TMS Ep336: Consumer fintech, millets, mid, and small-caps, ICICI Bank fraud

One of the upsides of lockdowns was that it fueled the growth of several sectors. Fintech was one of them. Of the 100-odd Unicorns in India today, 21 are fintechs. Meanwhile, an SBI report recently said that the use of UPI has jumped 70 times in the last four years. Against this backdrop, a big question emerged this year. Should there be charges on UPI fund transfers? Some in industry believe that it cannot continue forever. Amid all of this, today we ask, did the fintech industry come of age in 2022? And, how will 2023 play out? 

The next year will also be marked as the International Year of the Millet. India spearheaded the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution, which was supported by 72 countries and passed in March 2021. A staple grain variety of the past, millets are also reemerging as Nutri-cereals or smart foods today, thanks to their therapeutic qualities and nutritional superiority compared to rice, wheat, and corn. So what will it take to make this “wonder food” become a “wonder crop” of masses in India? 

2022 was a rough year for global equity markets amid rising rates and the Russia-Ukraine war. But Indian markets managed to recover some ground in the second half of the year. Of all the segments, small-cap was the worst-hit. So what led to a dismal performance of small-caps in 2022 and which segments emerged victorious? 

Banking sector, meanwhile, turned the corner in 2022 and its stocks clocked maximum gains in the last five years. But this year will also be known for the arrest of sector giant Chanda Kochhar -- who was one of the founding members of ICICI Bank. In this episode of the podcast, we explain what is the ICICI Bank loan fraud case and more.