data, better data) and automated/efficient systems using technology. FinTech
startups usually offer much better UX/UI and create highly customized & personalized products.
FinTech also helps to lower costs. E.g., It helped to make a significant breakthrough in the state of
international remittances. The fall in the cost of sending international payments over the last 5–6 years,
driven by the entrance of new, cheaper alternatives, has saved customers billions of dollars.
In contrast, banks’ digital push globally is marred by their legacy core banking systems which are the
biggest inhibitor/challenge in them building FinTech propositions rapidly. Banking’s Achilles’ heel is the
"core" as described by Citibank’s global report last year. Indian banks are much more agile and aggres-
sive than a lot of their counterparts. It is interesting to see numerous partnerships with FinTechs as well
as the launch of new brands (some with new cores) such as Kotak 811 and SBI Yono. digibank by DBS
India has also received a good response from the market. ICICI Bank powering a neobank called Open is
also quite an interesting move.
India’s evolution as a progressive FinTech nation is not a miracle. It happened at the back of executing a
four-point approach. Firstly, solving for identity in the form of Aadhaar for formalization. Secondly,
getting everyone a bank account or equivalents (PMJDY) to store money. Thirdly, building scalable
platform(s) to move money (IMPS, UPI, etc.). And finally, allowing banks and FinTechs and wealth/insur-
ance/lending players also to access platform like UPI to innovate. This framework has led India to a
FinTech revolution.
India’s FinTech story will be incomplete without talking about the governmental push, which we discuss
later in detail. Drives such as demonetization proved to be a blessing in disguise for digital transactions
in general and those FinTech companies that were able to take advantage of it in particular.
Albeit, this FinTech revolution has to also become a financial inclusion revolution – and that is a much
more difficult task. Small wins won't make much of a difference to improve the quality of life for under-
banked communities and people. To understand this, let's look at India 1, India 2 and especially India 3
(more than a billion people with lower than $1.3K per capita). While FinTech has made an impact on
India 1 and to some extent in India 2, for financial inclusion we need to cater to India 3 as well. So far, we
don't see the impact of FinTech in India 3 except a few companies like Kaleidofin, Eko financial services,
Jai kisan, Gramcover, and Aye Finance. Most startups don't operate in that segment.
While we have made great progress in formalization with digital ID and the ability to transact (access)
with the ID and payment rails, we must bring the costs down using technology and create incentives
(and education) for India 3 to use digital money and FinTech.
Safaricom’s mobile-money platform M-Pesa reached an estimated 96% of households in Kenya and is
credited with lifting at least 200,000 Kenyan households out of poverty. Yet we have a long way to go.
India’s Evolution as a
Progressive FinTech Nation (2/2)
Could FinTech be the solution? At scale, FinTech looks promising from penetration perspective. Indian
mobile wallet Paytm has more than 200 million users, including women and rural families that can now
participate in the digital economy. Paytm also has over 9 million acceptance points (QR codes) which
makes it ubiquitous (relatively).
FinTech startups are also better suited to cater to more than 60 million SMEs in this country. FinTech
startups offer solutions that are efficient and effective at a lower scale, that benefit SMEs by providing
them with increased access to more diverse funding options.
Large tech companies are getting super-interested in FinTech. GAFAM-BAT (Google, Apple, Facebook,
Amazon, Microsoft, Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) and the Flipkart/WhatsApp/Truecallers of the world are
using their tech brainpower, user base, and data to offer superior financial services experiences. The
onslaught has started in many countries including India. We expect some or most of them to offer a
whole array of financial services similar to banks in India and also acquire licenses as and when neces-
sary.
This report is focused on the 2035 FinTech startups as shown below. While some of the segments like
Payments and Lending are flush with activity, we need to make progress in areas such as Blockchain,
Cybersecurity, and InsurTech. Table below shows the break up by segments.
1500
1000
500
0
US INDIA UK SINGAPORE GERMANY
In 2015–16, India had more number of new FinTech startups being founded than
any other country (except China*). Globally, the US and India have been at par over
the last four years in terms of new FinTech startups founded in a particular year.
