Page 3 - Ajinkya Kawale

Trai's exclusive numbering mandate raises concern on debt collection

TRAI's 1600-number mandate to curb fraud may raise lenders' collection costs and push NBFCs and banks back towards field-based debt recovery

PIDF's likely completion to cause minor topline dent for fintechs

Shares of Paytm fell 9.53 per cent to ₹1,140.75 on BSE on Friday

Fintech Juspay raises $50 mn in Series D follow-on at $1.2 bn valuation

Funding round led by WestBridge Capital includes primary and secondary investment

UPI payments app PhonePe's $1.5 billion IPO to see Walmart cut stake

Walmart and other existing investors plan to sell 5.06 crore shares; fintech major targets ₹12,000 crore raise

Trai's number mandate for debt collection may have unintended consequences

Trai's move to shift debt collection calls to the 1600 series aims to curb fraud, but lenders warn it could force greater reliance on physical recovery methods

Cashfree Payments rolls out ESOP buyback programme a year after fundraise

Fintech firm Cashfree Payments has announced an ESOP buyback plan covering over 400 current and former employees, offering liquidity as the company completes a decade of operations

Payoneer India gets RBI in-principle nod as cross-border payment aggregator

RBI's in-principle approval allows Payoneer India to expand cross-border payment services for importers and exporters, even as 19 entities have already received full PA-CB authorisation from regulator

Apple Pay likely to enter India market this year, launch seen by end-2026

With this service, customers can save their credit and debit cards to the Apple Wallet

Fintech major PhonePe secures Sebi approval for IPO, to pursue OFS route

The listing will target a pure offer-for-sale (OFS) route, a source said

360 One Asset rolls out ₹1,000 crore fund for defence and spacetech

The fund has been raised completely from domestic investors and its greenshoe option is now open

Budget 2026: Startups, investors push regulatory changes to unlock capital

Venture investors seek policy changes to unlock capital for deep-tech firms, ease regulatory burdens

Why open source is becoming a strategic imperative for Indian startups

As AI and software stacks grow complex, Indian startups are moving from using open source to actively contributing, seeing collaboration as a strategic business advantage

Fintechs cornered $2.4 billion investments in 2025 as funding moderated

Fintech funding stayed muted in 2025 at $2.4 billion, with fewer deals, IPOs and acquisitions, reflecting sustained investor caution after the 2021 peak

Navi Mumbai airport registers 100,000 footfall as operations scale up

Between December 25 and January 12, the airport handled a total of 1,09,917 passengers

Credgenics forays into consumer segment with FixMyScore.ai platform

Credgenics has entered the consumer segment with the launch of FixMyScore.ai, targeting credit score improvement and repayment solutions for retail borrowers

NPCI BHIM Services set to provide Canara Bank with UPI payments tech

Bank will integrate NBSL's bank plugins to host latest UPI features and upgrades on its app, aiming to improve security and scalability while lowering the cost of maintaining an independent interface

RBI may introduce licensing regime for corporate business correspondents

Currently, fintechs operating in the segment are not directly regulated by the RBI, with partner banks assuming responsibility for the actions of the companies they contract

Polygon Labs set to acquire two crypto firms for over $250 million

These acquisitions come at a time of a favourable regulatory environment for the sector in the United States (US), with further plans to scale in markets where regulations are favourable

Liquidnitro Games raises $19.1 mn in Series A led by Northpoint Capital

The Hyderabad-based game production firm said the funding will help scale its AI-enabled production platform, expand partnerships through co-investments and grow its footprint across India

Finops platform Bluecopa raises $7.5 million in Series A funding round

Finops startup Bluecopa raised $7.5 million in a Series A round led by Analog Partners to expand its AI-native autonomous finance platform globally