Microfinance stress not alarming, says RBI deputy governor Swaminathan
2 weeks, 4 days ago

Microfinance stress not alarming, says RBI deputy governor Swaminathan

Live Mint  

The Reserve Bank of India believes that the stress in microfinance loans is not alarming, deputy governor Swaminathan J said on Friday, even as data showed rising repayment delays by borrowers. At the end of June, 2.5 million microfinance borrowers had loans from five or more lenders each, up 17.2% from the same period last year, showed data from credit bureau Crif High Mark. The stress in micro loans comes nearly three years after the regulator removed pricing caps from microfinance institution loans, instead relying on these lenders to have policies that are approved by their boards. In March 2022, RBI said banks, non-banks and micro lenders must have a policy on pricing of microfinance loans.

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History of this topic

Microfinance self-regulator expects stress to stabilize by January
4 weeks ago

Microfinance self-regulator expects stress to stabilize by January

Live Mint  

Mumbai: Microfinance Institutions Network, the self-regulatory organization for the sector, expects the current bad loan stress that microlenders face to stabilize by January next year with new rules in place. The sector’s self-regulatory organization made key changes including reducing the number of lenders to a borrower to 3 from 4 earlier, and capping the maximum indebtedness of a borrower at …

Microlenders wake up to hangover after credit party
4 weeks ago

Microlenders wake up to hangover after credit party

Live Mint  

Mumbai/Bengaluru: Microlenders that splashed out money to indebted individuals are now struggling to get it back, raising concerns that payment delays could show up on balance sheets soon. Leading microfinance companies including CreditAccess Grameen, Fusion Finance and Equitas Small Finance Bank have warned that many of their customers may be over-leveraged, after discovering that some have four or more active …

Microfinance meltdown: Five stocks that could come out on top
1 month ago

Microfinance meltdown: Five stocks that could come out on top

Live Mint  

The microfinance sector is facing a severe downturn, with every small finance bank and non-banking finance company involved in microlending seeing declines of 30-50%. Equitas Small Finance Bank estimates that around 50% of loans overdue by 90 days eventually become NPAs, though this figure varies across lenders. Equitas Small Finance Bank, Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, CreditAccess Grameen Ltd, and Arman …

Microfinance risk: Small loans can spell big trouble for Indian banks
1 month, 1 week ago

Microfinance risk: Small loans can spell big trouble for Indian banks

Live Mint  

Once bitten twice shy" goes the old adage. Driven perhaps by the lack of credit demand from corporates, a boom in retail credit, an eagerness to bridge the last- mile gap in credit delivery and pressure to achieve priority-sector lending targets, banks seem to have lowered their guard and gone overboard in extending such loans. To its credit, the Reserve …

Private Banks Brace for Credit Card and Loan Stress in Q2
2 months ago

Private Banks Brace for Credit Card and Loan Stress in Q2

Live Mint  

Private banks continue to see stress in small-ticket advances, with all lenders barring HDFC Bank reporting a spike in bad loans. Axis Bank's gross slippages jumped 36% year-on-year to ₹4,443 crore, led by unsecured loans. Kotak Mahindra Bank's slippages were up 42% year-on-year, with a significant rise in bad loans in the credit card and microfinance portfolios.

Let’s not conflate microfinance with self-help-group financing
1 year, 3 months ago

Let’s not conflate microfinance with self-help-group financing

Live Mint  

The microfinance industry has witnessed moves by the Reserve Bank of India to revise the regulatory framework for it and also caution it against an exclusive focus on business growth. Thus, it wasn’t surprising for us to see the CEO of Sa-Dhan write an op-ed in April 2023 that spoke of some hurdles faced by microfinance institutions in their search …

Microfinance portfolio grows 21% in FY23, shows Sa-Dhan data
1 year, 6 months ago

Microfinance portfolio grows 21% in FY23, shows Sa-Dhan data

Live Mint  

India’s microfinance sector has recorded an overall portfolio growth of 21% during 2022-23, as per data from industry body Sa-Dhan. Except for banks, all other institutions recorded double-digit growth, with non-banking financial companies recording a 49% growth and NBFC MFIs growing 37%. According to Jiji Mammen, executive director and chief executive of Sa-Dhan, the microfinance sector has shown significant performance …

Microfinance lenders go for secured loans to diversify risk
2 years ago

Microfinance lenders go for secured loans to diversify risk

Live Mint  

A clutch of microfinanciers is venturing into secured asset classes such as mortgages and gold loans to diversify their portfolio and balance the risk of unsecured microlending with loans that require collateral. The strategy change took shape after a Reserve Bank of India circular in March allowed microfinance institutions to lend 25% of their total assets in non-microfinance loans. Mid-caps, …

MFIs should balance social goals with growth: RBI Deputy Governor M Rajeshwar Rao
3 years, 1 month ago

MFIs should balance social goals with growth: RBI Deputy Governor M Rajeshwar Rao

Deccan Chronicle  

Mumbai: Reserve Bank of India deputy governor M. Rajeshwar Rao on Wednesday said lenders in the microfinance sector while chasing higher loan growth and returns, should refrain from adverse actions such as over-indebtedness, harsh recovery practices and harassment of customers, which would undo the tremendous progress achieved by the sector in financial inclusion over the decades. “The roots and origin …

RBI microfinance proposals that are anti-poor
3 years, 2 months ago

RBI microfinance proposals that are anti-poor

The Hindu  

In June 2021, the Reserve Bank of India published a “ Consultative Document on Regulation of Microfinance ”. The recommendations The consultative document recommends that the current ceiling on rate of interest charged by non-banking finance company-microfinance institutions or regulated private microfinance companies needs to be done away with, as it is biased against one lender among the many. Not …

MFIs may get to set interest rates
3 years, 6 months ago

MFIs may get to set interest rates

Hindustan Times  

Microfinance institutions may get freedom to set interest rates guided by a board-approved policy, under a Reserve Bank of India proposal to review the regulatory framework governing them. The proposal, if implemented, will end the existing regulatory cap on MFI interest rates. However, while doing so, they should ensure usurious interest rates are not charged,” The RBI said in its …

Central bank to review rules as Assam eyes curbs on MFI ops
3 years, 10 months ago

Central bank to review rules as Assam eyes curbs on MFI ops

Live Mint  

The Reserve Bank of India’s decision to look at a uniform regulatory framework for all microfinance lenders, though being discussed for more than five years now, has been brought into focus by an Assam government bill to regulate microlenders in the state, experts said. Uniformity in rules has been sought since Bandhan Financial Services turned into a bank in 2015 …

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