The resurgence of FinTech in India can be largely attributed to several factors such as the govern-
ment’s pro-digitization and pro-startup initiative (Startup India program). In the past couple of
years, India’s economic and business environment has shown great acceptance and potential for a
FinTech revolution. There is a huge top-down push from the government for the adoption of digital
payments. The demonetization in November 2016 was the focal point around which Paytm and
other players gained prominence. In the last few years, there have been several exciting innovations
in this space, such as UPI, Aadhaar for eKYC, BharatQR for QR-based payments, biometric
payments (AEPS), e-wallets by 50+ banks, payment banks & sound-wave-based payments for rural
engagements, and last-mile connectivity. These innovations highlight the fact that India is carving
out a niche for itself in low-cost, large-value, FinTech-driven innovation that is focused on urban
and rural segments alike.
196
New Delhi
116
Gurugram
428
Mumbai 125
Hyderabad
432
Bengaluru
POS/MOBILE POS
MOBILE/DIGITAL WALLET
PROXIMITY PAYMENTS
PAYMENT GATEWAYS
P2P PAYMENTS
PAYMENTS
SOFTWARE/WHITELABEL/APIS
375
Companies
INSURTECH
INTERNET OF THINGS CLAIMS ONLINE FIRST
108 INSURANCE
Companies
SOFTWARE/WHITELABEL/APIS
AGGREGATORS/POLICY MANAGEMENT
These are not as per any ranking or score. These have been randomly picked up from the MEDICI Database.
Copying or distribution without written permission is prohibited 8
INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
P2P LENDING
SME FINANCING
LENDING OTHERS
338
Companies
ROBO ADVISORS
INVESTMENT PLATFORMS
These are not as per any ranking or score. These have been randomly picked up from the MEDICI Database.
Copying or distribution without written permission is prohibited 9
India FinTech Funding
Analysis
Total VC/PE Funding (India, 2018 ) = $1.83 Billion
Number of VC/PE Deals (India, 2018 ) = 165
800.0 80
708.94
700.0 67 70
600.0 60
529.67
500.0 50
400.0
377.89 40
300.0
23 30
21
17 11
200.0 20
122.26
100.0 10
36.54
0 0
Payments Lending InsurTech B2B Others
FinTech
The total amount doesn't include undisclosed deals, i.e., 27 deals. Doesn't include debt funding, convertible bonds,
grants, ICOs, and IPOs. Microfinance institutes and NBFCs which operate via a branch-led model are not included.
LENDING OTHERS
LendingKart (Series C, February, $87M) QwikCilver (Digital Cards, Series A, July, $10M)
NeoGrowth (Series E, Jan, $47M) Sequretek (Cyber Security, Series A, Sep, $3.7M)
INSURTECH
PolicyBazaar (Series F, June, $200M)
Digit (Series A, July, $44M)
250 9Cr 12 3
Startups Funds Disbursed Ventures Global
connected to in terms of grants, incubated in the corridors
MH reimbuersments accelerator established
and events program
10 10 40+
Education Government Industry
institution POC initiated partner
tie-ups collaborations
Corporate Partners
Segment-wise
Overview
Lending
Digital lending FinTechs are targeting the unmet demand from Indian MSMEs as well as consumers
for credit. Many banks in India have so far focused on highly credit-worthy segments primarily due
to lack of credit history of others. The traditional ways of banking approve only ~25 to 40% of the
loan applications. However, with access to more data for credit scoring such as transaction, behav-
ior, app-based data, location information, social data, and others, these new lending models are
aiming to increase this threshold by additional 10 – 15% which is a huge market opportunity. From a
small segment few years ago, today India has about 338 lending startups.
In consumer credit, the urban population is likely to leverage FinTech lending services to avoid
heavy documentation, and the rural population (which is new to credit) can benefit from alternative
credit scoring mechanisms to stay away from loan sharks. This would provide access to a market
with over 300 million unbanked households. Hence, Identity, authentication, credit score, job
eligibility, social data to generate ratings for various use cases is likely to draw more attention in
near-term.
UNDERWRITING APPROACHES
India Stack: The setting up of open API platforms Absence of Mandatory Aadhar Linkage:
DRIVERS
like Aadhaar, UPI, Bharat Bill Payments, GSTN, etc. Supreme court’s Aadhar verdict will give rise to
have given a much required boost to the data-depen- inefficient and costly onboarding process, thereby
dent lending space. hampering customer experience
Shift in Consumer Demands: Millennials, being Collections: The recent suspension of
digital natives, prefer mobile and online channel of eKYC-based eMandate will create hurdles as the
transactions. So an interactive user interface, ease of digital lenders can no longer follow a automated
use, and automated services appeal the most to the loan collection model.
young consumers, thereby providing opportunities for
new-age lenders.
