Fintech Report 2019

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EXECUTIVE

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

Foreword by Mr. Dilip Asbe (MD & CEO, NPCI)

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)

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

India FinTech Report 2019


Research Methodology
The India FinTech Report is a comprehensive study based on MEDICI’s proprietary FinTech data of over
13,000 startups, deep market intelligence derived from years of tracking the FinTech industry, and secondary
research which was refined through brain-storming sessions and in-depth interviews with segment experts to
extract valuable market signals from the noise, identify market trends, and develop point-of-views in the
report.

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.

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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.

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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.

NUMBER OF FINTECH STARTUPS BY SEGMENTS

375 338 303 169 108 58 684


Payments Lending WealthTech Personal InsurTech RegTech + Other
(Retail) Finance Cybersecurity
Segments
Management

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Emergence of India’s


FinTech Startups Over
the Years
As discussed in the previous section, the last 3–4 years have been an exciting phase for the Indian
FinTech startup ecosystem. Until 2014, the US had the maximum number of startups, i.e., 1788,
followed by India with a distant 737, and the UK (432). However, there was a major uptick in 2015
where more FinTech startups were being incorporated in India than any other country with the
exception of China. This was the first time when India overtook the United States and started
making its mark as one of the fastest-growing ecosystems. The same trend was also observed in
2016, where India outpaced the US by 12.4% in terms of new homegrown FinTech startups estab-
lished for a particular year.

Number of New FinTech Startups Founded


(2015-2018)
2000

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.

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

India FinTech Landscape:


A Breakdown of 2035 Starups
Mumbai and Bangalore lead the momentum in FinTech and together,
these cities represent 42% of the startup headquarters. Apart from the
top five FinTech destinations including Mumbai, Bangalore, New Delhi,
Gurugram, and Hyderabad, the rest of India accounts for 738 FinTech
startups.

196
New Delhi

116
Gurugram

428
Mumbai 125
Hyderabad

432
Bengaluru

“Others” encompasses multiple categories like:


Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Big Data Analytics, Crowdfunding, Digital Cards, Neobanks,
Remittances, Capital Market Tech

Note: Map not to scale.

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Market landscape (Illustrative)


BILL PAYMENTS

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.
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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Market landscape (Illustrative)


DIGITAL CONSUMER LENDING

P2P LENDING

SME FINANCING

LENDING OTHERS
338
Companies

WEALTHTECH PERSONAL FINANCE MANAGEMENT


303
Companies

ROBO ADVISORS

INVESTMENT PLATFORMS

OTHER INVESTMENT PLATFORMS

These are not as per any ranking or score. These have been randomly picked up from the MEDICI Database.
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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.

Funding Value ($M) Number of Deals

Top Two Funding Deals


PAYMENTS B2B FINTECH
PayTM (Series F, August, $356M) Chargebee (Series C, March, $18M)
PineLabs (Series C, May $125M) Niyo Solutions (Series A, January, $13.2M)

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)

