India sees sharp expansion in retail, MSME credit access since 2021

Retail bureau coverage rose 1.7 times to 78.9 crore borrowers by 2026, while active MSME borrowers more than doubled to 1.9 crore over the five-year period

India has seen a sharp expansion in access to credit over the past five years, with both retail and MSME segments recording significant growth in bureau coverage and active borrowers. In retail, the bureau footprint rose 1.7 times to 78.9 crore borrowers in 2026 from 45.5 crore in 2021, while active borrowers increased 1.7 times to 58.2 crore from 34.2 crore. Credit access among MSMEs has expanded even faster. The bureau footprint nearly doubled to 3.9 crore from 2 crore, while the number of active borrowers more than doubled to 1.9 crore from 0.9 crore during the period. The number of MSMEs also increased to 7.9 crore from 6.3 crore, indicating a broadening of the formal credit ecosystem.