Innovative Operating Models: Digital lending in
INHIBITORS
InsurTech landscape is quite nascent in India at this stage. The current insurance penetration is quite low, i.e., 3.69%
as compared to the global average of 6.5%. The Indian InsurTech landscape is currently facing the biggest challenge,
i.e., customer mistrust.
Key benefits
Some of the ofkey
blockchain
areas that need based solutions:
to be developed for better adoption of digital insurance in India are AI/ML-based
underwriting assessment that can better assess the risk and improve the loss ratio.
FacilitateClaims
open Automation
account tradeandthrough
Fraud Prevention for improving Simplifying
efficiencytrade
and facilitation
reducing costand finance
and for
help mitigating risk.
end-to-end letter-of-credit
IoT-based preventiveprocess,
insurancee-that will result in proactive
small customer
and medium sized enterprises
engagement and premium & claims reductions
document for presentation,
both insurers and insureds.validation
document
The scope of IoT in Insurance goes way beyond telematics Linkage
andtocustomer
logisticsrisk
providers and avoiding
assessment. The advanced AI/ML and
Facilitate open account
predictive trade
analytics before have
capabilities and after double
the potential to drive financing.
insurance E.g.,aHong
towards Kong
proactive focusedmodel. Several
prevention
shipment. InsurTech players and
E.g., TradeIX, are working
Infosysto harness
Finacle this powereTradeConnect
that of IoT/AI.
use R3 Corda
Preventive Insurance Models Emerging Business Models Conversational UI Underwriting & Risk
Armed with the capabilities of The newer business models, such as The digital engagement via Management
EXAMPLES OF FINTECH
AI/ML, STARTUPS
predictive analytics, and microinsurance on-demand, are chatbots is gaining industry Using advanced technologies like
data captured by IoT-driven changing the nature of the momentum. Chatbots, in fact, big data, AI insurance companies
connected devices, InsurTech insurance industry by moving from bring better customer experience can leverage a data-driven,
players are exploring ways to make complex long-term insurance allowing insurance firms to deploy risk-scoring model thereby enabling
the most out of deep data insights products to short-term insurance distribution, claims, and customer help them to make better risk
and drive the transition from a products based on time, usage, and service. More specifically, chatbots coverage decisions across all lines of
reactive approach to proactive activity. The focus on the niche are helping in functions like businesses such as life & health,
prevention. Preventive insurance segments is driving this trend and general customer service retirement planning, commercial,
providers are gaining significant enabling the rise of innovative, questions, personalized product investment, etc. E.g., i3 Systems,
traction, across the entire tech-driven InsurTech players in recommendation, general Health Vector
insurance value chain from health these areas. E.g., Toffee Insurance questions from agents/brokers,
insurance to home/equip- direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales,
ment/transit/automotive claims, etc. E.g., Ask Arvi
insurance. Insurers are looking at
this prospect as a proactive
measure to reduce claims. E.g.,
Kruzr, Niramai, Carnot
Technologies
IoT-Powered Tracking Devices: The Internet of Things Opaqueness of Terms & Conditions: Terms & conditions
have always proven a challenge for the consumer; due to its
DRIVERS
India is quite low, it gives a huge opportunity to InsurTech tion is a daunting and challenging task.
startups to tap this segment and establish themselves as Lack of Awareness: The lack of awareness about
prominent names. insurance products, insufficient distribution networks, and
broken customer relationships pose serious challenges to
InsurTech startups that are entering the market.
WealthTech
The WealthTech Industry in India is at the cusp of a new era and the industry is witnessing the emer-
gence of startups with innovative technological and business models. Our database shows that there
are 442 startups active in India in the WealthTech space with personal finance management, digital
brokerage, financial research, and robo-advisors surfacing as some key segments in which these
startups are active. Growing personal wealth, increased adoption of mobile & digital channels, reduced
asymmetry of information between small & large financial institutions and investors, are some of the
factors propelling the industry forward. However, at the same time, low investor awareness and security
concerns are acting as inhibitors. Artificial intelligence would enable wealth managers in sentiment
analysis, offering customized products and robo-advisory services. We believe the wealth industry
would witness further growth in robo-advisory and crowdfunding platforms. AI would be further adopt-
ed in trading and regulatory compliance.
