Bankberry

Bankberry

Entrepreneurs

Balaji Chavan

Balaji Chavan

Founder & CEO

B.Com CA PE II First Group & PMP trained from IIL. Overall 23+ years of experience which comprise of 6 years in auditing, 10 years in Finance & Operations Delivery including Project Management - BPO experience and 6+ years in entrepreneurship.

Team

Kashinath Rai

Kashinath Rai

CMO

B.A & Ex. Army Officer having 27 years experience, led multiple businesses in Iron & steel & cricket academy.
Akshay Sriram

Akshay Sriram

CFO

B.Com ACCA - UK equivalent to CA as per ICAI - Financial Controller. Overall 7+ years of experience in MNCs, Startup and freelance.
$ 0 K

  • Bankberry has joined FasterCapital's portfolio.
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Idea

Bankberry is an Agri-Fintech platform aimed at empowering India's farmers, FPOs, and rural retailers by providing them with essential financial services. The platform connects over 61,200 FPOs and 61.2 million farmers, offering a range of services such as zero balance savings accounts, micro-loans, insurance, and supply chain finance. By leveraging technology and a farmer-first approach, Bankberry aims to unlock rural prosperity and enhance financial inclusion in the agricultural sector.

Challenge

Bankberry is tackling the challenge of limited financial products available to farmers by providing a comprehensive suite of solutions. The company’s micro-lending model, built on the FLDG (First Loan Defaulter Guarantee) model, enables farmers to access loans without needing collateral. Additionally, Bankberry plans to offer Kisan Credit Cards up to INR 5 lakh, allowing farmers to manage their financial needs across the entire agricultural cycle. The platform's unique approach aims to create a seamless, tech-driven marketplace for digital lending, enabling financial inclusion for rural India.

Solution

Bankberry is addressing the severe lack of financial access for farmers, FPOs, and rural retailers, particularly during pre- and post-harvest operations. A staggering 99% of farmers lack access to credit facilities, limiting their ability to manage expenses and investments in the farming cycle. With an enormous potential market worth INR 45 Lacs Cr, Bankberry's platform offers a vital solution by enabling micro-lending, Kisan Credit Cards, and supply chain finance. The platform’s aim is to bridge the gap and offer financial products to millions of underserved individuals.


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Bankberry's News (1)

Bankberry enters EquityPilot program to accelerate zero-balance accounts and micro-loans
19 Feb 2026

Bankberry enters EquityPilot program to accelerate zero-balance accounts and micro-loans

India & Dubai, UAE — 19 Feb 2026

India’s smallholder farmers and rural retailers remain dramatically underserved by formal credit: low collateral availability and limited credit histories constrain pre- and post-harvest financing. Bankberry addresses this systemic gap at a time when digital onboarding and layered fintech-banking models can rapidly expand financial access across targeted states. FasterCapital’s EquityPilot will support Bankberry’s regional rollout across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Kerala.

What the Startup Delivers?

Bankberry is building an end-to-end financial services platform for farmers, retailers and FPOs that combines: - Zero-balance savings and current accounts for farmers, retailers and FPOs; - Micro-lending without collateral (ticket sizes INR 5K–300K, focused on INR 5K–100K for most customers); - A fintech stack with neo-bank and lending platform integrations, and an FLDG (First Loan Defaulter Guarantee) distribution model; and - Crop and livestock insurance, supplier finance, bill discounting and working capital products routed through FPOs and retail channels.

Why Now?

Rapid digitization of account opening, increased acceptance of alternative credit signals, and growing institutional interest in agri-finance create a window to onboard farmers at scale. Bankberry’s initial focus on Tamil Nadu and Karnataka allows the team to prove operational workflows, KYC-driven onboarding and FLDG flows before broader expansion.

Program Plan (first 30–60 days)

Under EquityPilot, FasterCapital will work with Bankberry to: - Finalize execution milestones for technology stabilization and customer onboarding flows; - Validate acquisition channels at Hobli and FPO levels for initial rollouts in Hosur, Krishnagiri and Madurai; and - Connect Bankberry with banking, NBFC and insurance players for co-lending and insurance integrations.

Leadership Comment

“Hesham Zreik, Founder and CEO of FasterCapital, said: ‘We’re excited to support Bankberry through EquityPilot. Our team will focus on execution milestones and connecting the startup with the right ecosystem stakeholders.’”

Founder background

Bankberry is led by Balaji Chavan (CEO), who brings 23 years of experience across IBM, Tesco, HP, Accenture and Capgemini, plus entrepreneurial and audit experience. The leadership bench also includes CFO Akshay Sriram (ACCA) and regional lead Kashinath Rai, supported by advisor Allen R. Wazny.

Competitive landscape

The market includes lenders and agri-commerce players such as Samunnati, Avanti Financing, Jai Kisan and DeHaat. Bankberry differentiates by bundling zero-balance digital accounts, micro-lending without collateral via FLDG, and downstream insurance and supplier finance for FPOs and retailers.

Next 90 Days

Bankberry will execute targeted Hobli-level marketing, onboard five initial FPOs (~5,000 farmers), deploy closed-loop co-lending integrations, and operationalize the call center/BOT and shared FAO services. FasterCapital will help refine the GTM, onboarding KPIs and partner introductions.

About Bankberry

Bankberry is a financial services platform focused on enabling farmers, retailers and Farmer Producer Organizations with digital accounts, collateral-free micro-lending and integrated insurance and supplier finance. The company’s product roadmap includes neo-banking integrations, expanded lending tiers and digital crop and livestock insurance.

About FasterCapital

FasterCapital is a global venture builder and online incubator dedicated to co-funding and co-founding innovative startups. Established in 2014, we are now #1 venture builder in terms of number of startups that we have helped, money invested and money raised. It supports startups worldwide through various programs, including funding assistance, business development, and technical support. The EquityPilot program is designed to help early-stage startups build scalable solutions with mentorship, strategic guidance, and network support.

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