Srinagar, Aug. 23 -- Ifham Banday, a student at IIT Madras, is building Walford Capitals, an AI-powered platform designed to simplify and democratize investing.

At an age when most students are just starting internships, Banday is writing algorithms, assembling a team, and pitching a vision ambitious even by Silicon Valley standards: making hedge-fund-grade tools accessible to ordinary people.

"We want to take the friction out of finance," he said from his home. "Whether you're a trader in Mumbai or a college student in Srinagar, your decision-making power should be the same if you have data and intelligence on your side."

This idea of leveling the field with machine learning is gaining traction globally.

Financial services everywhere...