IIM Bangalore’s NSRCEL and HDFC Bank Parivartan select 10 fintech startups for grant support

NSRCEL at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore has partnered with HDFC Bank Parivartan, the bank’s corporate social responsibility initiative, to support fintech startups focused on financial inclusion and innovation in India.

The initiative, led through NSRCEL’s Fintech Centre of Excellence (CoE) and backed by the Government of Karnataka, will support early- and growth-stage ventures working across sectors including lending, payments, insurance, wealthtech, regtech and embedded finance.

According to programme announcements and media reports, 10 startups were selected for grant support under the HDFC Bank Parivartan Programme after an open call and joint evaluation by NSRCEL and HDFC Bank.

The selected startups are Entitled, Dhiway, Finsall, PropLegit, Lark Finserv, INKA, ValuEnable, GreenFi, Xaults and Saventh.

A total of 17 startups presented their ideas during the programme’s Demo Day event before the final shortlist was announced.

Commenting on the initiative, Anand Sri Ganesh, CEO of NSRCEL said, “Fintech has the power to meaningfully expand financial access and resilience in India-but only when innovation is grounded in real, measurable outcomes. Through this partnership with HDFC Bank, NSRCEL’s Fintech Centre of Excellence is deploying CSR capital to help emerging fintech startups move beyond pilots to market adoption.”

“Our focus is on enabling founders to build market-ready, compliant, and scalable solutions that address critical gaps across India’s financial landscape,” he added.

In addition to financial support, participating startups will receive mentorship, access to regulators and industry leaders, investor introductions and guidance aimed at improving business scalability and market readiness.

NSRCEL said the programme would include regular progress reviews and outcome-based support tailored to the needs of each startup.

The Fintech Centre of Excellence focuses on areas such as MSME financing, central bank digital currencies, embedded finance, wealthtech and AI-led financial services.

Through initiatives including the Fintech Clinic, the centre brings together startups, regulators, financial institutions and technology firms to address emerging challenges and opportunities in the sector.

Organisers said the partnership was intended to help startups transition from experimentation to sustainable growth while contributing to broader financial inclusion in India.