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 18, 2011 | Dvara Research

Microfinance institutions (MFIs) essentially act as financial intermediaries, bridging the gap between mainstream financial institutions and low-income households for a specific type of credit need that is short-term and unsecured.

By Gaurav Kumar
February 15, 2011 | Dvara Research

The Malegam Committee’s (referred to hereinafter as the “Committee”) recommendations to increase the supervisory capacity of the RBI, to make MFI regulation consistent at the national level, to promote good corporate governance and to increase bank lending to MFIs are welcome.

By Dvara Research
February 14, 2011 | Dvara Research

The KGFS model is structured around the concept of financial well-being and aims to maximize the financial well-being of every individual and every enterprise.

By Shweta Aggarwal
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