Mool: Abhinav Nayar is Building India's Single App for Financial Empowerment

January 5, 2026 14 min read

For most households in India, personal finance is a fragmented jigsaw puzzle of bank accounts, hidden insurance policies, and confusing mutual fund names. While India is a country of savers, the "Financialization" of that wealth often stops at the door of a traditional distributor who sells products for a commission. Abhinav Nayar, Founder of Mool, is on a mission to simplify this complexity. After a distinguished career spanning Yale, global strategy consulting, and advising a Union Government Minister, Abhinav returned to his roots to build a platform that helps the emerging middle class build wealth, repair credit, and secure their future—all within a single, elegantly designed app.

Mool (mool.ai) isn't just another fintech app; it is a "Financial Command Center" designed for Bharat. By combining high-tech distribution with a deep understanding of the lived experiences of Indian savers, Abhinav is helping the "Next 100 Million" new earners cross the bridge from poverty to prosperity.

The Mool Core Mission

Mool aims to help every household in India have more money in real terms (relative to inflation) over time. The platform provides a stable path to growth through professionally created portfolios, credit-building debit cards, and affordable insurance—all with zero fees to the user.

From Bundu to Yale: A Journey of Economic Context

Abhinav’s interest in economic development started in the resource-constrained environment of Bundu, Jharkhand, where his parents practiced medicine. He recalls stories of his parents delivering twins with only one bag mask available—a stark reality of regional disparities.

This curiosity led him to Yale College on a scholarship, where he studied Ethics, Politics, and Economics. "For any real-world issue, you want to consider the ethical, political, and objective economic analysis of the trade-offs," Abhinav explains on the ELI Podcast. This liberal arts training, followed by an MBA from Oxford, formed the analytical foundation for his approach to financial inclusion.

The MP Advisor: Designing for Bharat

Before launching Mool, Abhinav served as an advisor to the Deputy Finance Minister of India. Splitting his time between Delhi and Jharkhand, he built a case management system that handled 200,000 citizen grievances in a single year.

"That experience introduced me to the combination of technology and good design made for Bharat users," he recalls. "It taught me how technology can create a tangible good outcome in people's lives." This lesson became critical when a sudden family bereavement forced him to navigate the "Personal Finance Nightmare" of bank accounts and distributors, sparking the idea for Mool.

The Product: A holistic financial journey

Abhinav identifies the core problem as a supply-led market: banks and distributors sell what earns them commission, not what the customer needs. Mool flips this by focusing on the demand side of what regular people actually require.

The Mool User Experience

Digital Onboarding: Open a bank account in five minutes with zero paperwork or wet signatures.
The Credit-Builder Card: A unique debit card that improves the user's credit score as they spend their own money, creating a path to formal credit.
Customized Portfolios: An AI-powered engine assigns a risk-adjusted portfolio of equity, debt, and gold mutual funds based on the user's specific goals.
Sachet Insurance: Access to health, life, and property insurance for as low as a few hundred rupees per month.
Education Modules: Bite-sized learning content that teaches the "Money Conversation" rarely had in schools.

Breaking the "Trust Gap" with Design

Financial apps are often clunky and intimidating. Abhinav partnered with **IDEO** and the **Gates Foundation** to rethink the financial UI/UX. "We want users to understand what they are committing to," he says. "It’s a tool for people to use themselves, rather than feeling they have entrusted someone else to manage their money."

This focus on transparency extends to the business model. Mool is **lifetime free** for users. The company makes money through partnerships with financial institutions (interchange fees from cards and distribution commissions from mutual funds and insurance), ensuring the user never pays a fee for empowerment.

"India has the world's largest cohort of new savers—100 million people who are the first in their families to have real disposable income. Our job is to make sure their money actually compounds over time, outperforming inflation."

The Low-Cost Distribution Revolution

Traditional banks spend nearly ₹4,000 for every ₹1 lakh they collect in deposits—a 4% cost-to-asset ratio. Mool’s technology-led distribution has slashed the cost of customer acquisition to as low as **₹5 per customer**.

They achieved this through a unique multi-channel approach:

Educational Workshops: Hosting personal finance webinars for college students and corporate employees.
HR Tech Integration: One-click bank account creation for blue-collar workers during onboarding.
Cash Deposit Network: A nationwide network of 500,000 Kirana stores where users can hand over cash and have it instantly reflected in their Mool account.

Mool's Traction

Waiting List: Over 100,000 members ready to join the platform.
Credit Impact: Users have seen credit score improvements of 200–300 points within three months.
Digital Scale: Marketing efficiency has improved 10x through iterative experimentation.

The Meaning of Entrepreneurship

For Abhinav, entrepreneurship is the ultimate creative act. "It is the ability to creatively respond to problems in the world," he says. "It’s about walking in other people's shoes, understanding their experiences, and using that information to envision a creative change."

His favorite part of the journey is not the valuation or the technology, but the prospect of building a team that acts with integrity. "We want the word 'Mool' to mean something to people—to be a presence in their lives that brings them some joy."

Abhinav's Advice for Founders

"Identify people with great talent and help them be their best self. Turn user insights into a clear product roadmap, but always deal with people with integrity and transparency. That is how you build a brand that lasts."

The Journey Ahead

With a recent seed round backed by **Patni Financial Advisors**, **IIMA Ventures**, and **Bharat Inclusion Initiative**, Mool is poised to expand its reach to Tier 4 India. As the country moves toward a stronger economy, Abhinav Nayar is ensuring that the source—the *Mool*—of every Indian's economic life is built on a foundation of growth and security.