Ibin Issac

Co-founder of Fintrens and the engineer behind Firefly and Signals. Writes about algo trading, broker APIs, SEBI rules and Indian markets. Not investment advice.

Hand holding a phone with a Loan Approved 10,000 rupees, repay in 7 days message, surrounded by loan papers

400% Interest, Morphed Photos, Fake Police Calls: Inside India's Predatory Loan App Epidemic

What the government's May 2026 crackdown reveals — and how to protect yourself and your family On May 12, 2026, the Indian government quietly took down six more digital loan apps under the IT Act. Six apps. In a single day. It barely made the news cycle. Because in

Hand holding a phone with finance app icons amid flowing coloured data streams

Why Most Fintech Apps Are Secretly Bad for Your Money (And What to Use Instead)

You downloaded the app. You set up the budget categories. You linked your accounts and watched the colourful pie charts fill up with your spending data. And then — nothing changed. If that sounds familiar, you are not alone. India now has over 500 million active fintech app users — one of

Stormy coastline with a burning oil barrel and cracked ground showing falling Sensex charts

Oil at $118. ₹12 Lakh Crore Wiped Out Overnight. The Storm Has Already Arrived — Is India Ready?

On a single day in early April 2026, Indian investors watched helplessly as over ₹12 lakh crore of wealth evaporated from Dalal Street in one session. Sensex and Nifty plunged more than 5%. Not in a week. Not gradually. In a single day. Most headlines moved on by the next

Golden bull made of light surrounded by rising candlestick charts and rupee symbols

Algo Trading in India (2026): The Complete Guide for Retail Investors

For years, algorithmic trading in India was an exclusive club. Institutional desks, hedge funds, and HNIs with proprietary systems moved billions of rupees through automated strategies while retail investors watched manually, clicking buy and sell on their phones. That era is over. In 2026, algo trading in India is officially

Split screen with a rising backtest curve on the left and a falling chart with loss alerts on the right

Your Backtest Said ₹4.2 Lakh Profit. The Market Took ₹80,000. Here's Exactly Why

You spent three weeks building the strategy. The backtest printed a beautiful equity curve — 73% win rate, Sharpe ratio above 1.5, max drawdown under 8%. You went live. Six weeks later, the account is down ₹80,000 and the strategy is paused. This isn't bad luck. It&

Three monitors with rising green charts on a desk overlooking a city at dusk

The Rules Kicked In. Now What? India's Algo Trading Landscape After April 1

Two weeks ago, we told you exactly what to do before the April 1 deadline. That deadline has now passed. The SEBI algo trading framework is live, enforceable, and already reshaping how automated trading works in India. This post is about what comes next. If you haven't read

SEBI shield badge in front of a city skyline with Nifty and Sensex tickers and a rupee symbol

SEBI's 2025–26 Reforms: What Every Indian Investor Must Know Before the Next Bull Run

India's capital markets are undergoing their most significant regulatory overhaul in three decades. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has pushed through a wave of landmark changes spanning derivatives trading, mutual funds, IPOs, and the very legal foundation of how securities markets operate in India. With