The Ecosystem of FinTech Companies in India: A Futuristic Perspective

The Ecosystem of FinTech Companies in India: A Futuristic Perspective

Bino Joy, Asha E. Thomas
Copyright: © 2022 |Pages: 16
DOI: 10.4018/IJEBR.316148
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Abstract

The paper examines the present fintech ecosystem in India in general and assesses the efficiency of fintech firms operating in lending and payment verticals. Twelve companies were randomly selected from the top-rated fintech companies in India having an operational track record of four years and more. Financial data of these firms for three years (from 2017-2020) was used for evaluating the efficiency by applying the DEA model. The results indicate that 42 percent of the companies were unable to achieve profitability. The interest obligation (36%) on short-term borrowings which constitute 68 percent of current liabilities is the major contributor to the operating cost of lending firms. Companies from payment verticals are less homogeneous in their component-wise distribution of operating cost. The current ratio of two DMUs is excessively higher while it is below the benchmark for the other six DMUs. To make the fintech a revenue generating model by scaling up their operation, this study suggests the business areas where fintech firms could collaborate with traditional financial institutions.
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Background

The factors that contribute to the success of Fintech firms are the availability of funding, the ability to identify commercially viable innovative ideas(entrepreneurship), developing supporting software and hardware to convert the ideas to solutions(technology), demand for Fintech products from consumers (B2C) or from other businesses (B2B) and policy framework which regulates the Fintech market (Deloitte, 2017).

Regarding the growth constraints, new Fintech is always confronted with challenges in raising adequate funds (Beck et al.,2008; OECD,2006). Vulnerable capital structures often hamper the growth of Fintech firms (Magnuson,2018), and hence raising of equity capital as a permanent source of finance has a significant role in the growth path of a startup(Colombo &Grill,2010).Due to the shortage of equity capital, a major percentage of startups in their early-stage face difficulty in meeting their operational cost and thus often fail in their business (Berger & Udell,1998; Nguyen,2019). Hence an eco-system to mobilize the initial equity capital is a pre-requisite for the development of the Fintech market.

Along with ownership capital, regulatory compliance can promote a high degree of standardization in financial services and can ensure service stability and consumer protection (Romanova et al., 2018; Rory, 2018). Fintech is exposed to cyber-security threats or amplifying third-party risks (Schindler, 2017). The hurdles faced by regulators include consumer protection and keeping a level playing field that strikes the right balance between fostering innovation and preserving financial stability (Xavier, 2019). Buchak et al. (2018) emphasize the need for regulatory measures to control Fintech firms, the absence of which will lead to shadow banking which in turn may lead to financial crises.

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