Geeta Chauhan: Winner of the 2025 Great Companies International Women Entrepreneur Award

Name: Geeta Chauhan

Business Name: HiWiPay

Location: Mumbai , India

Category: FinTech Innovation – Education

Website: https://hiwipay.com/

Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geetachauhan31/

Company Detail:

HiWiPay is dedicated to making international education more accessible by providing a student-centric portal and mobile app that streamline overseas money transfers for educational purposes. Its platform ensures a seamless, secure, and cost-effective way for students to transfer funds globally, eliminating the hassles of excessive paperwork, high FX rates, and complex banking procedures.

Beyond money transfers, HiWiPay also acts as an aggregator of loan providers, including both banks and NBFCs, to help students secure the best possible education loan rates. By negotiating directly with multiple lenders on behalf of students, they leverage their partnerships to ensure the lowest interest rates, minimal processing fees, and faster loan approvals—without charging students any fees for their services.

With HiWiPay, students can focus on their education while they take care of their financial needs—making international studies more affordable, accessible, and stress-free.

Unique Selling Proposition or Competitive Advantage:

The challenges in traditional money transfers were significant: the process was entirely physical, leaving customers with no choice to transact digitally. Customers had to complete KYC multiple times, even when transferring funds to the same account. Long queues, tedious paperwork, and, most importantly, high FX rates made the experience frustrating and costly for retail customers.

That’s where HiWiPay comes in—solving all these problems. They’ve designed a seamless, DIY (Do It Yourself) process that’s so simple that even those with minimal financial literacy can follow the steps with ease. Customers have the flexibility to transfer funds online or visit a branch, whichever suits them best.

Since HiWiPay secures wholesale FX rates from banks, they pass these benefits directly to students, ensuring they get the best possible exchange rates. Additionally, with locally stored KYC details, customers no longer need to submit physical copies or re-upload documents repeatedly.

With HiWiPay, international money transfers are now easier, faster, and more affordable than ever before.

Challenges Faced During the Journey:

She was born in a small town, Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, where educating a girl child was almost unheard of. But her parents defied societal norms, fighting against all odds to ensure she received not just an education, but the best education possible. Their resilience became the foundation of her journey.

Starting her career, she entered a male-dominated industry, where 90% of her team consisted of men. Fresh out of college, full of ambition and enthusiasm, she believed she could make a difference. But reality hit hard—despite her hard work, her voice remained unheard. Her bosses dismissed her, assuming she was just a young woman with little to contribute.

After months of frustration, she made a tough decision—to leave and start fresh in a new organization. But this time, she refused to be overlooked. From day one, she made sure to speak her mind, stand her ground, and not let anyone overshadow her. It wasn’t easy. She didn’t get it right immediately, but with persistence, dedication, and unwavering commitment, she ensured that her contributions were indispensable. She made it a point to be there whenever her team needed her, proving her worth through action rather than words.

Advice for Women Entrepreneurs:

She burnt the midnight oil, and she still does. One of the greatest lessons she learned from her mentor was this:

"You don’t need to be the smartest person in the room, but make sure you are the hardest-working one."

That philosophy has guided her through every challenge, and it continues to drive her forward today.