Fintech for the People

Accion
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Fintech has the power to build a more inclusive world. Fintech for the People is about the innovators who are developing fintech solutions that reach the people who’ve been left behind. In each episode, we’ll hear from innovators who are creating financial solutions that provide people with the financial tools they need to grow their business, support their family, and build their community. Together, we’ll learn how fintech looks different in spaces and places where basic financial services are a luxury — and how solutions to address these challenges require a different level of creativity, empathy, and execution. Fintech for the People is an Accion podcast hosted by Amee Parbhoo, Managing Partner of Accion Ventures — which deploys capital in early-stage inclusive fintech. Episodes will be released in seasons, on a weekly schedule.

  1. 1d ago

    Scaling Embedded Lending in Southeast Asia

    In this episode, Rahil talks with Markus Prommik, CEO of Finfra, a company that gives lenders in Southeast Asia the infrastructure to build and run their own credit products. Markus started out lending directly before shifting to building the underlying systems, and he explains why conventional lending models so often fail small businesses in Indonesia. Markus and Rahil walk through what it takes for a lender to bring a credit product to market, from licensing and distribution to customer verification and automated collections, and how handling those pieces centrally lowers the barriers to entry. They also get into how lenders weigh a borrower's willingness to repay against their capacity to, and where embedded finance could open up cross-border trade. Episode highlights: Improving unit economics through embedded credit integration versus open-market lending.Navigating the six-step phase for lenders: from regulatory compliance and licensing to capital and reporting.Lowering entry barriers for global lenders by leveraging Finfra’s established lending license in Indonesia.Bridging the gap between capacity to pay and willingness to pay through embedded finance and seamless collections.Utilizing alternative, real-time data points - such as logistics proof-of-delivery - to underwrite underserved segments.Solving the challenges of fragmented payment infrastructure in Indonesia through automated collection tools.The transition from simple financial access to sustainable access through higher-quality, context-aware products.Future opportunities for fintech infrastructure in cross-border trade and geopolitical cooperation within Southeast Asia. To learn more about Finfra, visit their website. Learn more about Accion Ventures on our website and LinkedIn.

  2. Jul 21

    Modernizing the Financial Plumbing of India’s Supply Chains

    Fintech for the People Season 9, Episode 3 featuring Shrinivas Kasar, Co-founder of Cashinvoice In this episode, Rahil is joined by Cashinvoice co-founder Shrinivas Kasar, whose company connects large corporate buyers, their suppliers, and lenders to finance unpaid invoices and free up working capital. India's small businesses face a credit gap estimated at ₹25 trillion, much of it tied up in invoices that take weeks or months to pay out. Shrinivas and Rahil discuss why that gap persists, how connecting corporate systems with lenders lets suppliers get paid on outstanding invoices sooner, and what a partnership with SWIFT India aims to standardize across the country's trade finance. Looking ahead, Shrinivas explains how AI, central bank digital currencies, and tokenization could extend cash-flow lending into India's tier-2 and tier-3 cities. Episode Highlights: Bridging the 25 trillion rupee credit gap for India’s MSME sector.Overcoming the infrastructure gap caused by siloed digital systems and manual paperwork.Inverting the traditional lending model by leveraging buyer creditworthiness to finance suppliers.Creating standardized financial rails through a strategic partnership with SWIFT India.Transforming the cumbersome foreign exchange (FX) hedging and forward contract process.Achieving efficiency gains in corporate treasury management and audit compliance.Utilizing digital trails from goods and services tax (GST) filings and alternate data for more accurate credit underwriting.Reimagining the future of working capital through AI-led analytics, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and tokenization. To learn more about Cashinvoice, visit their website. Learn more about Accion Ventures on our website and LinkedIn.

  3. Jul 14

    Building the Data Foundation for Financial Inclusion in Mexico

    Fintech for the People Season 9, Episode 2 featuring Nicholas ‘Nico’ Yepes, Co-founder and COO of Moffin In this episode, Rahil sits down with Nico Yepes, co-founder and COO of Moffin, a data platform that helps lenders across Latin America access and unify fragmented data to make faster credit decisions. Across the region, fintechs and banks alike keep rebuilding the same systems to pull data and underwrite loans, which slows lending and limits who can get credit. Nico and Rahil discuss why data fragmentation remains a barrier to financial inclusion, how automating data and underwriting shortens approvals that once took weeks, and why structured data must come first before any institution can put AI and large language models to use. Episode highlights: Identifying the technological infrastructure gap for fintechs and traditional banks in Latin America.Slashing loan processing times from eight hours to just minutes through automated workflows.Expanding the credit file by using alternative data to bring underserved individuals and small and medium businesses into the formal financial ecosystem.Navigating the build-vs-buy dilemma for financial institutions looking to digitize.The role of education in the sales cycle and conducting workshops for credit leaders in Mexico.Why structured data is a prerequisite for implementing effective AI and LLM tools.Case studies in operational leverage: Helping an auto leasing client grow 5x without increasing overhead.The future of data hygiene and the potential of open banking in Mexico. To learn more about Moffin, visit their website. Learn more about Accion Ventures on our website and LinkedIn.

