India’s Secret Weapon Isn’t Software. It’s Standards.

Everyone’s hyped about India’s unicorns. But here’s the real flex: interoperability. One UPI QR. Any app. Any bank. Zero fees. It’s not the code. It’s the coordination. NPCI didn’t wait for market forces — they built the rails, set the rules, and let the players run wild on the same track. Meanwhile, in the West, we’re still debating who owns the checkout. Turns out, scale isn’t about going fast. It’s about going together.