“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” – Oscar Wilde To: your computer screen Subject: breaking the fourth wall Hello Dear Reader, Yes, you. We’re waving at you. Not the person behind you. But you. Writing a newsletter can be lonely. We can’t helpRead more
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“In a diverse market like India, key is to match right-priced borrower risk to investor/lender risk” -Fintech Founder (State of India Fintech Union 2022) Matchmaking. That’s what Indian fintech does best. Matching the right borrower with the right lender. RBI’s new digital lending guidelines aim to rid fintech matchmaking from meddlesome interlopers. Or, at theRead more
“This is an outstanding accomplishment. It indicates the collective resolve of the people of India to embrace new technologies and make the economy cleaner.” – PM Modi That’s PM Modi lauding UPI crossing 6 billion transactions in July. Like any icon, UPI has gained its share of admiration and envy. Last month, we intercepted aRead more
“The power and beauty of physical laws is that they apply everywhere, whether or not you choose to believe in them. In other words, after the laws of physics, everything else is opinion.” Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry The law of gravity guides planets, asteroids, and comets in their orbit aroundRead more
“I don’t debate the poor on Twitter” – Do Kwon, Creator of Terra My Twitter feed has been chirping with TerraUSD’s (UST) death spiral and its (arguably failed) revival plans. If it weren’t for Twitter, or the many thousands who burnt their fingers (uhm, savings) investing in UST, I probably wouldn’t have tracked UST. IRead more
“Lending is a feature. Not a product. Almost all and any distribution platforms with unique and rich datasets can unlock lending and win big.” Kunal Shah, on Twitter A fintech entrepreneur walks into a bar. “Hey, what can I get you today?” asks the bartender. The entrepreneur smiles, “I’ll have my usual – a Dataquiri.”Read more
“Where there’s tea there’s hope.” – Arthur Wing Pinero UPI is the poster child for what fintech can achieve in India. It made headlines again last month for crossing $1 trillion transaction value in FY21-22. NPCI’s COO attributed this feat to the collective efforts of banks, fintechs and users. But what is UPI’s recipe for success? InRead more
“I need ammunition, not a ride.” – Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky Ammunition, turns out, comes in many shapes and sizes. There’s missiles, tanks, Molotov cocktails and threats from Ukrainian grandmothers. And then there’s payments infrastructure. Governments and corporates across the world are fighting back against Russia’s (or Putin’s) war by cutting off their access toRead more
“Cryptos have no underlying assets, not even a tulip.” –Shaktikanta Das Ouch. That’s the RBI Governor, not mincing his words. Like everyone else, we’ve been poring over the Budget announcements on crypto-assets. The euphoria in the crypto-verse was short-lived. Crypto-assets haven’t been outlawed; but that’s about it. The proposed tax-rates and structure aren’t – toRead more
We’re witnessing the creative destruction of financial services, rearranging itself around the consumer. Whoever does this in the most relevant, exciting way using data and digital, wins!– Arvind Sankaran Do you recall the last time you spoke to your bank? I can’t. I think it’s because there is little to differentiate one bank’s services fromRead more