  4. Jun 18

    Why Fintech Infrastructure is the New Multiplier to Scale Financial Inclusion

    Fintech for the People Season 9, Episode 1 featuring Monica Brand Engel, Managing Partner at Quona Capital Quona Capital Managing Partner Monica Brand Engel has spent more than a decade investing in financial inclusion across emerging markets. She joins this season's host, Accion Ventures Managing Partner Rahil Rangwala, to talk about a shift underway in fintech: the move from building individual consumer products to building the infrastructure that lets those products reach scale. Monica explains Quona's one-to-many thesis, which backs the back-end systems that many alternative lenders can use to clear operational bottlenecks. From fund administration in Brazil to banking-as-a-service in India, the conversation covers how this infrastructure expands access to financial services and what it takes for founders to build it. Episode highlights: The shift from pure play fintech to the development of public infrastructure, like Pix in Brazil and UPI in India.The multiplier effect of infrastructure and how it allows for greater impact with the same amount of capital.Case studies of infrastructure plays like Kanastra and Shivalik that are solving critical operational hurdles.What’s required of infrastructure founders, including deep domain expertise and regulatory fluency.The future of the financial stack, including the integration of agentic AI and blockchain to drive capital efficiency. To learn more about Quona Capital, visit their website. Learn more about Accion Ventures on our website and LinkedIn.

  5. Jun 11

    Introducing Season 9 of the Fintech for the People Podcast

    Introducing Fintech for the People Season 9, featuring Rahil Rangwala, Managing Partner at Accion Ventures Rahil Rangwala, Managing Partner of Accion Ventures, kicks off a new season of Fintech for the People. In this introductory episode, Rahil sets the stage for a deep dive into the invisible backbone of modern finance: infrastructure. He explains why Accion Ventures believes that inclusion and scale are not trade-offs and why the next wave of innovation depends on the systems beneath the products. Rahil outlines the challenges entrepreneurs face in fragmented markets, from verifying identities to navigating complex regulations, and why building the plumbing of financial services is the key to reaching millions. This season will feature the inclusion of multipliers who we believe are reshaping the economics of the market to ensure no one is left behind. Episode highlights: The philosophy of Accion Ventures: Why inclusion and scale are complementary goals rather than trade-offs.Defining financial infrastructure: Understanding the payment rails, identity layers, and compliance tools that support modern systems.The plumbing analogy: How invisible systems determine what can be built, what it costs, and who is ultimately included or excluded.Overcoming fragmentation: Why founders are often forced to reinvent the wheel and how infrastructure can solve this bottleneck.A preview of season 9: Insights into the upcoming conversations with founders and investors. Learn more about Accion Ventures on our website and LinkedIn.

  6. 10/21/2025

    Driving Digital Financial Inclusion for Pakistan’s Truckers

    Fintech for the People Season 8, Episode 5 featuring Sheryar Bawany, Co-founder and CEO of Trukkr  Amee Parbhoo, Managing Partner of Accion Ventures, welcomes Trukkr’s Co-founder and CEO, Sheryar Bawany, to the podcast this week for an in- depth discussion of Pakistan's $35 billion road freight market, an industry critical to the economy yet held back by manual processes and financial instability. Sheryar begins by recounting his unique journey from banking to becoming a trucker himself, an experience that gave him a firsthand look at the severe pain points in the industry. This led to the creation of Trukkr, a platform designed to solve these deep-rooted challenges by merging logistics technology with embedded finance.  Sheryar explains the critical cash flow challenges that keep small truck owners "constantly broke," trapped in a cycle of high upfront costs and long payment delays. Trukkr tackles this by providing essential working capital and digitizing the entire supply chain. For corporate shippers, the platform offers unprecedented transparency, efficiency, and data analytics, transforming a chaotic, paper-based system into a streamlined digital workflow. For truckers, it provides access to fair and timely financing, breaking their dependence on high-interest loan sharks. Sheryar’s vision is for Trukkr to become the central ecosystem for the industry, making logistics in Pakistan more efficient and financially inclusive for everyone involved.  Episode highlights:  Digitizing Pakistan's massive, yet inefficient, road freight and logistics industry. Addressing the critical working capital and cash flow challenges faced by small truck owners. Providing corporate shippers with transparency, data analytics, and operational efficiencies. Streamlining the entire logistics process, from sourcing trucks to invoicing and payment. Integrating embedded finance to provide truckers with access to capital and insurance products. Overcoming adoption hurdles in a traditionally manual and price-sensitive market. Creating a digital ecosystem that benefits both shippers and carriers. The future of truck-tech and the importance of a combined technology and finance model.  To learn more about Trukkr, visit their website. Learn more about Accion Ventures on our website and LinkedIn.

