I'm building fintech (payments/lending), do I need an RBI licence to launch?

The short answer

Very likely yes, payments, lending, and money movement are RBI-regulated, and you can't quietly launch and hope no one notices. A payment aggregator needs RBI authorisation and a Rs.15 crore net-worth threshold; lending usually means partnering with a licensed NBFC/bank or getting your own licence. If you want to test an innovation, RBI's regulatory sandbox is the legitimate front door, engage a fintech lawyer early.

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Why we picked it The official front door for the most common sector licence founders need, food, plus a reminder that regulated sectors each have their own primary regulator. For fintech, the RBI regulatory sandbox and payment-aggregator authorisation are the legitimate paths (see note); for food, FoSCoS is where you actually apply.

FoSCoS, Apply for FSSAI Licence / Registration & Sector Regulators

From Government of India (foscos.fssai.gov.in / rbi.org.in) by FSSAI (and RBI for fintech) portal

FoSCoS is the official FSSAI portal to apply for and renew food-business registration/licences online.
Fintech is RBI-regulated: payment aggregators need RBI authorisation and a Rs.15 crore net-worth floor.
RBI's regulatory sandbox (fintech.rbi.org.in/FT_RegSandbox) is the legitimate way to live-test innovations.
Regulated sectors, food, health, finance, require sector approval before selling, not after.

Open foscos.fssai.gov.in →

Terms in this answer

Regulatory Sandbox Aggregator

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