Rapyd appoints ex-Uber executive Mahesh Muraleedharan to lead India operations

Global Fintech-as-a-Service platform Rapyd has appointed Mahesh Muraleedharan to lead its operations in India. 

In his role as the country manager, Muraleedharan will be overseeing Rapyd's business operations in India from Bengaluru, the company said in a statement.

Rapyd claims it is helping Indian platform companies and innovators to develop new services as they grow regionally and globally while also helping global companies expand their presence in the Indian market. 

"There are tectonic shifts happening in the Indian Payments landscape right now, driven by the development of UPI (India's national real-time payment system), the emergence of strong local wallets, and a decade-long focus by progressive regulators to drive adoption of digital payment methods," said Joel Yarbrough, vice president, Asia Pacific, Rapyd, explaining why Rapyd believes it is important in India. 

Muraleedharan has experience in funding, launching, nurturing and scaling early-stage operations for tech-enabled businesses at Uber, Oyo, UrbanTouch, and VentureEast. He was Uber India's first hire in 2013, and after launching the company in six cities across India, was appointed General Manager for Uber.

After Uber, Mahesh worked with seasoned investors to support Indian startups at VentureEast, a Tech-focused venture capital fund based in Bengaluru.

"I have been in the technology space for most of my career, and seen the evolution of the Indian ecosystem. The common thread over the last decade of growth is the lack of one single touchpoint," said Muraleedharan. 

Rapyd financial network, which was founded in 2016, helps businesses create local commerce experiences anywhere across the world. 

By using Rapyd global payments network, businesses can access over 900 locally preferred payment methods, including bank transfers, e-wallets and cash in more than 100 countries, the statement said.