The reduction in the number of loan accounts and the outstanding amount during the last financial year is a cause of concern and stress for microfinance institutions (MFI), Secretary, Department of Financial Services, M Nagaraju said on Thursday, highlighting "inefficiency" in MFIs that leads to higher rates of interest.
Activity in the corporate bond market is set to gain momentum following a 25-bp policy repo rate cut by the rate-setting panel of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). State-owned public cebPower Finance Corporation (PFC) and Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi) are planning to raise up to Rs 11,500 crore through bonds on Tuesday as issuers expect borrowing costs to ease.
Ahead of the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) monetary policy review in the first week of December, major public sector non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) - the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard), Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi), Power Finance Corporation (PFC), and Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) - plan to raise up to Rs 24,000 crore together through bond issuancesk.
Opening up the corner office is fine, but will the government be able to attract talent without giving a market-rate salary?, asks Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
'Market momentum and investor interest are at unprecedented levels, making this the opportune moment.'
Around 74 per cent rural households expect their incomes to increase in the next one year, according to a bimonthly survey conducted by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) in May 2025. The percentage recorded was 72 in March.
Fundraising by Indian companies through equity and debt reached an all-time high in the financial year 2024-25 (FY25), according to data collated by primedatabase.com. Fundraising through debt stood at Rs 11.1 trillion in FY25, including contributions from InvITs (infrastructure investment trusts) and REITs (real estate investment trusts).
The bank made a Rs 67 crore net profit, up 21% from the previous year. Its deposits grew 8%, the loan book 10%. Net bad loans dropped from 7.53% to 6.07%. So why was the banker, who headed the bank, not promoted?
The need for a manufacturing policy, reining in food inflation and raising investment in the country were among key suggestions given by economists who met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and senior ministry officials in the first round of pre-Budget consultations on Friday.
Corporate bond issuances fell by around 22 per cent in August, despite easing yields as issuers delayed raising funds awaiting the US Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates from this month. Corporates and financial institutions expect yields to fall further and borrowing costs to become cheaper, said market participants. The US Fed is widely expected to cut interest rates by 25 bps in the 17-18 September meeting, marking the start of a downward interest rate cycle.
A number of non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) have tapped into the debt capital market ahead of the festival season to meet increasing credit demand as bank funding slows. On Tuesday, Aptus Value Housing Finance secured Rs 300 crore at an interest rate of 8.75 per cent through bonds maturing in five years. ICICI Home Finance Company turned to the market to raise Rs 275 crore at 7.94 per cent, alongside another Rs 300 crore at 7.95 per cent, through bonds maturing in five and three years, respectively.
Commercial banks have turned cautious in lending to smaller microfinance institutions (MFIs), which has compelled the latter to borrow from non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) at much higher rates. Recently Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Deputy Governor M Rajeshwar Rao slammed micro lenders for increasing their margins "disproportionately" and said these lenders were quick to pass on the increased cost to the borrowers but reluctant to pass on the benefits under the new regime, where margins are not capped.
Social stock exchange (SSE) saw its first listing on Wednesday, with SGBS Unnati Foundation becoming the first entity to take this route to avail financing. The foundation - engaged in vocational training of youth - raised Rs 1.8 crore from four investors. These include brokerage firm Zerodha and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard).
Fundraising activity in the debt market is gaining momentum ahead of the festival season. Several non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) are planning to raise at least Rs 5,560 crore in the next two days by issuing bonds, with a greenshoe size of Rs 6,370 crore. Ajay Malglunia, managing director and head of investment grade group at JM Financial, said, "The market likes certainty, the market will gain clarity after the US Federal Reserve's (Fed's) policy.
Days after JP Morgan announced the inclusion of government bonds in its emerging market (EM) bond index, a host of banks and other financial institutions (FIs) are set to tap the debt market. They plan to raise Rs 18,000 crore by issuing non-convertible debentures (NCDs) and bonds. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) plans to raise up to Rs 3,000 crore via five-year social impact bonds on Tuesday, the first of its kind in India.
'The prime minister's comment on 'revdi culture' was welcome. But I am disappointed he did not follow up on that.' 'All political parties, including the BJP, have been guilty of this.' 'Now, Modi's guarantees, the Congress's 'nyay' path and both ruling and Opposition parties are vying with each other for freebies in my home state Andhra Pradesh.'
This will be done across five cities - Delhi, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Bhopal, and Shillong. Thereafter, it will be scaled up and launched in 100 cities over a period of six months, said a senior government official.
The government has released the draft Micro Financial Sector (Development and Regulation) Bill, 2011, which seeks to make it mandatory for all microfinance institutions to be registered with the Reserve Bank of India, making it the sector regulator.
The Union new and renewable energy ministry said Uttar Pradesh was progressing "very well" in off-grid solar energy space
The government plans to borrow Rs 4.17 lakh crore (Rs 4.17 trillion) from the market. Last year it had borrowed Rs 4.47 lakh crore (Rs 4.47 trillion).
The RBI Deputy Governor, V Leeladhar has joined the board of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.
The decision, taken at a Cabinet meeting, will help lenders provide farmers short-term crop loan at 7 per cent interest.
Want the Congress MP to stop the process of transfer of stake, divestment.
The scheme is in the lines of Nabard's self-help group bank linkage programme, which is recognised as one of the largest microfinance programmes in the country.
The finance ministry has called a meeting of the State-Level Bankers Committee in New Delhi on Tuesday, which will be attended by officials from scheduled commercial banks, regional rural banks, cooperatives, Reserve Bank of India, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, the Centre as well as states. The meeting will be presided over by financial services department secretary Arun Ramanathan.
According to NABARD, around 60% of India's population lacks access to financial institutions.
The total outstanding debt of farmers to banks in the country stood at Rs 5,90,728 crore on March 31, 2009, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Friday.
In a bid to augment its revenue, the postal department would soon commence life insurance business, Union Minister for IT and Telecom A Raja has said.
Intercontinental Exchange, which trades in energy derivatives, is in talks to buy ICICI Bank's holding in the National Commodities and Derivative Exchange.
Setting up dairy cooperatives modelled on Gujarat's 'Operation Flood' could ease agrarian distress and stop suicides by farmers in the region.
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development is launching a non-banking financial company targetting the microcredit space in the country.
A day after the Central Statistical Organisation projecting a sluggish agricultural growth this fiscal, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said on Friday the government will take all steps to ensure a four per cent expansion in the farm sector for next 10-20 years. "First charge on our resources is for agriculture, so that it grows at 4 per cent or more for next 10-20 years" Chidambaram said at a National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development function in New Delhi.
In order to offer a level playing field to co-operative banks, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) may allow them to use new products for raising funds from the debt market. The co-operative banks could come out with subordinate debt structures like tier-II bonds, tier-III bonds and upper tier-II or perpetual bonds to raise finance.
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, the apex financial institution for rural finance, will raise Rs 5,000 crore (Rs 50 billion) through capital gains bonds in financial year 2007-08.
The National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development is in the process of announcing a scheme for small and marginal farmers with an estimated fund of Rs 15,000 crore (Rs 150 billion).
The goverment has found serious irregularities in the functioning of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard), Finance Minister Jaswant Singh said in the Rajya Sabha Tuesday.
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