Global Overview: WealthTech In India, the technological Business model trends Digital brokers are
describes a new class of trends in WealthTech in India include online platforms and
financial technology compa- include digital onboard- discount broking software tools that aim
nies which are creating digital ing; robo-advisory; models, goals-based to facilitate access to
solutions to transform the personal finance man- investing, thematic stock market informa-
investment management agement apps; reduced investing, hybrid tion and investment.
industry. This includes both paperwork, tools for models, and e-com- E.g., Zerodha,
end investors and firms that wealth managers, etc. merce firms offering Upwardly
service them. The industry investment products.
can be broken down into Personal finance man- The growth of the
seven categories: agement applications AI is an enabler in wealth management
1. Robo-advisors provide a more structured WealthTech, which industry has been
2. Robo Retirement way of managing money. would help wealth encouraged by
3. Micro Investing E.g., Walnut, The Rite managers in offering machine learning and
4. Digital Brokerage Plan, AffordPlan, etc. customized products, artificial intelligence
5. Investing Tools classifying customers, techniques which
6. Portfolio Management etc. analyze patterns in
7. Financial Services Software market behavior and
E.g., Zerodha, Paytm Money, reduce the asymmetry
Groww, etc. of information
between financial
institutions.
(high-net-worth) and UHNW (ultra-high-net-worth) low about finance products (other than mutual
individuals. funds).
online platforms advising clients on investments. confidential information related to accounts and
finance.
Forward-Thinking Regulations: Regulations on
dematerialization of shares, allowing e-commerce Preference for Personal Touch: HNIs prefer to
players to enter the wealth management space, permit- meet their wealth managers for personalized
ting online MF transactions, and permitting investment advice.
in MFS via e-wallets and payment banks.
Payments
Digital payments has been the flag bearer of the The digital payments market in India is expected to
Indian FinTech space. In 2010, India launched its become a 1-trillion-dollar market by 2023.
first real-time payments systems ‘IMPS’ and intro- The mobile payments market is anticipated to
duced UPI in 2016. Beginning with India, interesting reach $190 billion by 2023 from $10 billion in
changes are beginning to happen globally in 2017–18.
payments as banks join hands (forming NPCI) to In 2017, the POS penetration in India doubled to 3
build common tech platforms such as UPI. There million POS’ from 1.5 million in 2016, thanks in part
are 375 Payment startups in the country. to demonetization. In comparison, Paytm has over 9
Mobile/digital wallets, gateways, POS/mobile POS million merchants in its network (and has ~200
subsegments account for over 50% of the payment million customers). In 2018, the total VC/PE funding
startups in India. across the payment space amounted to a total of
~$708 million.
1,800
undertaken several initiatives (like Cashless India) for still prefers to deal in cash, instead of adopting non-cash
pushing India towards a cashless economy. methods.
Increased Usage of UPI-Based Apps: Along with The lack of adequate infrastructure and limited
leading payment providers like Paytm and PhonePe, digital literacy are one of the major inhibitors of digital
the digital payments market is also being penetrated by payments technology.
INHIBITORS
the likes of Facebook (WhatsApp Pay) & Google (Tez). The lack of awareness of all the available digital
Increased Mobile & Internet Penetration: In 2018, payment options and lack of acceptance
the total number of smartphone users reached 340 infrastructure.
million. The number is expected to reach 442 million by Risk of security breaches and fraud.
2022.
Corporate Banking
Transaction Banking
KEY INSIGHTS
There is a gaping need for banks to Today, most of the MIS is disguised Further, the focus of corporate
collaborate with FinTechs in order as ‘analytics’ without much banking needs to graduate from
to address the siloed architecture value-add to new business genera- digitization (converting non-digital
of product-wise engagements tion or corporates. As a first step, data/workflows to electronic data
without necessarily providing a there is a tremendous need to streams) to being truly digital
360-degree view to either the streamline data across multiple (creating digital footprint across all
relationship/product managers or sub-systems (data science) before modes of engagement, including
the finance teams of enterprises. embarking on AI-based analytics onboarding, assessment, and
with a fundamental focus to provide servicing).
value-added service to the treasury
& finance teams of SMEs/corpo-
rates.
