Transparent Growth Measurement (NPS)

Top 10 Fintech Dominating Organic Growth: What You’re Missing

Contributors: Kiran Gurung
Published: December 2, 2024

Summary

Analyze the organic growth strategies of India’s top 10 fintech companies, highlighting how they’ve achieved sustainable expansion without relying on acquisitions. With the Indian fintech market projected to reach USD 421.48 billion by 2029, the piece explores how companies like Paytm, PhonePe, and Razorpay leverage internal resources, product innovation, and customer-centric approaches to drive organic growth.

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India’s fintech sector is booming. The market was valued at USD 111.14 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 421.48 billion by 2029, growing at a 30.55% CAGR. Organic growth significantly contributes to this expansion, where companies leverage internal resources to enhance their market presence without relying on mergers or acquisitions. This article highlights the top fintech companies in India driving growth organically, focusing on their strategies and the key factors behind their success.

What is Organic Growth?

Organic growth is the increase in a company’s revenue, customer base, or market share achieved through its internal resources and activities rather than external acquisitions. It includes strategies like enhancing product offerings, improving customer retention, and scaling operational efficiencies.

Key Attributes of Organic Growth

  • Sustainability: Leverages existing strengths, fosters customer loyalty, and drives incremental scalability to ensure steady, long-term growth.
  • Cost-Effectiveness: Avoids the high costs of mergers and acquisitions by optimising internal resources and improving operational efficiencies.
  • Innovation-driven: Encourages continuous improvement of products and services to meet evolving market demands and maintain competitiveness.
  • Customer-Centric Approach: Builds strong relationships by prioritising customer needs, leading to higher retention and organic expansion.

In the highly competitive Indian fintech ecosystem, organic growth drives trust and loyalty. Companies leveraging this approach can scale sustainably without over-relying on external funding or inorganic methods.

What Makes Organic Growth Different from Market Growth?

AspectOrganic GrowthMarket Growth
What is it?Growth through internal improvements like sales or efficiencyOverall growth of the industry
DependencyInternal strategies and resourcesExternal factors like economy and demand
CostCost-efficientRequires significant investment
SustainabilityLong-term and strategicMay fluctuate with market dynamics

Top 10 Fintech Companies in India Driving Organic Growth

For this list of fintech companies in India, we’re spotlighting leaders that have scaled through innovative strategies and internal innovation.

1. Paytm

Founded: 2010
Founder: Vijay Shekhar Sharma
HQ: Noida
Core Services: Digital payments, e-commerce, and financial services

Organic Growth Strategy:

  • Leveraged India’s UPI revolution with Paytm Payments Bank.
  • Expanded into loan services and insurance offerings to cater to evolving customer needs.

Highlight: Over 8.5 billion transactions in FY 2023, making Paytm one of the biggest fintech companies in India.

Why They Stand Out: Strong product diversification without heavy reliance on acquisitions.

2. PhonePe

Founded: 2015
Founders: Sameer Nigam, Rahul Chari, Burzin Engineer
HQ: Bengaluru
Core Services: UPI payments, wealth management, and insurance

Organic Growth Strategy:

  • Targeted regional audiences with interfaces in multiple Indian languages.
  • Partnered with small merchants to create a robust offline-to-online payment ecosystem.

Market Share: 47 per cent of UPI transactions in 2023, making PhonePe a leader among the top fintech companies in India.

Why They Stand Out: Hyper-localisation drives inclusivity. This aligns with proven fintech marketing strategy approaches for market penetration.

3. Razorpay

Founded: 2014
Founders: Harshil Mathur, Shashank Kumar
HQ: Bengaluru
Core Services: B2B payment solutions, payroll management, and lending

Organic Growth Strategy:

  • Launched Razorpay X for neobanking.
  • Focused on SaaS-based tools for SMEs.

Milestone: Became a unicorn in 2020 purely through product-led growth.

Why They Stand Out: Product-led growth in a competitive B2B segment.

