The latest investments follow successful fundraising rounds completed by each of the portfolio companies over the past year, highlighting their growth trajectory and increasing investor confidence.

Earlier this year, Easy Home Finance (EHF) secured $30 million in a Series funding round to accelerate the expansion of its affordable housing finance business. With the latest raise, the company’s total funding has reached $80 million, positioning it to serve a larger base of homebuyers across India.

Meanwhile, trade finance platform Vayana attracted follow-on primary and secondary investments from its existing shareholders after obtaining its Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) licence last year. The company had previously raised $20.5 million in 2024 through a funding round led by SMBC Asia Rising Fund.

Similarly, Bengaluru-based fintech startup DPDzero, which specializes in AI-driven debt collection, raised $7 million in August last year in a funding round led by Japanese venture capital firm GMO Venture Partners. The startup continues to develop artificial intelligence-powered solutions that help financial institutions improve debt recovery and collections efficiency.

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and venture capital firm Incubate Fund jointly launched the Singapore-based SMBC Asia Rising Fund in 2023. The corporate venture fund operates with a 10-year investment horizon and manages a corpus of $200 million.

The fund primarily invests in high-growth Asian fintech companies operating across sectors such as digital lending, payments, supply chain finance, banking-as-a-service (BaaS), digital assets, and financial infrastructure.

Commenting on the latest investments, Rajeev Ranka, Partner – India Investments, SMBC Asia Rising Fund, said, “Our follow-on investments reflect a simple principle: we increase conviction where we see sustained execution and expanding opportunity. Each of these companies has evolved meaningfully since our initial investment and is building capabilities that go beyond technology to become foundational enablers of India’s financial ecosystem.”

He further added, “Whether it is expanding access to housing finance, strengthening trade credit infrastructure, or modernising collections, these businesses are solving real structural challenges at scale.”

The fund also stated that it expects India’s next phase of financial sector growth to be driven by institutions and technology platforms that expand access to credit while improving capital efficiency across the financial ecosystem.

Furthermore, SMBC Asia Rising Fund noted that all three companies have demonstrated disciplined business growth, stronger operational performance, and improving operating leverage since receiving their initial investments. These developments have strengthened the fund’s conviction in supporting the companies through additional capital.

The latest follow-on investments also reflect the growing maturity of India’s fintech ecosystem, where investors are increasingly backing startups with proven business models, scalable technology platforms, and measurable financial performance rather than focusing solely on early-stage growth.

As India’s digital financial services market continues to expand, companies such as Easy Home Finance, Vayana, and DPDzero are playing an increasingly important role in improving access to credit, modernizing financial infrastructure, and enhancing operational efficiency for businesses and financial institutions. Through its continued backing, SMBC Asia Rising Fund aims to support these companies as they scale their operations and contribute to the next phase of India’s fintech growth story.

The recruitment initiative will increase Paytm’s workforce by nearly 10%, taking its employee count beyond the current strength of around 40,000 professionals. At the same time, the company will streamline its workforce by reducing about 1% of its staff, or nearly 400 employees, following the ongoing performance appraisal cycle, according to a company spokesperson. The latest workforce adjustment follows significantly larger job cuts carried out last year.

The hiring push forms part of Paytm’s broader transformation strategy after Indian regulators took action against its banking affiliate two years ago. Under the leadership of founder and Chief Executive Officer Vijay Shekhar Sharma, the company continues to diversify its offerings by encouraging its vast user base to adopt financial products such as loans, investment services, and wealth management solutions.

Paytm plans to continue recruiting until March 2027 and will fill positions across product development, technology, artificial intelligence, and senior leadership functions.

“Over the last two months, we have added more than 800 people and are in the process of recruiting a further 4,000,” the company said in a statement.

The hiring announcement comes as Paytm demonstrates a strong financial recovery. The company has delivered four consecutive profitable quarters, successfully overcoming challenges that emerged after regulatory restrictions severely impacted its banking affiliate.

