The Future of Finance Initiative seeks to identify and address new challenges for policy and regulation in India given the waves of digital innovation currently sweeping financial services. Our work in this initiative studies the impacts of digitisation and technological innovation in Indian finance, leading from the consumer perspective on these issues.
Research Associate
Senior Research Associate
Research Associate
Consultant
The Supreme Court of India’s judgment on the fundamental right to privacy yesterday, 24 August 2017, speaks directly to the sweeping changes we are witnessing in the way that the State and private companies use citizens’ personal data
Financial inclusion is not good in itself.We value financial inclusion as a means to an end.
In the first and second posts of this series on the three Future of Finance Initiative (FFI) workshops hosted in April, we focused on digital payments and digital credit respectively.
In the first post of this series on the three Future of Finance Initiative (FFI) workshops hosted in April, we focused on the workshop on digital payments.
We are within striking distance of every Indian having access to a bank account and being able to easily send and receive payments. We should care deeply that millions of Indians are still turning to expensive informal financial services in the face of seasonal and volatile incomes, despite years of trying to improve access to basic financial services.
In April, the Future of Finance Initiative (FFI) hosted a series of closed door workshops with a small set of digital financial service providers focusing on payments, credit and investments.
The Future of Finance Initiative (FFI) is housed within the IFMR Finance Foundation (IFF) and aims to promote policy and regulatory strategies that protect individuals accessing finance given the sweeping changes that are reshaping retail financial services in India. Our vision is for every individual to have universal access to suitable financial services using a range of channels that enable them to transact securely and confidently.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the Master Directions on Issuance and Operation of Pre-paid Payment Instruments (PPIs) in India (Draft Circular) on 20 March 2017.
Our comments in response to the Draft Rules are presented in two sections below. In the first section titled “I. Overarching Comments”, we raise two broad points on (1) extending the data protection principles consistently to avoid regulatory gaps, and (2) the need for regulatory coordination to avoid dual regulation, mitigate potential capacity constraints for MeitY and any adverse impact on the ease of doing business for pre-paid instrument (PPI) issuers. In the second section titled “II.
On 8 March 2017, the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) released a set of draft rules for security of prepaid payment instruments (Draft Rules), inviting comments by 20 March 2017.
In all our research efforts, we strive to maintain an independent voice that speaks for the low-income household and household enterprises. Our ability to perform this function is significantly enhanced by our commitment to disseminate as a pure public good, all the intellectual capital that we create.
