Microfinance in India
Microfinance in India provides an informative and holistic status of microfinance in the country and suggests a road map for the future. A valuable source of information for policy makers, Finance and Management students, and professionals alike, it is a collection of essays by experts from diverse backgrounds on topical themes that capture the complexities of the continuously evolving microfinance sector in India. It covers major microfinance delivery models in an unbiased manner through well-researched articles. The book provides an overview on microfinance institutions and measures that help promote the same. Among other things, it reflects upon the challenges faced by the dominant credit delivery model, i.e., SHG-Bank Linkage Programme and issues related to the emerging microfinance institutions (MFIs). It also dwells upon innovations in the microfinance sector and the efforts being made to evolve new models such as SHG Federations.
Indian Microfinance
This is the first comprehensive account of various components of the Indian microfinance sector, the largest in the world. After reviewing the main challenges facing the sector, it analyses the progress of the two main delivery models, issues relating to the emerging microfinance services of micro-insurance and money transfers, ongoing efforts in training and capacity building, opportunities facing commercial financers such as bankers and social venture capitalists, the remaining need for development financing, and ongoing research in the sector. The main challenge facing the sector is identified as the need to enhance borrower, public and regulatory support and understanding, by increasing transparency in dealings with borrowers, and by 'educating' the public on why microfinance interest rates have to higher than bank lending rates if microfinance institutions are to recover costs and attain viability. Failures in both these areas led to a highly publicized attack in 2006 on the sector by the state government of Andhra Pradesh. While the sector weathered the storm, it needs to take serious note of the lessons, which are analysed in a separate chapter. The book will be of interest to various players in the sector including practitioners, bankers, insurance companies, venture capitalists, regulators, donors and academics. Given heightened interest in the sector with the Nobel prize awarded to Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank, it will be of even greater interest than before to the intelligent layman and the development community generally.
Microfinance in India
In recent years, microfinance in India has emerged as the most suitable and practical alternative to conventional banking in reaching the poor population. Microfinance enables poor people to be thrifty and helps them in availing themselves of the credit and other financial services for improving their income and living standards. The Self-help Group (SHG) Bank Linkage Program was formally launched in 1992 as a flagship program that envisages the organization of the rural poor into SHGs for building their capacities to manage their own finances and then negotiate bank credit on commercial terms. The poor are encouraged to voluntarily come together to save small amounts regularly and extend micro loans among themselves. Once the group attains required maturity in handling larger resources, the bank credit follows. This book explains the concepts associated with microfinance, traces its progress and performance, and examines the role of India's government agencies in its promotion. It also highlights the role of microfinance in the economic empowerment of women and as a tool of financial inclusion.
Microfinance India
Microfinance India: State of the Sector Report 2010 presents the growth of the microfinance sector in India in its entirety. It offers in-depth, well-researched and well-analyzed evidence on how the sector has made an impact at various levels of the economy and society. The report provides most recent statistical data relating to the sector's growth and expansion across models. It highlights perspectives on current issues and documents new interest, new investments and innovations in the sector. The report collects information from authoritative sources, studies and reports on the sector and field studies on specific developments of interest. Included in the report are: a comparison of the performance of SHG and MFI models, Microfinance Penetration Indices that compare client outreach across states and discussions on innovations and novel experiments in the sector and themes of topical relevance. It also identifies knowledge and practice gaps that require further research and study. The best reference book on the annual trends and progress of the Indian microfinance sector, the report is a must for every microfinance practitioner.
Microfinance India
Microfinance India is a part of a series of annual reports on the microfinance sector in India which seeks to document developments, clarify issues, publicize studies, stimulate research, identify policy choices, generate understanding and enhance support for the sector. It is a comprehensive one-stop document that provides the latest data and a holistic view of the sector, combines analysis and description and integrates a variety of topics previously treated separately. The book highlights recent developments in Self Help Groups (SHGs) and SHG Bank Linkage Programs (SBLPs), and focuses on microfinance with regard to the investment scenario in India. It also deals with the burgeoning field of urban microfinance, developments in micro-insurance, and the impact of new technologies on the microfinance sector. Additionally, it recognizes the high demands which the state makes on microfinance institutions and discusses the need and relevance of new policy regulations. Complementing these analyses, statistical annexes provide essential data on the sector, strengthening its utility as a reference document. It contains extensive original material, and yet draws widely on the findings of other recent studies and reports, thereby emerging as a complete, detailed analysis of the status and the future of the microfinance sector in India.
