Bajaj Finserv Ltd, a diversified financial services company, has launched Finserv Intelligence, a strategic applied research and innovation initiative aimed at developing scalable, low-cost and high-technology solutions built in India for domestic and global markets.
The initiative has been conceived as a long-term innovation ecosystem with a five-to-ten-year horizon focused on research, startup investments and capability building across emerging technology areas.
Partnership with IIT Bombay
As part of the initiative, Bajaj Finserv has partnered with Indian Institute of Technology Bombay to establish a joint research centre focused on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum technologies and retail innovation.
The collaboration will subsequently expand into areas such as digital financial inclusion, healthcare and climate-focused technologies.
Finserv Intelligence will operate through an integrated model combining academic collaborations, startup ecosystem investments and in-house specialists. The initiative also envisages R&D labs, centres of excellence, venture-led models and a Scholars-in-Residence programme.
The company said Bajaj Finserv group entities would invest ₹1,500-2,000 crore over the next five years in startups and early-stage companies with scalability potential across AI, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, fintech and consumer technology platforms.
Focus on deep-tech startups
Bajaj Finance Vice Chairman & Managing Director Rajeev Jain said the initiative aims to provide startups with access not only to capital but also to Bajaj Finserv’s enterprise ecosystem, governance frameworks, operational expertise and market insights.
“Through direct engagement with our leadership, structured growth playbooks and hands-on mentorship, we will instil the principles that build enduring companies with frugal engineering, sharp unit economics, ROI discipline and rigor required to scale,” he said.
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Director Shireesh Kedare said the partnership would strengthen industry-academia collaboration required to accelerate scalable fintech innovation.
The company said the initiative also addresses broader gaps highlighted by NITI Aayog in its recent report on ease of doing R&D in India, which pointed to weak industry-academia linkages and low private-sector participation in research funding.
According to the company, Finserv Intelligence is intended to bridge research and commercial application while supporting India’s deep-tech innovation ambitions through patient capital and large-scale deployment opportunities.