Following those regulatory actions, Paytm reduced its workforce by more than 4,500 employees. Subsequently, the Reserve Bank of India formally ended the operations of Paytm Payments Bank by canceling its operating license, forcing the affiliate to wind down its activities.

Over the past two years, Paytm Payments Bank has significantly reduced its workforce, although some employees transitioned to other businesses within the broader Paytm group. The remaining few hundred employees at the banking affiliate will also exit as the closure process reaches completion.

Founded in 2010 by Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Paytm initially focused on prepaid mobile recharge services before expanding into digital payments, financial services, and banking solutions. The company witnessed rapid growth following India’s currency demonetisation initiative in 2016, which accelerated digital payment adoption and strengthened Paytm’s position in the country’s fintech ecosystem.

Paytm later attracted investments from global technology investors, including SoftBank Group Corp. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. The fintech company entered public markets in 2021 through one of India’s most closely watched initial public offerings.

Although Paytm shares have gained around 7% over the past year, the stock continues to trade more than 50% below its IPO price, reflecting the challenges it faced following regulatory scrutiny and changing market conditions.

The latest hiring drive highlights Paytm’s confidence in its long-term growth strategy and its commitment to innovation in artificial intelligence, digital payments, and financial services. As the company continues to recover from regulatory challenges, it is investing heavily in talent, technology, and merchant expansion to strengthen its position in India’s highly competitive fintech sector. With sustained profitability and an aggressive recruitment plan, Paytm aims to accelerate growth and unlock new opportunities across digital finance and AI-powered solutions.

Yashish Dahiya sold 26 lakh shares at ₹1,751 per share, generating proceeds of ₹455.3 crore. Meanwhile, Alok Bansal offloaded 12 lakh shares at the same price, securing ₹210.1 crore from the transaction.

Notably, the stake sale follows Tencent’s complete exit from the insurtech company. The Chinese technology giant recently divested its entire 1.05% holding in PB Fintech for ₹805.4 crore. Institutional investors, including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Tata Mutual Fund, acquired the shares.

The block deal price represented a 2.8% premium over PB Fintech’s previous closing price on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). Despite the latest dilution, both cofounders continue to hold significant stakes in the company. As of March 2026, Dahiya owns 1.8 crore shares, representing a 3.86% stake, while Bansal holds 53.8 lakh shares, equivalent to 1.2% ownership.

This is not the first time the founders have monetized a portion of their holdings. In June 2025, Dahiya and Bansal sold shares worth nearly ₹920 crore. The latest transaction reflects a broader trend of profit-booking by promoters and investors as PB Fintech’s stock has delivered strong gains in recent months.

Over the past three months, PB Fintech shares have climbed more than 15.5%. However, the stock remains under pressure on a year-to-date basis, declining more than 6% despite the recent rally.

On the financial front, PB Fintech reported strong earnings growth for the fourth quarter of FY26. The company posted a 54% increase in consolidated net profit, reaching ₹261.2 crore compared to the corresponding period last year. Additionally, operating revenue rose 37% year-on-year to ₹2,061 crore, highlighting continued momentum across its business segments.

Despite the positive financial performance, PB Fintech shares closed at ₹1,702.5 in the latest trading session, down 4.56%.

The latest block deal by PB Fintech cofounders Yashish Dahiya and Alok Bansal underscores ongoing profit-taking amid strong institutional demand for the company’s shares. While the transaction follows Tencent’s recent exit and marks another round of promoter stake dilution, the founders continue to retain meaningful ownership in the business. Backed by robust revenue growth and rising profitability, PB Fintech remains a closely watched player in India’s rapidly evolving insurtech and fintech landscape.

GIFT City IFSC gives Skydo access to a globally aligned financial ecosystem designed specifically for international financial services. Unlike India’s domestic financial system, which is primarily designed around INR-denominated flows and local financial activity, GIFT City enables companies to build products and infrastructure tailored for businesses operating across borders.