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Government & Regulator


Initiatives - A sneak peek
Government & Regulatory Initiatives – A Sneak Peek
This section takes a critical look at the variety of initiatives India’s central and state governments have undertak-
en for the FinTech ecosystem; besides the regulators who have undertaken initial steps to create a favorable
financial services ecosystem in the country.
Central Government: Generates Necessary Tailwinds
Post-demonetization, the word ‘FinTech’ was mentioned in the Annual Budget speech by the Finance Minister of
India in Feb. 2017; ever since then, there has been a bigger push by the Government of India (GOI) to reiterate its
commitment to fostering the FinTech Ecosystem in the country.
The government had launched initiatives like Startup India, Digital India Program, and Jan Dhan Yojana to
broad-based adoption of innovation in technology; over the last five years, more than 50 schemes have been
launched by the government to facilitate the growth of startups in the country.
While there is more to do to address aspects related to Aadhaar-based e-KYC and Privacy Bill to bring about
necessary stability in regulations, the creation of a Special FinTech Committee (2018) and its unwavering
support of India Stack in addition to the Startup India initiative – which has more than 182 startups funded to
date – has been testimony to GOI’s power push for Indian FinTech startups.
State Governments: Up the Ante!
The state governments in at least eight states have taken steps to create favorable policies to foster FinTech
startups or establish FinTech hubs. While the state governments of Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, West Bengal,
Assam, and Rajasthan have been notable in terms of their outreach to the FinTech startup ecosystem, Maha-
rashtra and Andhra Pradesh have been formidable in their grit, appeal, and policies, thereby attracting a number
of FinTech startups to associate formally with these FinTech hubs.
Regulators: Initial Traction, Long Way to Go
Furthermore, the regulatory bodies for financial services in India – the trinity of RBI, SEBI, and IRDA – have been
rather soft in their approach and haven’t focused on creating hindrances to innovation with little traction in their
attempts to create enabling environments.
The RBI has been proactive in examining and setting up regulatory framework across various FinTech verticals
like digital payments and P2P lending among others. Additionally, digital lending FinTechs getting into the NBFC
foray is seen as a positive step. However, concepts related to open banking, mobile-only banks, and cryptocur-
rencies still are a far shot from finding discussion papers.
While SEBI and IRDA have constituted committees to study the growing impact of FinTechs in the WealthTech &
InsurTech in India, there have been very little advances with setting up Sandbox or enabling disruptive innova-
tions through proactive regulatory policies.

Mumbai FinTech Hub


Setting up of smart FinTech centers
Creation of FinTech Corpus Fund: FinTech corpus fund of Rs. 250 crores over the course of three years to fund incentives
for FinTech startups and operational expenses of industry sandbox as well as the global FinTech hub
Development of incubation space for accelerators and startups
Incentives for startups that include reimbursement of internet, electricity charges, expenditure towards housing
infrastructure, state GST, and global event participation fee
Creation of investment fund (Rs. 20 Crore)
Industry sandbox in global FinTech hub – formation and institutionalize the industry sandbox along with financial
institutions and various regulators such as RBI, SEBI, IRDAI, and PFRDA as part of the global FinTech hub
GovTech: Leverage AI, blockchain, and IoT expertise of FinTech startups in pilot projects across
areas such as land registry, supply chain management, and identity management

FinTech Valley Vizag


FinTech Valley Vizag was set up in 2016 with a vision of creating an ecosystem for FinTech startups in Vizag.
‘Million-Dollar Challenge’ at the Vizag FinTech Festival to attract global innovators with $1 million in
equity-free funding.
Using blockchain to maintain its land records with the aim to improve accuracy and reduce litigations.
Other states like Telangana, Assam, and Rajasthan are also attempting to build their own hubs for the FinTech
startup ecosystem.

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Mumbai FinTech Hub:


Initiatives by Maharastra Government
FEBRUARY Launch Of Policy
2018 Became the first Indian state to launch its own FinTech policy.

JUNE FinTech Festival


2018 Launched a FinTech registry for identification and information collection on the FinTech ecosystem.
Furthermore, it launched an API sandbox that will facilitate the creation of new products in a secure
environment.

SEPTEMBER Announcement for the Launch of an Accelerator Program


2018 Initiated for better engagement and market access for the startup ecosystem.

NOVEMBER Singapore FinTech Festival


2018 Eight shortlisted startups from the MFH Registry were invited to showcase their solution at the
festival.

DECEMBER Accelerator 1.0


2018 Recently, the Government of Maharashtra launched the inaugural version of its accelerator program.
Out of 200+ applications, a total of 13 startups were shortlisted for the program.

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

Knowledge and Innovation Partner Accelerator Partners

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Segment-wise
Overview

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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

Consumer Credit SME Financing


($300 Bn gap) ($200 Bn gap)

Demographic Data Personal Finance CIBIL Score Transaction Behavior


Bureau Management Models Collateral Non-Traditional Data Sources
Social Data App-based Data access Audited Financial Surrogate Data
Location Information Machine Learning Statements Leverage AI/ML/Data Analytics

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

India has been maturing over the years by developing


innovative models like Point-of-sale financing, invoice
discounting exchanges, buy-now pay-later, etc.