4. Zerodha

Founded: 2010
Founders: Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath
HQ: Bengaluru
Core Services: Discount broking and wealth management

Organic Growth Strategy:

  • Removed brokerage fees for equity delivery, pulling in retail investors.
  • Built Zerodha Varsity to educate and engage users.

Impact: 20 per cent retail stock trading market share without any external capital.

Why They Stand Out: Built authority via education, a form of growth hacking in fintech.

5. PolicyBazaar

Founded: 2008
Founders: Yashish Dahiya, Alok Bansal, Avaneesh Nirjar
HQ: Gurugram
Core Services: Online insurance aggregation

Organic Growth Strategy:

  • Focused on customer education to simplify insurance.
  • Used machine learning for personalised recommendations.

Reach: 25 per cent market share in online insurance, ranking it among the best fintech companies in India for insurance.

Why They Stand Out: Simplified insurance for mass adoption.

6. CRED

Founded: 2018
Founder: Kunal Shah
HQ: Bengaluru
Core Services: Credit card payments and rewards

Organic Growth Strategy:

  • Targeted premium, high-credit-score users.
  • Added gamified experiences to boost retention.

Users: Over 7.5 million active users in 3 years without aggressive paid media.

Why They Stand Out: Built exclusivity into the product experience.

7. Pine Labs

Founded: 1998
Founders: Rajul Garg, Lokvir Kapoor
HQ: Noida
Core Services: POS terminals, consumer financing, and payment processing

Organic Growth Strategy:

  • Extended payment services to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
  • Partnered with e-commerce players for flexible EMI services.

Why They Stand Out: First-mover in merchant credit integration.

8. BharatPe

Founded: 2018
Founders: Ashneer Grover, Shashvat Nakrani
HQ: New Delhi
Core Services: Merchant payments, loans, and BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later)

Organic Growth Strategy:

  • Empowered SMEs with QR-based payments.
  • Offered zero-interest capital to merchants.

Valuation: Crossed 3 billion dollars with a hyperlocal, digital-first model.

Why They Stand Out: Local-first strategy scaled quickly in non-metros.

9. Lendingkart

Founded: 2014
Founders: Harshvardhan Lunia, Mukul Sachan
HQ: Ahmedabad
Core Services: MSME loans

Organic Growth Strategy:

  • Used AI to assess risk and enable fast disbursals.
  • Served underserved markets in non-metros.

Outcome: Disbursed over 6,500 crore rupees in loans driven by internal tech.

Why They Stand Out: Tech-driven loan approvals in days, not weeks.

10. MobiKwik

Founded: 2009
Founders: Bipin Preet Singh, Upasana Taku
HQ: Gurugram
Core Services: Digital wallets, payments, and lending

Organic Growth Strategy:

  • Launched micro-credit solutions like MobiKwik ZIP.
  • Strengthened loyalty via cashback-driven campaigns.

FY 2023 Growth: 50 per cent year-on-year growth in credit products, ranking it among the top 20 fintech companies in India.

Why They Stand Out: Blended payments and credit for repeat engagement.

Fintech Category Comparison

CategoryTarget AudienceKey FeaturesExample CompaniesGrowth Potential
PaymentsConsumers & MerchantsUPI, wallets, QR paymentsPaytm, PhonePe, MobiKwikHigh
Lending / BNPLSMEs & ConsumersInstant loans, buy now, pay laterBharatPe, LendingkartHigh
WealthTechRetail & Institutional InvestorsOnline trading, robo-advisoryZerodha, CREDModerate-High
InsurTechInsurance BuyersPolicy aggregation, AI recommendationsPolicyBazaarModerate
RegTechFinancial InstitutionsCompliance automation, fraud detectionRazorpayGrowing

What Strategies Drive Organic Growth for Fintech Companies?

