FinTech goes local: women bringing banking home, Hitesh Kanariya, co-founder, COO, Kuberjee

By Puja Sharma

Rural India’s FinTech future is being shaped by hyperlocal, women-led models that blend trust, technology, and last-mile delivery to drive true financial inclusion.

How is emerging FinTech infrastructure redefining the scope of financial inclusion in India’s next billion markets?

Emerging FinTech infrastructure is transforming financial inclusion for India’s next billion by making services more accessible, affordable, and tailored to underserved rural populations. With platforms like Aadhaar, UPI, Account Aggregators, and eKYC, onboarding into the formal financial system has become seamless. FinTechs like Kuberjee are leveraging local women as banking agents to deliver doorstep services such as credit, savings, insurance, and bill payments.

Data-driven models now use alternative credit scoring, enabling loans for those without a formal credit history. Context-specific products—like sachet loans, gold savings, and crop insurance—are addressing the unique needs of SHGs, farmers, and daily wage earners. Interoperable systems like ONDC and BBPS are unlocking market linkages and digital commerce in villages. Supported by
public-private collaborations and enabling policies, this infrastructure is redefining financial inclusion—not just by providing access, but by building trust, usage, and long-term empowerment.

What structural gaps are slowing down rural India’s transition to a truly digital financial ecosystem?

Rural India’s path to a fully digital financial ecosystem is hindered by deep-rooted structural barriers. Poor infrastructure—unreliable electricity, patchy networks, and low-speed internet—limits access in remote areas. Smartphone access remains low, especially among women and the elderly, and digital literacy is scarce. Financial awareness is minimal, with many unaware of digital tools like UPI or AEPS. Language barriers persist as most platforms lack regional language support. Deep mistrust of formal systems, shaped by reliance on informal lenders, adds to the hesitation. Weak last-mile delivery and limited mobility for women worsen access. Addressing these requires hyperlocal, inclusive, and trust-led solutions.

Why is hyperlocalisation becoming a strategic imperative for rural FinTech scalability?

Hyperlocalisation is no longer optional it’s a strategic necessity for scaling FinTech in rural India. Rural markets are deeply diverse, not just across states but even between neighbouring villages. Differences in language, literacy levels, caste dynamics, gender roles, income patterns, and financial behaviour make a one-size-fits-all model ineffective.

To succeed, FinTech platforms must adapt their user interfaces, customer support, and product offerings to reflect local realities. This includes offering vernacular language options, voice-based
navigation, and culturally resonant communication styles. More importantly, trust is a key currency in rural India—services delivered through locally known and respected women agents (like BC Sakhis) drive far higher adoption than faceless apps or centralised support.

Hyperlocalisation also allows startups to address seasonal cash flow cycles (e.g., harvesting periods, dairy incomes, festival spending) and design products like small-ticket loans, recurring savings, or crop insurance that align with local livelihoods.

By embedding deeply into communities, FinTech startups can foster trust, boost financial literacy, and build scalable, sustainable rural ecosystems that truly serve Bharat.

How can community-led, last-mile models unlock the next phase of inclusive FinTech growth?

Community-led, last-mile models are the cornerstone of unlocking true financial inclusion in rural India. These models empower trusted local individuals—especially women like BC Sakhis—to serve as digital and financial facilitators within their own villages. Because they live among the community, they already possess deep social capital,
cultural understanding, and personal trust, making them far more effective than external agents or remote call centers.

Such models not only bridge the trust deficit between rural users and formal financial systems but also overcome barriers like low digital literacy, mobility restrictions for women, and language gaps. Trained community agents can provide doorstep banking, explain financial products in vernacular languages, assist with KYC and documentation, and resolve issues in real time—offering both tech and touch.

Moreover, these women become role models and micro-entrepreneurs, generating livelihoods while fostering financial awareness and digital adoption in their communities. As they scale
their presence across geographies, community-led models act as decentralised, scalable distribution networks for financial services— reaching remote villages that banks or FinTechs find too costly or complex to serve directly.

Ultimately, this bottom-up model doesn’t just improve access—it builds trust, resilience, and self-reliance, enabling inclusive FinTech growth that is both scalable and sustainable.

What role will vernacular-first, mobile-native platforms play in solving the financial literacy challenge at scale?

Vernacular-first, mobile-native platforms are critical enablers of financial inclusion in rural India, where language barriers and digital unfamiliarity remain significant obstacles. By offering content, navigation, and support in local languages and dialects, these platforms make financial tools far more accessible and relatable to rural users, especially those with low literacy levels or limited exposure to technology.

Beyond just translation, such platforms leverage voice commands, video explainers, regional storytelling, and intuitive icons to deliver information in ways that align with how rural users consume content— especially on low-end smartphones. This makes it easier for users to understand services like savings, loans, insurance, or UPI payments, thereby building confidence in using digital finance.

Additionally, AI-powered conversational interfaces and voice bots in regional languages allow users to ask questions and complete tasks without needing to read or type—bridging gaps in both literacy and tech skills. These tools transform passive access into active participation, helping rural users not just use financial services but also understand them.

In the long run, vernacular-first, mobile-native platforms can serve as digital classrooms, continuously educating millions at scale— empowering them to make informed financial decisions, avoid fraud, and build economic resilience. For India’s diverse rural landscape, they are not just a convenience—they are a necessity for achieving true digital and financial inclusion.

How does Kuberjee’s women-led model demonstrate a new blueprint for sustainable rural FinTech innovation?

Kuberjee is transforming rural FinTech with a women-led model rooted in its “One Village, One Sakhi” strategy—empowering local women as digitally-enabled financial agents. These Sakhis offer essential services like banking, insurance, microloans, and eCommerce onboarding through a unified, low-connectivity mobile platform. By addressing trust gaps, digital inaccessibility, and mobility barriers, the model turns financial inclusion into a livelihood opportunity. With regional language support, intuitive tech, and real-time dashboards, Kuberjee ensures transparency and scale. Its partnerships with NBFCs, SHGs, and government bodies, along with national recognition, highlight its potential as a scalable, gender-inclusive blueprint for rural financial
empowerment.