Suparjya swain 
FEATURE: In a world where fintech is often all about flashy apps, big-city convenience, and fast-paced trading, Mr. Kaushik Subudhi is doing something different. He’s focused on the grassroots—where just having access to a basic banking service can be the difference between dignity and dependence. His mission is simple: not to disrupt for the sake of disruption, but to bring banking to those who have long been left out of India’s financial system.
As the Founder of 7pay, a rural-focused fintech venture under the Bankify umbrella, Mr. Subudhi isn’t just making transactions possible—he’s building trust, inclusion, and economic mobility across some of the country’s most underserved areas. Whether it’s the quiet lanes of Bhubaneswar or remote villages in Bihar, Assam, and Jharkhand, his work is about creating a financial safety net in places where it’s been missing for so long.
Mr. Subudhi, an alumnus of International Institute of Information Technology, Bhubaneswar, started his academic journey at St. Vincent’s Convent School and later attended DAV Public School. Even back then, he showed a natural talent for tech and entrepreneurship, landing internships at Infosys in Mysore and IDRBT in Hyderabad, where he proposed an innovative method for iris template protection.
His entrepreneurial journey began early with Teceads Solutions, where he served as CTO, and later, Zooppay—another bold move that reflected his desire to solve real problems through smart innovation. These early ventures paved the way for what would eventually become Bankify.
The COVID-19 pandemic presented unexpected challenges, but instead of pulling back, Mr. Subudhi recalibrated. 7payemerged, not aimed at the digitally savvy city crowd, but at the digitally excluded. The platform focused on rural and semi-urban populations—those who needed fintech the most but had little access to it.
Today, 7pay operates across Bihar, Kolkata, Assam, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, providing essential financial services to communities that were once forgotten. What started as a small venture has grown into an organization with over 135 professionals, and the team is still expanding. The platform’s goal is simple: make banking accessible and human-focused, using tools like micro-ATMs, easy-to-use interfaces, and vernacular options to reach those who need it the most.
Building this from Bhubaneswar wasn’t easy. Unlike fintech hubs like Mumbai or Bangalore, Odisha lacked the resources, investor interest, and regulatory support. To stay competitive, Mr. Subudhi and his team opened a small presence in Mumbai—gaining access to networks, regulatory talks, and business opportunities that weren’t available in Odisha.
But the times are changing. With initiatives from RBI and SEBI, the fintech ecosystem in Odisha is growing. Regulatory bodies are now engaging with emerging hubs, offering startup programs, workshops, and partnership opportunities. Mr. Subudhi is excited by this shift and is committed to leveraging these opportunities through increased awareness, stronger policy support, and deeper collaboration with key institutions like NPCI and RBI.
Under the Bankify umbrella, Mr. Subudhi is overseeing several ventures. Along with 7Pay, which focuses on rural banking, he’s also preparing to launch a new agrifintech initiative aimed at improving farmers’ access to credit and streamlining agricultural supply chains. Each of his ventures is grounded in one core principle: solving real problems using smart, sustainable tech.
With his experience as a consultant and strategist in the IT and IT-enabled services space, Mr. Subudhi brings a unique mix of technical knowledge, people management insight, and digital branding expertise. He’s a big believer in putting people first, and his approach to recruitment and career growth reflects that. Plus, his ability to build companies on a small budget has made him known as a sharp, strategic entrepreneur.
For aspiring founders, Mr. Subudhi’s advice is clear: Don’t build for the hype—build for the impact. Find a real problem, understand it, and develop a solution that addresses it head-on. Success, he believes, isn’t measured by funding rounds or vanity metrics, but by how much lasting value you create in the real world.
Today, as Bankify continues to grow and redefine rural fintech in India, Mr. Kaushik Subudhi remains at the helm—driven by his vision for inclusive technology and his commitment to making banking work for everyone. Through hard work, vision, and persistence, he’s reshaping what it means to innovate—not just in India’s cities, but in its heart.
