Making the complex decisions of life between India and abroad — simple.
I built this because I couldn't find it anywhere else. Which bank account to open, which credit card to get, where to invest, how to send money home at the best rate, how to find a startup worth backing, how to send a gift at midnight, where to find great nightlife in India, the off-beat treks nobody else is doing. All the decisions that come with living between two countries — finally in one place, clearly, from someone who actually lives it.
Built from real NRI frustration, not generic finance content. This site is lived experience sending money, reopening life in India, and figuring out what actually works when two countries are involved.
Amish Kapadia
Former Nomura. Moved back to Mumbai after 28 years in the US. US citizen and OCI card holder, navigating Indian banking, investments, taxes and remittances from the inside. NRI Money Matters is the site I wish I had when I started moving money and rebuilding financial life in India.
Get in touch: amish@nrimoneymatters.com
My story behind this
I moved back to Mumbai after 28 years in America. Before I left, I needed to transfer a significant amount of money to India — and what followed was a frustrating exercise in checking multiple services, comparing rates, trying to figure out fees, and still not being sure I had found the best deal.
I transferred $60,000 across six different services. I learned a lot. I also left money on the table that I should not have.
That frustration became this website. If I was going through this, millions of NRIs were too. So I built the comparison tool I wish had existed.
What we cover
NRI financial life is genuinely complex. We cover the full picture:
Remittances & FX
Which service gives you the best rate for your exact amount and corridor. Updated regularly.
Banking in India
NRE vs NRO accounts, which banks actually serve returning NRIs well, and how to wire money efficiently.
Credit Cards
Which US cards to keep, which Indian cards to get, and how to maintain both financial identities.
Investments
What NRIs can and cannot invest in. Indian stocks, mutual funds, startups — the rules and the reality.
Tax
The crossover between Indian and US tax obligations. FBAR, PFIC, residency status — the stuff that keeps you up at night.
Insurance
Health for yourself and parents, term life, travel, property. The waiting-period trick most NRIs miss when moving back.
GIFT City IFSC
India's offshore financial zone built specifically for NRIs. USD fixed deposits at IFSC Banking Units typically 50–75 bps above FCNR. AIFs, GIFT Nifty futures, USD insurance.
Foreign nationals investing in India
A whole section for non-NRI, non-OCI foreigners. FPI, GIFT City, mutual funds, startups, FX, property, tax — each topic on its own page. The route most India-investing sites don't talk about.
Moving back & the practical stuff
Aadhaar, phone plans, driving licences, OCI, RNOR. The bureaucracy nobody warns you about.
Studying abroad as an Indian
Universities, education loans (HDFC Credila, Avanse, Prodigy, MPOWER), F1 / Tier 4 visa, forex card, visa-mandated insurance, packing, first 30 days. Plus a 33-step pre-departure checklist.
NRI Checklists
Phase-grouped, printable, save-locally checklists for the big NRI moves: returning to India, visiting India, OCI application, students going abroad, parents visiting USA, buying property in India.
Lifestyle & Travel
The India you can't Google — bars, treks, spirituality, weddings, medical tourism, gifts home, seva. Curated through The NRI Guy.
Our editorial promise
We only recommend services we have genuinely researched. Our comparison tool ranks services by what is best for you — not by who pays us the most commission.
Some links on this site are affiliate links. We earn a small commission if you sign up through them, at no extra cost to you. This never influences our rankings or editorial content.
We only list services that meet our editorial standards for reliability, speed and customer service. Not all remittance providers are included.
Who this is for
Whatever you're navigating — the money side (banking, FX, investments, taxes, credit cards) or the cultural side (travel, weddings, spirituality, medical tourism, gifts home, the India you can't Google) — we write for four kinds of NRI:
Indian citizens living abroad — sending money home, managing NRE/NRO accounts, staying connected to Indian finances from overseas.
Foreign citizens and OCI card holders abroad — navigating the additional complexity of holding a foreign passport while maintaining Indian financial ties.
NRIs who have just returned to India — figuring out how to land, open accounts, sort insurance, manage the transition from two financial lives to one.
NRIs settled back in India with a foreign passport — the most complex situation of all, managing ongoing obligations in two countries simultaneously.
Where to start
Most readers begin with one of four questions: what is the best FX rate right now, which bank should I use, how do I receive money from abroad properly — or they skip the money stuff entirely and come in through The NRI Guy.
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