Our Story

From SME financing in 1994 to a modern lending platform today.

Western Fintrade is a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) with a legacy dating back to 1994, when it commenced operations focused on SME financing within the real estate and infrastructure materials sector — a segment it continues to actively serve today.

Building on decades of credit underwriting expertise and deep sectoral relationships, the company has evolved into a modern lending platform offering payment-linked credit solutions, including NRI personal credit, export receivable-backed financing, fintech settlement overdraft facilities enabling real-time (T+0) payments, and SME invoice discounting.

Western Fintrade combines traditional financial discipline with embedded fintech infrastructure to deliver secure, compliant, and scalable access to credit for individuals, businesses, and regulated payment platforms across both domestic and cross-border ecosystems — all under RBI Registration No. B010039.

Founded
1994
RBI Reg.
B010039
Entity
NBFC (Non-Deposit Taking)
Focus
Payment-linked Credit
RBI-Approved NBFC. Registration No. B010039. All lending undertaken in accordance with applicable RBI regulations.
Our Journey

Three decades, one principle: regulated, responsible credit.

1994
Founded

Western Fintrade commenced operations as a Non-Banking Financial Company, registered with the Reserve Bank of India.

1994 – 2010s
SME finance in real estate & infrastructure

Built a focused lending book around SMEs in the real estate and infrastructure-materials supply chain — long-cycle credit, relationship-led underwriting.

Last decade
Evolution into payments-linked credit

Expanded the product set — personal loans, NRI credit, trade finance and invoice discounting, payment financing for PSPs, and loan against securities — products aligned to how money actually moves today.

Today
Modern NBFC, traditional discipline

A regulated NBFC running on modern fintech infrastructure — combining the underwriting rigour of a 30-year-old institution with the speed of a digital lender.

What We Do Today

Five products, one regulated balance sheet

  • Personal Loans — unsecured credit for life's planned and unplanned needs.
  • NRI Loans — credit solutions for Non-Resident Indians with obligations in India.
  • Trade Finance — import-export, invoice discounting, PO financing and supply chain finance.
  • Payment Financing — short-term rolling capital for PSPs and FIU-registered entities, secured by receivables.
  • Loan against Securities — pledge listed securities for liquidity without exiting positions.
Leadership

The team behind Western Fintrade

A senior team with deep experience across NBFC lending, fintech, banking, compliance and engineering.

Bharatbhai Patel — Chairman & Director

Bharatbhai Patel

Chairman & Director

An accomplished NBFC industry leader and serial entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in financial services, lending, and business development. He has built and scaled multiple financial ventures while providing long-term strategic leadership and governance.

Shrikant Bhalerao — Managing Director

Shrikant Bhalerao

Managing Director

A seasoned global fintech leader with over 15 years of experience spanning payments, banking and financial services (BFSI), lending, and emerging technologies. He has led the development and scaling of cross-border payment infrastructure, credit platforms, and digital financial products across multiple markets.

Akshay Soam — Head of Engineering

Akshay Soam

Head of Engineering

Former HSBC and fintech technology professional with over 10 years of experience in financial technology systems and platform engineering. He is CFA Level I certified and holds a Master's degree in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning from the University of Liverpool, UK, bringing deep expertise in scalable fintech architecture and data-driven innovation.

Rabindra Sahu — Finance & Compliance

Rabindra Sahu

Finance & Compliance

A highly experienced Chartered Accountant with CISA and MF certifications, bringing over 15 years of expertise in accounting, financial governance, compliance, and regulatory reporting. He supports businesses in strengthening financial controls, ensuring regulatory adherence, and achieving sustainable financial growth.

Arnab Sarkar — Head of Business & Operations

Arnab Sarkar

Head of Business & Operations

A 15+ year NBFC and banking professional with prior experience at Canara Bank, Shaan Finance (NBFC), and Efundzz Fintech. He specializes in credit operations, business scaling, partner management, and execution of financial service programs across regulated environments.

Join us

Careers at Western Fintrade

We're growing a team that combines regulated-lending discipline with fintech speed. If you'd like to be part of it, write to us.

Get in Touch
What We Stand For

Four pillars that anchor everything we do

Regulated by Design

An NBFC operating under the supervision of the Reserve Bank of India since 1994.

Responsible Lending

Credit decisions grounded in policy and underwriting fundamentals.

Long-term Relationships

We measure success in renewals and references, not in one-off transactions.

Modern Infrastructure

Traditional discipline running on contemporary fintech rails.

Get Started

Looking for a regulated lending partner with three decades of experience?

From your first conversation to disbursal, our team will guide you transparently.