AgriTech
PropTech
AgriTech aims to use technolo- Insurance products that use Pay –as-you-go Savings platforms for
gy that can help agricul- blockchain based smart financing for Agri inputs. small farmer – these
ture-linked businesses operate contracts to directly pay out For example, FarMart players work on finan-
more efficiently. While AgriTech claims based on weather data and Ravgo in India cially inclusive ecosys-
startups have picked some validation. tem in rural communities
momentum fueled by the For example, Germany based Supply Chain with aim to streamline
government’s push, there is a ‘Etherisc’ for agriculture Interventions – financ- payments between
huge potential to use the data insurance and Ghana based ing of players in value various parties.
generated by technologies ‘Worldcover’ chain. For example SmartMon-
such as sensors, IoT-based For example, Samunnati ey in Uganda
monitoring, and satellite Alternative credit scoring and Arya
imaging for financial services. using indicators relevant to Satellite imaging.
Some of the most sought-after agriculture. - For Example, Real-time intelligence - For example,Credible
use cases at the intersection of Kenya based ‘FarmDrive’ uses on crops.
AgriTech and FinTech include: alternative datasets for credit For example, SatSure
scores
Data is the key enabler for the rising interest in the AgriTech sector. Increasing
capabilities to create new data around farmers, farms and regions, along with
DRIVERS
easy access and integration of available data, and evolution of advance algorithms AgriTechs require higher
such as AI and ML for analysis of patterns and real-time situations, are a boost to level of policy attention,
AgriTech segment public research, and
INHIBITORS
Demand-side drivers include population growth, rising income levels, investments to encourage
urbanizations, and increasing exports to pull overall agriculture demand use of technology in
farming
Government’s aim to double the farmers’ income by 2022 involves initiatives such
as increasing MSPs and crop insurance are providing required policy push
HealthTech leverages develop- Do it yourself or assisted Instant medical loans. New-age risk manage-
ments in digital technology to claims management For example, Healthfin ment solutions.
improve delivery, payments, and solutions. and Medfinin For example, Artivatic.ai,
effective consumption of For example Floatbot, GeneBox, Health
healthcare. In India, HealthTech Sureclaim, Zagg and others Predictive health Vectors, Wellthy
players are bullish on AI and IoT assessment that can Therapuetics and others
components in their solutions. IoT data based insurance. detect an early onset of
Insurance players are actively For example, GOQii’s disease. Marketplaces offering
seeking HealthTech integration to partnership with Max Bupa For example, Niramai, transparency in health-
enter into new/niche segments, that allows discounts on Fido.ai care pricing.
accelerate growth, improve premiums for customer with For example, LetsMD,
efficiencies, and customer healthy lifestyles Practo,
experience. Some of the key
areas where HealthTech and
financial services can collaborate
are:
Concerns surrounding
Increasing implementation of cloud computing across the healthcare facilities customer data safety,
that provides the opportunity for data accessibility. privacy, and data
Demand-side drivers include rising populations, increasing income, health protection regulations.
awareness, lifestyle diseases, and access to insurance.
INHIBITORS
Expanding healthcare industry, which is poised to double in size and reach $133 Shortage of digital savvy
billion by FY22, from $62 billion in FY17. skilled healthcare
workers
The Indian government’s push for healthcare access that includes recently
launched the Ayushman Bharat healthcare scheme (Sept. 2018).
Investors are attracted towards PropTech for its ability to deliver improvements in revenues through price
adjustments or improvement in tenant retention levels. It can also deliver bottom-line gains through better
space utilization, optimized marketing costs, lower utility bills, and others.
Indian PropTech startups are mostly focused on brokerage platforms, construction tech, sharing economy
and others. There is huge potential for startups that play at the intersection of PropTech and FinTech, such
as – investments platforms, mortgage valuations and risk, real estate data and analytics solutions,
blockchain-based registry, payments and transaction, and asset/portfolio management themes.
Startups around the globe are Life, home, property & casualty IoT, sensors based warning Lending – mortgage
exploring opportunities at the insurance, renters, disability, and systems that are useful for valuation and risk, P2P
intersection of PropTech and marriage insurance. insurance players. lending or crowdfunding
FinTech, which can facilitate For example, websites that offers For example Leakbot (UK), platforms.
some life, home and P&C that shuts off water pipes For example, Square Yard
receivables, financing, insurance,
insurance in packages when it detects leaks and that focuses on mortgage
and transfer of real estate asset trigger home emergency related financial services
ownership, which may include Tools that help real estate agents, insurance coverage
buildings, shares/funds, and debt to facilitate property tours, energy
or equity. While the Indian consumption monitoring. Rent receivable Asset rating for
PropTech market is skewed For example, FoyR, Ghar360, management. comparison.
