Gurugram, September 28: True Balance, India's leading AI fintech platform, co-hosted the "Korea-India AI Financial Inclusion Conference" on 9 September 2026, advancing its "Finance for All" mission through cross-border research and policy dialogue. Held in hybrid format connecting Gurugram and Seoul, the event was organized with the South Asia Center of the Asia Institute at Seoul National University (SNU).
The conference highlighted how True Balance uses AI to assess creditworthiness for "thin-file" borrowers who lack conventional credit histories, drawing on consent-based alternative data alongside traditional bureau scores. Afinit, the parent company of True Balance, and SNU have jointly filed a patent for an AI credit-scoring technology built to refine evaluations for previously unapproved customers. Over the past year, AI-led credit models deployed at True Balance have driven a multi-fold rise in eligible-applicant approvals, more than halved relative default rates, and more than doubled the accuracy of credit-risk predictions.
The opportunity is significant: new-to-credit consumers' share of retail loan originations in India fell from 32% in March 2017 to 13% in March 2026, even as semi-urban and rural consumers grew to 63% of the country's credit-active population, up from 53% nine years earlier, according to a July 2026 TransUnion CIBIL report. Additionally, based on FACE data, the share by sanction volume of Digital NBFCs stands at almost 80%.
"Our core mission has always been to leverage technology to bring the underserved into the formal financial ecosystem, ensuring that 'Finance for All' is not just a slogan, but a daily reality," said Charlie Lee, CEO of True Balance. "This conference validates our belief that by uniting AI innovations with cross-border, public-private partnerships, we can create practical solutions that empower thin-filers and drive genuine, widespread financial inclusion across India."
The Delhi segment, moderated by Professor Narain (University of Delhi), brought together Professor Ram Singh (Delhi School of Economics), Sugandh Saxena (Fintech Association for Consumer Empowerment), and Puja Mehra (ICRIER) to discuss the evolving role of NBFCs and AI's expanding social applications. The Seoul segment, opened by Director Kang Sung-yong, featured a keynote from Oh Hwa-se of South Korea's Financial Services Commission and research insights from Dr. Aditi Singh of Seoul National University on AI's impact on financial inclusion.
"Cross-border dialogue and collaboration are vital as we harness AI to deepen financial inclusion," said Sugandh Saxena, CEO of the Fintech Association for Consumer Empowerment (FACE). "Platforms like this conference demonstrate how responsible lending principles and advanced technology can come together to expand access to credit safely and ethically for underserved populations across markets, building a truly inclusive financial architecture."
The conference set a benchmark for public-private-academic collaboration, reinforcing the commitment of True Balance to deliver "Finance for All" through practical, cross-border AI innovation.