The approval enables Skydo to expand capabilities such as multi-currency collections, e-money accounts and merchant acquisition, while building new payment corridors for Indian businesses operating globally. Over time, this also creates the foundation for more globally native financial products for Indian businesses.

Skydo has also received regulatory approval to support outward payment flows under the Reserve Bank of India’s Payment Aggregator-Cross Border (PA-CB) framework. Earlier this year, the company secured final authorisation from the RBI to operate as a PA-CB for export collections.

With these approvals, Skydo can support both sides of a business’ global payment journey. Indian companies will be able to receive payments from international clients and make payments to overseas vendors, software platforms, service providers and partners through a compliant and streamlined platform. Skydo currently serves more than 40,000 Indian businesses across 50+ cities and supports collections from 150+ countries.

Srivatsan Sridhar, Co-founder and CEO of Skydo, said, “GIFT City marks an important step in India’s ambition to build globally competitive financial infrastructure. With the PA-CB Outward approval and the GIFT City In-Principle Authorisation, we can support both sides of a business’ global payment journey in a simple and compliant way. For MSMEs and digital-first businesses, this means better access to global payment corridors, improved currency management and more efficient cross-border transactions.”

The expansion comes as India’s cross-border payments ecosystem is evolving rapidly, with businesses becoming increasingly global in how they sell, buy and operate. With India targeting $2 trillion in exports by FY30 and MSMEs contributing nearly 45% of exports, reliable infrastructure for both Indian businesses going global and global businesses entering India is becoming critical.

Movin Jain, Co-founder, Skydo, said, “The combination of these frameworks brings greater regulatory clarity and flexibility for fintechs to build compliant and innovative products. As GIFT City evolves into a global financial hub, multi-currency capabilities and globally aligned regulatory and risk standards will give Indian businesses a stronger foundation to scale internationally.”

Skydo currently supports collections in multiple currencies and enables exporters to receive payments locally from international clients with transparent pricing and faster settlements. The company will continue to expand its product stack, enter new geographies and build for emerging cross-border payment use cases.

The acquisition combines Freo’s financial product suite and regulatory licences with IndiaLends’ extensive lending marketplace and distribution network. As a result, the merged entity will serve more than 50 million users across India’s rapidly growing digital financial services sector.

Founded by IIT-ISB alumni, Freo offers a range of products spanning payments, credit, insurance, and investments. The company currently operates with multiple regulatory approvals, including a TPAP licence for UPI services, an NBFC licence, and an insurance corporate agent licence. Consequently, the acquisition strengthens Freo’s position in India’s competitive fintech market while expanding its reach in digital lending, embedded finance, and consumer credit solutions.

Meanwhile, IndiaLends, founded by Gaurav Chopra, operates a digital marketplace for loans and credit cards. The platform has integrations with more than 80 banks, NBFCs, and financial institutions, enabling users to access multiple lending and financial products through a single interface. Previously, IndiaLends had raised $5.1 million in a funding round led by existing investors ACP Partners and DSG Consumer Partners.

The combined entity now plans to focus on AI-led workflows, customer analytics, underwriting technologies, and integrated financial product offerings as it scales operations across India. Additionally, the merger is expected to improve operating efficiency, strengthen product execution, and enhance customer acquisition capabilities over the coming months.

Freo also revealed that the merged company is preparing for a large capital raise to support its next phase of growth and expansion in the Indian fintech ecosystem. The planned fundraising effort could further accelerate investments in artificial intelligence, digital lending infrastructure, fintech innovation, and customer-focused financial services.

Earlier, in February 2024, Freo had secured an undisclosed amount in a debt funding round from SIDBI, further strengthening its financial position ahead of the acquisition.