EXAMPLES OF FINTECH STARTUPS

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Multiple intermediary verify the
funds has been delivered which
INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
results in delayed payment

InsurTech Costly and manual


reconciliation
Matching internal and external
records at multiple sources is
time consuming and costly

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

has been pivotal in the growth of InsurTech as connected


devices (wearables, telematics, smartphone apps) enable complicated detailing, the common policyholder has always
insurers to capture customer data in real time. This data found it difficult to grasp the intricacies and complexities of
can help insurance companies in the pricing of custom- the terms and conditions in insurance.
ized insurance products and enables them to generate Claims Settlement: One of the contributing factors is the
additional sources of revenue by bringing more insurance tedious claim settlement process, with traditional players in
customers. insurance not looking into streamlining their age-old
Digital Channels: The smartphone-focused young processes that remain as tedious as ever.
generation likes to interact more via digital channels. High-Risk Consumers: At the early stage, startups get
Insurers have to shift from their traditional model customers from the pool of population who has been
(agent-based) and start investing more in digital channels. ignored by the established players. These people can be a
This enables them to improve customer experience as high-risk population who can become a major cost drainer,
well as target digital-savvy customers. particularly in the early growth period. Furthermore,
Market Opportunity: Since the current insurance in providing personalized products to the unbanked popula-
INHIBITORS

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.

EXAMPLES OF FINTECH STARTUPS

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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.

Growing Personal Wealth: India is already the


fifth-largest Asian market in terms of affluent, HNW Low Investor Awareness: Investor awareness is
DRIVERS

(high-net-worth) and UHNW (ultra-high-net-worth) low about finance products (other than mutual
individuals. funds).

Increased Adoption of Mobile/Digital Channels: Security Concerns: Due to increasing cyber


Penetration of smart phones is growing; the launch of fraud, investors are skeptical in sharing
INHIBITORS

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.

EXAMPLES OF FINTECH STARTUPS

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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

In the Indian payments landscape, UPI has been 1,627.7


the biggest story as it grew by a staggering 769% 38.9
(transaction volume) in 2018 compared to 2017.
40 CQGR (Txn Value): 71.50%
1,200
With 60+ member banks and several large
third-party players (e.g., Google, WhatsApp, etc.) CQGR (No. of Txn): 96.09% 953.6
23.9

Number of Transactions (M)


offering payments using its platform, UPI is 30
Transaction Value ($B)

driving the growth of mobile payments in India.


625.9 900
UPI in India has been fairly successful in driving
20 501.0 15.1
the mobile payment volumes away from wallets –
the growth in UPI volume is largely due to
327.0 8.9
third-party payment apps in a partnership with 4.7 300
the leading banks. 10 26.3 58.8
14.6 2.0
UPI-enabled digital payments apps such as
0.9 1.3
Paytm, PhonePe, and Google Pay are some of the
top UPI-enabled mobile apps that are the 0
0
front-runners of the UPI ecosystem. The Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
government’s in-house UPI app BHIM’s market 2017 2017 2017 2017 2018 2018 2018 2018
share continued to remain overshadowed by
these tech giants. Transaction Value ($B) Number of Transactions (M)

Note: CQGR = Compounded Quarterly Growth Rate

Cash preference is one of the biggest hindrance for


Proactive Government: The Government of India has digital payment providers. A majority of the population
DRIVERS

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.

EXAMPLES OF FINTECH STARTUPS

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Corporate BankTech (1/2)


Corporate Banking broadly refers to financial services provided by banks to corporations, ranging from
SMEs to large corporates. It is also sometimes also referred to as ‘Business/Wholesale Banking.’
While Corporate Banking encompasses Payments, Credit & Investments for enterprises; this section
focuses on key subsegments for the FinTech ecosystem to address viz., Transaction Banking, Forex &
Treasury, and Capital Markets.
These segments typically cater to high-value transactions in large volumes from a banking operations
point of view and form the key segments where FinTechs can add value through intermediation akin to
Consumer Banking.

Corporate Banking

Cash Management Trade Finance Forex & Treasury Capital Markets

Transaction Banking

Challenges for Banks must develop Key focus areas


corporate banking the business across sub-
technology to meet segments
Ill-defined customer 360 the corporate
challenge CRM Led unified
Product specific customer experience
engagements
Connected. digital.
Restricted operations Real-time.

