Rural India is driving change, but outdated finance systems are holding entrepreneurs back. In this editorial, Kanika Verma explores how new models—rooted in trust, flexibility, and innovation—are unlocking dignified finance for women and the ‘missing middle’. Through AI-driven underwriting, community-based credit, and a new Credit Guarantee Fund, a bold financial architecture is emerging—one that empowers first-time entrepreneurs, fuels aspirations, and moves finance closer to those who deserve it most.