Independent Research and Policy Advocacy

Publications

Blogs

We produce blogs to discuss new research findings, ongoing projects, and even personal reflections on the research process. Our blogs are written for a variety of audiences, including other researchers, policymakers, practitioners, financial service providers, grassroots organizations, impact investors and the public. The format is simple and easy to grasp. The language is straightforward, and the tone is non-academic. Our blogs can be of varying lengths. We choose to write a blog when we don’t want to do a full- fledged study or follow a rigorous research process. Blogs may contain opinions and they can also be based on experiences. Some of our blogs may just share some observations, learnings, or challenges.

Our Work

February 9, 2011 | Dvara Research

[Artoo Slate is a software solution designed for microfinance field staff that takes the entire process of data collection and loan disbursement online.

By Sameer Segal
February 6, 2011 | Dvara Research

Does the RBI's claim to regulate NBFC (MFIs) have more merit than Federal state governments' claims? An analysis of constitutional provisions by Vishnu Peri, IFMR Mezzanine Finance.

By Vishnu Peri
February 4, 2011 | Dvara Research

We have recently read comments on various blogs which suggest that MFIs are comparable to Ponzi schemes. These bloggers suggest that once new MFI loan disbursements slow down, borrowers will not be able to make the payments on their old loans.

By Dvara Research
February 2, 2011 | Dvara Research

The goal of an investment professional is to maximise the risk-adjusted return on the overall portfolio through diversification within and across asset classes.

By Dr. Kshama Fernandes
January 27, 2011 | Dvara Research

[The author is an independent columnist. This article is a reproduction of his column from The Telegraph]

By Ashok V. Desai
January 25, 2011 | Dvara Research

Efforts to promote financial inclusion achieved momentum in the country with the RBI guidelines in January 2006, allowing appointment of non-bank Business Correspondents (BC) as agents for the delivery of financial services outside bank branches.

By Farzana Najeed, Arun Seethamraju
January 22, 2011 | Dvara Research

We appreciate the Malegam Committee’s recommendations to increase the supervisory capacity of the RBI , to make MFI regulation consistent at the national level, to promote good corporate governance, to increase bank lending to MFI’s, and to make available alternative sources of equity.

By Dvara Research
January 19, 2011 | Dvara Research

The Reserve Bank of India has released on its website the Report of the Sub-Committee of the Central Board of Directors of Reserve Bank of India to Study Issues and Concerns in the MFI Sector. The Sub-Committee has recommended creation of a separate category of NBFCs operating in the microfinance sector to be designated as NBFC-MFIs. To qualify […]

By Dvara Research
January 19, 2011 | Dvara Research

An investment banker has to develop sector-specific guidelines and methodologies to help him deal with small and disaggregated clients, and scale up low-ticket transactions.

By Vineet Sukumar
January 5, 2011 | Dvara Research

A well-functioning capital market is an important prerequisite not only for financial inclusion, but also for economic development and growth.

By B.R. Diwakar