Data and analytics led


business advisory

Credit/Loans Forex & Treasury


Enterprise Needs
Cash/Liquidity
Trade Finance Management

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.

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Corporate BankTech (2/2)


CASH/ LIQUIDITY MANAGEMENT FOREX & TREASURY
Opportunities: Opportunities:
1. Predictive analytics 1. Deployment of RPA & AI for better information sharing
For better cash forecasting between corporates and bank’s treasury operations
For enhanced efficiencies in cash/cheque 2. Automation of dealer desks (currency) through
collections voicebots; enabling efficiencies for low-volume
2. Accounts receivables & payables management consumers
3. Efficiencies in banking operations 3. Cloud-based & API-first treasury management
systems for ease of integrations with corporate ERPs
Drivers:
besides transactions & reconciliations
1. Increased awareness of API-led architecture
4. Use of blockchain in currency & derivative transac-
2. Need for digital/mobile-led solutions for CXOs
tions in order to eliminate the errors in booking (recom-
3. Automation of mundane activities
mended by ISDA) & enhance data analytics-led
Inhibitors: decisioning.
1. Very few bankers & finance folks understanding
Drivers:
the workflow, not many in the FinTech ecosystem
1. NIL to minimal competition in India
2. Imminent need to partner with incumbent banks
2. Lack of pricing transparency in forex transactions
to reach end consumers
3. Forex & treasury forms a significant part of corporate
Startups: bank revenues
Casafe, Invoicera, Billing 360, Giddh, fonePaisa,
Inhibitors:
Numberz
1. Requires deep integrations with third-party info
providers; hence capex-heavy
TRADE FINANCE
2. Making the UX personalized/contextual for corporates
Opportunities:
is challenging
1. Counterparty KYC & AML checks (especially
cross-border transactions) for both Corporate & Startups:
financiers iGTB | Intellect Global Transaction Banking, iRTM, IBS
2. Blockchain-led smart contracts & IoT-led FinTech, Indoinvesting, Cubelogic
integrations with the supply chain to trigger
payments/collections CAPITAL MARKETS
3. Tokenization of transactions in any given supply Opportunities:
chain enabling ease of financing 1. Blockchain for bond issuances (debt capital) giving
complete transparency to investors about the capital
Drivers:
deployment to borrowers and usage in their supply chain
1. Pressing need to break the siloed architectures at
2. With a focus on reduced/same day settlement times in
both banks and corporates & generate integrated
the equity markets, FinTechs can work with exchanges &
views for better liquidity management
brokers to create a blockchain-based solution to disrupt
2. Need to create digital data at the source rather
the activities of Clearing Houses & Custodians
than merely digitizing workflows with non-machine
readable data Drivers:
1. Lack of transparency in bond markets and increased
Inhibitors:
interest of global investors to have better visibility of
1. Heavily regulated by both local & global regulators
downstream money trail
+ industry bodies leading to complex rules
2. Huge inefficiencies in existing processes leading to
2. Knowledge about global & local trade finance
delayed end consumer gratification
limited in the tech/FinTech ecosystem
Inhibitors:
Startups:
1. Requires participation from multiple stakeholders
SimplyFI, Krypc, M1, 9thRoute, Kredx, Tallyx
leading to increased time to market
2. Maturity of DLT technology to handle high-
volume/high TPS
Startups:
GoldenPi, Cateina Tech
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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Emerging Themes at the


Intersection with FinTech
Beyond the core segments of the financial services industry, Agriculture, Healthcare, and Real Estate are
witnessing new business models based on digital platforms, developments in data collection, storage &
processing for real-time insights, and simplification of information & monetary transactions. AgriTech,
HealthTech, and PropTech startups are disrupting traditional ways of doing business in three industries
that facilitate the nation’s most vital necessities – food, healthcare, and shelter for citizens. These
startups not only can improve efficiencies in production and availability but also ease the process of
trade and movement of money for market players. As a result, financial services players can benefit in
these organized markets that can provide alternative data to improve the payments, lending and/or
insurance underwriting practices to become customer-centric services.

