PayPal India  Founding TeamMENA QR  Payment RailsCBUAE  Advisory CouncilDrongo Ventures  Managing Partner20+ Years  Fintech Leadership$40B+  Transaction VolumeUAE Central Bank  Regulatory AdvisorAsk Group AE  Executive DirectorPayPal India  Founding TeamMENA QR  Payment RailsCBUAE  Advisory CouncilDrongo Ventures  Managing Partner20+ Years  Fintech Leadership$40B+  Transaction VolumeUAE Central Bank  Regulatory AdvisorAsk Group AE  Executive Director
Dubai · Fintech Executive

Building the rails
for global money
movement

20+ years building payment infrastructure, tokenization platforms, and digital asset frameworks across South Asia, MENA, and global markets. PayPal India founding team. Designed QR payment rails for the UAE. CBUAE, DIFC & ADGM advisory. Stablecoin & RWA tokenization consultant for Kearney, EBRD, and MBB-aligned mandates.

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20+
Years Fintech
$40B
Txn Volume
6+
Markets Led
120+
Fintech DDs
Punit Thakker
Punit Thakker
Drongo Ventures CBUAE Advisor Ask Group AE Fracxn
About

From Bangalore to
the MENA payment
infrastructure

I started in software engineering, but payments pulled me in completely. Joining PayPal India as part of the founding team showed me how payments infrastructure can unlock economic participation for millions of people.

Over the next decade I moved into product and strategy leadership — relocating to Dubai to architect QR-based payment rails across MENA, and working directly with the UAE Central Bank, DIFC, and ADGM on interoperability standards and licensing frameworks. I've led fintech advisory mandates for Kearney, EBRD, and MBB-aligned clients across the UK, Europe, UAE, Switzerland, and the USA — covering stablecoin architecture, RWA tokenization, smart contract security reviews, and real estate tokenization under MICA and Finma frameworks.

Today I serve as Executive Director — Fintech, Blockchain & Digital Assets at ASK Group AE, advise PE and VC funds through 120+ fintech due diligences globally, and build through Fracxn — tokenization and lending infrastructure for banks and fintechs across MENA and beyond.

🏗️

Payment Infrastructure

Designed and deployed QR payment standards, interoperability frameworks, and real-time payment rails across South Asia and MENA. Six fintech company acquisitions led at PayTabs.

🔗

Tokenization & Digital Assets

RWA tokenization, stablecoin advisory (MAS, Finma, MICA), smart contract and security reviews, and real estate tokenization across Europe and MENA. AML policy for DAPPs and cross-chain protocols.

🏛️

Regulatory & M&A Advisory

CBUAE, DIFC, ADGM, and CMA licensing advisory. Buy-side and sell-side M&A for blockchain and fintech in MENA. 120+ fintech due diligences for PE, VC, and investment banks globally.

Expertise

What I bring to the
payments ecosystem

💳

Digital Payments Architecture

End-to-end design of payment flows — from merchant acceptance to settlement. Deep expertise in QR, NFC, card issuance, and real-time payment systems.

🌐

Cross-Border Payments

Structuring cross-border payment corridors in GCC, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe. Multi-jurisdiction compliance and corridor licensing.

📋

Central Bank & Regulatory Advisory

Direct CBUAE, DIFC, and ADGM advisory experience. Licensing opinions for CMA, MSB, and SVF frameworks. Translated policy intent into technical specifications for national payment programmes.

🔐

RWA & Asset Tokenization

Real-world asset tokenization advisory across MENA and Europe. MAS, Finma, and MICA compliance for SGD stablecoins, tokenized real estate, and digital securities. AML policy for DAPPs and cross-chain protocols.

🪙

Stablecoin & Digital Assets

Stablecoin architecture and cross-border remittance advisory for Kearney, MBB-aligned, and EBRD mandates across the UK, Europe, UAE, Geneva, and the USA. Custodial and multi-sig security frameworks.

🔍

Smart Contract & Security Review

Smart contract and security audits for omnibus accounts, multi-sig wallets, and custodial structures. Securitization frameworks under Finma and European DLT Pilot Regime.

🏦

Fintech Product Strategy

Taking fintech products from 0→1 and 1→scale. Built products that processed billions in annual transaction volume. Pricing strategy and embedded finance advisory.

💼

VC, M&A & Due Diligence

120+ fintech due diligences globally for PE, VC, and investment banks. Buy-side M&A for blockchain and fintech in MENA. Six acquisitions led at PayTabs. EBRD co-investment advisory.

🎓

Payments & Fintech Education

Translating complex payment, blockchain, and tokenization concepts for boards, regulators, and executive teams. 50+ keynotes across MENA, South Asia, and Europe.

0
Years in Fintech
$40B+
Transaction Volume
0
Markets Led
120+
Fintech Due Diligences
0
Talks & Keynotes
The Journey

Two decades across every layer of payments

From writing code for merchant APIs to advising central banks — a career spent building, scaling, and exiting payment businesses across India, MENA, and beyond.

