In March 2009, IFMR Capital (presently known as Northern Arc Capital) and Equitas Micro Finance concluded the first securitisation of micro-loans in India. Following that landmark transaction, on October 27th 2009 the associated PTCs (pass-through-certificates or securities) received a ratings upgrade from CRISIL. The senior tranche of PTCs was upgraded from AA (so) to AAA (so) — CRISIL’s highest long term safety rating. The junior tranche was upgraded from BBB (so) to A (so).

Nachiket and I presented at the Brookings Institution at a conference titled "Regulation in Emerging Markets". We presented a paper that was authored by Suyash Rai and co-authored by Nachiket and I.

The IFMR Trust is interested in finding practical solutions to challenges faced in the delivery of services across the areas in which it is involved.

The Asian Institute on Transport Development initiated a dialogue on strengthening trade and communication ties between India and Bangladesh on October 12th, 2009 at the India International Centre in Delhi.

Mobile phones, unlike any other technology, have penetrated and affected the lives of ordinary Indians in a very short time.

Undertaking an exercise in learning, I had last month visited BISWA, an MFI based in Orissa, that apart from providing microcredit, is involved in a wide range of activities related to health, education, water, sanitation and livelihood enhancement programs.

The power of finance to transform the lives of the poor is not well understood.

Wealth management is synonymous with high networth individuals and when KGFS decides to call its army of frontline staff ‘wealth managers’, the tag does bring with it power and associated responsibility.

In line with its aim to plug the existing gaps in finance with respect to lending to the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), IFMR Capital has started to explore ways to devise an effective and replicable lending model catering to it.

The miracle that microfinance is thought to be was subjected to a randomized evaluation in a study which was a result of a research partnership between MIT and the Centre for Microfinance at IFMR.