AgriTech

Bridging the data Leverage data to improve


payments, lending,
HealthTech gap with
and insurance underwriting and
alternative data
focus on customer centric services.

PropTech

AgriTech is an enabler to agricul- HealthTech is solving problems PropTechs are powered by


ture data creation, deep analysis around unstructured, fragmented, new-age technologies and data
using advanced algorithms, as well and inaccessible data, as well as sources that can eliminate prevail-
as end usage by players across the the creation of real-time health data ing challenges of data asymmetry
agriculture value chain. With new that can be vital to many industry through real-time inputs, advanced
technologies that focus on data players such as insurers and analytics, and simpler user inter-
collection and analysis, these healthcare providers. faces for transactions, financing,
innovators are becoming valuable and documentation.
assets for data deprived financial
services industry.

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Agritech >< Fintech


The market is witnessing an increasing number of AgriTech startups with focus on key themes such as
marketplaces, farm management system software, predictive analytics, smart farming through sensors
and smart irrigation techniques, soil and water labs, satellite imaging, open data APIs, price intelligence,
and big data analytics. With new technologies that focus on data collection and analysis, these innova-
tors are becoming valuable assets for agriculture data deprived financial services industry that can
improve its ways of lending and insurance underwriting.
US has been the AgriTech hub in terms of funding volumes, however, the focus is now shifting towards
Israel, China, and India. The growing AgriTech market presents plenty opportunities in India but it is yet
to witness funding and partnerships at scale.

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

EXAMPLES OF FINTECH STARTUPS

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Healthtech >< Fintech


Healthcare industry has been creating heaps of valuable of data that is largely unstructured and
fragmented, making it difficult to realize the true potential of this data. Healthtech players are playing a
vital role by bridging the gap of data availability and usability. Four key areas where Healthtech are
creating an impact are patient generated digital data, mobile and wearable health systems, blockchain
based applications for data accuracy, and empathetic health interfaces.
Emerging technologies such as NLP, IoT, and digital platforms for medical records and information
sharing are enabling creation of new data; cloud is enabling cost effective data storage, and advance-
ments in AI/ ML capabilities are making it possible to learn from the data and apply in preventive/
predictive decision making.
Health insurance and payments lead in average investment size in the global Healthtech universe,
followed by genomics and personalized medicines and others. Indian players are likely to witness
increasing PE/ VC investments in predictive assessment technologies and partnerships from insurers.

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:

Penetration of mobile devices and internet connectivity is the primary influencer


for digital health applications.
DRIVERS

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).

EXAMPLES OF FINTECH STARTUPS

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PropTech >< FinTech


PropTech aims to use technology to make buildings smart through data collection and analysis, be
responsive through control mechanisms, optimize information, facilitate transactions, and management of
real estates. PropTechs gained momentum in India post-2013, when FinTech, drones, growing need of
smart spaces, and online marketplaces started to expand.

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

The emergence of FinTech, developments in drone


technologies, the growing need for smart spaces, increased
DRIVERS

penetration of sensors & IoT devices, and the expansion of


online marketplaces are a boost to PropTech players.

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

The Indian government’s aim to provide ‘housing for all by


2022’ including, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, tax breaks for
developers, RERA for transparency in the sector, and 100
smart city projects will provide more fuel to the growth.

EXAMPLES OF FINTECH STARTUPS

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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

Relentless cyberattacks on banks. Low awareness among organization and employees.


INHIBITORS

Continued growth in digital payments, which also Inadequate budgets for cybersecurity.
increases the risk of cyberattacks. Poor identity and access management.

EXAMPLES OF FINTECH STARTUPS

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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

activities and since compliance is a cost function,


The government’s objective to fulfill a single-window the related tech updates get low priority.
clearance.

EXAMPLES OF FINTECH STARTUPS

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT

Financial Inclusion via FinTech


ABSENCE OF BANK ACCOUNTS AND ABILITY TO TRANSACT (BEFORE 2010)
Before 2010, India’s financial inclusion statistics offered a depressing picture despite the continued efforts of the
government and the RBI. In 2014, roughly 54% of the Indian population had bank accounts out of which 22% were
inactive and not being used by account holders.

