NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Friday, September 16, 2016

After years of subdued growth, the Indian microfinance (MFI) industry expanded more than 60% to Rs54,329 crore in 2015-16 compared to the previous year, according to a report prepared by Sa-Dhan, the self regulatory organisation of MFIs.

The MFI client base expanded by 2.8 million in the year, taking the total number of clients to 39.9 million, said the report. This growth was despite the fact that Bandhan, which was the largest MFI, moved out of the space to become a full fledged bank.

The top 10 MFIs classified as non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) accounted for about 80% of the total gross loan value, the report said. They include Janalakshmi Financial Services Ltd, Ujjivan Financial Services Ltd and SKS Microfinance Ltd.

“Attaining over 28 lakh clients is no mean feat. This goes on to show that the microfinance industry, having reached its inflection point, is growing steadfastly,” P. Sathish, executive director of Sa-Dhan, said.