Success Editor Team
In the dynamic world of Indian fintech, few names shine as brightly as Upasana Taku — Co-founder, Executive Director & CFO of MobiKwik. With a fearless vision to transform payment habits in India, she helped build MobiKwik from the ground up, pioneering the roadmap for digital payments, credit, and financial inclusion across urban and rural India. Wikipedia+2MobiKwik+2
🌟 Background & Journey
Upasana Taku holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Punjab Technical University (REC Jalandhar) and a master’s in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University. MobiKwik+1
Her early career took her to the United States, where she worked at global names such as PayPal and HSBC — gaining deep expertise in payments, global financial services, risk management, and product strategy. StartupTalky+1
In 2008, driven by a desire to give back to her homeland and bring fintech innovation to India, she left Silicon Valley and returned home. In 2009, along with co-founder Bipin Preet Singh, she launched MobiKwik — then a simple mobile wallet start-up, now a major fintech platform. Entrepreneur+2Wikipedia+2
🚀 Building MobiKwik: From Wallets to Full-Stack Fintech
Starting as one of India’s earliest mobile-recharge wallets, MobiKwik under Upasana’s stewardship grew immensely:
- Evolved from closed-wallet services to include UPI payments, digital wallets, BNPL (buy-now-pay-later), personal loans, investments, insurance, and more — creating a full-stack fintech ecosystem. successmagazine.in+2MobiKwik+2
- Launched a payment gateway service (via Zaakpay) to enable e-commerce businesses and merchants to accept multiple payment methods, expanding reach beyond individual users. Entrepreneur+1
- Focused on financial inclusion: aiming to bring digital payments, credit, and financial tools to underserved populations — especially in non-metro towns and rural areas. Business Today+1
Under her leadership, MobiKwik has grown to millions of users and merchants, making digital payments more accessible and convenient. The Economic Times+2MobiKwik+2
🎯 Vision & Impact
Upasana is a strong advocate of fintech-driven financial inclusion. She often emphasizes that digital payments are only the beginning — the real challenge is ensuring access to credit, savings, insurance, and investment tools for all Indians, especially those in smaller towns and rural areas. Business Today+1
With MobiKwik’s evolution into a broad fintech platform, she aims to build a “finance-app for Bharat” — enabling first-time access to formal financial products for millions who have historically been underserved. Financial Express+1
🏆 Recognition & Achievements
Upasana’s trailblazing work has earned her several accolades:
- Recognized as the first woman to lead a payments startup in India. people.equilar.com+1
- Featured in Forbes Asia’s “Power Businesswomen” list. StartupTalky+1
- Honoured with the “Unstoppable Icon” award by CNBC‑TV18, highlighting her as a leading tech founder and one of India’s richest self-made women. MobiKwik+1
- Named among the most powerful women in business by Fortune India (2025). Fortune India+1
These honours reflect not only her business success but also the broader social impact she’s driving through fintech.
✅ Why Upasana Taku is a Role Model in Fintech & Entrepreneurship
- Visionary leadership — transforming MobiKwik from a small wallet startup to a full-fledged fintech powerhouse.
- Focus on inclusion — championing access to digital payments and financial services for millions in non-metro India.
- Breaking stereotypes — succeeding in a heavily male-dominated sector and inspiring women entrepreneurs across the country.
- Balanced growth & profitability — scaling up operations sustainably while ensuring strong monetisation of financial services.
