From Access to Capability: The Role of Robo-Advisory Technology in India's Financial Inclusion Agenda

Srivastava, Tapsi

doi:https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i5.576

Volume 02, Issue 05

Published on: May 2026

FROM ACCESS TO CAPABILITY: THE ROLE OF ROBO-ADVISORY TECHNOLOGY IN INDIA'S FINANCIAL INCLUSION AGENDA

Tapsi Srivastava

Dr. Shishir Srivastava

Department of Commerce Rajkiya Mahila Mahavidyalaya Sheikh Sarai Sitapur University of Lucknow

DOI:https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i5.576

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Abstract

India’s ambition to achieve developed-nation status by 2047 depends on extending economic opportunity to every citizen, not only those already financially integrated. Digital public infrastructure has made considerable progress: Aadhaar covers over 1.3 billion residents, UPI processes more than 13 billion transactions monthly, and Jan Dhan accounts exceed 520 million. Yet the gap between having a bank account and receiving coherent investment guidance remains wide. Fewer than 1,000 SEBI-registered investment advisors serve an economy of 1.4 billion people and over 266 million mutual fund folios. Robo-advisors, algorithm-driven platforms that provide automated portfolio construction, rebalancing, and personalised financial guidance at a fraction of traditional advisory costs, offer a scalable answer to this structural deficit. This paper examines the potential of robo-advisory technology to advance financial inclusion within the Viksit Bharat @2047 framework. Drawing on secondary data and published research spanning regulatory reports and empirical adoption studies, the paper traces the global and Indian evolution of robo-advisory services, maps the current platform landscape, identifies the structural enablers and constraints specific to the Indian context, and derives policy recommendations. The paper contends that robo-advisory platforms, when embedded in India’s existing digital infrastructure and supported by a dedicated regulatory architecture, can bridge the distance between financial access and financial capability for millions of underserved investors.

Keywords: Robo-advisors; Financial inclusion; Digital public infrastructure; Viksit Bharat; India; SEBI; Algorithmic advisory

How to Cite this Paper

Srivastava, T. (2026). From Access to Capability: The Role of Robo-Advisory Technology in India's Financial Inclusion Agenda. International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management, <i>02</i>(05). https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i5.576

Srivastava, Tapsi. "From Access to Capability: The Role of Robo-Advisory Technology in India's Financial Inclusion Agenda." International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management, vol. 02, no. 05, 2026, pp. . doi:https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i5.576.

Srivastava, Tapsi. "From Access to Capability: The Role of Robo-Advisory Technology in India's Financial Inclusion Agenda." International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management 02, no. 05 (2026). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.55041/ijcope.v2i5.576.

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