DLAI rebrands to Unified Fintech Forum as SRO race gets crowded
The rebrand comes with new leadership appointments, with FlexiLoans Co-founder Manish Lunia elected as President and MobiKwik Co-founder and Executive Director Upasana Taku taking on the role of Vice-President of the organisation's executive committee.
The Digital Lenders Association of India (DLAI) on Wednesday said it has rebranded itself to the Unified Fintech Forum (UFF), as the organisation expands its scope beyond digital lending to encompass the broader fintech ecosystem.
The rebrand comes with new leadership appointments, with FlexiLoans Co-founder Manish Lunia elected as President and MobiKwik Co-founder and Executive Director Upasana Taku taking on the role of Vice-President of the organisation's executive committee.
The industry body currently represents about 120 members, including regulated and unregulated entities in digital financial services. According to UFF, the name change aims to foster "a more coherent and inclusive fintech landscape in India."
"The expansion of fintech services over the past decade has transformed our interaction with digital money and has brought in more responsibilities among players in the fintech ecosystem, especially from a client protection and product suitability perspective," said Jatinder Handoo, CEO of the newly renamed Unified Fintech Forum.
The UFF's objectives include promoting stakeholder collaboration, enhancing regulatory compliance, and encouraging responsible innovation within India's rapidly evolving fintech industry, the company said in a statement.
DLAI is among the few major industry bodies representing India's digital lending and fintech ecosystem. Established in 2016 by leading players such as Capital Float, LendingKart, and ZestMoney, DLAI comprises over 80 members and aims to secure recognition as a Self-Regulatory Organisation for Fintech (SRO-FT).
Recognised by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in August 2024, the Fintech Association for Consumer Empowerment (FACE) is another prominent industry body that has achieved SRO-FT status.
Additionally, the India Fintech Foundation (IFF), also known as the SRO-Fintech Development Foundation (SROFT-DF), was launched at Startup Mahakumbh 2025 as a proposed self-regulatory organisation for the fintech industry. The IFF aims to facilitate responsible innovation, ensuring consumer protection and regulatory compliance, and seeks to become one of the largest SROs in the country.
Edited by Suman Singh