a16z invests in Pakistan; BNPL makes a comeback in India | TWIF - 02nd Nov, 2025

Zerodhaplans to launch US stock investments for Indian users in next quarter via GIFT City international financial hub.

AU Small Finance Bank, Ujjivan, and Janareported lower net profits in Q2 2024 due to higher credit costs and expenses, with hopes for credit quality improvement in Q3.

PNB Housing Financereported 24% profit increase to INR 582 cr ($66M) in Q2 FY2026, driven by loan recovery and improved asset quality.

Reserve Bank of Indiareported bank deposit growth slowed to 9.5% YoY as of Oct 17.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI)reported gold loans and renewable energy loans more than doubled, while NBFC and housing finance credit growth decelerated in Sep 2025.

Go Digit General Insurancereported INR 2,088 cr ($235M) revenue, growing 10% YoY, and increased profit by 30% in Q2 FY2026.

Bank of Barodareported net profit of INR 4,809 crore ($541M) in Q2, declining 8% YoY, with net interest income rising 3%.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI)reported a decrease in forex reserves to $695.4 billion during the week ended October 24

Infibeam Avenues's subsidiary received in-principle approval to operate as Payment Service Provider at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT-city).

PB Fintechreported a consolidated revenue of INR 1,613.5cr ($ 182M) in Q2 FY26, with net profit rising 164% YoY to INR 135cr ($15.2M).

India's insurtech sector crossed $16bn in cumulative valuation in 2024, with 10x revenue growth.

Nuvamareported potential passive inflows of up to $4bn for six major public sector banks if Foreign Institutional Investment (FII) limit increases to 49%.

Star Health Insurancereported a 51% drop in Profit After Tax (PAT) at INR 55cr ($6M) in Q2 FY2026, with marginal gross written premium growth.

Credit card spending reached INR 2.16 lakh crore ($24.5Bn) and new card additions neared 1.1M in Sep 2025, driven by festive season and GST cuts.

Jefferieswarned that SEBI's proposed mutual fund fee structure changes could reduce asset management company profits by 8-10% in fiscal year 2027.

Falconpartnered with Tech Mahindra to integrate cloud-native payments platform, targeting Indian and international banking markets in Southeast Asia and Europe.

Zerodhapartnered with Blostem to launch digital Fixed Deposits on Coin platform.

Growwlaunched Groww Cloud, an algo trading platform with single-click functionality for stock market investments.

Samsungplanned to support small UPI transactions using device biometrics from December 2025.

Paytmlaunched UPI payment service for NRIs in 12 countries without requiring local Indian SIM card

India Fintech Foundationurged government and RBI to address UPI payment concentration, highlighting that two providers control over 80% of transaction volume.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI)suggested digital solutions and cash-flow based lending to improve credit access for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Reserve Bank of India (RBI)proposed draft guidelines to speed up cross-border inward remittances, mandating same-day credit and near real-time account reconciliation.

SEBIproposed comprehensive mutual fund regulation changes to reduce expenses and increase transparency for investors, potentially impacting AMC revenues.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI)issued draft regulatory directions for capital market exposure of non-banking finance companies.

Reserve Bank of Indiadrafted a proposal to improve speed and efficiency of cross-border payments, aligning with G20 roadmap.

IFSCAproposed a regulatory framework requiring securities in GIFT City to be held in electronic depositories by March 2026

PhonePeraised INR 5300cr ($600M), valuing the company at INR 1.28 lakh cr ($14.5B) in preparation for IPO in early 2026.

Snapmint, a BNPL infrastructure startup, raised INR 1,109cr ($125M).

Optimo Capital, an SME finance startup founded by EaseMyTrip co-founder Prashant Pitti's NBFC, raised INR 150 crore ($17M).

Jupiter Money, a neo bank in India, raised INR 115cr ($13M).

SalarySe, a salary-linked credit startup, raised INR 100 cr ($11.3M).

Redacto, an AI-powered data governance startup, raised INR 12 crore ($1.35M).

Cybrilla, a wealth management infrastructure startup, raised an undisclosed amount.

Drip Capitalraised a $50M credit facility from TD Bank.

Easypaisa Digital Bank in Pakistan reported Pakistani Rs. 5.65bn ($20M) profit before tax, representing 45.6% YoY growth, driven by deposit expansion and digital lending in Pakistan.

Boxing champion and former Philippine senator Manny Pacquiaolaunched Manny Pay, a BSP-regulated financial app targeting digital payments market with business and consumer services.

Wisr, an Australian lending company, grew loan book 15% to AU$867M, with improved credit performance and 90% increase in loan originations in Q1 FY26.

Alipay+partnered with HUMO, Uzbekistan's national payment system, to enable cross-border QR payments across 50+ markets.

Bitstamp by Robinhoodadded native Singapore Dollar (SGD) support and PayNow integration, expanding its Asia-Pacific market presence in June 2025.

DBS and Goldman Sachsexecuted the first interbank Over-the-Counter (OTC) cryptocurrency options trade, enabling better digital asset portfolio management.

DBS and Goldman Sachsexecuted the first interbank Over-the-Counter (OTC) cryptocurrency options trade, enabling better digital asset portfolio management.

MoneyHerolaunched Project Odyssey an AI powered platform to drive revenue growth, deploying Car Insurance SaverBot Beta on WhatsApp in Singapore and targeting 30% insurance vertical revenue by end of 2026.

Openmarkets Group, an Australian wealth management startup, expects to raise $50M to accelerate decentralised finance strategy across Asia and US markets.

Pakistanrecorded 11.3% YoY remittance growth and 55.5% FDI decline in September 2025, with total remittances reaching $9.5 billion during July-September fiscal year 2026.

State Bank of Pakistanurged stronger collaboration between regulators, banks, and tech partners to modernise Islamic and digital banking operations by 2026.

2C2P, Singapore-based payments platform, invested $60M and launched a growth strategy after Ant Group subsidiary acquisition.

State Bank of Pakistan (SBP)planned major financial literacy initiative to reach 10M people by FY2028, partnering with Teach the World Foundation to expand financial access.

Bank Indonesiaexpanded QRIS digital payment system to Saudi Arabia and India, with cross-border transactions growing 38% in Q3 2025.

Marketnodepartnered with Maybank Asset Management and BNP Paribas Securities Services to launch an on-chain Money Market Fund using tokenisation technology.

CPI Card Grouppartnered with Karta, an Australian gift cards startup, to integrate SafeToBuy technology into prepaid cards, eliminating printed card details and embedding security within EMV chips.

Webull in Hong Kong partnered with Flagright to implement AI-native compliance monitoring platform.

Bank of East Asia in Hong Kong launched a multi-currency debit card supporting 11 currencies with zero transaction fees and worldwide withdrawal capabilities.

FundPark, a Hong Kong based ecomm merchant finance startup, raised $71 million in debt and equity.

Endowus, a Singaporean wealth advisory platform, raised $70M in funding.

Pave, a Singaporean digital bank targeting crypto markets, raised $45M.

ZAR, a Pakistani stablecoin-based digital bank, raised $13M.

Sky Singapore, a blockchain infrastructure and financial startup, raised $10M.

Riverchain, a Hong Kong-based blockchain trade finance startup, raised $5M.

Qapita, an ESOP management startup, acquired US-based Punch Financial to enhance its private market platform and fund management services.