Fixed Invest – Did you know that deposits with banks increased by slightly more than 10% in 2022-23 (FY23), with elderly persons accounting for nearly one-fifth of total deposits and accounting for more than 22% in the term deposit segment?
This is significant because the majority of India’s household savings are still invested in banks, notably fixed deposits, which have been the preferred investment mechanism for decades.
In addition, whereas tremendous disruption and digitisation has occurred in other investment avenues such as direct stock investments and mutual funds, nothing has occurred in the area of FDs, which are frequently regarded as a plain vanilla investment outlet.
A Mumbai-based start-up is now attempting to bring some digitization and disruption to the FD industry by developing a platform that allows users to compare and invest in FDs across banks without having to go via each bank’s website or branch.
“Prior to launching Fixed Invest, I worked as a core strategy team member and product manager for Kotak Cherry, an investment tech app.” “I saw how customers struggled to find safer investment options that also provided a higher return than their own bank’s savings account and fixed deposits,” Shah adds.
Fixed Invest
To offer FD choices, the startup has already collaborated with three corporate non-banking financial organizations (NBFCs), two home finance companies (HFCs), two small finance banks, and one private bank.
Furthermore, the initiative has created a WhatsApp marketplace where investors can simply identify FD choices with the highest interest rates and invest without having to register a savings account with any of the banks.
A customer with an account with HDFC Bank, for example, can open an FD with Axis Bank or vice versa without having to open a separate savings account with the bank where the FD is being made.
Furthermore, the process is completely digital and paperless, with no fees or extra expenses.
“BetterFD, our flagship product, is the first-of-its-kind FD marketplace where investors can digitally search, compare, and invest in FDs better than their own bank without opening any savings account.” “With BetterFD, users gain access to FDs that maximize returns and secure their financial future,” adds Shah, who worked for the Kotak Group for over six years after receiving his management degree from XLRI, Jamshedpur.
The startup is based on open banking technology, which connects multiple banks and corporations via APIs to sell their goods to retail investors such as FDs. While the startup does not charge investors any fees, it does receive a commission from its partner banks and corporate entities that it assists in obtaining deposits.
Interestingly, investors have the opportunity to receive rewards and incentives that the startup passes on to customers through commissions earned from its partners.
The start-up was only launched earlier this year, but it is already gaining traction as it tries to disrupt the FD market, which is well over 100 lakh crore in size and has more than 30 crore FD holders in the country.
While we will launch our mobile and web platforms by the end of September, we have already reached 10 crore of AUM in FY24 through offline and online WhatsApp channels, says Shah.
While the startup began with FDs, it intends to expand into debt mutual funds and bonds in the future, as well as carve out a position in the fixed-income industry.
“Our goal is to be India’s largest FD enablers in terms of volume and value.” “After launch, we aim to scale to a volume of 100 crore volume in the first six months and aim to enable over 50,000 crore in the next five years,” says Shah, adding that the start-up’s next product will be enabling government and PSU bonds because there is enough room for disruption in that segment.
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