Lentra has appointed industry veteran Rajesh Kumar Rathanchand as its Chief Executive Officer, signalling a strategic push to strengthen its position in AI-led digital lending platforms.
Lentra, known for enabling end-to-end lending journeys across retail, business, and agri segments, has built a platform that allows lenders to move from application to decision in under 10 seconds. With more than 25 configurable loan products and a pay-as-you-go model, the company has been working with banks and NBFCs to streamline credit origination and management at scale.
Rathanchand brings over three decades of experience across financial services, SaaS, and analytics-driven credit ecosystems. He has previously served as Managing Director and CEO of TransUnion CIBIL and held leadership roles such as Group Head – Retail Credit & Risk at HDFC Bank, where he was instrumental in scaling large retail credit portfolios.
In his new role, he will lead Lentra’s next phase of growth, with a focus on advancing its technology platforms and strengthening capabilities in credit risk and analytics—areas that are becoming increasingly central as lending ecosystems evolve toward data-driven decisioning.
According to D. Venkatesh, Founder and Managing Director, the appointment reflects Lentra’s intent to deepen its capabilities in managing credit complexity and delivering scalable, intelligent lending solutions to financial institutions.
Rathanchand noted that the opportunity extends beyond India, particularly in markets still dependent on legacy lending infrastructure. He emphasised the need to accelerate product innovation, execution speed, and global expansion as digital lending continues to mature.
Backed by investors including Bessemer, Susquehanna, Dharana, Citi, MUFG, and HDFC Bank, Lentra currently supports over 30 banks, processes millions of loan applications each month, and has enabled over $20 billion in loan value.
The leadership transition comes at a time when the lending ecosystem is undergoing rapid transformation, with AI, automation, and real-time analytics reshaping how credit is assessed, delivered, and managed at scale.