
MUMBAI On the night of Nov. 8, trillions of rupees in high-denomination currency notes were suddenly declared worthless, or "demonetized," by the Indian government. But that shock did not wipe away the characteristic grin of one entrepreneur. If anything, it made him smile wider.
Vijay Shekhar Sharma, creator of Paytm, one of India's most successful financial technology startups, had struggled to persuade investors to put money into his electronic wallet venture. But demonetization has accelerated his company's growth in a way he could never have imagined.