Top 10 Fintech Startups in India
- ByStartupStory | January 5, 2026
India’s fintech sector is one of the most dynamic in the world. Rapid digital adoption, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), growing smartphone penetration, and supportive regulatory policies have created fertile ground for fintech innovation. As of 2025, India is home to dozens of fintech unicorns, startups valued at over $1 billion, reflecting the strength and maturity of this ecosystem.
This essay highlights ten of the most influential and disruptive fintech startups in India. These companies are reshaping financial services by offering seamless digital payments, investing platforms, lending solutions, banking alternatives, and more.
PhonePe is one of India’s largest digital payments platforms. Launched in 2015, PhonePe leverages the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to provide millions of users with a fast, secure way to transfer money, pay bills, recharge mobiles, and make in-store and online payments.
Over time, the platform has expanded beyond basic payments to include insurance, wealth products, lending, and QR-based merchant payments making it more than just a payments app but a full-fledged financial services ecosystem. PhonePe exemplifies how fintech can drive financial inclusion at scale, especially in underbanked parts of India.
Razorpay is a Bengaluru-based fintech that provides a full suite of digital payment solutions for businesses of all sizes. Founded in 2014, Razorpay enables companies to accept, process, and disburse payments, including credit/debit cards, UPI, net banking, and wallets, via a unified API.
Over the years, Razorpay has expanded its product offerings to include lending, payroll, corporate credit cards, and banking services tailored to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), helping many businesses simplify financial operations. Its growth highlights how fintech can power business digitization and improve access to capital and financial tools for enterprises.
CRED is a fintech and lifestyle platform that began as a credit card bill-payment app rewarding users for timely payments. Founded in 2018 by Kunal Shah, CRED has grown into a broader financial services platform used by financially responsible, credit-worthy users.
CRED’s innovative model includes features such as credit score tracking, rent payments, short-term credit, and exclusive rewards. By fostering good financial behaviour, the platform has built a large, engaged user base and reimagined how consumers interact with financial products.
Zerodha is India’s most successful discount broking platform. Founded in 2010 by brothers Nithin and Nikhil Kamath, Zerodha democratized access to the stock market by offering low-cost, technology-driven brokerage services.
With its intuitive platform and affordable pricing, Zerodha has become a gateway for millions of Indian investors to access equities, commodities, derivatives, mutual funds, and more. Although not a “startup” in the newest sense, Zerodha’s impact on India’s investing culture has been nothing short of transformative, especially for first-time investors.
Groww is a digital investment platform that allows users to invest in mutual funds, stocks, ETFs, and other financial products with ease. Founded in 2016, Groww focuses on a simple, user-friendly interface that appeals particularly to millennials and first-time investors.
The platform has attracted millions of users with educational content, low fees, and a seamless mobile experience, making wealth management more accessible across India. Groww’s rapid growth, including expanding into stock trading, underscores how fintech can simplify complex financial decisions for everyday users.
BharatPe is a fintech startup that builds financial tools for small businesses and merchants. It pioneered interoperable UPI QR codes with zero merchant discount rates (MDR), allowing merchants to accept payments without high fees.
Beyond payments, BharatPe offers credit products, point-of-sale devices, and lending solutions to help merchants run and grow their businesses. In a country with millions of small merchants, BharatPe’s mission to digitize traditional commerce has profound implications for inclusive economic growth.
ET Money is a financial platform focused on wealth management and personal finance. Founded in 2015, the app helps users invest in mutual funds, SIPs, insurance, fixed deposits, National Pension Scheme (NPS), and more, all from a single interface.
ET Money’s strength lies in making financial planning accessible and transparent, with features like automatic expense tracking and personalized recommendations that help users make better financial choices without complex jargon.
OneCard offers a new approach to credit cards by combining a mobile app experience with smart card technology. Users can manage payments, track spending, and earn rewards directly from their smartphones.
With its sleek metal card and digital-first design, OneCard appeals to younger users who want more control and clarity over their credit. It has also built tools like free credit score monitoring to help improve financial literacy among consumers.
Pine Labs specializes in merchant payments and point-of-sale (PoS) solutions. Trusted by tens of thousands of merchants across India and Southeast Asia, Pine Labs provides hardware and software systems that enable payments via cards, UPI, and digital wallets.
Pine Labs is also preparing for a major initial public offering (IPO) in India, reflecting its maturity and influence in the fintech payments space.
MoneyView is a digital financial services company based in Bangalore that offers personal loans, credit score management, and finance tools through a mobile app. It recently entered the unicorn club, highlighting rapid growth and investor confidence.
By providing accessible lending options and personal finance tools, MoneyView helps users manage their money more effectively, especially in contexts where traditional credit access might be limited.
Driving Financial Inclusion and Innovation
These ten fintech startups underscore how technology is reshaping finance in India.
Platforms like PhonePe and Razorpay have catalyzed India’s move toward a cashless economy. Companies such as Zerodha, Groww, and ET Money are empowering individuals to invest and plan finances with confidence. BharatPe’s merchant-centric solutions demonstrate fintech’s role in supporting local economies. MoneyView and OneCard illustrate how digital platforms can improve access to credit and financial tools.
Collectively, these startups have pushed financial services far beyond traditional banking walls, making them more inclusive, affordable, and customer-centric.
Challenges and Future Outlook
Despite rapid growth, India’s fintech sector faces challenges such as regulatory compliance, cybersecurity risks, and the need to protect user data. Fintech companies must navigate evolving frameworks from regulators like the Reserve Bank of India while balancing innovation with risk mitigation.
Looking ahead, emerging technologies like AI, blockchain, and generative AI, as seen in new players like Neurofin, will further enhance fintech infrastructure, deepen automation, and expand services across underserved segments.
Conclusion
India’s fintech landscape is among the most exciting in the world, driven by startups that blend technology, user-centric design, and financial empowerment. From payments and lending to wealth management and business finance, these ten fintech startups showcase how innovation can create financial systems that are faster, fairer, and more accessible to millions of Indians.
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