    Driving Digital Financial Inclusion for Pakistan’s Truckers

  7. 10/14/2025

    Cultivating Prosperity: Verqor Aims to Revolutionize Agricultural Finance in Mexico

    Cultivating Prosperity: Verqor Aims to Revolutionize Agricultural Finance in Mexico  Fintech for the People Season 8, Episode 4 featuring Valentina Rogacheva, Co-founder of Verqor  Amee Parbhoo, Managing Partner of Accion Ventures, sits down with Valentina Rogacheva, Co-founder of Verqor, to explore the ways her company is tackling the significant gap in financial services for Mexico’s agricultural sector. Valentina shares the journey of identifying the deep-seated challenges farmers face, from the inefficiencies of traditional banking to the lack of products tailored to their needs. She explains how these obstacles push farmers towards informal credit and limit their potential for growth and economic mobility.  Valentina details Verqor’s innovative fintech model, designed specifically for the agricultural ecosystem. By offering cashless, digital credit that can only be used for approved agricultural inputs, Verqor ensures the financing is used productively. She discusses their B2B2C strategy, partnering with crop buyers and retailers to mitigate risk, gathering crucial data for their alternative credit scoring model, and creating a transparent, resilient supply chain. Verqor’s approach not only results in an impressively low default rate but also embeds services like climate insurance, empowering farmers to increase their yields, adopt sustainable practices, and achieve greater financial stability.  Episode highlights:  Addressing the financial exclusion of small and medium size farmers in rural Mexico. Providing fast, accessible, and cashless digital credit tailored for the agricultural sector. Embedding finance within the agricultural supply chain through a B2B2C model. Mitigating risk and maintaining low default rates through strategic partnerships with crop buyers and suppliers. Ensuring the productive use of credit by restricting it to the purchase of high-quality agricultural inputs. Promoting higher yields, increased income, and sustainable farming practices through better inputs and climate insurance. Building and motivating a team that bridges the gap between the traditionally non-digital agriculture industry and the innovative world of fintech. The future vision for Verqor as a comprehensive financial partner for the entire agricultural value chain.  To learn more about Verqor, visit their website. Learn more about Accion Ventures on our website and LinkedIn.

    Cultivating Prosperity: Verqor Aims to Revolutionize Agricultural Finance in Mexico

  8. 10/08/2025

    Magma's Fintech Fix for Factory Supply Chains

    Fintech for the People Season 8, Episode 3 featuring Neal Thakker, Founder and CEO of Magma  Neal Thakker, Founder and CEO of Magma, joins Amee Parbhoo, Managing Partner of Accion Ventures, on the podcast this week for an exploration of  the massive opportunity that exists to modernize India's current manufacturing sector. Against the backdrop of a global supply chain shift, Neal explains how Indian factories are poised for huge growth but are often held back by traditional, inefficient practices. He shares his journey from working in supply chain management to founding Magma, a comprehensive platform designed to solve the core operational and financial challenges facing small and medium size factories.  Neal details how Magma functions as an end-to-end industrial solutions provider, moving beyond a simple marketplace model. The platform seeks to address critical pain points by bundling services like specialty raw material procurement, green energy solutions, waste management, and logistics. By embedding finance directly into these workflows, Magma helps factories overcome issues like blocked working capital and rigid minimum order quantities. This integrated approach not only improves day-to-day operations but also tackles the biggest challenge for any factory owner: improving capacity utilization. Looking ahead, Neal discusses his vision for expanding Magma's embedded finance offerings to include smarter credit underwriting and innovative insurance products tailored for the manufacturing industry.  Episode highlights:  The emergence of opportunities for India's manufacturing sector. Solving the key challenges for small and medium sized factories: unreliable supply chains, blocked working capital, and a lack of digitization. Magma’s model of bundling diverse services, from raw materials to waste management, - to become an integrated part of a factory’s operations. Using embedded finance to eliminate restrictive minimum order quantities and free up cash flow. Focusing on capacity utilization as the most critical metric for a factory's success. Building relationships that foster trust and drive digital adoption in a traditional industry. The future of embedded finance in manufacturing, including smarter underwriting and tailored insurance products. Building resilient teams by prioritizing deep industry expertise for key operational roles. Transforming India's industrial backbone to compete on a global scale.  To learn more about Magma, visit their website. Learn more about Accion Ventures on our website and LinkedIn.

    Magma's Fintech Fix for Factory Supply Chains
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Fintech has the power to build a more inclusive world. Fintech for the People is about the innovators who are developing fintech solutions that reach the people who’ve been left behind. In each episode, we’ll hear from innovators who are creating financial solutions that provide people with the financial tools they need to grow their business, support their family, and build their community. Together, we’ll learn how fintech looks different in spaces and places where basic financial services are a luxury — and how solutions to address these challenges require a different level of creativity, empathy, and execution. Fintech for the People is an Accion podcast hosted by Amee Parbhoo, Managing Partner of Accion Ventures — which deploys capital in early-stage inclusive fintech. Episodes will be released in seasons, on a weekly schedule.

Information

  • Creator
    Accion
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    48
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2023-2025 Accion
  • Show Website
    Fintech for the People