How do lenders decide wh͏om to trust in a m͏arket a͏s dynam͏ic ͏and complex͏ as I͏ndia’s?͏ The answ͏er l͏ies in data͏—more precisely, in commercia͏l cr͏ed͏it bureau reports.  These reports, prov͏ided by reputable͏ agen͏cies like CIBIL, CRIF͏ High ͏Mark, Experian, and...

In India’s rapidly digitising financial ecosystem, the risk of fraud has grown significantly.  A PWC report pointed out that nearly 59% of Indian organisations had been defrauded over the previous 24 months. For financial institutions, early fraud identification is not...

Economic offences like money laundering, shell companies, and tax evasion have escalated in India. In the first half of FY24, bank fraud cases rose to 18,461, with reported losses jumping eightfold to ₹21,367 crore.  These financial crimes undermine public trust...

Money laundering is clearly one of the biggest threats to India’s financial and economic stability. It is primarily carried out to evade taxes, finance illegal and criminal activities, and conduct illicit trade. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) revealed that it registered...

According to the president of ICAI, Mr. Ranjeet Agarwal, India's chartered accountants issue around 1.5 crore income tax filing certifications annually. Tax professionals spend 25 hours weekly on compliance and handle 400-500 complaints yearly, which underscores their crucial role in...

Access to credit is a critical driver of economic growth, yet not all sectors receive adequate funding. As of 2024, the total ba͏nk credit in͏ India s͏to͏od at over ₹150 ͏lakh͏ crore, yet͏ a signif͏ic͏ant portio͏n ͏of key͏ sectors like...

A thorough evaluation of the applicant's credit health is integral to the lending process. Lenders use multiple tools to assess an applicant's creditworthiness, with bank statement analysis being one of the most crucial. While the Indian banking sector has seen...

Credit scoring models are the backbone of the lending ecosystem, enabling lenders, including financial institutions, to evaluate the risk involved while approving loans for every applicant. Traditionally, statistical and linear programming models, often considered the gold standard of credit scoring,...

India’s lending landscape has evolved rapidly in the last decade, driven by the onset of non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and Fintech startups and the insurgence of advanced technologies in different areas of the lending cycle. Between 2005 and 2020, the...

By reducing risk weights on lending to microfinance institutions (MFIs) and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has indicated a major policy shift. Intended to boost lending availability and, thus, economic growth, this step now modifies...