Coverage
Microfinance
The De-Risking Blueprint: What Manoj Pasangha’s Elevation Means for Asirvad and Microfinance
The formal elevation of G D Manoj Pasangha as Managing Director & CEO of Asirvad Micro Finance Limited, following Reserve Bank of India (RBI) clearance, marks the completion of a pivotal leadership transition at one of India’s largest NBFC-MFIs.
CreditAccess Grameen Signs $175M Syndicated Social Loan Led by Standard Chartered and DBS Bank; 5-Year Offshore Raises Hit $640M
India’s largest non-banking financial company–microfinance institution (NBFC-MFI), CreditAccess Grameen Limited, has signed an agreement to mobilise $175 million (~₹1,458 crore) through a syndicated social loan facility from a consortium of 10 international lenders.
Changing of the Guard: Bandhan Bank CFO Rajeev Mantri Steps Down, Vinay Jain Takes Helm as Interim Financial Chief
As the Kolkata-based private lender continues its multi-year diversification beyond microfinance, Rajeev Mantri concludes his tenure while seasoned banking veteran Vinay Jain assumes interim financial stewardship through March 2027.
ESAF Small Finance Bank Board Approves ₹500 Cr Tier-II NCD Issue Following ₹80 Cr Q1 Turnaround
After slashing unsecured microfinance concentration from 69% to 38% and securing a ratings outlook upgrade to Stable, the lender fortifies its capital base without diluting equity.
Bandhan Bank’s Credit-Card Bet: Timely Strategic Pivot or High-Risk Detour?
Bandhan Bank's stock jumped 4.5% following its four-tier credit card rollout with Mastercard. While the move accelerates diversification away from microfinance, fierce oligopoly competition and unsecured credit costs loom large.
Manmohan Shetty’s CFO Appointment Signals for the Maturation of Small Finance Banks
In 2009, a grassroots microfinance venture started lending 15,000-rupee credit pools across the lanes of Varanasi. Today, that same institution is hiring a Barclays veteran to run its balance sheet.
Svatantra Microfin: 88% of the book is microfinance as it files for a ₹3,000 crore IPO
India's second-largest NBFC-MFI filed its DRHP on 13 August with microfinance still 88.56% of a ₹23,818 crore book — the same concentration that saw two small finance banks turned back from universal licences.
Fusion Finance Aims to Cut Microfinance Share From 88% to 70% by FY29
When a specialized microfinance lender deliberately cuts its core MFI portfolio share from 88% to 70%, credit risk defense takes priority over monoline growth.
CreditAccess Grameen profit jumps 7x to ₹493 Cr in Q1 FY27 as credit costs collapse
Credit costs fell 62.8% YoY as India's largest specialised microfinance lender posted ₹493 crore net profit, up from ₹60.2 crore a year earlier, signalling asset quality normalization after two years of stress.
ESAF Small Finance Bank crosses ₹50,000 Cr business, eyes repeat in half the time
The Kerala-based lender's MARG strategy has pushed secured assets past 60% of its loan book, marking a deliberate pivot away from microfinance.
Ujjivan SFB's secured book crosses 50% of advances for the first time
Secured loans grew 43% YoY to ₹21,638 crore in Q1 FY27, marking a structural shift away from Ujjivan's microfinance-only roots.
Eleven pumps ₹216 Cr more into NBFC arm, pivots from MFI to MSME lending
The conglomerate's total investment in its financial services arm now stands at ₹470 crore, marking a strategic shift away from pure microfinance toward diversified MSME lending.
Suryoday SFB board approves ₹500 Cr raise to fund pivot away from microfinance
The ₹300 Cr equity, ₹200 Cr debt fundraise is aimed at building capital adequacy for a shift into secured retail lending as RBI tightens scrutiny on unsecured loans.
How Bandhan Bank became India's first microfinance-to-universal bank in 14 years
Chandra Shekhar Ghosh left a ₹5,000/month salary to build a microfinance institution on trust. The RBI's 2015 universal banking licence made Bandhan the first MFI to cross that bridge.
Karur Vysya Bank pivots to growth after decade of balance-sheet cleanup
The mid-sized private lender is expanding into corporate lending, affordable housing, credit cards, and microfinance partnerships to lift yields after years of de-risking.
IDFC FIRST Bank writes back microfinance provisions after CGFMU insurance payout
The bank's early adoption of the Credit Guarantee Fund for Micro Units scheme triggered a full provision reversal, bolstering bottom-line profits and freeing capital for retail lending.
Utkarsh Small Finance Bank sells ₹1,491 Cr in NPAs for ₹195 Cr recovery
The lender offloaded stressed assets to ARCs at an 87% haircut, a move mirroring sector-wide balance sheet cleanup as microfinance stress persists.
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