Ajinkya Kawale

India's fintech sector raises $2 bn in H1 2026, led by late-stage funding

Funding in India's fintech sector rose 42 per cent year-on-year to $2 billion in H1 2026, with late-stage companies accounting for four-fifths of the total capital raised

Digital payments boost fintech growth; wealth-tech leads profit pool

Sector's earnings jumped 22% in FY25 to ₹1.03 trillion

AI tools emerge as mainstream search option for users in India: Survey

More than half of Indian users now rely on AI assistants and chatbots for information, with many using them alongside traditional search methods, a YouGov survey has found

DeepMind's Hassabis calls for global standards body for frontier AI

Google DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis says AGI could arrive within years and proposes a US-led Frontier AI Standards Body as the basis for an international framework to govern advanced AI models

Navi Mumbai Airport launches international ops with Abu Dhabi flights

Air India Express has become the first airline to launch international services from Navi Mumbai International Airport, with thrice-weekly flights to Abu Dhabi beginning July 15

Stockbrokers, dealers leading recipients of UPI transactions, shows data

UPI payments to securities brokers surged 38.5% by value in June, while digital gold transactions jumped sharply, according to NPCI data

PE investments in India clock $8.7 billion in the first half of 2026

Private equity investments in India surged 48% to $8.71 billion in H1 2026, led by software and internet firms, even as the number of deals declined

India may allow agentic AI-led UPI transactions under new NPCI protocol

NPCI is developing a Unified Agent Protocol to enable trusted AI agents to make UPI payments, positioning India at the forefront of agentic commerce

PhiCommerce to focus on payments infra for smaller banks, says co-founder

The fintech firm expects software-as-a-service products to contribute 40 per cent of revenue over the next 18 months as smaller banks seek greater control over payments, said co-founder Rajesh Londhe

611 million UPI transactions authenticated using biometrics in June

More than 611 million UPI transactions worth Rs 25,416 crore were authenticated using biometrics in June, reflecting rising adoption of fingerprint and facial recognition

PhonePe appoints Srijon Biswas as CTO; Rahul Chari takes expanded CPTO role

PhonePe has appointed Srijon Biswas as chief technology officer, while co-founder Rahul Chari assumes the expanded role of chief product and technology officer

PhonePe Insurance CEO exits as fintech merges insurance with payments biz

Vishal Gupta, part of PhonePe's founding team, has stepped down as the fintech integrates its insurance business with its consumer payments business

India's agentic AI dream for fintech needs an infrastructure relook

Use cases raise questions around permissions and security, as deployments progress beyond proof-of-concept

Visa passkeys go live in India as IDFC First Bank becomes first issuer

Visa Payment Passkey allows cardholders to authenticate online transactions using biometrics, PINs, passwords or patterns instead of traditional one-time passwords

NPCI partners HSBC India, JP Morgan Payments for real-time forex settlement

The partnership will enable real-time foreign exchange rates for cross-border UPI payments, allowing users to view the exact rupee amount payable at the point of transaction

Businesses not kicked about WhatsApp's username move despite user interest

Businesses say phone numbers will remain central to customer interactions despite WhatsApp's username feature, while cybersecurity experts expect improved privacy and lower spam

Dream Money to wind down ops after RMG ban derails Dream11 diversification

Closure follows the Centre's ban on real money gaming and the Supreme Court's GST ruling, as the company rolls back one of its key diversification initiatives

Fibe files IPO papers; plans ₹750 crore fresh issue, 40 million-share OFS

Digital lender's proposed public issue comprises a Rs 750 crore fresh issue and an offer-for-sale of more than 40 million shares by existing investors

PE/VC investment value declines 24% in May, says EY-IVCA report

Private equity and venture capital investments fell to $2.1 billion across 76 deals in May as geopolitical tensions and valuation mismatches dampened deal activity, EY-IVCA said

Prosus' India revenue up 13%; PayU turns profitable, Swiggy offsets gains

Dutch technology investor reports $781 million India revenue in FY26 as PayU posts positive adjusted Ebitda for the first time, while Swiggy's quick-commerce investments weigh on profits