Welcome to The Painted Stork!
I started writing this newsletter with zero intention of publishing. I just wanted to understand how the tech in fintech actually works - the plumbing, the licenses, the infra, the regulation. I couldn’t find a consistent source that explained it simply, so I started writing for myself. Then I figured: why not share it?
The response since then has been incredible, and thank you to everyone who reads, subscribes, writes in, or just leaves a like. It means a lot.
This isn’t a newsletter about hype or chasing the “next shiny thing.” It’s about the real stuff, the nuts and bolts that quietly shape how money moves. From payments and neobanks to authentication, wealth, and beyond, the goal is to build intuition around how fintech actually works.
I write about things like 👇
👉 Why India’s one-size-fits-all licensing model is so different from other markets.
👉 How payment infra is evolving to power new kinds of commerce.
👉 How different segments; Ex: authentication, wealth, etc are shifting.
👉 What other countries like Singapore, the UK, and the Philippines can teach us.
The lens is India-first, but always with a global context. My aim is to break down complex shifts in a way that’s practical, opinionated, and useful for anyone building, operating, or thinking deeply about fintech.
I’m Ambika, a product and strategy enthusiast who spends too much time reading regulations and figuring out the “how” of fintech, so you don’t have to :)
📬 New posts every week(ish). No spam. No noise.
💌 Have thoughts or feedback? Write to me at ambikapande28@gmail.com.
