As the Finance Minister prepares to present the vision for the next fiscal year, industry heavyweights are calling for a decisive shift from short-term relief to structural reform as part of Union Budget 2026. Offering his thoughts, Adhil Shetty, CEO, @BankBazaar offered a strategic breakdown. “As India prepares for Budget 2026, the focus is on easing pressure on household incomes while improving access to formal credit. A key lever is strengthening digital public infrastructure. An allocation of around ₹1 lakh crore under Digital India 2.0—covering DigiLocker, the Account Aggregator framework, and fully agentless 24×7 Video KYC—can make loans and insurance faster, safer, and more affordable. With Aadhaar-based KYC and consent-led data sharing already established, deeper investment can reduce processing delays, lower fraud risks, and cut delivery costs. Housing remains a priority. The ₹45 lakh affordable housing cap no longer reflects urban market realities; revising it can lower EMIs and revive housing-linked consumption. For businesses, extending ESOP tax parity to Udyam-registered MSMEs would support talent retention and formalisation. On taxation, while the New Tax Regime has raised the 30% slab threshold to ₹24 lakh, inflation continues to push professionals into higher brackets. Indexing the top slab to inflation or revisiting it could free up ₹2–3 lakh annually for savings and investments. This can be complemented by a flat deduction for long-term protection products—life insurance, health insurance, and pensions—without adding complexity. Collectively, these measures can enhance disposable incomes and align India’s credit and tax systems with current economic realities.”