Digital platform
Abound
Times Internet spinout building a US-first NRI money super-app, layering AI 'financial autopilot' agents onto remittance.
Dedicated NRI team
Yes
Strategy tenure
since 2020 (as Times Club; rebranded Abound Jul 2023)
India onshore arc
—
Hubs
—
Abound is the US-corridor challenger: a Times Internet spinout (launched as Times Club in February 2020, rebranded Abound July 2023) serving Indian-Americans, led by ex-Hulu executive Nishkaam Mehta. It raised a $14M seed in March 2025 led by the NEAR Foundation, and has differentiated on agentic automation — an April 2026 'AI Financial Autopilot' built with NEAR AI that watches FX and auto-transfers, and an August 2026 Monad blockchain partnership. Its self-reported scale (500,000+ monthly transacting users in 2025; 800,000+ NRIs served and $500M+ moved by 2026) and its stated Q3-2026 move into interest-bearing savings and investment accounts put it on the same remittance-to-wealth path as Aspora, but built on agents rather than banking licences.
Why it matters
Abound is the US-corridor challenger to Aspora: a Times Internet spinout that has ridden Indian-American remittance ($500M+ moved, self-reported) into an AI-agent 'financial autopilot' and, per its August 2026 roadmap, is extending into interest-bearing savings and investment accounts. Its differentiation is agentic automation (NEAR AI, Monad, x402) rather than the banking-and-wealth licences Aspora and Belong are assembling. The jump from '$150M remittances total' (Mar 2025) to '$500M+ since launch' (2026) reflects rapid growth, not a contradiction.
By the numbers
500,000+
Monthly transacting users (includes rewards/shopping, not remitters only)
TechCrunch · Mar 2025 · self-reported
$500M+
Remittance volume moved since launch (CEO Nishkaam Mehta)
PR Newswire (Abound) · Aug 2026 · self-reported
The journey
Chooses Monad blockchain; Q3-2026 roadmap into savings + investing
Abound partnered with the Monad blockchain to power its next phase. Nishkaam Mehta said Abound has moved $500M since launch. Its stated Q3-2026 roadmap adds a multi-currency wallet with instant US-India transfers, interest-bearing savings and investment accounts, and AI-agent workflows using the x402 agentic payment protocol.
Launches AI Financial Autopilot with NEAR AI
Abound launched an AI 'financial autopilot' built with NEAR AI (using an IronClaw secure-execution system) that monitors exchange rates and executes automatic transfers, automates EMI/school-fee/utility payments and tracks NRE/NRO accounts. Freemium; self-reported 800,000+ NRIs served and $500M+ processed. Market framing: 32 million Indians abroad sending more than $125bn a year.
$14M seed led by NEAR Foundation (Circle Ventures, Times Internet)
Abound raised $14M in its first external round, led by the NEAR Foundation with Circle Ventures and Times Internet, which remains the largest stakeholder. It reported 500,000+ monthly transacting users and over $150M in remittances processed in total, and named high-yield savings, India-focused investments and cross-border credit as planned products.
Rebrands to Abound; Times Internet has put in $10M
Times Club rebranded as Abound in July 2023, led by CEO Nishkaam Mehta (ex-Hulu head of mobile strategy and growth). The app lets NRIs transfer money to 130+ Indian banks and shop at 4,000+ Indian grocery stores, and was recording $500,000 in daily transaction volume within weeks of the rebrand.
Launches as Times Club
The app that became Abound launched as Times Club in February 2020 within Times Internet.
4 sources · all linked
TechCrunch · PR Newswire (Abound) · PR Newswire (Abound) · TechCrunch