Deciml
Introduction
In recent years, micro-investing in India has gained traction as young professionals look for low-barrier ways to begin building wealth. One app in this space is Deciml (not to be confused with “Decimal”), which aims to make investing simple, automatic and accessible. In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into what Deciml offers — how it works, what features it has, its strengths, potential drawbacks, and whether it might be a good fit for your investing journey. Also Download Happy Teen Patti
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What is Deciml?
Deciml is a fintech app founded around 2020 in Pune, India, with a mission to “make investing simple, accessible and less intimidating” especially for younger Indians. It leverages digital transactions and small amounts of money — the concept of “spare change” investing — in order to help users build investment habits without big one-time commitments.
In its own words, it’s a “daily investing app” that allows you to invest your spare change whenever you spend online, or set up a small deposit daily, or make a lump-sum investment.
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How Does Deciml Work?
Here’s a breakdown of the application’s core working mechanism:
1. Round-Ups (Spare Change Investing)
Whenever you make an online payment (via UPI, debit card, etc.), Deciml picks up the transaction (via SMS permission) and rounds it up to the next multiple of 10 (or multiple of 10 you choose) and invests the difference. For example: if you pay ₹395 for something, it might round it to ₹400 and invest ₹5 automatically.
2. Daily Deposits
If you want to invest even when you’re not spending that day, you can set up a “Daily Deposit” — a small amount (starting from as low as ₹10) that is automatically debited every day and invested.
3. Lump-Sum Investments
In addition to the above, you can also choose to make a one-time investment (lump sum) in the app when you have extra funds (minimum ~₹100).
4. Funds & Options
Initially, Deciml offered investment in a P2P-lending fund via Lendbox (with up to ~10% returns claimed) and later added mutual funds from Navi Mutual Fund (e.g., Large & Mid-Cap Equity Fund and Equity Hybrid Fund).
5. Setup & Security
To use the app, you need to complete KYC (PAN/Aadhaar as required). The app claims to use bank-grade encryption (256-bit) and only basic data is stored.
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Key Features & Highlights
Low-barrier entry: you can start investing with very small amounts (₹10 or ₹100) rather than large sums.
Automation: The round-up mechanism means you don’t have to consciously decide each time — your spare change gets invested automatically.
Habit building: By making investing consistent and almost invisible, it aims to build the habit of investing for users who might otherwise not start.
Designed for digital-native generation: The app emphasises convenience and minimal friction, targeting younger users.
Clear, simple UI and options: The app describes in plain terms how the rounding, daily deposits and lump sum work.
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Benefits — Why You Might Consider Deciml
Simplicity & Ease: If you’re new to investing and feel overwhelmed by big amounts, fund selection, etc., Deciml offers a low-stress way to start.
Peer to your spending habits: Since the investments tie to your everyday transactions, you might feel less of a “pain” of investing compared to transferring a big chunk at once.
Automated investing: The “set and forget” model helps in building consistency, which is one of the most important drivers of long-term investing success.
Flexible and incremental: Because you can choose small amounts and adjust daily deposits, it offers flexibility.
Behavioural boost: It may help create good financial discipline and habit for younger or inexperienced investors.
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Risks, Limitations & Things to Be Aware Of
Small amounts = small impact (initially): While micro-investing is helpful to get started, if your goals are large (buying a house, retirement corpus) you’ll still need larger, more deliberate contributions. (As one review notes: “While these apps make saving and investing easier… the amounts being saved are quite small.”)
Fund choices limited: Initially, there were only a few fund options (and one P2P lending fund), so you may not get full flexibility or variety compared to broader platforms.
Returns are market-linked: For mutual funds the returns depend on market performance; the P2P option had higher risk. The “up to 10%” return claim for Lendbox is an upper bound, not guaranteed.
Dependencies on permissions & tracking: The round-up feature requires permission to read transaction SMS to detect your spend. Some users may view this as a privacy concern.
Potential delays or issues: Some user-reported issues (for example: in Reddit threads, there were complaints relating to certain funds) — e.g., a user says:
> “Actually most of my money was in the lendbox and it was paused … I had to take it out.”
So users should check fund-status and risk diversification.
Not a substitute for full financial planning: While it helps start the habit, you still need to evaluate asset allocation, risk tolerance, long-term plan etc.
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Who Is Deciml For?
Deciml is most suitable for:
Young professionals or beginners who struggle with starting investing due to lack of funds or disciplined habits.
Users looking for a passive, automated investment mechanism rather than selecting many funds manually.
People who want to build an investing habit with minimal friction.
Users comfortable with digital payments and UPI transactions (since the round-up model depends on regular online spends).
It may be less suitable for those who:
Already invest significant amounts and want full control or advanced fund selection.
Need bespoke financial planning or complex asset allocation now.
Want only large-scale, periodic investments rather than micro-savings.
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My Verdict: Is Deciml Worth Using?
Yes — with caveats. If you’re a beginner investor in India and you find saving or investing intimidating, Deciml offers a valuable mechanism to start. The habit of investing is often more important than the amount initially. The fractional/incremental model helps you get over the hurdle of getting started.
However, once you’re comfortable and have built some corpus (say after 6-12 months), you should evaluate whether you need to supplement Deciml with more traditional SIPs or investments (via direct mutual funds, diversified portfolios). You should also monitor which funds you are investing in, their expense ratios, performance, and whether they align with your goals.
Important: Always read the fine print. Understand the fund option you pick, the risk. For example: P2P lending has different risk vs mutual fund equity. The marketing promise of “10% returns” should be seen with caution — it’s “up to” and not guaranteed.
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Practical Tips If You Use Deciml
Set your daily deposit to an amount you’re comfortable with (say ₹10-₹50) so it doesn’t pinch your cash flow.
Regularly check your fund’s performance and expenses — for instance if you’re in a hybrid or large & mid cap fund, know the risks.
Use the automatic round-up feature but still monitor overall spending so that round-ups don’t get triggered for large unnecessary spends.
Diversify — don’t rely solely on one small app or fund for all your investing.
Check withdrawal/exit rules: how quickly can you pull out, what NAV applies, etc. Deciml states you can withdraw anytime, but check for your selected fund.
Treat the amounts you invest via Deciml as the “start” of your investing habit. Over time, aim to increase contributions or add other modes of investment.
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Conclusion
In the Indian fintech landscape where many young people feel either under-prepared or under-capitalised for investing, Deciml offers a smart entry point: low cost, low effort, incremental investing. It turns everyday spending into investing opportunities, which is a nice behavioural design.
That said, it isn’t a magic bullet. For meaningful financial goals, you’ll still need to deliberate, contribute more, diversify, and track outcomes. If you are just beginning and want a friendly way to ease into investing, Deciml is worth a look — but treat it as the first step of a broader journey rather than the entire strategy.
If you like, I can pull together a detailed comparison of Deciml versus similar micro-investing apps in India (fees, features, fund choices) to see how it stacks up. Would you like that?
