Why are more and more Indian executives emerging in the global payment sector?

Author: Steven, Payment 201

Recently, while chatting with a few friends in the payment industry, I discovered an interesting contrast.

In the past few years, the impression that many Chinese people have of India often comes from business news. In the minds of many, India is a market with huge opportunities but also very complex. Many Chinese companies that entered India have gone through varying degrees of adaptation: the regulatory environment, local business rules, and operational culture all differ significantly from the Chinese market. Therefore, many people's first reaction is: the Indian market is large, but it's hard to operate in. It is not another China.

However, in recent years, as more and more Chinese payment talents have moved to overseas workplaces, they have discovered a completely different India.

There are increasingly more: colleagues in the company are Indians, bosses are Indians, partners are Indian founders, core leaders in banks, fintech, and payment companies have Indian backgrounds, and even many management teams in global payment companies have Indian talent.

Interestingly, many Chinese practitioners' evaluations of these Indian colleagues and bosses often go through a very similar process.

At first: "Not very convinced," wondering if this person is particularly good at expressing themselves? Is their presentation ability very strong? Are they better at managing their boss's expectations? Do they talk more than they do?

But after experiencing a few truly complex projects, many people's views begin to change. During a cross-regional payment project, a bank collaboration, an account system communication, or handling regulatory or compliance issues, many people ultimately find: this person is indeed impressive.

Why? Because we initially underestimated a certain capability.

A Contrast: The Indian Market is Difficult, but Indian Talent is Rising in Global Competition

There is a very noteworthy phenomenon here.

Many Chinese people's understanding of India often comes from the country itself.

However, in the global business environment, the Indians we actually encounter are usually not an average sample of India's 1.4 billion population. Instead, they are a highly selective group.

India is certainly a huge market, with very obvious developmental differences, featuring top-notch tech talent, financial talent, and entrepreneurs, as well as a large number of ordinary laborers.

But when you meet Indian colleagues in financial and tech hubs like the United States, Singapore, Europe, and Hong Kong, you are often encountering the most internationalized group of talent from India.

They may come from India's top educational systems or have been educated in the U.S. or Singapore; they may have grown up in Indian universities and then entered global banks, tech companies, and financial institutions.

They have undergone multiple rounds of selection: educational selection, professional selection, and globalization selection.

Thus, many Indian talents encountered by Chinese people overseas are essentially a group of elites participating in global competition.

This is also why many people's first impressions can be skewed. Many people's imaginations about Indians may stem from certain stereotypes.

However, the Indian talents who have truly entered the global fintech industry are often highly internationalized. They may not have a noticeable accent, they are familiar with Western business culture, they understand how global companies operate, and they know how to collaborate with people from different countries and cultural backgrounds.

They do not simply represent the Indian market; they represent a group of people from India entering the global system.

What We Initially Underestimated is Not the Professional Ability of Indians, but Their Organizational Ability

Over the past twenty years, the Chinese payment industry has cultivated a very strong talent pool. The scale of mobile payment development in China is a very unique case globally. From WeChat Pay, Alipay, to e-commerce payments, cross-border payments, and wallet ecosystems, Chinese companies have experienced one of the most complex and massive payment scenarios in the world.

As a result, Chinese payment talents have formed a very strong capability model: understanding business, understanding products, executing quickly, strong problem-solving abilities, and the ability to push forward quickly under pressure.

This capability is without question. It can even be said that this is the core reason for the past success of the Chinese payment industry.

However, when these talents enter large global fintech companies, they find that the evaluation criteria for senior positions are changing. Because in the global payment industry, as you move up, the competition is not just about professional ability. It is about organizational ability.

The payment industry is essentially not a single-point product but a complex network.

Behind a cross-border payment project, there are connections: banks, card organizations, regulatory agencies, acquiring institutions, wallets, merchants, headquarters and regions, front office and back office. If any link encounters a problem, the project may come to a halt.

Many times, failure is not because the technology cannot be realized, but because: the bank did not fully understand the needs, compliance did not participate early, the business team did not reach a consensus, headquarters did not see the strategic value, and partners did not have enough motivation.

Thus, as one moves into senior positions, the truly important question is not:

"Can I get the job done?"

But rather:

"Can I get a complex organization to work together to get the job done?"

This is also why many Indian managers are initially easy to underestimate but ultimately easy to recognize. They may not be the ones who delve deepest into a particular technical detail in the team.

