e-commerce
“Need to find balance between innovation and regulation in the Fintech sector,” says RBI Deputy Governor T Rabi Sankar
Mumbai: In a special keynote at the Moneycontrol Startup Conclave, RBI’s Deputy Governor, T Rabi Sankar spoke at length about the Fintech sector – The role it is playing to achieve financial inclusion and its regulations.
“RBI is closely watching the evolving space of Fintech. Innovations are happening across three elements: time, access and data. New innovations are helping in driving down costs, refocusing products and services and improving customer reach and services. There are no Fintech regulations right now. We are talking to the industry and understanding whether there is a need to regulate them. Can’t give a timeline at the moment. But it will come only after consultation with them,” he added.
“We at RBI need to understand how Fintechs are evolving and innovators are thinking. But the young innovators’ focus is on innovations and not as much on regulations yet and we need to find that balance. We time our intervention so that the industry (Fintech) is allowed to grow,” he said.
Speaking on cryptocurrencies, RBI’s Deputy Governor said, “People trading crypto is not the concern but the unbacked cryptocurrencies and the product itself alongside its backers is the problem.” He also highlighted that stablecoins pegged to other currencies in emerging market economies pose several threats.
“Stablecoins pegged to currencies, for example USD are not a risk to the USA. But stable currencies pegged to other currencies in emerging market economies (EMEs) pose very serious financial stability, capital management, and monetary policy risks,” Sankar said.
MUMBAI: From flights to tracks, Cleartrip is now trying to keep every journey on the same ticket. Cleartrip, part of Flipkart, has launched train ticket bookings through a partnership with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, marking its entry into India’s vast rail travel ecosystem.
The integration allows users to search, book and manage train journeys directly within the app, as the company pushes towards becoming a unified, multi-modal travel platform. The move plugs Cleartrip into one of the world’s largest transportation networks, where over 800 million reserved passengers travel annually, alongside a daily footfall of around 23 million across Indian Railways.
The offering includes bookings across routes nationwide, covering General and Tatkal quotas as per Ministry of Railways guidelines. Users can also access real-time seat availability, fare insights, PNR status tracking, berth preferences and digital payment options within a single interface.
The expansion reflects a broader shift in travel platforms from specialising in a single mode to stitching together end-to-end journeys. For Cleartrip, the bet is not just on scale, but on simplifying a system often seen as complex and fragmented.
Company executives said the focus is on embedding predictive intelligence and personalisation into the booking journey, aiming to make everything from discovery to post-booking support faster and more intuitive.
The train booking feature is currently live on the app, with plans to extend it to the web platform soon, signalling a push towards a seamless cross-platform experience.
In a country where railways move billions each year, the next battleground for travel apps may well be decided not in the skies, but on the tracks.
