How can visual design replace complex contractual and service related term in digital financial products and transactions?   In-depth interviews with respondents affected by financial frauds in Rajasthan and Gujarat revealed the gaps in understanding of terms and conditions common to financial agreements. Through qualitative analysis of data, the study developed suggestions for graphical grammar… Continue reading Exploring a New Paradigm for Contracts

How can credit assessment of thin-file micro and small enterprises be done with confidence?   A survey of 400+ micro and small enterprises was conducted in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi NCR. Analysis of data revealed a typology and a model for credit assessment of MSMEs.  

First level analysis to track changes and advances in households’ financial inclusion between 2016-2022

How mutuals, cooperatives and community-based (MCCOs) insurance can be scaled up to improve the Bharat customer’s access to insurance?   Extensive study of 19 mutual and cooperative insurers in India contributed to an understanding of the current gaps in mutual insurance and identification of future opportunities. The study concluded with sharply defining four use cases… Continue reading Scaling Up Community-based Insurance Models in India

What can be the promising use cases of open banking in India?   A thorough sampling frame constructed to identify metro/non-metro cities and towns across north, south, east and west regions. Survey data collected of 160+ individuals from each region and analysed to understand the customers’ perception of open banking.  

How can we design financial education in a way that makes it easier for people to detect hidden product features?   This study conducted a randomized control trial with 3200 urban poor households across four regions in Delhi. The intervention was a video and an information sheet delivered in person to the households. Findings clarified… Continue reading Unshrouding Product-Specific Attributes Through Financial Education

In-depth case studies of three startups with different models of farmers’ market access. Data on cropping output, yields, and financial health of farmers, associated with each of the three startups, were collected over two cropping cycles. Interviews with respective founders and their teams were done to draw conclusions.    

Survey data of 2000 farmers associated with 50 FPOs in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were analyzed using advanced machine learning algorithms.   Regression Tree and Random Forest algorithms were applied to identify variables that predict ‘farmer embeddedness’ in an FPO.         

Cross sectional analysis, data modelling and estimation done over the Social Economic Profile of Rural India (SEPRI; 2016) database of over 93,000 rural households from 192 villages across 13 states in India.  

How do Medium and Small Medium Enterprise (MSME) clusters grow in India?   This study includes extensive case studies of five prominent industrial clusters – Trichy, Tirupur, Coimbatore, Sivakasi and Chennai. Applying systems analysis, it draws patterns of change and growth in each cluster.   The study surfaces system level insights that may be useful… Continue reading MSME clusters as systems

In what ways can a platform where gig workers own their data with split-incentives to share non-rival data (transactional data) result in their improved physical, social and financial wellbeing?   An extensive survey of over 4000 gig workers engaged with platforms across tier 1, 2, 3 cities and towns (including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kochi, Calcutta, Guwahati,… Continue reading Data Ownership and the Gig Worker in the Gig Economy