But they often know:

When to find whom, who needs to be involved early, who needs to be persuaded, who needs to see the business value, who needs to gain a sense of security, and who needs to become a project supporter.

This capability may not be obvious in small teams. However, in large global organizations, its value is very high.

Core Capability in Global Organizations: Stakeholder Management

One of the abilities that many Chinese talents most easily underestimate when they first enter global companies is stakeholder management.

The development model of China's internet and payment industry in the past has emphasized: identifying problems, analyzing problems, solving problems, launching quickly, and iterating rapidly. This culture has cultivated a large number of excellent execution-oriented talents.

However, in large global organizations, many problems are not technical issues but organizational issues. Why doesn't this department support? Why is this bank slow to advance? Why does compliance raise different opinions? Why hasn't headquarters invested resources? Why don't partners have enough motivation?

Behind these questions, what is being tested is not an individual's professional ability but whether they understand the goals of different roles and how to build consensus among different stakeholders.

Many Indian managers excel in this area.

They are accustomed to establishing relationships before things officially move forward, understanding key people's concerns, involving relevant parties early, finding supporters, and reducing potential resistance.

So when the project officially enters the execution phase, many things have already been coordinated in advance.

From the outside, it may seem like: "Why does he always know who to find?" "Why is his project progressing so smoothly?" But in reality, this is backed by a set of organizational capabilities developed through long-term training.

This is also an area that many Chinese talents need to re-understand.

In the rapidly developing domestic environment, many things can rely on: strong execution, strong resources, and strong promotion.

However, in global companies, often no one has absolute power. You cannot demand that banks cooperate immediately, cannot require headquarters to invest resources right away, and cannot expect other regional teams to act entirely at your pace.

What you need is: influence, coordination, building trust, and forming alliances.

Expressive Ability is Not Just Packaging, but Influence in Global Organizations

Another area that often leads to misunderstanding is expressive ability.

Many Chinese people, when first encountering Indian managers, may think: "Is this person too good at talking?" "Is their presentation ability greater than their actual capability?"

But upon entering global organizations, one realizes: expression itself is part of leadership.

A senior leader not only needs to get things done. They also need to help the organization understand: why this matter is important, why it should be done now, why it is worth investing resources, where the risks lie, and what support is needed.

In global companies, information is never lacking.

What is lacking is: someone who can transform complex information into consensus.

This is why many Indian-origin managers place great importance on: storytelling, executive communication, visibility, and leadership presence.

These may easily be seen as "showing off" in some Chinese workplace environments, but in global organizations, they are actually important capabilities for driving resource flow.

A project's success has two levels.

The first level: the task is truly completed.

The second level: the organization understands why it succeeded and why it would be willing to continue supporting you next time.

Many Chinese talents excel at the first level, while global leaders need to possess both levels simultaneously.

Career Networks: The Long-term Compound Interest of Indian Talent

In addition to personal ability, there is another very important factor: career ecology and the tendency to band together.

Many Indian talents overseas realize early on: career development is not a solo game but a network game. One person is at JPMorgan, another at Visa, another at Mastercard, another at Stripe, and another at Circle. A few years later, they may become: partners, clients, investors, and sources for recruitment.

This career network generates long-term compound interest.

Personal ability determines the starting point, but career ecology determines the growth rate. This is why many Indian talents find it easier to form sustainable career paths after entering global companies. Today's colleagues may become tomorrow's clients. Today's boss may be a future investor. People you collaborated with today may become important sources for talent in the next company.

Of course, Chinese people also have very strong communities overseas.

Especially in entrepreneurship, trade, manufacturing, and investment, the Chinese network has always been very strong. However, in large tech and financial organizations in Europe and America, there are some differences in career cultures. Many Chinese talents are more accustomed to relying on personal abilities to break through, get things done, and prove themselves.

In contrast, Indian talents are more accustomed to placing career development within a long-term ecological context. Knowing whom, connecting with whom, helping whom, and nurturing whom. These relationships ultimately become career assets.

This is not to say that one culture is necessarily better than the other. Rather, the global competitive environment is changing. In the past, personal ability might determine 80% of the results. In the future, in large organizations and complex industries, the importance of networking ability will increase.

Why Are More and More Entrepreneurs with Indian Background Entering the Payment Infrastructure Field?

This is also a very obvious trend in the payment industry in recent years.

If you observe the global payment industry, you will find that many entrepreneurs with Indian backgrounds are not simply creating consumer payment products.

They are more involved in: cross-border payments, enterprise payments, funding flow infrastructure, and digital asset payments—these more foundational areas.

