Fintech 5.0: Scaling Innovation, Inclusion, and Intelligence Takes Centre Stage at the 2nd Edition of the Fintech Innovation Summit

New Delhi: The 2nd Edition of the Fintech Innovation Summit brought together regulators, industry leaders, and innovators to deliberate on the theme “Fintech 5.0 – Scaling Innovation, Inclusion, and Intelligence”. The summit highlighted how India’s fintech journey is evolving towards sustainable, inclusive, and globally impactful models.

Delivering the Inaugural Address as Guest of Honour, Mr Suvendu Pati, Chief General Manager, FinTech Department, Reserve Bank of India, underscored the importance of collaboration between regulators and industry. “The themes chosen for this summit truly resonate with my areas of interest. These are exactly the issues regulators are focusing on — in close alignment with industry. Innovation must be paired with ethical leadership, clear regulatory boundaries, and inclusive design. If you want to travel fast, you travel alone; but if you want to go far, you go together. This summit should serve as a platform for all of us to work together in creating sustainable and trusted financial solutions that will take India’s fintech ecosystem to greater heights.”

Speaking about the rapid transformation of Indian fintech, Mr Anant Deshpande, Co-Founder, FinBox, said: “The journey of Indian fintechs—from the early days of mobile wallets and UPI to today’s AI-driven platforms, embedded finance, and neobanks—has not only transformed financial services but has redefined access, affordability, and efficiency across the spectrum. Fintechs are no longer seen as peripheral disruptors. Today, they are core enablers of India’s broader economic and financial transformation. In short, Fintech 5.0 is about building platforms, not just products. Platforms that are not only profitable but also responsible. That combine scale with empathy, and innovation with trust.”

Highlighting the role of digital public infrastructure and industry collaboration, Mr Kapil Hathi, CFO, Amazon India, noted: “As India moves towards becoming the world’s third-largest economy by the end of this decade, our Digital Public Infrastructure—Aadhaar, UPI, DigiYatra and more—has set global benchmarks, supported by progressive reforms like GST simplification. At Amazon, we are committed to making this future accessible to every Indian—whether through Amazon Pay’s integrated payment and credit solutions, our co-branded credit card with ICICI Bank, or scaling Buy Now Pay Later offerings with Amazon Pay Later. With India’s digital payments market projected to triple by FY29, the next chapter, Fintech 5.0, will be defined not just by technology but by partnerships that drive innovation, inclusion, and trust—and we remain focused on being a trusted collaborator in this journey.”

Projecting the global leadership potential of Indian fintech, Mr Rudra Kumar Pandey, Senior Partner, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, added: “Over the next five years, FinTech 5.0 will see India evolve from a payments powerhouse to a global architect of intelligent, sustainable finance—leveraging UPI, which already processes over 12 billion transactions monthly, serving more than 350 million users, and building on a fintech market projected to exceed USD 150 billion by 2027—exporting UPI-style systems, AI-driven credit models, and inclusive digital infrastructure across Asia and Africa.”

The summit concluded with a call for stronger public–private partnerships, ethical innovation, and sustainable growth models that will ensure India’s fintech ecosystem continues to thrive while addressing the needs of millions across urban and rural India.