Fintech · 7 min read · November 2026

Why India's infrastructure needs one data language

India is building faster than ever. But the data behind every road, power line and bridge still speaks a dozen different dialects, and the people doing the building pay for it in slow, expensive credit.

Prathamesh MadyeFounder, GIX — Global Infrastructure Exchange
ENERGYROADSBRIDGESCITIESBUILDPORTS & TRADE
Union Budget FY 2026-27₹12.2 lakh crCentral government capital expenditure planned for the year, the largest infrastructure push in India's history.
Industry white paper, 2026₹8.1 lakh crEstimated dues owed to India's MSMEs and stuck in delayed payments, much of it in supply chains like infrastructure.
PM GatiShakti platform1,400+Data layers already used to plan infrastructure. Planning data is getting organised. Execution and payment data is not.

For years I ran electrical contracting projects for India's power companies. I learned that building the project is only half the job. The other half is proving it: proving the work was done, proving the bill is real, and waiting for someone to pay.

Every contractor, supplier and lender in the chain keeps their own version of the same facts. The contractor has a spreadsheet. The engineer has a measurement book. The client has a bill in a PDF. The bank has a loan form. None of them speak the same language, so every handover needs a human to read, re-type and re-check.

The problem isn't a lack of data. It's that the data can't talk to itself.

The tower of Babel

One project, six different dialects

Here is how a single milestone on a typical infrastructure project gets recorded today, and what it looks like when it speaks one language.

WhatsApp photo"Pole work done at site 3, pls check" — no date, no ID
Excel sheetContractor's own tracker, version 14, last edited by three people
Measurement bookHandwritten entry, signed, scanned at an angle
PDF billInvoice no. differs from the work order reference
Email thread"Certification pending" — 23 replies, no attachment
Bank loan formRe-typed amounts, cannot be checked against the source
Milestone recordVERIFIED
Project ID
Sample · Distribution upgrade, Site 3
Work order
Linked to bill and milestone
Contractor
Identity & GST verified
Milestone
Pole erection, 100% complete
Evidence
Geo-tagged photos + measurement
Certified by
Client engineer, digitally
Bill status
Approved · payment due in 60 days
Finance ready
Eligible for discounting

Illustrative example. The record shows the kind of fields a common standard captures, not a real project.

Where the money gets stuck

The journey of one bill

Work is finished long before cash arrives. Every hand-off where data has to be re-read and re-checked adds days, and a lender who cannot see the trail cannot step in to help.

Work done Measured Bill raised Certified Paid re-typedre-checkedchased by emailwaiting TODAY · cash often arrives months after the work is done WITH ONE DATA LANGUAGE ·verified bill can be financed within days

The missing layer

Planning data is organised. Execution and finance data is next.

National platforms like PM GatiShakti have brought infrastructure planning data together. The next step is a common layer for what happens on site and in the bank: progress, bills, approvals and payments.

Layer 3 · FinanceCredit, discounting and settlementLC discounting, TReDS and cross-border payments, priced on verified data.
Layer 2 · ExecutionOne data language for projects (GIX)Work orders, milestones, bills and certifications in a common, verified standard.
Layer 1 · PlanningNational planning platformsWhere to build: routes, utilities, land and logistics data.

Why it matters

What changes when data speaks one language

Contractors & MSMEs

  • Get paid or financed in days, not months
  • Build a verified track record that lowers borrowing costs
  • Spend less time chasing paperwork

Banks & NBFCs

  • Underwrite on verified data instead of re-typed forms
  • Automate RCU and FCU checks into one decision
  • Reach a new, well-documented borrower segment

Clients & developers

  • See real progress across every site and contractor
  • Approve bills faster with evidence attached
  • Keep supply chains healthy and on schedule

Investors & the world

  • Transparent, comparable data on Indian infrastructure
  • Confidence to fund projects and supply chains
  • A model other growing economies can adopt
Prathamesh on a ghat road between project sites

What we are building

GIX: the common language, and the rails on top of it

At GIX we are building that missing execution layer. We are creating a common data standard and a verified registry for projects, contractors, work orders, bills and payments.

On top of it we are building the finance rails: an LC discounting marketplace where banks and NBFCs compete to finance trade, a credit engine that turns RCU and FCU checks into one decision, and applications in process for RBI's TReDS and PA-CB licences.

I have spent ten years on both sides of this problem, on the project site and in trade finance. One data language is how India's builders finally get credit at the speed they build.

Build with me

Help India's infrastructure speak one language.

If you are a lender, a developer, a policy expert or an investor who sees this gap too, let's talk.

Get in touchExplore GIX
Sources Capital expenditure FY27: Business Standard, Union Budget 2026-27 MSME dues: Business Today, February 2026 PM GatiShakti data layers: India Shipping News, DPIIT update