For example, TerraPay focuses on global funding flow connections, essentially helping wallets, banks, and payment institutions in different countries connect more efficiently; Tazapay focuses on cross-border commercial payments, solving issues for enterprises in global markets regarding collection, settlement, and fund flow; Onmeta explores the connection between traditional payment systems and Web3.

The common characteristic of these companies is: they are all emerging from a red ocean market, solving a more fundamental problem: how to make global money flow more efficiently.

This is closely related to the development paths of Indian talents over the past few decades.

Many Indian payment entrepreneurs and executives have experienced: the Indian education system, IT service companies, global banks, payment networks, and fintech. They have a long-term understanding of technology, finance, regulation, and business.

Thus, they find it easier to enter fields like payment infrastructure that require comprehensive capabilities.

Singapore: An Amplifier for Indian Talent in the Asian Payment Industry

If the United States is an important market for Indian-origin talent entering global tech companies, then Singapore is a very critical node in the Asian payment industry.

The reason is simple.

Singapore is the financial center of Asia and the regional headquarters for many international payment companies. JPMorgan, Citi, Standard Chartered, DBS, Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Stripe—many Asian operations are laid out here.

Indian-origin talent in Singapore has its own characteristics.

Indian-origin individuals in the U.S. tend to move towards global tech companies, headquarters strategic positions, and large enterprise management.

In contrast, Indian-origin individuals in Singapore often become financial managers in Asia. They are familiar with: banking systems, regulatory environments, Southeast Asian markets, regional business relationships, and long-term cooperation models.

Thus, in the Asian payment industry, you often see: APAC Payment Heads, Regional Partnership Leaders, Bank Collaboration Heads, and Fintech Business Leaders with Indian backgrounds.

They connect not just the Indian market but also the business networks between Asia, Europe, America, and emerging markets.

The Last Piece of the Puzzle for Chinese Payment Talent Going Overseas

Discussing the advantages of Indian talent does not mean that Chinese talent is not strong. In fact, Chinese payment talent possesses globally rare experience. China has experienced: the world's largest mobile payment market, complex e-commerce payment scenarios, wallet ecosystem competition, high-concurrency transaction systems, and rapid commercialization. These capabilities are very scarce in the global payment industry.

However, Chinese payment talent going into the global market needs to supplement another set of capabilities. In the past, Chinese talent relied more on personal abilities to break through. In the future, they need to transition from individual heroes to talents suited for global organizations.

First, they need to shift from executors to facilitators.

They need not only to solve problems themselves but also to get different teams willing to solve problems together.

Second, they need to shift from business language to global business language.

They need not only to say: what we have done.

But also to explain: why it is important, why it should be done now, and why it is worth the company's investment.

Third, they need to transition from individual struggle to career ecology.

In the future, global competition will not only be about talent but also about talent networks.

Chinese overseas talents need more: industry connections, community building, mentor culture, and mutual career support. This will allow outstanding talents to form long-term compound interest.

Fourth, they need to re-understand expression and personal influence.

Many Chinese talents are very capable but tend to be low-key. They believe: if they do a good job, people will naturally see it.

However, global organizations do not work that way. Making others understand your value is not just packaging; it is part of leadership.

In Conclusion

The Indian market may not be an easy market to enter. But Indian talent is demonstrating increasing competitiveness in the global payment industry.

This is not simply because: there are many people, they speak English well, or due to any single advantage.

Rather, it is a group of highly competitive talents who have undergone long-term globalization training, forming a set of capabilities that adapt to international organizations. They excel at: connecting different cultures, coordinating different interests, and driving complex organizations.

In the future, the truly scarce individuals in the payment industry may not necessarily be those who understand a particular product best. But rather those who can connect: banks, regulations, technology, business, capital, and teams from different countries, and keep complex systems running smoothly.

The shift in many Chinese payment professionals from "not convinced" to "convinced" is actually a re-recognition of a globalization capability.

This is not about Indian talent replacing Chinese talent, but rather that the global payment industry has entered a new competitive stage.

Chinese payment talent already possesses world-class business capabilities.

The next stage that needs to be supplemented is how to make these capabilities visible, connected, and amplified within global organizations.

Because the future truly belongs to the era of globalized talent, where the competition is not just about the ability to get things done, but the ability to get the whole world to work together to accomplish tasks.

Appendix: A Map of Indian-Origin Executives and Entrepreneurs in Global Fintech and Payment Ecosystems (60 individuals), the following data is sourced from the internet