Dear Readers,

Hello from the Global FinTech Festival. The last day is over, and while attendees are leaving, pushing their trolley bags, exchanging final smiles and hugs, clicking selfies, and promising to stay in touch ‘till we meet next time’, I am writing this note from the media pod where my colleagues and I recorded almost a dozen interviews with the top voices over the last three days of GFF.


FinTech Innovation at GFF

FinTechs have changed the face of finance, and continue to do so. There are sunglasses with built-in chips that help you access your phone. You can receive calls, messages, play music, and even make payments using voice commands. That’s the innovation Meta AI and WhatsApp are bringing together. Another FinTech has developed a tiny chip that can be fixed on a fingernail to make payments. While wearable payments like rings, watches, belts, and bracelets are gaining traction, this adds a differe nt layer. The innovations span payments, lending, micro-lending, credit cards, and the shift from FinTech to TechFin.


Over the past three days at GFF, everyone from startups to government bodies and regulators was running their innovation express, showcasing product launches like biometric payments, NPCI’s face authentication, and RBI’s CBDC-related initiatives.

India’s FinTech innovation has been growing rapidly, and GFF highlighted this over three days with more than 80,000 attendees and 800+ speakers from countries including Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Africa. The UK Prime Minister also visited GFF on his first trip to India.


What happened at Global FinTech Festival 2025

Hundreds of speakers, along with thousands of FinTech founders and IT service providers, made their points on the most trending topics. Just for a reference, I am adding here a few from the top voices.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the last day of GFF. Starmer’s remark that India is on track to become the world’s third-largest economy is a fitting response to narratives questioning India’s economic momentum. Modi highlighted the need for deeper AI adoption and reiterated India’s growth story, including the digital infrastructure under the JAM trinity.


Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the IFSC foreign currency settlement system. She noted that while AI can’t be fully mastered, it should not be weaponized and must serve humanity. She also outlined four key messages for FinTechs.


Nandan Nilekani announced that the DPI platform “Finternet” will go live in 2026. He noted that tokenisation is the new theme. Just as UPI transformed money, tokenisation will reshape other assets.


RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, following 22 major reforms announced last week, urged FinTechs to focus on inclusion, develop last-mile products, and think global. He highlighted that India’s daily UPI payments account for half of the world’s real-time payment value. Other RBI officials also discussed tokenization and FinTech developments.


GFF and the FinTech Ecosystem

Thousands of attendees at a single venue demonstrated the power of the FinTech segment. Glittering faces rushed from exhibition halls to sessions, scrolling through agendas and calendars, eager to make the most of the festival. Many top companies hosted dinners for select groups, providing a boost to local restaurants in BKC. To address traffic congestion, BFSI companies like Multipl, CRIF, and Protean, along with GFF organizers, arranged shuttles from metro stations to the venue, making commut ing convenient.


My View

Indian FinTechs are currently navigating fundraising, public listings, and compliance phases. Investors I met acknowledged they have dry powder ready to invest, but deal flow remains limited due to a shortage of potential FinTechs.

Almost every FinTech aspires to hit the capital markets. Aspiration is good, but potential must take priority.
One thought that flourished at GFF last year but felt missing this year was the idea of the Global South. I expected continuity: what demand exists for Indian FinTechs in the Global South, and what progress has been made over the past year?


Another debate that will gain momentum is FinTech vs. TechFin. AI remains the core theme for FinTechs and the world, but the efficiency of products versus investment costs must be carefully evaluated. The energy consumption needed for AI-powered data services has yet to be fully accounted for by many.

As FinTechs mature, founders must ask: what defines scale, at what cost, and what value will be built? It’s time to stop asking banks what problems to solve and focus on developing their own core solutions. Such debates are critical to shaping the future of FinTech.

As the last day ends, staff at the Jio Convention Centre are wrapping up, and the event teams are winding down. Attendees will head home with new connections, fresh ideas, and dreams for innovation. Those who couldn’t cover everything at GFF can take comfort in the fact that they likely hit their 10,000-step target, as walking was mandatory.

To all FinTech enthusiasts who wore the badge of innovation:
Goodbye, until we meet next time.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR COVERAGE OF GFF.

Please share your feedback, suggestions if any. You can reach me on amol.dethe@timesinternet.in and follow me on LinkedIn at ETBFSI Digest.

As usual, I am adding here the top 5 stories of the week, trust you will find them meaningful.

1. Aswath Damodaran: Indian market still overvalued, Trump tariff impact likely short term
2. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s four messages to FinTechs
3. As gold breaches $4,000/ounce mark analysts see further upside, rising volatility
4. Real innovation now is tokenisation within a regulated system, not outside it, says Nandan Nilekani on India’s Finternet
5. UK wants to be India’s no.1 partner of choice for finance and FinTech, says PM Starmer
   

Happy Reading
Amol Dethe,
Editor,
ETBFSI

(Editor's note is a column written by Amol Dethe, Editor, ETBFSI. Click here to read more of his articles exploring several buzzing topics)

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