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Revolut Starts India Beta As It Targets Digital Payments Growth

Strategic Expansion Into A High-Growth Market

Revolut has begun a limited beta rollout in India, marking the latest step in the British fintech company’s expansion into one of the world’s largest digital payments markets. Over recent weeks, users on the company’s waitlist have started receiving access to the India-focused app as Revolut prepares for a broader launch.

Localized Offerings And Enhanced Customer Experience

The beta version, available on both Google Play and Apple’s App Store, has already attracted several thousand users. Features tailored to the local market include UPI payments, e-money wallets, domestic prepaid cards, multi-currency cards, virtual cards and disposable cards. Revolut said the phased rollout will allow it to gather user feedback and test core services before expanding access.

Navigating India’s Digital Payment Ecosystem

India represents one of the world’s most competitive fintech markets, driven largely by the government-backed Unified Payments Interface (UPI). According to official data, UPI processed 23.2 billion transactions worth approximately ₹29.9 trillion ($313.8 billion) in May alone. Processing volumes of this scale present a significant growth opportunity for international fintech firms, while also placing them in direct competition with local banks and established payment providers.

Building A Robust Local Presence

Revolut’s efforts to enter India date back to 2021. To strengthen its local presence, Revolut appointed fintech executive Paroma Chatterjee to lead operations in India and acquired Arvog Forex in 2022. It later secured a prepaid payment instrument licence from the Reserve Bank of India, allowing it to expand services including remittances and multi-currency accounts.

Looking Ahead

Access to the beta programme is currently limited to a small portion of the approximately 450,000 users on Revolut’s waitlist in India. Revolut plans to gradually expand onboarding in the coming months. Interest in the platform has continued to grow, with nearly 820,000 app downloads recorded in India since launch. India forms part of Revolut’s broader expansion strategy across high-growth markets. The company has previously identified countries including Thailand, Vietnam and Brazil as key drivers of future user growth and transaction volumes as it works toward its targets of reaching 20 million users and processing at least $7 billion in transactions by 2030.

Google Warns Of Vishing Campaign Targeting Financial Firms

Cybercriminals are increasingly relying on a simple tactic to breach major financial institutions: convincing employees to hand over their own login credentials.

In a new report, Google said several hacking groups have been targeting large financial and investment firms in the United States through voice phishing, or “vishing”, before stealing sensitive corporate data and using it to extort victims.

Employees Are The Primary Target

According to Google’s researchers, attackers contact employees on their personal mobile phones while posing as colleagues or IT support staff. Victims are then directed to fake websites, where they are tricked into entering login credentials and multi-factor authentication codes.

Google tracks the groups under the names Falcon, Helix, Pink and Redact, although researchers believe they may be linked to a broader threat cluster known as UNC6671.

Some of the groups operate leak websites, where they threaten to publish stolen data unless companies agree to pay a ransom.

Financial Sector In The Spotlight

While previous attacks targeted industries including manufacturing, healthcare, insurance, technology and hospitality, Google said the hackers have increasingly shifted their focus to financial institutions and law firms.

Researchers believe organisations involved in mergers, acquisitions and capital markets are particularly attractive targets because of the highly confidential information they hold.

Google estimated that one cryptocurrency wallet linked to the operation received around $10 million in bitcoin during the first few months of the year. Ransom demands typically range from $750,000 to $3 million.

The report highlights that despite rapid advances in AI-driven cyberattacks, traditional social engineering techniques remain among the most effective ways for attackers to gain access to corporate networks.

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