How FOLO Helps Indian Families Track, Protect and Share Their Wealth

In India, conversations around money often focus on earning, saving and investing. What rarely gets discussed is visibility — knowing exactly where your money is, what it adds up to, and who can access it when needed. FOLO, an Indian financial app, was built to solve this problem precisely by helping individuals and families organise and track their entire net worth in one secure place.

Local Samosa spoke to Munmun Desai, co-founder of FOLO, to understand the thinking behind the platform and the larger problem it aims to solve. Designed as a real-time financial dashboard rather than a transactional banking app, FOLO brings together bank accounts, investments, insurance and loans to offer a clear view of assets and liabilities. At its core, the app focuses on preparedness, secure sharing and preventing unclaimed wealth — a growing but often overlooked issue in India.

A Personal Loss That Sparked a Systemic Solution

FOLO’s origin story is rooted in personal experience. Munmun Desai began building the platform after navigating a family loss that exposed how financial opacity can turn even adequate wealth into a source of anxiety.

“That experience taught me something no Excel sheet ever can: money without visibility creates anxiety, not security,” she said.

The challenge, she realised, was not the absence of wealth but the absence of clarity — scattered records, no single view of finances, and no shared access for family members. Preparedness, according to Desai, came down to two simple questions: whether better decisions could be made today with financial clarity, and whether one’s family could access everything seamlessly tomorrow if required. FOLO was built to answer both.

Not a Gender Problem, but a Structural One

Initially, the problem of financial unpreparedness appeared to be gendered. However, as FOLO’s early research expanded, a clearer picture emerged. The issue cut across income levels, professions, states and genders.

Across Indian households, finances are still stored in spreadsheets, physical files, WhatsApp messages, or, most precariously, in someone’s memory. While families earn, save, invest and insure, very few have a consolidated, shared picture of their net worth. FOLO identified this not as a personal failure but as a national gap in financial organisation and visibility.

Building One Source of Truth in a Fragmented Ecosystem

India’s financial ecosystem is notoriously complex, spread across hundreds of institutions, formats and regulatory frameworks. FOLO’s biggest challenge was creating a single, secure source of truth that could function across this fragmented landscape.

The app now syncs with 350+ regulated financial institutions, enabling automated, real-time tracking without manual data entry. Every data connection is user-authorised, OTP-based and consent-driven, operating under strict RBI-aligned security protocols with encrypted data in transit.

Behind the scenes, the system is highly complex. On the surface, it is intentionally simple — because, as Desai points out, trust is built when complexity disappears for the user.

Encouraging Families to Share Financial Visibility

One of FOLO’s defining features is LYNC, which allows users to securely share their financial portfolio with up to four trusted individuals. In a culture where discussing money openly within families is still uncomfortable, this required a careful, user-controlled approach.

Contrary to popular belief, Desai notes that most people want to share financial information — they just don’t know how to do it safely, or feel overwhelmed by the process. FOLO enables controlled visibility, where users decide what to share, with whom, and for how long. Access can be modified or revoked at any time.

She likens this shift to earlier behavioural changes in India, such as the adoption of UPI or food delivery apps. These changes did not happen because attitudes changed overnight, but because systems offered simplicity, trust and control. FOLO applies the same principle to money.

Designed for Calm, Especially During Crisis

Many users turn to FOLO during moments of uncertainty — illness, loss or major life transitions. The platform is designed to be empathetic rather than overwhelming, encouraging families to organise early instead of reacting in panic.

FOLO brings together investments, insurance, loans and bank accounts while also flagging overlooked issues such as missing nominees or incomplete KYC through its Account Health Score. These gaps often surface too late and are a major reason why unclaimed financial assets in India have crossed Rs. 2 lakh crore.

“Preparedness isn’t about fear; it’s about responsibility,” Desai explained, adding that FOLO focuses on simple design, full user control and gentle guidance rather than information overload.

Measuring Impact Beyond Revenue

With over 60,000 users and no revenue model yet, FOLO measures impact differently. The goal is to become the single trusted place that reflects 100% of a user’s accurate net worth.

When assets, liabilities and insurance are organised in one place, the app stops being just a tool and becomes part of a family’s financial life. That clarity directly influences decision-making, preparedness and peace of mind. FOLO’s larger mission is to help shift India’s wealth from being invisible and vulnerable to organised, accessible and protected — across generations.

The One Habit Every Household Needs

Looking ahead, Desai believes the most important habit Indian households must adopt is maintaining an updated, real-time view of their finances — not once a year, and not only during a crisis, but proactively.

“Visibility is the foundation of every good financial decision,” she said.

This belief underpins FOLO’s vision as India’s financial mirror — a secure, family-first platform where money becomes visible, manageable and empowering. Because when finances are clearly seen, they stop being stressful and start enabling confidence, continuity and control.