towards online brokerage COMXR, and SmartVIZX For example, Paymatrix that For example, PropsAMC
platforms, some of the key areas tenants to pay rent on
where PropTech and financial Portfolio management including credit card, and offers loans Investment platforms.
services can collaborate are: listing data trackers, REITs for rent deposits For example, Propertyshare,
information Smartowner, and Realx
- For example, PropAMC that Blockchain based property
offers real estate management ownership record system.
suit for owners and agents For example, ChromaWay
Demand-side drivers include increasing income, rising Liquidity crunch for real estate sector,
population, urbanization, and overall economic growth. slow moving inventory, and high prices
INHIBITORS
Cybersecurity
The outlays for cybersecurity have been growing globally. Global banks have been facing relentless
cyberattacks. On Feb. 16, Bangladesh Bank lost $81 million in a cyberheist that targeted central bank
computers used to move funds. In India, Cosmos Bank was faced with a cyberattack, resulting in nearly
Rs 100 crore being siphoned off. On May 17, the Wannacry ransomware hit 150 countries around the
globe. India was the second-worst affected country in APAC in addition to being the fifth-worst affected
globally. India ranks fourth in online security breaches, which shows the importance of cybersecurity in
the country. In view of this, ReBIT was established (in 2016) by the RBI to improve the cyber resilience of
the Indian banking industry. In 2017, the Government of India announced its intention to set up
CERT-Fin. CERT-Fin will work closely with all financial sector regulators and stakeholders on the issue of
cybersecurity. Indian startups active in the cybersecurity space provide products and solutions related
to firewall analysis, prioritized threat scoring, detection of anomalous users, protection against zero-day
threats, protection against ransomware/malware attacks, managed security, etc. Cybersecurity is as
much an opportunity as it is a threat. Banks can re-examine their cyber defense, startups can get
business opportunities, and the government can upgrade their cyber warfare unit.
Cybersecurity is the protection Data from the RBI shows that between Initiatives by the RBI: In 2016, Reserve
of internet-connected systems, April 1, 2014 to June 30, 2017 banks Bank Information Technology Pvt. Ltd.
including hardware, software & lost Rs. 252 crore to cybercrime, i.e., Rs (ReBIT) was set up by the Reserve Bank of
data, from cyberattacks. Global 88,553 every hour on an average. Banks India (RBI) to take care of the IT
businesses recorded almost 30 face systemic challenges related to requirements including the cybersecurity
million significant security cybersecurity and the need to increase needs of the Reserve Bank and its
breaches in 2013. Typically, investments in technology & processes. regulated entities.
cybersecurity startups provide
various services including Solutions to Better Manage Cyber Initiatives by the Government:
threat detection and Risks: In 2017, the government of India
Identification, protection, 1. Integrated security as against layered announced its intention to set up a
recovery solutions, and defense Computer Emergency Response Team for
response solutions. E.g., Taqbit 2. Prioritize risk-based security the financial sector (CERT-Fin). It is
uses an API-based Quantum 3. Become smarter with machine recommended that CERT-Fin will collect,
Technology which provides: learning & big data analytics analyze, and disseminate information on
1. Cybersecurity attack 4. Investing in next-generation, cyber incidents in the financial sectors in
prevention end-point protection addition to forecasting and sending alerts.
2. Highly secured platform for 5. Protect information along with It will also take emergency measures
data privacy. systems 6. Respond & recover against cyber incidents.
capabilities
7. Strategic denial & deception
DRIVERS
Continued growth in digital payments, which also Inadequate budgets for cybersecurity.
increases the risk of cyberattacks. Poor identity and access management.
Regtech
With the advent of the global financial crisis, a plethora of regulations was imposed on banks and financial
institutions. The regulations increased the cost of compliance for these institutions substantially as they
needed to expand their compliance head counts to tackle the regulatory expectations. Globally, banks are
now shelling out in excess of $270 billion per year on compliance and regulatory obligations. Against this
backdrop, RegTech emerges as a solution. RegTech solutions are not yet fully evolved in India; however, it
is likely to grow further due to growing compliance requirements for banks and financial institutions. Our
database shows there are 53 startups in India in the RegTech space providing varied solutions like digital
onboarding, fraud prevention, ID authentication, ID management, insight generation from structured data,
digital signature, etc. RegTech would find increased usage in KYC/AML compliance. A working group
formed by the Reserve Bank of India has recommended introducing a “regulatory sandbox" to foster
financial technology innovation in India and a standalone data protection law in the country.
