In the wake of recent reports of dramatic decline in the availability of capital, microfinance service providers struggling to keep afloat, and the recent proposal by the finance minister to create a dedicated fund for providing equity to smaller MFIs

Ever signed up for the gym but failed to go regularly? You are not alone. There are numerous occasions where we take a decision that is not always ‘optimal’.

What a great financial inclusion journey India is on. Banks, government, NGOs, civil soviety and private sector businesses are jumping onboard as the train accelerates.

Rural households need relatively large sums of money for life cycle needs (such as marriages, festivals and old age), emergencies (such as illness, the death of a bread-winner and floods) and investment opportunities (as much in assets and household goods, for example, as in investments in micro-businesses)i .

Sometimes adversity is the perfect catalyst to invent what was unforeseeable in normal circumstances.

Financial inclusion is as much about convenient channels of delivery as it is about appropriate products.

The Technology Advisory Group for Unique Projects (TAGUP), which was set up by the Ministry of Finance in June 2010 under the chairmanship of UIDAI Chairman, Nandan Nilekani, recently submitted its report to the Government of India.

The future regulatory environment for microfinance is being shaped by the recommendations of RBI’s Malegam Committee, set up to study issues and concerns in the microfinance sector.

IFMR Capital recently completed two securitisation transactions. Eta Pioneer with Trichy based Grama Vidiyal Microfinance Limited, and Theta Pioneer with Satin Creditcare Limited.

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.