The India FinTech Forum concluded the 10th edition of the India FinTech Awards (IFTA) on 10 December 2025 at Aurika, Mumbai, marking a decade of celebrating innovation, leadership, and excellence in the country’s fintech ecosystem. Supported by the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), State Bank of India (SBI), and the Indian Clearing Corporation Limited (ICCL), the milestone edition convened policymakers, financial institutions, technology companies, and investors for discussions on regulatory priorities, digital infrastructure, and emerging sectoral trends.
A key highlight of this year’s edition was the launch of Mentor Chronicles Fintech Edition, a structured digital mentorship programme designed to support early-stage founders navigating product, compliance, and market challenges. The programme will serve as a long-term knowledge resource, curating real questions from founders and addressing them through conversations with experienced operators, investors, and domain experts. It aims to build an indexed library of recurring challenges and practical responses across payments, lending, wealthtech, insurtech, regtech, and embedded finance. The initiative officially begins in January 2026, with the objective of enhancing founder decision-making, product prioritisation, and regulatory preparedness.
The Forum noted that this intervention comes at a time when early-stage fintech companies are facing higher customer acquisition costs, longer compliance cycles, and greater investor scrutiny. Mentor Chronicles aims to fill a critical guidance gap as the sector enters a phase defined increasingly by consolidation and compliance-driven growth.
Celebrating the 10-year journey of IFTA, Sougata Basu, Founder, CashRich, said, “As an Executive Committee Member of India FinTech Forum and the Founder of Fintech Olympiad, I am proud that the India FinTech Awards (IFTA) has become the only fintech event in India to achieve a continuous 10-year journey. This milestone reflects the trust of our fintech community and the growing strength of the ecosystem. With 70000+ participants, the Fintech Olympiad has become a uniquely impactful initiative that builds financial literacy and digital fluency for India. Together, these efforts show how India is shaping the future of finance.”
The event featured keynote addresses from Ashwini Kumar Tewari, Managing Director, SBI; Vishal Kapoor, CEO, Bandhan AMC; Shri Ashishkumar Chauhan, MD & CEO, NSE; and Vaisshali Babu, MD & CEO, ICCL. Speakers discussed developments across banking, capital markets, asset management, and market infrastructure, emphasising stability, governance, and the role of technology in strengthening financial systems.
IFTA 2025 also concluded its awards initiative, recognising standout fintech innovators across multiple categories. The Forum received more than 1,500 applications, with shortlisted firms showcasing solutions spanning payments, lending, compliance, insurance, and wealth management.
IFTA 2025 Winners
- Fintech Startup of the Year: Sahi
- Fintech Rising Stars: Riskcovry, SaveIN, OnFinance AI, Navanc Data Sciences
- Fintech Scaleup of the Year: Timble Technologies
- Most Innovative Fintech Product: Fam
- Best Innovation in Digital Lending: GetVantage
- Best International Fintech in India: Valocity
- Best Fintech Initiative for Social Impact: Spice Money
- Excellence in Payments: Pine Labs
- Best Use of AI in Fintech: GreyLabs AI
- Best Innovation in RegTech: CAMS
- Best Innovation in WealthTech: Aspero
- Excellence in InsurTech: Perfios
- Best Technology Company for Fintech Solutions: Falcon
- Best Initiative for Financial Literacy: PayNearby
The 3rd edition of the Fintech Olympiad witnessed record participation, with 70,000 students from over 4,000 colleges across India. After multiple online and regional rounds, around 120 students competed at the National Finals held in Mumbai during IFTA.
Fintech Olympiad 2025 – National Winners
Students Category
- Winner: Tejas Sayli, JBIMS Mumbai
- 1st Runner-up: Dhruv Garg, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai
- 2nd Runner-up: Dhruv Patel, Tolani Motwane Institute of Management Studies
Professionals Category
- Winner: Rohan Khanna, Director, Barclays
- 1st Runner-up: Madhur Tike, Data Analyst, Morningstar
- 2nd Runner-up: Shashank Rakesh, Regional Manager, BriskPe
With its 10th edition, IFTA reinforced its position as India’s longest-running and most influential fintech event, celebrating the achievements of the ecosystem while charting new pathways for innovation, literacy, and founder support.
