YourStory launches Builders’ Guild; Financial revolution in rural India

Hello,

The who’s who of India’s tech ecosystem gathered at DevSparks 2025 in Bengaluru.

On Saturday, YourStory’s developers’ conference saw technologists, enterprise leaders, tech entrepreneurs, and industry experts come together to discuss the future of tech.

AI, of course, dominated the discussion, with speakers outlining how the tech can enable human workers, rather than replace them.

If you missed the action, we have got you covered. Check out our full coverage here.

Up next: a medical milestone.

Doctors in the US have become the first to treat a baby with a customised gene-editing therapy after diagnosing the child with a severe genetic disorder.

The news is huge because if the child, 9.5-month-old KJ, shows further signs of recovery, then it could offer hope for thousands of patients with deadlymutations that are unique or too rare to attract interest from traditional drug developers.

Lastly, on a lighter note, AI in politics reached a whole new level on Friday. During a summit, the Albanian government presented a montage of European leaders pictured as AI-generated babies, with each “leader” saying "Welcome to Albania" in their country's language.

To say the video is hilarious would be an understatement.

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• YourStory launches Builders’ Guild
• Financial revolution in rural India
• Transforming lives through plastic

Here’s your trivia for today: Which country's flag features the phrase "Order and Progress"?

DevSparks

YourStory launches Builders’ Guild

As AI redefines the nature of software work, it is clear that knowing how to code is no longer enough. In this rapidly evolving landscape, YourStory has launched the Builders’ Guild, an initiative designed to help India’s developer communities adapt to a world where collaboration, creativity, and cross-disciplinary thinking matter just as much as technical skills.

Key takeaways:

• Unveiled at DevSparks 2025, the Builders’ Guild supports developers working in AI, DevOps, data security, and cloud technologies. 
• In partnership with HackerEarth, GeekyAnts, and The Product Folks, the initiative offers curated events, meetups, and platforms for knowledge sharing.
• At its core, the Builders' Guild is about giving community leaders and builders the stage they deserve. With this, YourStory aims to highlight impact, scale, and the incredible work happening across developer ecosystems in India.

Social impact

Financial revolution in rural India

In May 2020, when Gurugram-based fintech Roinet Solutions decided to place the tools of financial revolution in the hands of rural women, they encountered a mix of excitement and resistance. 

But what started as a seemingly ambitious idea has, in just four years, scaled from 105 customer service points (CSPs) to over 10,000 Banking Correspondent-Sakhis (BC-Sakhis), transforming not just the financial landscape but the self-perception of thousands of women in India’s hinterlands.

Rural bankers:

• BC-Sakhis are women from rural or semi-urban communities who are trained and equipped by Roinet to act as CSPs. Most of them are first-time earners, often from marginalised or low-income households.
• The programme started working with women as part of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM).
• Each BC-Sakhi is equipped with a smartphone, a biometric device linked to Aadhaar, and access to Roinet's app platform that allows for seamless banking in low-connectivity regions.

Inspiration

Transforming lives through plastic

EcoKaari upcycles waste plastic into beautiful handcrafted fabrics using the charkha and handloom. The idea for the startup was ignited during Bhat’s many treks through the Sahaydri mountains, where he was deeply disturbed by the growing piles of discarded plastic marring the natural beauty of the landscape.

Healing Earth:

• While hard plastic items like bottles get collected because they fetch decent money for waste pickers, soft plastics—wrappers, bags, packaging—remain scattered across the landscape, choking waterways and scarring the earth.
• Women are at the heart of what EcoKaari does. It has trained close to 125 weavers in three locations—Kolkata, Ballari, and Pune. 
• Working with JSW Foundation, it has created four Self-Help Groups (SHGs) where these women earn Rs 8,000-15,000 monthly, depending on how much they work.

News & updates

• Downgrade: Moody’s Ratings cut the United States’ sovereign credit rating down one notch to Aa1 from Aaa, the highest possible, citing the growing burden of financing the federal government’s budget deficit and the rising cost of rolling over existing debt amid high interest rates.
• CEO exit: Novo Nordisk said on Friday that CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen is stepping down as the Wegovy maker seeks to revive its ailing fortunes amid increasing competition. The Danish pharmaceutical giant said Jørgensen, who was at the helm for eight years, would remain in his post “for a period to support a smooth transition to new leadership.”
• EV subsidy: Japan is considering a plan to offer subsidies for building charging stations for Tesla electric vehicles in tariff talks with the United States, Reuters reported, citing broadcaster TBS.

Which country's flag features the phrase "Order and Progress"?

Answer: Brazil

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