Women around the world have been challenging stereotypes and shattering glass ceilings to become influential leaders in their fields.
In India, home to one of the world’s largest fintech hubs, a growing number of women have rapidly emerged as key figures driving innovation and growth in the sector.
These leaders are leveraging technology to democratize access to financial services, foster financial literacy, and address underserved markets.
Despite facing challenges such as limited access to funding and representation, women fintech founders continue to break barriers through resilience and innovation.
Here are some of the women led fintech companies (in no particular order) that you must know about:
Upasana Rupkrishan Taku, Co-founder and CFO, MobiKwik
Upasana Rupkrishan Taku is the Co-founder, and CFO of MobiKwik, a leading digital payments platform in India. She co-founded MobiKwik in 2009 with a vision to revolutionize the then-nascent digital payments space. With over 17 years of experience in payments and financial services, Upasana has previously worked with PayPal (San Jose) and HSBC (San Diego). A Stanford graduate, she is known for her executional excellence and deal-making speed.
Upasana has been recognized as the first woman to lead a payments startup, featured in Forbes Asia’s Power Businesswomen list (2019), and ranked 12th in the Kotak Wealth Hurun 2020 list of India’s richest self-made women.
Chitra Chidanand, Co-founder, Simpl
Chaitra Chidanand is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Simpl, a Bengaluru-based fintech startup revolutionizing online payments in India. Chaitra’s inspiration for Simpl stemmed from her personal experience of navigating India’s banking system after returning from the U.S., where she faced challenges in obtaining a credit card due to address and tax history issues.
Simpl offers a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) service that enables users to make purchases online and settle payments later, streamlining the checkout process for both merchants and consumers. 
Prachi Dharani, Founder & CEO, PayGlocal:
Prachi Dharani, the Co-founder and CEO of PayGlocal, bringing over 20 years of expertise in the payments industry. She leads the company in building secure, seamless cross-border payment solutions that help Indian businesses expand globally. Before PayGlocal, she held senior roles at Visa, First Data, and ICICI Bank, contributing to digital payments innovation and infrastructure development.
With its headquarters in Bangalore, PayGlocal is a leading cross-border payments provider, transforming how Indian businesses accept international payments. PayGlocal delivers secure, seamless, and scalable payment solutions to over 1,300 merchants across 181 countries.
The company has processed over INR 22 billion in transactions and prevented more than INR 1 billion in fraud, while boosting Payment Success Rates by up to 20%.
Sucharita Mukherjee, Co-founder and CEO, Kaleidofin:
Sucharita Mukherjee, the former CEO of IFMR Holdings co-founded Kaleidofin, a financial platform for the informal sector. It provides solutions tailored to the customer’s goals. This Chennai-based startup has raised $13.8 million funding in 2024. She conceptualized and founded IFMR Capital, building capital markets access for financial inclusion and IFMR Investments, an alternatives fund management platform focused on informal sector finance.
Sayali Karanjkar, Co-Founder, PaySense
Sayali Karanjkar is a seasoned entrepreneur and angel investor, renowned for her contributions to India’s fintech landscape. As the co-founder of PaySense, she played a pivotal role in democratizing access to credit for underserved populations.
Prior to her entrepreneurial journey, Sayali amassed over 15 years of experience in strategic roles at global firms such as AT&T, AT Kearney, and Sun Microsystems. Mumbai-based PaySense is a consumer lending platform that gives users credit in a customized manner.
Meghna Suryakumar, Founder and CEO, Crediwatch
Meghna Suryakumar is the Founder and CEO of Crediwatch, a data insights-as-a-service company that leverages cutting-edge technology to deliver credit intelligence. Before founding Crediwatch, Meghna built a successful international law practice operating between New York City and India.
A graduate of Columbia Law School, she also holds a Certificate in Entrepreneurship from Stanford Business School. Driven by a passion for tackling complex challenges, she founded Crediwatch to harness AI, machine learning, and NLP in assessing the creditworthiness of unbanked SMEs. 
Hardika Shah, Founder & CEO, Kinara Capital
Hardika Shah is the Founder and CEO of Kinara Capital, a leading fintech firm committed to bridging the MSME credit gap in India. Since its inception in 2011, Kinara Capital has empowered small business entrepreneurs by offering fast, collateral-free loans through a blend of digital innovation and doorstep service.
She leads a women-majority management team and has launched the HerVikas program to support women entrepreneurs. Before founding Kinara, she spent nearly two decades as a management consultant and mentored social entrepreneurs through institutions like Stanford, Columbia, and the Acumen Fund. 
Mabel Chacko, Co-founder and COO, Open
Mabel Chacko is the Co-founder and COO of Open, a Bengaluru-based neobanking platform launched in 2017 to simplify financial operations for SMBs and startups. A seasoned fintech entrepreneur with over 13 years of experience, Mabel has played a key role in shaping India’s digital banking landscape. Open helps small businesses manage and automate their finances efficiently.
The company raised $5 million in Series A funding from investors such as Beenext, Speedinvest, and 3one4 Capital. Additional backing has come from Unicorn India Ventures, DICE Fintech, Recruit Japan, and prominent angel investors including Apremaya Radhakrishnan (TaxiForSure), Jitendra Gupta (CitrusPay), and Archana Priyadarshini.
