Microfinance Beyond Lending: Looking at Emerging Claims
This is Part 2 of a 3-part series on the recently released NCAER-MFIN report, “Assessing the Effectiveness of Regulated Small Borrowing in India”. In this blog, we turn to some of the broader claims advanced in the report regarding the wider benefits of microfinance and assess whether these claims hold up when situated in a broader empirical context.
Submission to International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group) for the inclusion of risks of over-indebtedness and debt distress among microfinance borrowers, in its Environmental and Social (E&S) Framework
In response to the public consultation, we argue that borrower over-indebtedness is a customer protection concern that must be explicitly recognised in the revised E&S Framework.
Comments to Draft Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Banks – Responsible Business Conduct) Amendment Directions, 2026, dated 6 March 2026
In this response, we present four recommendations to the Draft Amendments.
Heterogeneity in India’s Nano-Enterprises: A Heuristic for Delivery of Suitable Credit
This blog is the second in our two-part series on nano-enterprises, building on the discussion introduced in Part 1.
Comments to Draft Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Banks – Responsible Business Conduct) Amendment Directions, 2026, dated 11 February 2026
In this response, we present our comments to the Draft Amendment Directions for ‘Advertising, Marketing and Sales of Financial Products and Services by Regulated Entities’ issued by the Reserve Bank of India on February 11, 2026.
Life insurance and the importance of proper disclosures
This will inspire more consumer trust, and enhance transparency among agents
The Case for Good Disclosures – Building A Two-Way Road Towards Suitable Insurance Sale
In this note, we discuss how the difficulty of selling life insurance led to bundling insurance with savings2, how such bundling can be sub-optimal, and why such products are popular despite adverse customer experiences. We then make a case for providing relevant, complete, and comparable information that can aid suitable product decisions, sale, and persistence. We also offer a template for what such a Customer Information Sheet could look like.
Advancing Digital Financial Inclusion of Women from Low-Income Households
In an increasingly digitized world, Digital Financial Services (DFS) have emerged as a key tool for transacting, borrowing, saving, and investing. Policymakers and Financial Service Providers (FSPs) are keen to leverage DFS to advance financial inclusion, particularly for women from Low-Income Households (LIHs).
Our response to the RBI’s Draft framework for recognising Self-Regulatory Organisations (SRO) for FinTech Sector
Our response covers two themes:
Leading from a customer protection perspective, our comments emphasise the need for the prospective SRO to have duties towards the customers, at par with responsibilities towards the regulator.
Insuring Low-Income Households- Why disclosure matters
In this deck, we discuss some factors influencing life insurance take-up, the problem with endowment life insurance for the low-income segment, and how better disclosures could be the first step in helping households choose the right insurance product for them.
