IDR Hindi
  • Languages ▼

    • microfinance

    A group of rural women, dressed in colorful traditional sarees, sit on the ground in a semi-circle, attentively listening to a woman in a blue saree speaking during a community meeting held outdoors in a village_microfinance India
    July 15, 2025
    Left for debt: Microfinance fractures families in Kushinagar’s villages
    In Uttar Pradesh, women from the Musahar community are often targeted for loans by microfinance companies. As debts grow, families are fleeing villages.
    by Durga | 3 min read
    a woman doing warli painting_digital financial institution
    August 18, 2023
    Making digital financial services work for women
    The credit gap faced by women entrepreneurs can be overcome through digital financial services, but only when lending is made gender-intentional.
    by Kalpana Ajayan | 5 min read
    The image features a group of men and women sitting in rows on the ground. They are of varying ages and are presumably in a village._Microfinance institutions
    July 11, 2023
    Other people’s debt: The downside of collateral-free group loans
    Microfinancing through group loans is supposed to ease financial access for community members. However, in rural Rajasthan, it is pushing them into a cycle of debt and social exclusion.
    by Neha Pandey | 2 min read
    man counting money_microfinance
    June 27, 2023
    Why India’s microfinance sector needs to prioritise innovation
    Despite being as big as the credit industry, factors such as technological constraints and regulatory barriers from RBI continue to hold the microfinance sector back.
    by Anup Kumar Singh, Rupika Singh, Giorgia Barboni | 4 min read
    A Warli painting depicting a village community-returnable grant
    August 4, 2022
    Returnable grants: Securing the financially vulnerable
    The returnable grant offers an interest-free solution that can help India's economically vulnerable withstand pandemic-induced financial shocks.
    by Noshir Dadrawala, Evans Rebello | 5 min read
    A stack of coins-savings low-income families
    August 12, 2021
    Three ways to promote savings among low-income families
    Despite the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana's success in increasing bank account registrations, many Indians still don’t trust banks with their savings. How can this change?
    by Palak Jain | 6 min read
    three women looking at a smartphone and smiling-
    August 10, 2021
    When women are celebrated, things change
    Chetna Gala Sinha of Mann Deshi talks about why we urgently need an ecosystem that provides access to capital, resources, and support for women micro-entrepreneurs.
    by Smarinita Shetty, Sharanya Menon | 8 min read
    The image shows a middle-aged man and woman sitting at a table outside a shop. There are garlands strung from the ceiling and there are baskets of rose petals placed on the table._Sarkari loan COVID-19
    June 9, 2021
    Public scheme, private risk
    A loan programme for small businesses during COVID-19 is being marketed as a government scheme but in reality, is being funded by lending institutions.
    by Bijal Brahmbhatt | 2 min read
    Jobs crisis in rural India
    October 17, 2019
    Are livelihoods nonprofits losing their relevance?
    With young India's needs being better served by the market today, nonprofits run the risk of being crowded out by social businesses.
    by Anish Kumar | 5 min read
    A woman with a financial accounts book Photo courtesy: Pixabay
    August 1, 2019
    The missing women in finance
    Women comprise a very small proportion of the financial industry workforce, and this has implications on the way female clients use and benefit from financial services.
    by Soumya Kapoor Mehta, Sonal Sharma, Renana Jhabvala | 5 min read
    Load More