“We as women need to fight a little harder to get that table in that room,” says Dipali Padia, Director of Business Development at Neokred. Her journey from traditional banking to fintech reflects the determination many women need to break into and thrive in this fast-evolving industry.
Dipali started in banking, moved to fintech, returned to banking, and then re-entered the fintech space, driven by a curiosity to understand the tech behind money movement. “I wanted to know how the architecture of payments works—from peer-to-peer to business-to-merchant transactions,” she shares.
But for all the progress fintech promises, Dipali is clear: “Without gender equity, its impact is limited.”
Despite women making up 43% of India’s STEM talent pool, only 8% make it to CXO positions and just 14% hold executive-level roles. This gap isn’t due to lack of skill or ambition, but persistent barriers to leadership and financial independence. India produces between 5 to 10 million STEM graduates every year, yet systemic bias keeps many women from advancing.
The cost of this exclusion is massive. Studies show that closing the gender gap in financial inclusion could boost India’s GDP by $700 billion by 2025. Moreover, fintech companies with diverse leadership are 21% more likely to outperform competitors, and gender-balanced teams drive 20% higher revenue in tech-related industries.
Dipali believes the industry must act now: “Fintech must hire, mentor, and champion women. Eliminate bias. Create a culture where women can lead fearlessly.”
Her message is clear: women don’t just belong in finance; they have every right to lead in technology too. “Give us the opportunity, and we will prove it.”