Over the last decade, financial inclusion — access to and use of formal financial services — of the underserved and excluded populations has become a priority goal of National Governments as well as International Organizations. Transaction accounts (such as bank account, mobile wallet, payment card, or similar electronic instruments) that allow individuals to store… Continue reading Digitizing Payments in India: Inducing Behavioral Change Through Peer Comparison
Image Credit: Shutterstock Self Help Groups (SHGs) are the foundation of Indian microfinance, and are a particularly Indian concept. They are different from the Joint Liability Groups (JLGs) through which Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) provide loan funds to women. SHGs encourage savings, opening of bank accounts, inter-loaning among members, and most importantly, members of SHGs… Continue reading Supporting Women Self-Help Group Federations
The use of technology (and mobile phone/smartphone based solutions in particular) is widely seen as a solution to overcome the information asymmetries that persist in agriculture in India, especially among small and marginal farmers. Given the constraints faced by government and practitioners in traditional extension services, technology based solutions are likely to be… Continue reading Beyond Product Design – Digital Financial Services in the Farmer Segment
Photo by Deepak Sudhakaran on Shutterstock. Ramdas is a middle aged man and a third generation potter living in the country side of Bihar (an Indian State) with his wife and two children. Advent of Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY, Financial Inclusion initiative by Govt. of India) has opened up a bank account for… Continue reading Will Ramdas go to a Bank?
Abstract: The case narrates the experiences of a fresh MBA graduate, Ryan, from a top business school in India. After graduating, he joined his traditional family business with the aim to transform it, accelerate growth and start a new business line. Ryan starts several initiatives over one year but his efforts are met with failure.… Continue reading Ryan’s Dilemma: Driving changes for the family business in India
“It seemed to him that in [urban slums], fortunes derived not just from what people did, or how well they did it, but from the accidents and catastrophes they dodged. A decent life was the train that hadn’t hit you, the slumlord you hadn’t offended, the malaria you hadn’t caught.” ― Katherine Boo, Behind the Beautiful… Continue reading Decoding Financial Lives of Urban Poor
Full disclosure- I’m a lawyer. And just like most other professional pursuits, being a lawyer affects the way you think and the manner in which you perceive the world. But this field also makes you cognizant of the way in which the world perceives you and your industry. The legal world has… Continue reading A New Paradigm for Contracts
This discussion paper “Innovation and Intellectual Property in India’s ICT Sector” consolidates and provides a perspective on the key insights from a roundtable discussion held on 9th of March, 2018 at Ahmedabad. Representatives of several stakeholders critical for innovation in a globalising economy – government, industry, industry associations, academia, legal fraternity and bilateral organisations –… Continue reading Innovation and intellectual property in India’s ICT sector
The Bharat Inclusion Team and Research Fellows. In his work, that has long become the material of common wisdom, the Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter identified an entrepreneur as an agent of change. Schumpeter characterized the entrepreneur as the force required to drive economic progress, as the proactive carrier of transformation in economies that are… Continue reading When Fellows Talk Inclusion
This report is structured as a funnel, with each section being more focused and pointed than the immediately preceding one. It presents an overview, current investment and funding landscape, and a guide for investors and funders for A2E and SM separately. It also outlines the current funding and investment scenario in both the sectors and… Continue reading Access to energy and sustainable mobility: Landscaping funding and investments in India
Digitizing medical prescriptions and ensuring data ownership rests with the patient could open up a large market spanning healthcare decision support, wellness and insurance industries in India. There is an opportunity for entrepreneurs to use IndiaStack to activate this market. According to data from Medical Council of India, there are close to 8,00,000… Continue reading Use Case: Digitizing Prescriptions using IndiaStack
Photo: Hemant Mishra/Mint Vidyaviniyogadvikasah, meaning “development through the application of knowledge,” is the motto of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA). This motto has served as an apt rudder throughout the course of its history, as the institute, alumni, staff and faculty played change-makers to address the various developmental needs of India. The… Continue reading Now is the best time to create solutions for Bharat