Away from local loan sharks, these startups are changing how rural India borrows

The world of finance in India’s hinterland was quite different in the 2010s. The ubiquitous QR codes that have become the norm even in the deeper pockets of the country’s rural belt had not taken off. Fintech players catering to this category of customers were coming up, but the segment was, and still is, too big for a handful of startups to cater to. “Back then, the only alternative to microfinance available to them was local money lenders, who