"Chennai - the Next Fintech Capital,"

Our event, a joint initiative by Insoft Innovations HookoluPay & Workmonk Spaces brought together industry leaders, government officials, investors, and fintech Start-up's & innovators to discuss the city’s potential as a global fintech hub. Through insightful sessions, panel discussions, and fireside chats, we explored Chennai’s unique strengths and the policies supporting fintech growth in Tamil Nadu.

The event began with a traditional lamp-lighting ceremony, symbolizing a bright future for fintech in Chennai. The day was filled with thought-provoking discussions, including:

Mr. Mahesh Ramachandran in his opening remarks set the stage on fire. He spoke on the topic “Chennai's Fintech Revolution Begins” . He gave a brief introduction to why Chennai is emerging as a major player in the fintech world, focusing on the city’s strategic advantages and its potential to lead in fintech innovation.

Mahesh is the founder of Tech Innovations, an investment platform that invests in early stage technology start-ups. He is part of the Leadership Council of FinBlue, the FinTech Centre of Excellence set up, by the Government of India. Mahesh is also a Member, Steering Committee of AICTE and Ministry of Education Innovation Cell - Angel Investor Network by Government of India. He is the founder and chief mentor of Trusted Donations which connects CSR and donors to verified NGOs. He is a partner in the Pontaq Cross Border Innovation Fund based in the UK (Regulated by FCA) and India (Regulated by SEBI) which has invested in over?100+?start ups.

Mr. Bharat Srinivasarangan, SVP – Head of Products, M2P Fintech delivered his key note address in the topic “The Fintech Evolution: From Chennai to the World”. In his Keynote Mr. Bharat briefed what has worked for M2P Fintech in terms of scaling ,its long term vision and people first approach. He also touched up on what worked for Chennai so far in the fintech circle like the OG Fintech destination, its strong talent pool, eco-system synergies. Mr. Bharat then dived deep on how we can transform Chennai as a fintech power house.

Bharat is a seasoned product management leader with a proven track record of driving growth and innovation in the technology industry. His expertise lies in scaling and managing high-impact products that deliver tangible value to customers and businesses alike. With a passion for customer-centric product development, Bharat is adept at identifying and addressing market needs through innovative solutions. His ability to empower teams and individuals to achieve their full potential is a cornerstone of his leadership style. As an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad, Bharat brings a strong foundation in business strategy and management to his role. His commitment to aligned autonomy fosters a collaborative and productive work environment where teams?can?thrive.

An expert panel discussion titled as “What Makes Chennai the Global Fintech Hub” on Chennai’s unique advantages in becoming a fintech capital, including its talent pool, fintech ecosystem, Tamil Nadu’s policies, and how the city compares with other fintech hubs globally.

Panellists include Mr. Pallavarajan, Founder- PMS Bazaar, Mr. S.S.Gopalarathnam, Chairman- Sadashiva Financial Services Pvt Ltd , Mr. K. Hari Haran, CEO - Hawkeye Trading Academy and moderated by Ms. Swetha Ratnasabhapathi, Adviser- Inward Investment, Department of Business and Trade, British Deputy High Commission Chennai.

They discussed about Tamil Nadu Fintech Policy and Chennai's Fintech city & Government Schemes: Supportive policies, incentives, and digital infrastructure initiatives to position Tamil Nadu as a fintech leader.

Why Chennai? Speakers highlighted Chennai’s skilled talent, policies, and thriving ecosystem. Collaboration for Growth: Insights into central and state government partnerships to foster sustainable infrastructure and encourage investment.

Fireside Chat : “The Future of Financial Inclusion and Digital Literacy” by Mr. Janardhan K, Fund Manager - TNIFMC and Mr. Shaik Ghiasuddin , VP – Digital Engineering & Integration Bahwan CyberTek. Casual yet informative discussion on the importance of financial inclusion and digital literacy in India, and the role of fintech in making financial services more accessible to underserved communities.

Funding Start-ups: A discussion on Chennai’s funding landscape and opportunities for early-stage investments.

Event Highlights & Recommendations for Accelerating Growth : Based on these discussions, we suggest the following recommendations for policymakers to support Chennai’s journey as a fintech hub:

Strengthen Infrastructure for Fintech Start-ups: Develop dedicated fintech zones and improve digital infrastructure for seamless fintech activities.

Create Funding Opportunities: Establish government-backed fintech funds and offer tax incentives to early-stage start-ups.

Collaborate with Educational Institutions: Introduce fintech-focused curriculum and research grants in emerging technologies.

Establish a Regulatory Sandbox: Provide a safe test environment for innovative fintech solutions.

Enhanced Digital Literacy & Financial Inclusion: Expand digital literacy programs and initiate public-private collaborations for inclusive finance.

With a supportive community, visionary leadership, and strong talent, Chennai has every opportunity to emerge as a global fintech leader. We look forward to continued collaboration with government bodies, educational institutions, and industry leaders to realize this vision.

Let’s work together to build Chennai’s future as the next fintech capital.

#ChennaiFintechHub

#FinancialInclusion

#InsoftInnovations

#Hookolupay

#STPI

#RBIH

#M2P

#BCTGLOBAL

Mahesh Ramachandran Madhusudanan R Prabhu Rangarajan Kannan Murali Bharat Srinivasarangan Jacob Ravibalan Allen Sam Luther Radhika Iyer SJK Sharmila Jeevitha venkatraman Aziz Ali Arvind Krishna MR Rangaswami Caldwell Velnambi Mike Muralidharan s s Gopalarathnam R Pallavarajan Shaik Ghiasuddin Janardhan Krishnamoorthy Gana SK Prof. Krishnamurthy V Subramanian Krishna Chaitanya Jaison Rajkumar Rehana Ameer FRSA Naren Kumar Dr. Sanjay Tyagi Dr. Gokulakrishnan R Gopu N Rajesh Bansal T Koshy Sandeep Nanduri Dr.Santhosh Babu IAS (VRS) Kewyn George (AI Futurist) Vishnu Venugopalan AVM K Shanmugam Swetha Ratnasabhapathi Sandy Carter Mohammad Alblooshi Maha El Dimachki Sandeep Jhingran Vanitha Venugopal Tiger Tyagarajan Paul Hermelin Umesh Sachdev Harriet Green OBE David M. Brear Yamini Rangan Vani Kola Kris Gopalakrishnan Suresh Sambandam Sunil David P Thiaga Rajan Murugavel Janakiraman Shankar Vanavarayar Jyoti Bansal Jaideep Pawa? (????? ????) Dr. Ravi Kota, IAS Camilla Bullock Christophe Mariette Shradha Sharma Hitendra Dave Murali Malayappan Vaidyanathan V Praveena Rai Sabyasachi Goswami Harshil Mathur Kunal Shah Jyoti Bansal Abdulla Bin Touq Rishi Sunak Purushothaman K VP Rajan Dr Aravindan Selvaraj MS FRCS Ortho Bhupesh Nagarajan Dr. G S K Velu Panneerselvam ( PS ) Madanagopal Abhinav Kumar Abhishant Pant Neil Halliday