Comments on the Report of Watal Committee on Digital Payments
Shortly after Christmas last month, a press release from the Ministry of Finance on 28th December announced that the Committee on Digital Payments (chaired by Ratan P. Watal) had submitted its Report.
Digitising Payment in our backyard
There has been a strong national imperative to move towards a “cashless” economy in India[1]. Despite a substantive impetus from public and private sector forces, the adoption and use of digital modes of payment in the country remains paltry[
The Lifecycle of Innovations in Financial Inclusion: From Insights to Scale
The Indian financial sector is poised for sweeping changes to traditional models and we look to embrace game-changing developments in institutional form and digital infrastructure.
Video: Disruption in Financial Services – Mr. Nandan Nilekani
To mark the recent partnership with Accion, LeapFrog & Lok Capital to scale up our financial inclusion platform, IFMR Holdings earlier this month hosted prominent leaders from the financial services industry, partners and key investors at an event held in Mumbai.
Digital Currencies and the Larger Questions they Raise
Digital currencies have generated substantial curiosity over the last year, particularly post the favourable1 hearing that Bitcoin, a prominent digital currency2, received at the US Capitol hill in November 2013.
Building a Ubiquitous Electronic Payments Network and Universal Access to Savings – Part I
The Committee on Comprehensive Financial Services for Small Businesses and Low Income Households (CCFS) envisions the following:
By January 1, 2016 each Indian resident, above the age of 18 years, would have an individual, full-service, safe, and secure electronic bank account.
Innovations in Micro Finance: Field notes from Eastern Uttar Pradesh
A few colleagues and I recently travelled through Varanasi and Mirzapur in Eastern Uttar Pradesh visiting Micro Finance Institutions (MFI) in that region and their clients. I am delighted to report that this region, one of the poorest in India, is a hotbed of innovations.
Who will pay for the payments plumbing?
What will it take to make payments universal in India with a ratio closer to one point for every 100 citizens and importantly, who will pay for creating this infrastructure?
The Future of Finance in India: Talwar Memorial Lecture
Mr N Vaghul, chairman emeritus of ICICI Bank, recently delivered the Talwar Memorial Lecture on the topic “The Future of Finance in India”.
UIDAI and Financial Inclusion – Unlimited Possibilities
Suyash Rai of IFMR Finance Foundation, Raghav Narayana of IFMR Rural Finance in an informal conversation with Mr. Praveen Chakravarty, who is a volunteer in the Financial Inclusion team of UIDAI.