GETTING EVERYONE BANK ACCOUNTS TO TRANSACT (CURRENT)


The introduction of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana was a right step towards financial inclusion – after its inception
in 2014, more than 32.54 crores bank accounts have been opened (as of Sept. 2018). As per the Global Findex
database report by the World Bank, 80% of the Indian population now has bank accounts. The total number of
Indians that are a part of the formal banking sector has increased from 53% in 2014 to 80% in 2017, largely because
of the 12-digit Aadhaar number.

LACK OF MONEY MOVEMENT DUE TO MOTIVATION, TRUST & OTHER ISSUES


However, the PMJDY doesn’t solve the problem of financial inclusion as there is no significant movement of money
in these accounts – people still seem to prefer cash for transacting. Furthermore, according to some reports,
almost half of these accounts are inactive and had no transactions being done by the account holders. This can
majorly be attributed to the lack of clear benefits and trust for digital modes for transactions by the rural population.

THE PROMISE OF MOBILE


With increased smartphone adoption and internet usage, the stage has been set – it would be interesting to see the
financial inclusion journey from here on out. Currently, India has an estimated 400 million smartphone users.
Around 560 million internet connections were recorded in September 2018, out of which 194 million connections
were from rural regions as a result of declining data costs. Furthermore, WhatsApp usage in rural India has doubled
over the last year as a result of lower data costs and increased internet usage. WhatsApp Payments could prove to
be useful as well.

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.

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INDIA FINTECH REPORT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Find out more in


‘India Fintech Report 2019’
The India FinTech Report 2019 is a comprehensive study of the Indian FinTech ecosystem
covered in a report with over 100 pages. The report begins with an overview of the global
and Indian FinTech landscape, FinTech statistics (funding, startups, partnerships), and
initiatives by the government, which is followed by a deep-dive analysis of five core
segments including Payments, Lending, WealthTech, InsurTech, and Corporate banking.
Furthermore, it provides MEDICI Insights pertaining to six ‘new opportunity areas’ includ-
ing AgriTech, HealthTech, and PropTech themes that are playing at the proximity of
FinTechs, and overall developments in the RegTech, Blockchain and Cybersecurity areas.
The report is structured in two sections: Core Segments and Emerging Opportunities. The
deep-dive analysis of each of the core segments covers the following:

Segment Global Overview The ‘Emerging Opportunities’ section


• Segment Global Overview covers:
• Segment Drivers/Inhibitors in India • Key trends, technologies, and uses cases at the
• Segment Statistics (in India) intersection and FinTech – covering
• Number of Startups AgriTech, HealthTech, InsurTech, RegTech, and
• Funding Trends Cybersecurity.
• Unicorns of the Segment • Short profiles as example non-FinTech Indian
• Key Partnerships players that hold potential as partners
• Success Stories to the financial services industry.
• Key Investors
• Regulatory Impacts

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.

The full report will be


launched on 15th March
INDIA
FINTECH We are taking inputs during the entire Fintegrate event (speeches, panel
discussions, our interviews) and would be capturing insights in our full
REPORT India Fintech Report 2019, to be released on 15th Mar 2019.

2019

Copying or distribution without written permission is prohibited 27


About
MEDICI is the world’s leading FinTech Research and Innovation Platform. MEDICI is a partner to
banks, tech companies and FIs globally with over 13,000 FinTechs on the platform, enabling
FinTechs to scale and create global economic impact. MEDICI is committed to supporting the
complex financial services ecosystem and enabling stakeholders benefit from the industry’s
accelerated growth and global impact.

Website: www.gomMEDICI.com | Twitter: @gomedici

Global Contacts
Aditya Khurjekar Lloyd Layton
CEO, Founder, MEDICI Head of Sales, Americas, MEDICI
[email protected] [email protected]

Amit Goel Nicolo Petrone


CSO, Founder, MEDICI Head of Sales, Europe, MEDICI
[email protected] [email protected]

Shubhanga Prasad Subhagini Chaudhary


Head of Client Services, MEDICI Head of Sales, South East Asia, MEDICI
[email protected] [email protected]

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