Fintech app Zeny aims to bring India’s 300M informal and gig workforce into the formal investments arena facilitating daily sachet-sized savings from as low as Rs. 100 into Mutual Fund
FinTech BizNews Service
Mumbai, September 2, 2025: Zeny, a newly launched fintech platform founded by Oxford University alumni and Skoll Scholars Nikhil Nair and Nikhil Saigal, has become the first startup to go live on the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) with its daily Mutual Funds SIPs customer app.
The app aims to enable India’s informal workforce to invest as little as Rs100 a day into Aditya Birla’s Sun Life’s low-risk liquid mutual fund, making investing as effortless as dropping a few rupees into a digital piggy bank daily. India’s gig workers that include drivers, plumbers, cooks, electricians, mechanics, etc., can earn an interest of between 6-7% on their sachet size daily savings. Zeny’s approach leverages ‘digital sachet savings’ or small, frequent deposits via UPI auto-pay, to build financial habits among this target group making it easy for them to manage and grow their money.
“Mutual fund Assets Under Management (AUM) have grown at a 20% CAGR over the past decade, yet penetration among informal workers is sub 2%! We want to change that by enabling access to mutual funds beyond urban affluent segments. For first-time investors from the informal workforce, a low-volatility liquid fund can act as a safe on-ramp. Our service offers Fixed Deposit-style returns with no lock ins and the flexibility to deposit and withdraw money every day! Through this service, we hope to build the rails for true financial inclusion, where small amounts can unlock big opportunities using ONDC’s network,” said Nikhil Nair, Co-founder & CEO, Zeny. The founders bring a combined experience of 30 years in fintech, mobility, and product building for informal workers.
Going forward, Zeny plans to harness the latest developments in AI, from voice-enabled education and app navigation to personalised money management insights, to innovative credit scoring built on alternative data—to further expand financial access and inclusion.
Vibhor Jain, Acting CEO & COO at ONDC said, “ONDC was built to democratize access; to ensure that every Indian, regardless of income, geography, or digital literacy, can participate in the formal economy. Zeny’s sachet-sized mutual fund savings on ONDC’s low-cost decentralized network exemplify this mission by turning everyday micro-savings into a gateway for financial security. The openness and interoperability of the network enables custom, innovative products like these; expanding the possibilities and unlocking new pathways for financial inclusion."
