• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock

3

Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock

3

Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
TechIndia

Why Social Capital’s CEO Is Betting Big on India’s Cashless Economy

By
Polina Marinova
Polina Marinova
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Polina Marinova
Polina Marinova
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 24, 2017, 12:29 PM ET
Video Poster
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

The fintech revolution in India is in full force.

When India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to ban 85% of the country’s currency, the majority of cash became effectively worthless. As the country grapples with how to turn a mostly informal $2.2 trillion economy into a digital one, a number of startups are popping up to make the transition slightly less painful.

“Your mobile phone can be turned into your bank and wallet,” Modi said in November, urging people to download e-payment options. “Today’s tech can help you use it for purchasing things, making payments.”

At the center of some of this fintech is Ezetap, a Bangalore-based mobile payments startup that just raised $16 million in funding from investors including JS Capital Management, Social Capital, and Horizons Ventures. In total, the company has raised more than $51 million in venture capital.

“Demonetization was only one step in a multi-step government program to digitize the Indian economy,” said Ezetap CEO Bobby Bose. “It woke people and businesses up and made digitization a must-do instead of a nice-to-have. Hence, the macro trend that we all knew was going to happen over a decade is now happening in two to three years.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Ezetap created a universal payments platform in 2015, allowing merchants to accept any digital transaction including physical cards, online payments, mobile wallets, or one-click payments via India’s new UPI system that allows any device or interface to use biometric data, SMS, or digital QR codes.

India expects a six-fold growth in digital transactions to 25 billion by March 2018, and the six-year-old startup hopes to be the one to lay the groundwork for India’s payment infrastructure.

The company is currently working with small businesses and merchants across the country, but some of India’s larger corporations and government agencies are also integrating their software systems with Ezetap.

Social Capital CEO Chamath Palihapitiya describes Ezetap as “a combination of Stripe, AWS, and Android.”

“When demonetization happened in India, [Ezetap’s] business exploded,” Palihapitiya says. “Now, you can’t rely on the shadow payment system of using the high-value currency notes because they were rendered useless. You have to rely on cards, wallets, and more traditional financial infrastructure.”

This is not Social Capital’s only investment in India, but it is its most significant. Palihapitiya believes the country is on the brink of a massive surge in consumer consumption, but says it won’t happen until the underlying payments infrastructure is securely in place.

“At the end of the day, you have 1.2 billion people who will be earning more, and they will want to buy stuff,” Palihapitiya says. “The future for fintech in India is bright for companies that figure out ways to get consumption power in the hands of Indians.”

About the Author
By Polina Marinova
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

The founding team at Seltz, a startup trying to reinvent web search for AI agents, pose for a group photo with San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge in the background.
Startups & VentureVenture Capital
Exclusive: Seltz, a startup rebuilding web search for AI agents, raises $12.5 million in seed funding
By Jeremy KahnJune 24, 2026
9 minutes ago
Sarah Youngwood, EVP and CFO at Nasdaq.
C-SuiteFinance
Inside Nasdaq CFO Sarah Youngwood’s AI playbook
By Sheryl EstradaJune 24, 2026
39 minutes ago
As mega-funds grab 72% of all capital raised, the gap between VC’s haves and have-nots keeps widening
NewslettersTerm Sheet
As mega-funds grab 72% of all capital raised, the gap between VC’s haves and have-nots keeps widening
By Allie GarfinkleJune 24, 2026
1 hour ago
You can ignore Trump’s threats to leave NATO: Pimco says they’re a ‘paper tiger’
EconomyMarkets
You can ignore Trump’s threats to leave NATO: Pimco says they’re a ‘paper tiger’
By Jim EdwardsJune 24, 2026
1 hour ago
Tencent COO and interactive entertainment group president Ren Yuxin on July 9, 2020 in Shanghai, China. (Photo: Wu Jun/VCG/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
Tencent winds down its Japanese game studio investments
By Andrew NuscaJune 24, 2026
2 hours ago
rh
AIReid Hoffman
Reid Hoffman says SpaceX is ‘not an AI company’ and xAI is a ‘complete train wreck’—and there’s room for both OpenAI and Anthropic
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
23 hours ago
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
Banking
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
By Jim EdwardsJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 23, 2026
22 hours ago
Meet the 2 men putting New York's $300 billion pension fund in play for the first time in 20 years
Investing
Meet the 2 men putting New York's $300 billion pension fund in play for the first time in 20 years
By Nick LichtenbergJune 22, 2026
2 days ago
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they're copying the California design tricks they once mocked
Real Estate
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they're copying the California design tricks they once mocked
By Sydney LakeJune 22, 2026
2 days ago
Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
Success
Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
By Sydney LakeJune 21, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.