Under the initiative, the financial services major intends to back startups with “strong scalability potential” across AI, cybersecurity, quantum technologies and fintech
The company said the Finserv Intelligence initiative will also include R&D labs, centres of excellence, venture-led models and a residential programme to build capabilities
This comes two months after Bajaj Finserv chairman Sanjiv Bajaj announced plans to invest between ₹400 Cr to ₹450 Cr in AI-focused ventures in FY27
Bajaj Finserv is set to invest up to ₹2,000 Cr over the next five years in startups and early-stage companies as part of its newly launched applied research and innovation initiative, Finserv Intelligence.
Via the initiative, the financial services major intends to back startups with “strong scalability potential” across artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, quantum technologies, fintech and consumer technology platforms.
In a statement, Bajaj Finserv said that Finserv Intelligence is a group-wide strategic platform focused on building “high-tech, low unit-cost, highly scalable solutions” from India for domestic and global markets.
It has partnered with the IIT Bombay to establish a joint research centre focused on AI, cybersecurity and quantum technologies.
Finserv Intelligence will operate through a multi-pronged model involving academic collaborations, investments and in-house specialists. The company said the initiative will also include R&D labs, centres of excellence, venture-led models and a Scholars-in-Residence programme to build capabilities over a five-to-ten-year horizon.
“… 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,” Bajaj Finserv’s vice chairman and MD Rajeev Jain.
The initiative adds on to Bajaj Finserv’s bid to deepen its investments in the Indian startup ecosystem. Earlier in March, chairman Sanjiv Bajaj announced Bajaj Finserv’s plans to invest between ₹400 Cr to ₹450 Cr into AI-focused ventures in FY27, combining investments from the AI-focused fund and its balance sheet.
Important to mention that Bajaj Finserv hasn’t extensively backed startups till now. It last led ecommerce startup Assiduus Global’s $25 Mn pre-Series B funding round in March.
The company is targeting the Indian AI ecosystem at a time when it is going through a rapid phase of evolution. India’s AI sector is projected to reach $126 Bn by 2030.
However, gaps still remain. During Inc42’s AI Summit 2026, Mohit Saxena, cofounder and CTO of InMobi, said that India continues to lag significantly in the AI race.
“We are competing against the US, which has trillions of dollars in funding and access to advanced chipsets, and China, which dominates global manufacturing,” Saxena said.
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