Freo’s acquisition of IndiaLends marks a significant consolidation move in India’s fintech and digital lending industry. By combining technology, regulatory capabilities, lending partnerships, and AI-driven financial services, the merged platform aims to strengthen its leadership position in India’s rapidly evolving digital finance market.

With this strategic move, DreamStreet aims to capture India’s rapidly growing retail investor segment. Notably, the company has designed the platform to cater to first-time investors as well as individuals who have traditionally avoided stock markets due to complexity or lack of reliable guidance. Earlier, it was reported that Dream Sports planned to enter the stock broking space in March 2025, and the company has now executed that vision.

At the time of launch, DreamStreet enables users to invest in stocks and ETFs. Furthermore, the platform will roll out Futures & Options (F&O) trading and IPO investment features in the coming weeks, thereby expanding its offerings for a broader investor base.

Leadership for DreamStreet includes Dream Sports chief product officer Rahul Mirchandani, who will serve as CEO. Meanwhile, Dream11 product leaders Karan Bansal and Nikhil Lalvani will take on the roles of CBO and CPO, respectively, strengthening the platform’s product and business strategy.

Additionally, DreamStreet integrates advanced features such as stock recommendations from SEBI-registered experts, including research analysts and investment advisors. Alongside this, the platform provides AI-powered access to stock insights. Importantly, it introduces an in-built AI assistant named Veda, which delivers data-driven insights and analysis to support informed decision-making, according to the company. Over the coming months, DreamStreet plans to introduce more capabilities to further simplify investing for users.

“India’s demographic tailwinds—rising disposable incomes, growing financial literacy, and rapid smartphone adoption—are creating a generational opportunity for new retail participation in financial markets,” Mirchandani said.

“By integrating AI-enabled data & information into the core of the platform, we want to help users cut through complexity so that more Indians can be a part of the India growth story,” he added.

This launch also marks a significant expansion of the Mumbai-based company’s financial services and wealth management portfolio. Previously, in December, it was reported that Dream Sports reorganized its structure into eight independent business units, each led by dedicated leadership. Moreover, the company operates across 11 business verticals, including investments in sports leagues such as a Mumbai rugby team and an England-based professional football club, along with its philanthropic arm, the Dream Sports Foundation.

The restructuring followed regulatory disruptions in the online gaming sector, where new laws significantly impacted Dream Sports’ core fantasy sports business by reducing 95 percent of its revenue and eliminating profitability. Consequently, the company has actively diversified into new growth areas like fintech and wealth management.

At the same time, DreamStreet enters a highly competitive and evolving stock broking ecosystem in India. Several fintech and consumer internet companies are aggressively exploring this space. For instance, MobiKwik has secured regulatory approvals to launch broking services. Similarly, Super.money and CRED are actively developing investment offerings.

However, the market already features strong digital incumbents such as Groww, Zerodha, and Angel One, making competition intense.

Moreover, recent regulatory changes have reshaped the trading landscape. Tighter margin requirements, reduced weekly expiries, higher capital thresholds, and increased taxation have made derivatives trading less appealing for retail investors. In addition, the recent increase in Securities Transaction Tax (STT) is likely to discourage speculative trading in futures and options.

Despite these challenges, Dream Sports holds a strong advantage with its base of over 250 million registered users. Therefore, the company can effectively cross-sell DreamStreet and accelerate user adoption in the stock broking segment.

As competition intensifies and regulations evolve, DreamStreet’s success will depend on how effectively it simplifies investing while building trust among first-time and experienced investors alike.

The company has set a price band of Rs 162–171 per share, according to a newspaper advertisement. Furthermore, the IPO includes a fresh issue worth Rs 850 crore alongside an offer for sale (OFS) of 4.4 million shares, which translates to Rs 76 crore. Through this structure, Kissht plans to strengthen its capital base while also providing partial exits to existing investors.

