Rural Banking

Rural enterprises can build resilience with five Cs, says Rohit Kansal

An IIM study shows monthly incomes of 'lakhpati didi' households rose by 61 per cent in the past year, says Amit Shukla, joint secretary in the rural development ministry.

Micro lenders must map climate risk in underwriting, says report

Bharat Microfinance Report 2026 flags rising climate risks to rural credit as NABARD warns of potential rabi crop stress following a deficient monsoon and urges better underwriting

Learning from self-help groups: Making small savings work for the poor

Policymakers may look at experimenting with a lower interest rate (thereby costs) for small retail repetitive savings in order to encourage the poor to save

FinMin asks Nabard to study impact of RRB amalgamation during FY28

Finance Ministry asks NABARD to study RRB mergers' impact as viability reforms, IPO plans and tech integration aim to boost sustainability, inclusion and rural credit growth

BS Samriddhi: 'Uttar Pradesh has turned into a vibrant startup hub'

Indian Bank's Sudhir Kumar Gupta outlines how credit, fintech partnerships and startup funding can help Uttar Pradesh move towards a $1 trillion economy

Finance Ministry asks three RRBs to give IPO blueprint by March-end

The DFS on Tuesday convened a meeting to review the IPO plans of three regional rural banks-Haryana Gramin Bank, Kerala Gramin Bank and Tamil Nadu Grama Bank

50 years of RRBs: A story of reform and transformation in rural India

After consolidation, creating a national rural bank holding company, an apex body to oversee governance, capital support, and technology integration across RRBs can be considered

Credit divide: Gaps exist in rural finance access despite progress

According to the Reserve Bank of India's Annual Report for 2024-25, there has been a significant increase in the number of banking outlets in rural areas over the past decade

RRBs' IT integration likely to be completed by Sep 15: Nabard chairman

NABARD Chairman Shaji KV said on Monday IT integration of recently amalgamated Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) on the principles of 'One State One RRB' is expected to be completed by September 30. The amalgamation of RRBs on the principles of 'One State One RRB' became effective from May 1. This was aimed at improving scale efficiency and cost rationalisation. With this, now, there are 28 RRBs in 26 states and 2 UTs with more than 22,000 branches covering 700 districts. Speaking at a CII event, Shaji said that as of May 1, integration of all the RRBs at the state level has been done, and by September, the IT integration of RRBs is expected to be completed. The chairman said that NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) is working on building a common digital infrastructure with RRBs. They are rolling out credit infrastructure and government data systems to reach rural populations. However, challenges like low internet bandwidth and awareness exist, but efforts ar

After consolidation, regional rural banks are helping India's growth story

Lenders play a significant role in assimilating the financially weaker sections of the society

Centre plans to list at least five regional rural banks by FY27-end

Post the latest amalgamation effective May 1, there are 28 RRBs in 26 states and 2 UTs with more than 22,000 branches covering 700 districts

PM Modi launches 6-day Grameen Bharat Mahotsav, unveils rural India vision

At the inauguration, PM Modi interacted with artisans and was felicitated by Nabard Chairperson Shaji KV

Old lending practices a constraint in catering to agri sector: RBI dy guv

He highlighted that institutional credit to agriculture reached an all-time high of Rs 25.10 trillion during FY24

Finance ministry plans 'One State, One RRB' policy to boost efficiency

RRBs reported their highest-ever consolidated net profit of Rs 7,571 crore for FY24, with a gross non-performing assets (GNPA) ratio of 6.1 per cent - lowest in 10 years

China asks rural banks to limit MF investments amid regulatory push: Report

Last week, China's interbank watchdog said it would investigate four rural commercial banks for suspected bond market manipulation

Why Indian banks need to be extra nice to their less tech-savvy customers

Out of 820 million active internet users last year, 370 million used the web for digital banking

RBI monetary policy review: Bulk deposits limit for banks may be raised

The limit for bulk deposits was increased in 2019 for SCBs and SFBs as "single rupee term deposits of Rs 2 crore and above" from Rs 1 crore

Banking channel for financial inclusion feels left out as scrutiny rises

Business correspondent firms' revenues are under stress as banks get tough with them to meet targets

'Balance batao', 'digital didi': Fintech transforming financial inclusion

From the government's coffers, Rs 5,000 for opening an account for a child born into a poor family will be yet another milestone for financial inclusion, after PMJDY

Nabard withdraws Rs 5,000 cr bond issue over high yield bids for coupon

The issuer received bids in the range of 7.85-7.87 per cent, according to market participants