Looking Back At Fintech In 2025, Nitro Bags $5 Mn & More

It was business as usual for fintech startups in 2025. The sector once again topped funding charts, raising $2.5 Bn across 120 deals last year. Median ticket size soared, and two of the year’s largest fundraises came from the sector. So, what kept investors writing big cheques?

Decoding The Surge: The sector’s capital pull in 2025 stemmed from multiple factors. Investors made a beeline for platforms embedding lending at consumption, which offer clear monetisation paths.

Simultaneously, payments infrastructure – contactless tech and payout systems – attracted hefty capital as digital payments surged, while Groww’s IPO validated exit readiness. Simply put, investors followed structural demand and tangible exits, not hype.

Capital Concentration: While the funding stayed flat YoY, fintech deal count fell from 162 in 2024 to 120 in 2025. However, median ticket sizes jumped 75% YoY to $20.8 Mn, reinforcing fintech as the sector where investors still wrote large cheques despite a risk-off environment in 2025.

What’s In Store For 2026? The easy wins are over. Execution depth in underwriting, distribution, compliance and capital efficiency will define the fintech sector’s next phase. Regulatory scrutiny is expected to remain tight, with the zero-MDR regime likely forcing payments players to monetise through lending, wealth and insurance.

Competitive intensity is slated to rise as Jio Financial Services will further scale up its fintech ambitions later this year, intensifying pressure on PhonePe, Groww and CRED. Going forward, all eyes will be on whether fintechs can sustain their capital pull or will 2026 expose cracks in their growth model.

The aviation and shipping sectors together produce nearly 10% of global carbon emissions. Reducing these emissions is tough because both industries rely heavily on fossil fuels and outdated engine technology. Trying to change this is Green Aero Propulsion.

A Dragon Is Born: Founded in 2023, the IIT Delhi-incubated startup is developing hydrogen-powered propulsion systems and advanced gas turbines that can replace traditional engines with cleaner and more efficient alternatives. In May 2025, the startup successfully tested The Blue Dragon, its first hydrogen-powered jet engine.

Flight Trials On Deck: Green Aero is expanding R&D capabilities with a 25,000 sq ft facility and a larger team to accelerate flight trials and next-generation propulsion development. It aims to leverage green hydrogen technology for strategic defence and energy applications to transform aviation while addressing national security and global climate imperatives.

Unicorn creation in India has been driven by conviction capital, repeat founders and investors who back winners more than once. Here are the VCs backing India’s billion-dollar club…⁣