By Dilip Modi, Founder & CEO, Spice Money

“2025 has reaffirmed that fintech is not just reshaping payments and financial services, it is redefining how people access, trust, and use finance every day, especially across rural and semi-urban Bharat. With UPI reaching unprecedented scale, the RBI’s Financial Inclusion Index rising to 67, and digital and assisted-digital services becoming mainstream, fintech apps, driven by ease of use, wide availability, and instant access, are increasingly preferred over traditional bank-led payment methods.

Beyond payments, the year also marked meaningful progress in expanding access to credit, savings, and insurance in underserved regions, supported by the growing formalisation of rural lending and the rapid adoption of AI and data-led innovation. This evolution underscores that financial inclusion today is about trust, convenience, relevance, and responsible innovation, not just access.

As we move into 2026, the opportunity is to deepen this ecosystem, where payments act as the entry point and credit, protection, and value-added services drive long-term economic resilience. The challenge and responsibility ahead is clear: to harness innovation sustainably and ensure fintech empowers every Indian from the city to the last mile, to plan, grow, and secure their financial future.”