Based in Silicon Valley, USA, Ms. Patwardhan will work closely with CreditEase’s fund management team in China to support its global investment strategy, deal sourcing and investment management. With her deep expertise of the global financial services industry, Fintech ecosystem and regulatory engagement, she will play a key role in accelerating the fund's position as a preeminent global fintech investment platform.

Ms. Patwardhan is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), with further professional qualifications in risk management, board directorship and art appreciation. She is a Distinguished Fellow of Singapore Institute of Banking and Finance, the highest financial services industry accolade in Singapore. She serves on the World Economic Forum (WEF) steering committees on ‘Disruptive Innovation in Financial Services’ and “Internet for All’. She is also an advisor to the Government of Estonia on their e-residency program.

CreditEase, established in 2006, is a leading fintech company in China, specializing in small business and consumer lending as well as wealth management for high net worth and mass affluent investors. Its whollyowned subsidiary Yirendai (NYSE: YRD), an online consumer finance marketplace, is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Since 2012, CreditEase has set up a series of fund of funds to invest in leading venture capital funds in China and globally. It established the Fintech Investment Fund in 2015 which shall raise, in several tranches, an equivalent of USD1 billion and aims to identify global leaders in the financial technology industry. Other funds include acredit fundto invest on international marketplace lending platforms and an Israel Innovation Fund to invest in specialized innovative companies.

Ms. Patwardhan is a globally recognized and awarded Fintech thought leader and influencer. She is an advocate of financial inclusion and a supporter of women in technology. She has been a speaker at the United Nations, Asian Development bank, WEF, regulatory symposiums, on nationally televised panel discussions in China and Singapore, and at other conferences.

Mr Ning Tang, CreditEase Founder and CEO, said “Ms. Patwardhan is a distinguished banker with profound understanding of inclusive finance which CreditEase has been fostering and practicing for years. She also has the depth of experience and expertise required to support our FinTech agenda. We believe that apart from the role of Venture Partner for CreditEase Fintech Investment Fund and Fund of Funds, Ms. Patwardhan will also contribute tremendously on other business sectors of CreditEase. We wish Ms. Patwardhan a success in her new role and we’re looking forward to continuing to create value for our investors.”

Ms. Patwardhan has over 25 years of experience in the banking industry, having worked at Citibank and Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) in global and regional leadership roles in Innovation, risk management, operations, digital banking and internal audit across Asia, Africa and Middle East. Her last role at SCB was as Global Chief Innovation Officer until July 2016. She was also a member of bank’s global leadership team, member of global Technology and Operations Management Group and Non-Executive Director on the Board of SCB Thailand.