Fintech-AI Alliances Dominate Discussions on Day 2 of GFF 2026

Among the standout announcements, Mahindra Finance expanded its existing partnership with AI unicorn Sarvam, aiming to scale the deployment of voice AI within its operations. Sarvam’s technology will be further integrated into Mahindra Finance’s sales, collections, and frontline employee engagement across rural and semi-urban markets. Backed by Mahindra’s dedicated AI division, voice agents powered by Sarvam models are now operating across 12 Indian languages. The system has automated functions such as pre-due reminders, debt collection workflows, and cross-selling for vehicle, SME, and housing loans. According to Mahindra Finance, these AI-powered agents have completed over 10 million customer calls, making this one of the largest voice AI deployments in India’s financial sector to date.

Collaborations targeting payment reliability and digital infrastructure also featured prominently. Yes Bank and fintech platform Open jointly launched i-Mandate, an AI-powered solution designed to reduce recurring payment failures for services including loan repayments, mutual fund SIPs, and enterprise subscriptions. The i-Mandate product employs predictive analytics and autonomous execution to identify and avert potential debit risks before transactions are processed. Open and Yes Bank’s platform deploys AI agents across both voice calls and WhatsApp in 22 languages and has been integrated with Open’s AI lending layer, aiming to deliver real-time collection insights for organizations.

Continuing the trend, Sachin Bansal-led Navi partnered with IndusInd Bank to enhance UPI payment infrastructure. Through this collaboration, Navi will power IndusInd Bank’s UPI payment switch, designed to improve transaction routing and processing, bolster system resilience, and support higher transaction volumes. Navi’s MD and CEO Rajiv Naresh said the move would “strengthen the foundation for a more reliable and seamless UPI experience” for customers.

AI-driven process automation for the BFSI sector was another highlight, with Bengaluru’s Gnani AI unveiling Artha, a sovereign agentic AI platform for banking, financial services, and insurance enterprises. The platform offers more than 200 pre-built workflows for tasks ranging from payment reconciliation and document-driven underwriting to loan processing and risk management. Leveraging proprietary language models and a multi-agent execution layer, Artha enables complex decision-making on-premise or in cloud environments while maintaining data sovereignty.

The event also saw the expansion of MobiKwik’s FX Retail offering from a single currency to six, adding support for AED, CAD, GBP, EUR, and CHF alongside USD. Users can now book and top up forex cards or remit funds abroad via the MobiKwik app, with live pricing and same-day fulfillment subject to regulatory requirements. MobiKwik’s service is powered in partnership with NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd (NBBL) and the Clearing Corporation of India, recording forex transactions worth Rs 11.19 crore in the first four months of FY27.

Cross-border payments also took a significant step forward, as Xflow partnered with HSBC to help global businesses collect online and recurring payments from Indian buyers without needing an India-based entity. By leveraging local payment rails such as UPI, net banking, and cards, the partnership is expected to raise payment success rates far above the 70 percent typically seen with international card payments, directly targeting foreign SaaS, ecommerce, and tech platforms entering the Indian market.

Finally, CCAvenue (AvenuesAI) and DCB Bank announced the expansion of their partnership to deliver digital fee collection services for educational institutions. DCB Bank will offer its education-sector clients access to CCAvenue’s AI-powered forms, enabling customised digital payment flows across web, email, SMS, and WhatsApp channels, integrated with the rest of CCAvenue’s digital payment suite.

With day two showcasing an array of forward-looking partnerships centered around AI, the festival highlighted India’s fintech sector’s focus on technological collaboration and innovation to enhance customer experience, operational efficiency, and digital financial infrastructure. The developments point to a rapidly evolving industry where partnerships and AI-driven products are likely to play a pivotal role in the next phase of growth.