However, the updated IPO structure represents a strategic revision compared to its earlier proposal. Previously, the company had planned a Rs 1,000 crore fresh issue along with an OFS of 8.8 million shares. With this adjustment, Kissht has streamlined its offering in response to prevailing market conditions and investor sentiment, ensuring a more balanced and attractive issue size.

Moreover, the IPO comes at a time when India’s fintech sector is witnessing rapid digital adoption, increased credit penetration, and strong investor interest in digital lending platforms. As a result, Kissht’s public listing could further boost confidence in the sector and highlight the growing importance of technology-driven financial inclusion.

Kissht’s IPO launch signals a significant milestone in its growth journey while also underlining broader trends in India’s capital markets and fintech landscape. If the offering garners strong investor demand, it could pave the way for more digital lending startups to explore public listings, thereby accelerating innovation and competition in the industry.

Originally conceptualised by Signzy, the inaugural edition of FPL delivered strong community engagement by bringing fintech professionals together beyond formal business settings and onto the cricket field. Notably, 32 fintech companies participated in the first edition, including Razorpay, PayU, CRED, PhonePe, Zerodha, and Paisabazaar.

Furthermore, the tournament featured over 86 matches and saw participation from more than 100 CXOs and senior leaders. As a result, Zerodha emerged as the national winner, marking a significant milestone for the fintech community.

“The first edition of FPL showed us something we always believed: that the fintech ecosystem is more than a professional community; it is a family. When you have 32 companies, 100+ senior leaders, and 86 matches — and the energy only gets better with every game — you know you’ve built something real. Bringing SPF on board as a partner for the 2nd edition is a tremendous boost. SPF’s reach, its convening power, and its deep relationships across the ecosystem mean that FPL can now truly become an industry-wide initiative. We couldn’t think of a better partner to help us take FPL to the next level,” Arpit Ratan, Co-founder, Signzy said.

Meanwhile, Shweta Rajpal Kohli, Founder & CEO, Startup Policy Forum emphasised the alignment between SPF’s mission and the initiative. “SPF exists to bring India’s startup community closer across policy, partnerships, and community. Ecosystems are built in the moments of connection between people building together. The Fintech Premier League embodies that spirit perfectly. Nothing creates bonds quite like the game of cricket does. Partnering with FPL for its second edition is a natural fit given our mission of community building. We want to make it bigger, bolder, and more inclusive. A true celebration of making the ecosystem stronger.”

Additionally, the announcement took place on the sidelines of the Fintech Baithak, SPF’s closed-door engagement platform that brings together fintech founders and senior government stakeholders to drive meaningful policy discussions.

The SPF–FPL partnership highlights the growing importance of community-driven initiatives within India’s fintech ecosystem. By combining industry participation with cultural engagement, the collaboration aims to scale FPL into a larger, more inclusive platform that strengthens relationships and fosters deeper collaboration across the sector.

With this latest infusion, KreditBee’s total funding has reached approximately $540 million. Notably, this funding round stands as the second-largest deal of 2026, following Neysa, which raised $1.2 billion earlier this year.

Importantly, the round includes $80 million in secondary transactions. The company plans to utilize the fresh capital to scale its credit business, particularly focusing on newer verticals such as secured lending and MSME financing.

“Our risk management has been very stable even during big events like COVID or the down cycles like the MFI (Micro Finance Institutions) crisis in 2024. That is what got rewarded, and we got good interest from investors, almost 3x the demand,” co-founder and CEO Madhusudan E said on April 7.

Founded in 2018 by Madhusudan E, Vivek Veda, and Karthikeyan Krishnaswamy, the company had earlier raised $145 million and $100 million in 2021 and 2023, respectively.

Financially, KreditBee reported a revenue of Rs 2,700 crore and a net profit of Rs 473 crore in FY25, highlighting its strong growth trajectory. Meanwhile, the fintech is currently merging its technology entity with its non-banking financial company (NBFC) arm as it prepares for an initial public offering (IPO) within the current financial year.