$2.6B
MENA switch business built
28
Countries under P&L leadership
120+
Fintech due diligences led
5.5x
Revenue growth in one year
1
Successful fintech exit
2026 — Present
Executive Director — Fintech, Blockchain & Digital Assets
ASK Group · Dubai, UAE

Leading fintech, blockchain, and digital asset strategy for the Office of H.H. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan — across regulatory licensing, digital asset infrastructure, and cross-border payments.

Digital AssetsRegulatory LicensingCross-Border
2024 — Present
Founder
Fracxn · Abu Dhabi SME Hub · EBRD

Building tokenization and lending infrastructure for banks and fintechs in MENA and beyond — alongside buy-side M&A advisory for EBRD and fintech strategy for Abu Dhabi's SME ecosystem.

TokenizationLending InfraM&A Advisory
2022 — Present
Advisor — PE, VC, Investment Banking & Kearney FIG
GLG · Various Firms · Kearney

Fintech and payments advisor to investment banks, PE and VC firms on buy- and sell-side transactions, technology and pricing due diligence — 120+ fintech DDs globally, from early stage to IPO.

Pricing DDDeal FlowMENA Fintech
2021 — 2023
Founder & CEO → Shareholder Exit
Finvault · Acquired, Dubai

Built a web3 bank for crypto and fiat — in-house eKYC (MRZ/OCR with real-time global checks), 3-click mobile bank accounts, transfers and bill-pay super-app. Acquired by a major UK investment group in a successful exit.

Web3 BankingeKYCExit ✦
2017 — 2021
Senior VP — Global Business Development & Strategy (Founder Member)
PayTabs · Bahrain | UAE | KSA | India

P&L for 28 countries, 60-person team across 12 markets. Led 5 acquisitions with full DD, built the MENA Switch processing $2.6B with Fortune 50 merchants, and launched closed-loop QR payment rails across 13 countries.

Payment SwitchQR RailsM&A28 Countries
2015 — 2017
Country Manager India · VP Business Strategy (Founding Teams)
Telr · MinkasuPay

Scaled Telr India via 60+ channel partners while saving ~70% employment cost; launched MinkasuPay's fingerprint-authentication checkout with 4 top banks, replacing 3DS pages with patented PKI technology.

Founding TeamCheckout InnovationIndia GTM
2013 — 2015
Director, India Business (Early-Stage Founding Team)
Checkout.com · Mumbai

Led Checkout.com's India setup end-to-end — cross-border and domestic strategy, sales and relationships. Closed 70+ merchants processing $5M+, with 17+ shopping-cart and developer channel partnerships.

Market EntryCard Acquiring70+ Merchants
2012 — 2013
Product Lead · Pre-Sales · Sales Engineer (India Founding Team)
PayPal · India | APAC

Core member of PayPal's India founding unit — consulted 80+ merchants across India, Australia, and Singapore; led the APAC "MACAU" conversion program; third-party outsourcing strategy cut integration costs 70%.

PayPal Founding TeamAPACIntegration
2009 — 2012
Technical Lead · Product Consultant · Business Analyst
Tata Consultancy Services · India | Canada

Where it all started — building payment system integrations and merchant APIs. Directed the full product cycle of "enTRAC" generating $13.3M in revenue, and led Enbridge Canada's "Thruput" application saving 65% in costs.

Engineering RootsAPIsArchitecture
Global Footprint

Markets I've built fintech & payment infrastructure in

🇦🇪

UAE

CBUAE advisory, QR payment rails, national interoperability standards, DIFC & ADGM licensing

🇮🇳

India

PayPal India founding team, UPI ecosystem, merchant gateway infrastructure & APAC expansion

🇸🇦

Saudi Arabia

PayTabs MENA Switch operations, SAMA ecosystem partnerships, QR rails & Fortune 50 merchant acquiring

🇧🇭

Bahrain

PayTabs HQ & regional P&L base, open banking regulation advisory, payment switch infrastructure

🇮🇶

Iraq

PayTabs MENA Switch expansion, merchant payment gateway, QR-based acceptance network

🇯🇴

Jordan

PayTabs cross-border payment corridors, merchant acquiring, regional remittance infrastructure

🇴🇲

Oman

PayTabs QR payment rails deployment, closed-loop acceptance network across 13 MENA countries

🇪🇬

Egypt

PayTabs MENA Switch operations, cross-border payment infrastructure, merchant network development

🌍

Africa

Cross-border payment corridor advisory, PAPSS & Pan-African remittance infrastructure engagement

🇸🇬

Singapore

MAS stablecoin & SGD digital asset advisory, cross-border payment corridors, APAC investment network

🇬🇧

United Kingdom

Stablecoin & cross-border remittance advisory (Kearney, MBB-aligned), fintech M&A, Finvault exit

🪙

Crypto & Web3

Finvault web3 bank (acquired, UK), Fracxn tokenization infra, RWA & stablecoin advisory, smart contract security across MENA & Europe

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