RegTech is a sub-set of FinTech and In India, one of the focus areas is RegTech Future Outlook:
refers to the use of new technologies to in KYC/AML.
solve regulatory and compliance RegTech in KYC/AML: RegTech can Regulatory Sandbox: A ‘sandbox’ is a
requirements more effectively and help banks in reaching compliance more hub where regulators enable a limited
efficiently. The following issues in quickly and at a lower cost. To facilitate rollout of new products to customers.
compliance and regulatory reporting KYC/AML, select regulators are estab- This is done to ensure that a new
could benefit from the development of lishing a centralized identity database. product does not pose any risk to
RegTech solutions: E.g., Aadhaar in India, which uses consumers or to the stability of the
1. Risk data aggregation biometric and facial recognition for sector. A working group formed by the
2. Modeling scenario analysis & efficient KYC. Reserve Bank of India has recommend-
forecasting Signzy: Signzy is a startup in the ed introducing a regulatory sandbox.
3. Monitoring payments transactions RegTech space. It offers digital onboard- This concept has already been imple-
4. Identification of clients & legal persons ing solutions for banks, NBFCs, and other mented in the UK and is underway in
5. Monitoring a financial institution’s financial institutions. It provides nearly 20 countries around the world at
internal culture & behavior bank-grade digital KYC in real time, various stages of development.
6. Trading in financial markets algorithmic risk intelligence for satisfac-
7. Identifying new regulations. tory background due diligence, and
secured digital contacts enabled by
biometrics.
DRIVERS
Growing compliance and regulatory requirements for Less awareness about RegTech solutions; scarcity
banks and financial institutions. of talent having relevant technological skillsets as
well as domain-specific knowledge of regulations;
Digital onboarding by banks and FIs using eKYC since it
banks tend to focus on revenue-generating
reduces costs and brings effectiveness.
INHIBITORS
DIGITAL TRANSACTIONS
Digital Transactions offer a massive opportunity and can spur the financial inclusion journey in India as it lowers the
cost of financial services that are being provided to the poor along with increased convenience and security.
Innovative technology is the way forward for increasing digital transactions as it not only reduces costs but can also
lead to increased distribution. Since India is home to more than 600,000 villages and it is not feasible to open a
“brick-and-mortar” bank in all of them; technology plays a vital role in including the unbanked population in the
formal banking system via mobile/branchless banking. Innovative technology and business models like prepaid
cash cards, UPI, Aadhaar-enabled payment services, mobile wallets, NFCs, mobile banking apps, and QR codes will
play a major role in convincing people to go cashless. It can also be leveraged for providing wages, utility transac-
tions, payments for agricultural goods, etc. For example, as per NPCI, the total number of approved transactions
that were carried out by AePS in 2018 was 1.48 billion, which is a clear indicator how such innovative tech can be
adopted for financial inclusion.
FINTECH PLAYERS
FinTech players like Kaleidofin, Eko financial services, Jai kisan, Gramcover, Aye Finance, etc. have started to tap
the untapped underserved population in India and are working on facilitating the rapid adoption of financial services
like day-to-day mobile payments, alternative lending to small business & end-customers, etc.
As a result, due to the innovations mentioned above, rural consumers are starting to accept mobile phone wallets
and UPI platforms like Paytm, MobiKwik, Ola Money, etc. In addition, a few alternative lending players like Lending-
Kart, Faircent, and Kissht have also started to tap the underserved population of India. Recently, the Union Govern-
ment announced its plan to establish 100,000 digital villages in the next five years. These digital villages will lead to
the generation of alternative data that can be leveraged by digital lenders to unlock wealth and create loan
portfolios.
The report translates findings on these segment into recommendations for innovators,
policymakers, financial services players and other stakeholders in the fintech ecosystem.
With this report, we intend to drive a deeper understanding of the core FinTech segments
and spark discussions about opportunities in emerging areas, where both the innovators
and the financial services industry can benefit through collaboration.
2019
Global Contacts
Aditya Khurjekar Lloyd Layton
CEO, Founder, MEDICI Head of Sales, Americas, MEDICI
[email protected] [email protected]
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