Daily Brief

Fintech Brief — April 22, 2026 Today’s Top Stories 1. RBI Holds Policy Rates Steady; Inflation Concerns Persist The Reserve Bank of India maintained its policy repo rate at 5.25% in its latest review, with the Standing Deposit Facility Rate at 5.00% and Marginal Standing Facility Rate at 5.50%. The CRR remains at 3.00% and SLR at 18.00%. Key rates as of April 21, 2026: Policy Repo Rate: 5.25% Lending Rate (MCLR Overnight): 7.70% - 7.95% Savings Deposit Rate: 2.50% Term Deposit Rate > 1 Year: 6.00% - 6.60% RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra has warned of persistent inflation risks citing India’s exposure to the Middle East conflict. The central bank remains cautious on rate cuts despite market expectations for easing. 1 ...

Fintech Brief — April 20, 2026 Today’s Top Stories 1. RBI Restricts INR Forex Derivatives to Curb Speculation The Reserve Bank of India has issued a stringent circular (RBI/2026-27/04 A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 03) effective immediately, prohibiting authorised dealers from offering non-deliverable derivative contracts involving INR to both resident and non-resident users. The circular also bans rebooking of any FX derivative contract involving INR that is cancelled after the issue date, and prohibits undertaking INR-involving FX derivative contracts with related parties. ...

Fintech Brief — April 18, 2026 Today’s Top Stories 1. India’s Equity Fund Flows Surge 11% in March India’s equity net fund flows improved by 11% in March 2026, rising from Rs 41,934 crore in February to Rs 46,501 crore, according to a Vallum Capital report. The surge was led by manufacturing and infrastructure sectors, with large-cap funds absorbing Rs 28,558 crore in inflows—a jump of Rs 19,242 crore from February. However, money-market net fund flows reversed sharply from Rs 42,800 crore to negative Rs 1,94,775 crore, while fixed-income outflows widened from Rs -16,919 crore to Rs -76,354 crore, indicating redemption pressure and sensitivity to interest rates. 1 ...

Fintech Brief — April 16, 2026 Today’s Top Stories 1. RBI Mandates Faster Cross-Border Inward Payments (Effective October 2026) The Reserve Bank of India has issued a landmark circular dated April 9, 2026, directing all scheduled commercial banks to accelerate inward cross-border payments. Effective October 2026, banks must credit cross-border inward payments on the same day during forex market hours and reconcile nostro accounts hourly. This addresses longstanding friction in the final leg of international fund transfers, ensuring beneficiaries receive foreign remittances faster. The RBI had sought feedback on this subject via a circular on October 29, 2025, and the finalized guidelines represent a significant step toward aligning India’s cross-border payment infrastructure with global standards. [^1] ...

Fintech Brief — April 15, 2026 Today’s Top Stories 1. Jio, Bank of Baroda Launch First Feature Phone Banking App In a significant step towards financial inclusion, Bank of Baroda has partnered with Reliance Jio to launch bob World Lite — claimed as the first comprehensive mobile banking app designed specifically for feature phone users. The app will be available on the JioPhone Prima 4G device. The initiative aligns with both the government and RBI’s vision to promote inclusivity and make digital payments accessible to feature phone users — a demographic largely underserved by conventional smartphone-based banking apps. Unlike conventional mobile banking apps that only work on smartphones, bob World Lite provides a comprehensive suite of everyday banking services on affordable feature phones. ...

Fintech Brief — April 09, 2026 Today’s Top Stories 1. KreditBee Joins Unicorn Club with $280 Million Funding Indian digital lending platform KreditBee has achieved unicorn status after closing a $280 million funding round. The milestone marks a significant achievement for the country’s fintech lending sector, which has faced increased scrutiny from regulators over the past year. The funding comes amid a resurgence in venture capital interest in Indian fintech startups, particularly those operating in the credit and lending space. [^1] ...

Fintech Brief — April 07, 2026 Today’s Top Stories 1. RBI Poised to Hold Rates Amid Iran War Uncertainty India’s Reserve Bank is expected to keep interest rates unchanged at its monetary policy meeting on Wednesday, as policymakers assess the economic fallout from the Iran war that has battered the rupee and strained bond markets. Governor Sanjay Malhotra had described the economy as being in a “Goldilocks” phase as recently as December—combining strong growth with low inflation—but that characterization is now under pressure. ...

Fintech Brief — April 05, 2026 Today’s Top Stories 1. BHIM App Introduces Biometric Authentication for UPI Payments NPCI BHIM Services Limited (NBSL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has officially launched biometric authentication for its BHIM Payments App. Available for both iOS and Android devices, the new feature allows users to approve Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions using their smartphone’s built-in fingerprint or facial recognition technology. ...

Fintech Brief — March 31, 2026 Today’s Top Stories 1. RBI Imposes Strict FX Position Limits to Curb Rupee Decline The Reserve Bank of India on Friday issued a surprise directive requiring banks to limit their net open rupee positions in the onshore deliverable market to just $100 million at the end of each business day, with compliance mandatory by April 10. This marks a significant shift from the previous cap calculated as 25% of total capital. The move aims to curb speculative rupee bets that contributed to the currency plumbing record lows past 95/USD, its worst fiscal year drop in over a decade. Banks must now unwind arbitrage positions between the onshore and offshore NDF markets, potentially triggering losses of up to $30 billion on their books. Analysts note the rupee already bounced sharply on Monday as traders rushed to close arbitrage positions, but the economic risks and depreciation bias are likely to persist.12 ...

Fintech Brief — March 30, 2026 Today’s Top Stories NPCI Cuts RuPay Credit Card UPI Fees; RBI Probes Autopay Issues In a significant move affecting India’s digital payments ecosystem, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has revised UPI fees for RuPay credit card transactions, effective April 1, 2026. The circular reduces third-party app provider (TPAP) fees from 8 to 6 basis points for non-industry apps and from 4 to 3 basis points for industry apps. This directly impacts consumer-facing UPI payment apps like Paytm, Google Pay, and PhonePe, potentially reducing their transaction costs and improving margins on high-volume payments.1 ...