The conversation around cross-border investing in India has mostly focused on direct-to-consumer offerings. But the investment management dialogue has consistently suggested that the need for institutional and intermediary-focused platforms is essential yet rudimentary. EQBAC’s entry into India this quarter is a notable case in point.
What is the EQBAC Platform Model?
EQBAC operates as a business-to-business (B2B) execution profile. Its sole customers are independent financial advisors, distribution firms, wealth managers, and fintechs that want to offer their clients global products without creating their own compliance and execution stack. The platform provides custody, execution, onboarding, and reporting infrastructure while allowing partners to retain full control over client relationships, branding, and fees.
As the Press Network of India described it, EQBAC’s “partner-first” model is designed to “enable Indian wealth managers to offer global investment products without losing control over their business.” This includes white-label and API integrations so the platform can fit seamlessly into existing workflows.
Custody and Connectivity
A key structural element is custody with global banks such as Citibank, Standard Chartered, and the State Bank of Mauritius. On the domestic side, the platform integrates with BSE StAR MF, smallcase, and unlisted securities platforms. CXO Today highlights how this dual setup gives advisors “a one-stop execution interface for both offshore and domestic products.”
Product Access and Fractional Investing
From global equities and ETFs to mutual funds, bonds, pre-IPOs, and structured products, EQBAC offers a broad product universe. Importantly, EQBAC lets Indian retail and HNI clients invest in global assets fractionally.
Until recently, opportunities like these were out of reach for all but the ultra-wealthy. By working with integrated partners such as GTN, EQBAC now enables clients to invest in shares of global companies and ETFs without the steep minimums that once started at $50,000. This opens the door to premium international markets for a much wider audience, while ensuring that compliance, KYC, and settlement remain seamless through EQBAC’s back-end systems. As Asia Business Outlook noted, it’s “a significant step toward democratising global investing for Indian clients through regulated channels.”
Financial Advisors’ Pain Points Addressed
More often than not, advisors face fragmented processes when offering offshore investments, multiple custodians, different compliance regimes, and scattered reporting systems. CXO Digital Pulse noted that EQBAC “consolidates custody, execution, and compliance functions under one regulated platform, eliminating the need for multiple service agreements.”
The platform’s execution-only structure means it does not advise clients or manage assets. Instead, as BeyondSeed highlights, EQBAC “remains behind the scenes while giving partners the tools to scale globally.”
From the Founder’s Desk
Satinder Aggarwal, who has over 25 years of experience in the financial services sector across India and the Middle East, reveals EQBAC was designed to “support advisors, not compete with them.” He reiterated to BFSI that the platform would “never go direct-to-consumer,” keeping its focus firmly on B2B relationships.
What are the Growth Targets?
News Patrolling, in its article, relays that EQBAC aims to bring more than 150 partners on board by March 2026 and manage $500 million in assets under custody within the next two years. That kind of scale will hinge on building the right alliances, with global custodians, digital KYC providers, fund houses, and regulated entities at GIFT City, to create a robust, compliant backbone for cross-border investing.
Why Now? What’s the Broader Context?
The timing is no accident. The mass-affluent segment in India is steadily increasing its allocation to overseas markets. While consumer-facing apps have dominated the early wave of adoption, the infrastructure that will sustain cross-border flows in the long run is more likely to come from platforms that empower advisors with scalable, compliant, and brand-friendly solutions.
Smart Investment Weekly noted that EQBAC’s India launch puts its “partner-first” approach front and centre, allowing distributors to expand client access to global products without adding operational complexity or risking channel conflict. As the Press Network of India reported, Mr. Aggarwal has been vocal about the need for such a model, pointing out that many distributors are looking for tools that preserve their client relationships while broadening their investment universe.
“They wanted better control, not another platform chasing their clients. They wanted global access, seamless execution, and someone who understands the realities of working behind the scenes.”
Meeting this demand without diluting brand equity or operational control requires platforms built for the intermediary, not the end-consumer. EQBAC’s launch illustrates how this model can work with the distributor’s business. To learn more about the platform’s capabilities, schedule a consultation with us.
