Reliance, Bharti set to storm Microfinance

RELIANCE Retail and Bharti, which has joined hands with Wal-Mart, could storm the micro-credit space as they look to establish rural supply chain linkages to service their mega retail forays.

Read the full article here from Economic Times

Financial Inclusiveness

• Does India’s mainstream banking industry have the capacity, to address the issue of financial inclusiveness?
• Does para-banking (microcredit, self-help groups) increase the cost of providing credit to under-banked groups?
• Can access to cheap credit be widened by marshalling the traditional social order like the moneylenders, or would it undermine the cause?

Click here to read the views of Nachiket Mor, Mahpara Ali & Vikram Akula from Economic Times

Microfinance Bill leaves out MFIs

Excluding MFIs from the ambit of microfinance bill is an anomaly, says Vijay Mahajan, CEO, Basix………

THE MFI STORY

Total MFIs : 800

Total loan outstanding (2005) : Rs 1,100 crore

Projected loan by 2010 : Rs 12,800 crore

Source: Sa-dhan Study

Read the article from Business Standard

Retail to touch $45 bn mark by 2010

An Article from Andhra cafe on Indian Retail Industry “Organised retail to touch $45 bn mark by 2010“.

“the Indian organised retail sector accounted for business worth $12.4 billion in the calendar year 2006. It is projected to grow at the rate of 37 percent in 2007 and 42 percent in 2008.“

Ad Revenues Surge 23%

Business Standard carries an article entitled “Radio hogs limelight as ad revenues surge 23 per cent“.

“The total national advertising revenues grew a robust 23.4 per cent to Rs 16,300 crore in 2006 compared with Rs 13,200 crore in 2005.”