Cashfree Payments Names Sameer Gandhi as CFO
Two businessmen shaking hands over a deal, symbolizing Cashfree Payments’ new CFO appointment.
Key Highlights
Cashfree Payments appoints ex-Visa finance head Sameer Gandhi as CFO to boost financial strategy and efficiency. Aiming for growth and profitability.
Cashfree Payments, a fintech startup, has appointed Sameer Gandhi, formerly the finance head at Visa, as its new chief financial officer. According to a statement by the startup, Gandhi will be responsible for leading its financial strategy and improving the efficiency of its financial operations and revenue planning. The company aims to accelerate growth and achieve profitability in the coming quarters.
Gandhi served as the finance head at Visa starting in 2017. Over his 25-year career, the chartered accountant has held various positions at companies including Vodafone, Citigroup, and CRISIL.
Gandhi stated that Cashfree Payments’ possession of all three RBI payments licenses gives it a significant advantage over competitors in India. He added that he looks forward to working as a strategic business partner, balancing cost discipline with funding innovation, and ensuring a robust financial foundation and governance across all functions to contribute to shared goals.
Vikas Guru, the current CFO of Cashfree, will support Gandhi during a transition period. The specific date of Guru’s departure from Cashfree has not yet been determined.
The appointment of the new CFO occurs as Cashfree seeks to improve its financial performance. In fiscal year 2025, the startup, backed by KRAFTON, experienced a 14% increase in net loss, rising to ₹154.1 Cr from ₹135 Cr in the previous fiscal year. Its revenue remained stable at approximately ₹640 Cr.
At the operating level, the company’s loss also increased to ₹131 Cr from ₹109.5 Cr in fiscal year 24, with margins declining from -17% to -20%.
Cashfree has not yet disclosed its financial results for fiscal year 26.
The company recently secured all three RBI licenses, including payment aggregator (PA), cross-border (PA-CB), and prepaid payment instrument (PPI) licenses. Cashfree reports that this has supported significant growth, particularly in its cross-border payments business, which has grown 250% year-over-year.
The fintech startup reports processing over $80 Bn in annual transactions and serving over 1 Mn businesses.
Cashfree, founded in 2015 by Akash Sinha and Reeju Datta, provides payment gateway, payouts, and banking API solutions. Its client base includes companies like Zomato, CRED, and Delhivery.
The startup has raised over $90 Mn from investors such as KRAFTON, Y Combinator, Smilegate Investment, and Musha Ventures.
Recently, the RBI penalized Cashfree for violating payment aggregator norms. The central bank found that the startup made unauthorized debits from its escrow account during the inspection period from April 2024 to June 2025.