Financial Inclusion

NSFI 2025-2030 was categorical that a fair and reasonable remuneration structure for BC agents is a must to ensure quality and consistency in the delivery of financial services at the last mile

Good policy lies in balancing competing priorities, from affordability and innovation to inclusion and protection, while ensuring growth, accountability and long-term sustainability

Bandhan Group founder Chandra Shekhar Ghosh discusses microcredit, women entrepreneurs and digital lending, stressing relationship-based lending and expansion into insurance and technology

Reserve Bank's FI-Index, which captures the extent of financial inclusion in the country, rose 4.48 per cent during the year ending March 2026, the central bank said on Thursday. The Reserve Bank of India had constructed a composite Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index) in consultation with concerned stakeholders, including the government. The annual index was first published in August 2021 for the fiscal year ending March 2021. "Index for the year ending March 2026 has since been compiled. The value of FI-Index for March 2026 stands at 70.0 vis-a-vis 67.0 in March 2025, with growth witnessed across all sub-indices," the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said. The improvement in the FI-Index this year is mainly on account of an uptick in usage, reflecting the deepening of financial inclusion, it added. The FI-Index has been conceptualised as a comprehensive index incorporating details of banking, investments, insurance, postal, as well as the pension sector, in consultation with the ...

For savings, the risk of default or malfeasance is borne by the vulnerable customer and, therefore, the regulator is cautious in allowing any latitude in experiments with savings products

India should shift its financial inclusion agenda from expanding access to improving household financial health, as wider account ownership alone has not improved resilience, says a report

The rising proportion of citizens interacting across the financial landscape also bears witness to growing financial inclusion

The revised framework formalises block-level credit planning, strengthens Lead District Manager offices and sharpens accountability across banking committees

BCRC says forcing already certified business correspondents to take advanced IIBF certification may trigger exits as RBI's new rule takes effect on July 1, 2026

Despite UPI's rise, growing cash circulation and evolving consumer habits ensure ATMs remain integral to India's payment ecosystem

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the PM SVANidhi scheme supporting street vendors has transformed the lives of countless hawkers by ensuring access to collateral-free credit, financial inclusion and new opportunities for growth. On the completion of six years of the scheme, he also said that PM SVANidhi is all about trust, dignity and empowerment. "Today we mark #6YearsofPMSVANidhi, a scheme which has transformed the lives of countless street vendors by ensuring access to collateral-free credit, financial inclusion and new opportunities for growth. This scheme is all about trust, dignity and empowerment. My best wishes to all beneficiaries whose determination and enterprise continue to strengthen our nation's economy," Modi said in a post on X. The Prime Minister Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) is a central sector scheme supporting street vendors through affordable working capital, financial inclusion and social protection measures. The PM SVANidhi was ..

SVAMITVA scheme is boosting rural credit access, with property cards enabling households to use land as collateral and increasing sanctioned loan amounts by 23%

Inclusion succeeds when financial services are used regularly with confidence

Professor S Mahendra Dev, chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM)

The Centre is exploring AI-based credit scoring and UPI-linked credit lines to widen access to formal finance for women, first-time borrowers and vulnerable communities

RBI's Financial Inclusion Index needs greater transparency, granular data and a shift towards usage, quality and household financial well-being, says Indicus Foundation CEO Sumita Kale in an interview

The Finance Ministry said its three-month financial inclusion drive has opened 6.1 million Jan Dhan accounts, 26 million social security enrolments and updated crores of inactive accounts

PM Modi on Thursday said in his post on "X": "When the last mile is financially connected, the entire nation moves forward together

The number of accounts alone doesn't tell the real story: 66.75% are in rural and semi-urban India, and 55.70% belong to women

Growth was witnessed across all sub-indices-access, usage, and quality-indicating continued progress in financial inclusion in India