Watch: Reform Pathways for India’s Healthcare Financing
In India, nearly 65% of the healthcare spending is out of pocket by individuals. The remaining 35% is highly fragmented and comes from a number of central and state government funds, and insurance companies. The unprecedented healthcare crisis caused by the pandemic has brought a number of concerns about the effectiveness and sustainability of the healthcare system to the forefront.
The Need to Explore the Finances of Platform Workers
In recent months, there have been several reports on platform workers demanding greater worker rights in India.
Comments to the Reserve Bank of India on the Report of the Working Group on Digital Lending including Lending through Online Platforms and Mobile Apps
In this blog post, we present our comments to the Report of the Working Group on Digital Lending including Lending through Online Platforms and Mobile Apps, November 2021 (the Report) in response to the call for comments from all stakeholders by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Our response is accessible here. We appreciate the Report’s […]
Comments to the Reserve Bank of India on the Report of the Working Group on Digital Lending including Lending through Online Platforms and Mobile Apps dated 18 November 2021
In this blog post, we present our comments to the Report of the Working Group on Digital Lending including Lending through Online Platforms and Mobile Apps, November 2021 (the Report) in response to the call for comments from all stakeholders by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Does financial and macro policy explain household investment in gold?
Gold dominates household portfolios in India. This has been labelled as irrational behaviour by financially illiterate households. In this paper, we show that household preference towards gold is not irrational in the context of the Indian financial and macroeconomic environment which includes high inflation, financial repression, and capital controls.
Digital Highways for Social Protection: Delivering Entitlements on the Doorsteps
The social protection landscape in India is transforming at rapid speed owing to the digitization of the various systems that are involved in the process flow of social protection delivery.
Response to Niti Aayog’s Discussion Paper on “Digital Banks – A Proposal for Licensing and Regulatory Regime in India”
Identifying the Market Failure and Mis-identifying the Intervention The discussion paper highlights a ‘market failure’ in the debt market for MSMEs wherein incumbent banks are unwilling to lend to MSMEs, who are otherwise creditworthy, due to lack of documentation and thereby leading to suboptimal outcomes for both banks and MSMEs[3]. Adding to these frictions is […]
Response to Niti Aayog’s Discussion Paper on “Digital Banks – A Proposal for Licensing and Regulatory Regime in India”
In our response, we question the assumptions put forth by the discussion paper for the creation of DBs and the concomitant licensing and regulatory regime.
Complex vs simple financial instruments: What is in best interest of customer?
Complex financial instruments and products can help consumers to meet their precise financial needs even if they are opaque in their design details due to the underlying mathematical principles. Regulators need to understand that restricting complexity in design is not in the best interests of the consumer.
Direct Benefit Transfers in Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh: Introducing the Dvara-Haqdarshak Study on Exclusion in Government to Person Payments
In this post, we Introduce the Dvara-Haqdarshak Study on Exclusion in Government to Person Payments.