1. Product Innovation
  • Razorpay introduced neobanking and automation tools.
  • CRED gamified loyalty programs to build retention.
2. Localisation and Inclusion
  • PhonePe enabled payments in more than 10 Indian languages.
  • BharatPe reached smaller cities with merchant-first solutions.
3. SEO and Content-Led Growth
  • PolicyBazaar created insurance tools and explainers.
  • Zerodha used educational blogs to build brand authority.
4. Data and Technology
  • Lendingkart utilised AI for risk assessment and expedited disbursement.
  • Paytm applied big data for personalisation and segmentation.

Implementing these strategies effectively often starts with a strong fintech marketing strategy and consistent SEO execution through specialised fintech SEO services.

In Conclusion

From payment innovation to customer education, India’s fintech companies have unlocked organic growth through innovative strategies and tech-driven execution. This guide to the best fintech companies in India proves that growth does not have to be bought.

Want to move up in the fintech ranks? Partner with upGrowth and turn SEO, content, and data into long-term momentum.

Glossary of Key Terms

1. BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later)
A short-term financing option that allows consumers to make purchases and pay for them in future instalments, often interest-free.

2. CMS (Content Management System)
A software application that enables users to create, edit, and manage website content without needing to code.

3. Customer Retention
The ability of a business to keep its existing customers over time, often through consistent value, satisfaction, and engagement strategies.

4. Dynamic Website
A website that displays different content and allows user interaction, often powered by a CMS or database.

5. Fintech
Short for financial technology. Refers to the use of digital tools and software to improve and automate the delivery of financial services.

6. Gamification
The application of game-like elements, such as rewards or levels, to non-game contexts like apps or websites to increase engagement.

7. Neobanking
A digital-first approach to banking services, often delivered entirely online without traditional physical branches.

8. Organic Growth
Business expansion driven by internal resources such as product innovation, customer acquisition, and operational efficiency—without relying on mergers or acquisitions.

9. Product-Led Growth
A strategy where the product itself drives user acquisition, engagement, and retention, rather than relying on sales or marketing.

10. Retention Strategy
Planned activities focused on keeping existing customers engaged and loyal to a brand or platform.

11. SaaS (Software as a Service)
A cloud-based model for delivering software applications over the internet on a subscription basis.

12. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
The practice of optimising digital content to rank higher in search engine results and attract organic traffic.

13. Static Website
A basic website that displays fixed content for all visitors and doesn’t require frequent updates.

14. UPI (Unified Payments Interface)
An Indian digital payment system that allows users to transfer money instantly between bank accounts via mobile devices.

15. User Engagement
The degree of interaction a user has with a product or service, often measured through clicks, time spent, or repeated use.

FAQs

1. What is organic growth?
Organic growth refers to a company’s expansion achieved through internal efforts, such as improving sales, retention, and operational efficiency, without relying on mergers and acquisitions.

2. What is organic growth in marketing?
It involves gaining visibility, traffic, or revenue through content, SEO, and customer experience, rather than relying on paid ads.

3. What is organic growth in finance?
It means increasing revenue or profitability through core operations and internal capabilities, without relying on external partnerships or acquisitions.

4. What is the difference between market growth and organic growth?
Market growth is industry-wide and driven by external forces, while organic growth is company-specific and powered by internal strategy.

5. How to calculate organic growth?
Subtract acquisition-generated revenue from total revenue, then compare to the previous period to get the actual organic growth rate.

6. How does organic growth differ from paid growth for fintech companies?
Organic growth relies on SEO and innovation, making it a more sustainable approach. Paid growth is quicker but often less consistent over time.

About the Author

Kiran
Copywriter at upGrowth

Kiran Gurung is a Copywriter at upGrowth, where she focuses on creating clear and engaging content that connects with audiences. With a strong background in marketing, she brings valuable experience to every project she works on. Kiran’s thoughtful approach and creativity have been an important part of upGrowth’s campaigns. When she’s not crafting captivating stories, Kiran finds inspiration in nature’s beauty and unwinds by immersing herself in Bollywood classics, blending creativity with her love for life’s vibrant moments.

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