At present, the Indian fintech ecosystem is cumulatively valued at over $100 billion.
But, it is still in its “middle” phase of development, with the potential to create 2-3x value in the next decade.
“Only 40-60% of fintech founders feel fully prepared in terms of profitability, leadership, and governance—critical factors for a successful IPO,” as per a report titled State of the Fintech Union 2024.
Emergence Of 35 Mature Fintech Startups
As mentioned in a report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Z47 (formerly Matrix Partners India), almost 35 Indian fintech firms, each valued at $500 million or more, have reached a mature stage, up from just 13 in 2020.
This report definitely signals the sector’s rapid maturation further highlighting that multiple fintech startups are now contemplating or approaching the IPO stage, reflecting the competitive race for public capital in the coming years.
Usually, Indian startups take around 3.5 to 4 years to go public once they earn the unicorn status.
Although, the current market momentum is undeniable, as per the report.
In near times, the IPO filings have surged, almost doubling from 75 annually in 2018-2019 to 120-140 per year between 2021 and 2023.
In the meantime, the Indian markets remain bullish, competition for capital across sectors is fierce.
“Only 40-60 percent of fintech founders feel fully prepared in terms of profitability, leadership, and governance—critical factors for a successful IPO” said in a report titled State of the Fintech Union 2024.
This report says, “nearly 70 percent of fintechs listed in India over the past five years saw their share prices decline within six months of listing,” underlining the challenges post-IPO.
Further adding, “Successful IPOs will require a clear equity story backed by strong fundamentals in financials, governance, and a well-run IPO office that prepares not just for the journey but also for the expectations post-IPO.”
It appears that the Fintech companies such Mobikwik have filed their draft IPO papers and are in the process of listing this year.
Other players such as Phonepe, Groww, Perfios, PayU, Pine Lab, Fibe among others have shown interest in going public in the next two to three years.
Witnessing Sharp Correction
As we have seen that the recently listed fintechs such as Paytm and PB Fintech, the IPO stories were not well received by the public market at large leading to a dip in their stock performance post IPOs.
But, we can witness a sharp correction since last year on the back of growth numbers.
Besides this, this report also emphasizes that pre- and post-IPO fintechs are increasingly focused on unit economics, profitability, and investments in technology, infrastructure, and security.
Here market share and growth remain the primary goals for segments such as LendingTech, InsurTech, and SaaS/InfraTech, PayTech firms are prioritizing unit economics.
It appears that the profitability outlook is improving across segments, with Neobank and InsurTech showing the most significant positive shifts since 2022.