“This is the last private round before the IPO. The listing was always for us a function of the merger process, which we are doing now. We expect to complete the process in the next couple of months,” Madhusudan said.

Operationally, the company has facilitated more than 60 million loans and reported assets under management (AUM) of around Rs 15,000 crore in FY26. This reflects a growth of 43–44 percent compared to Rs 10,100 crore AUM recorded in FY25.

Over the past few years, KreditBee has significantly diversified its portfolio. It has expanded into secured lending, including loans against property, two-wheeler financing, and MSME loans. As a result, its secured lending AUM has already reached Rs 1,000 crore, while MSME lending stands at Rs 500 crore.

In terms of customer behavior, KreditBee’s average loan ticket size is around Rs 60,000, whereas first-time borrowers typically begin with loans of Rs 20,000. Furthermore, the platform receives nearly 70,000 new loan applications daily, although it approves only about 10 percent of them. Alongside lending, the company also offers value-added services such as credit report solutions and UPI-based products.

Additionally, KreditBee has built strong traction not only in metropolitan cities but also across Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets, underscoring the rising adoption of digital lending solutions across India.

KreditBee’s latest funding round reinforces investor confidence in India’s digital lending ecosystem. As the company moves closer to its IPO and continues expanding into secured and MSME lending, it is well-positioned to capture a larger share of the rapidly evolving fintech market.

With this fresh capital, Uncia plans to accelerate its growth across India. At the same time, the company will fund its expansion into international markets, including the Middle East, North Africa (MENA), and North America. Furthermore, Uncia has revealed its intention to pursue a public listing in the coming years. Consequently, the company positions this funding round as the first step in a long-term journey toward becoming a globally scaled and publicly accountable lending technology institution.

“We made a deliberate choice to build before we rose. Every rupee we invested came from the conviction that if we solved the right problem well enough, the market would validate it. Today, we manage over 2 lakh crore rupees cumulatively for some of India’s top NBFCs, and we believe we’ve proven our thesis. This funding is not a beginning but a gear shift. We have the product. We have validation at scale and diversity. Now we have the capital to take this to the world. We’re pleased to partner with Pavestone. Their investment values align closely with our mission, and we look forward to drawing on the strategic insight of their leadership team,” said Hari Padmanabhan, Chairman, Uncia.

In contrast to the broader fintech landscape, often driven by aggressive funding and rapid scaling, Uncia has adopted a disciplined, product-first approach. Instead of relying on early-stage capital, the company prioritized precision in product development and market fit. As a result, it has built an AI-native platform suite that powers loan origination, loan management, and supply chain finance operations for several leading financial institutions in India.

Moreover, Uncia has designed its platforms around what it calls ‘self-serve lending infrastructure.’ This approach enables financial institutions to independently configure, launch, and manage complex lending products without relying on IT dependencies, change requests, or prolonged implementation cycles. Over the past two years, the company has also invested heavily in AI research in collaboration with IIT Madras at the IITM Technology Research Park. Consequently, these AI models are already delivering tangible benefits to early adopters, including cost efficiencies and improved underwriting outcomes.

“At Pavestone, we focus on backing businesses that are solving structural problems in large enterprises, with a clear path to scale and profitability. The lending ecosystem is expanding rapidly, yet much of the underlying technology remains constrained by legacy systems that cannot support the speed, flexibility, and intelligence lenders now require. Uncia has built a unified, cloud-first platform with embedded AI capabilities that addresses these challenges while enabling rapid deployment and ‘pay-as-you-grow’ scalability. We believe the company is well-positioned to deliver durable value,” said Srikanth Tanikella, Managing Partner, Pavestone Capital.

Uncia’s first funding round not only validates its product-first philosophy but also sets the stage for accelerated domestic and global expansion. By combining proven scale, AI-driven innovation, and a clear roadmap toward public listing, the company is positioning itself as a formidable player in the global lending technology ecosystem.