Kolkata, 2nd January 2025: The Association of Microfinance Institutions – West Bengal (AMFI-WB) will be organizing the 9th Edition of Eastern India Microfinance Summit 2025 in Association with M2i, Equifax, MFIN & Sa-Dhan. This year the theme of the Summit is Microfinance - On the path to $5 trillion Economy through Women Entrepreneurship & Financial Empowerment. The 9th Eastern India Microfinance Summit 2025 will be held on 10th of January 2025 from 9.00 AM onwards at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, HIDCO, New Town, Kolkata.
Microfinance is widely recognized as a powerful tool, contributing to and propelling towards achieving sustainable development goals. Its multifaceted roles encompass some of the key aspects instrumental in fostering sustainable development. Through financial inclusion, microfinance democratizes access to capital, empowering marginalized communities and amplifying economic participation. It contributes to poverty alleviation, offering avenues for entrepreneurship and job creation. Microfinance also champions gender equality by providing women with access to financial services. As a catalyst for change, microfinance intertwines financial empowerment with social empowerment, paving the way towards a more inclusive and sustainable future. This year's session is expected to be attended by the MFI practitioners, regulators and funders to discuss most pertinent issues facing the sector.
India’s ambitious goal to achieve a USD 5 trillion economy by 2027 places key emphasis on the contribution of its three broad sectors: services, manufacturing, and agriculture. Of the targeted GDP, the service sector is expected to contribute USD 3 trillion, while the manufacturing and agriculture sectors are projected to collectively contribute USD 2 trillion. Microfinance and other regulated financial entities are poised to play a crucial role in achieving this target by supporting the financial needs of these sectors, particularly manufacturing and agriculture with special focus on women as entrepreneurs.
The landscape of India's financial sector is rapidly evolving. Traditionally served by Banks, the financial system has seen the rise of innovative and alternative intermediaries, such as Microfinance institutions (MFIs), Fintech companies, Digital Service providers and a completely new set of innovative and efficient models and products. These organizations are enhancing the flow of credit, financial and other services, particularly to underserved segments of the population, contributing to growth across multiple sectors. The use of advanced technologies in digital financial services, Generative AI is transforming the way services are reached, financial transactions are processed and financial inclusion is achieved, significantly boosting the financial sector’s contribution to India's economic growth.
An interesting aspect of this financial evolution is the adoption of digital financial services by the base of the pyramid and underserved communities, including those in remote areas. By providing access to financial services, technology is fostering new livelihood opportunities, improving family incomes, social security and offering better access to essential services such as healthcare and education. Additionally, these developments are helping build resilience to climate risks and natural disasters, which are becoming more prevalent in India.
The 9th Eastern India Microfinance Summit in 2025, themed "Microfinance – On a Path to USD 5 Trillion Economy through Women Entrepreneurship and Financial Empowerment," presents a critical platform for practitioners across various sectors—Banking, Microfinance, Investors, Insurance, Fintech, and Health services—to come together. The summit will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to share insights and collaborate on strategies to contribute toward the overarching goal of building a USD 5 trillion economy, with a special focus on women’s entrepreneurship and financial empowerment as drivers of this transformation. Besides, will provide an opportunity to identify common opportunities for partnership.
Some of major eminent personalities, who would speak at the summit are:
1. Shri Ajit Kr. Maity, Chairperson, AMFI-WB and Chairman VFS Capital
2. Shri Avirup Sarkar, Chairman of the Fourth State Finance Commission of West Bengal, the
Chairman of West Bengal Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation, Vice Chairman
of West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation, a member of the West Bengal State
Planning Board and a past member of the Group of Advisors to the Union Finance Minister
on G20 matters.
3. Dr. Sudip Kumar Sinha, Secretary and Nodal Officer, IAS, Government of West Bengal
4. Shri Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, Founder, Bandhan Bank Ltd and and Founder Secretary,
AMFI-WB
5. Shri. Partha Pratim Sengupta, MD and CEO, Bandhan Bank Limited
6. Shri Aditya B. Chatterjee, MD & CEO, Equifax, Mumbai
7. Dr. Alok Mishra, CEO, MFIN.
8. Shri Jiji Mammen, Executive Director, Sa-Dhan
9. Shri K. Paul Thomas, MD and CEO, ESAF Small Finance Bank.
10. Ms. Carol Furtado, Executive Director, Ujjivan Small Finance Bank
11. Shri. H P Singh, MD & CEO, Satin Creditcare Network Limited
12. Shri George Jhon (Bobby), Executive Director, ESAF Small Finance Bank.
13. Shri. Sudatta Mandal, DMD, SIDBI, or, Shri. Prakash Kumar, DMD,SIDBI, or, Shri. Satyaki
Rastogi, CGM, SIDBI, or, Shri. S N Singh, CGM, SIDBI - Mumbai Office
14. Smt. Kalpana Sankar, MD, Belstar Microfinance
15. Shri K. B. Balakumaran, ED, Belstar
16. Shri. P K Bharadwaj, CGM, NABARD, Kolkata (Subject to Confirmation)
17. Smt. Deepmala Ghosh, GM, NABARD, Kolkata (Subject to Confirmation)
18. Smt. K S Jyotsna, CGM, RBI Mumbai or Regional Director RBI Kolkata or CGM RBI Kolkata or
DOS CGM Kolkata
19. Shri. Sadaaf Sayeed, MD, Muthoot Finance, New Delhi
20. Mr. Manoj Nambiar, MD, Arohan Financial Services Ltd.
21. Shri. Ganesh Narayanan, CEO, CAGL & Mr. Firoz Anam, Chief Risk Officer, CAGL
22. Shri Kartick Biswas, MD, Uttrayan Financial Services Pvt. Ltd. and Treasurer, AMFI-WB
23. Dr. Kuldip Maity, MD, VFS Capital Ltd and Secretary AMFI-WB
24. Shri Anjan Dasgupta, MD, ASAI
25. Shri Alok Biswas, MD Janakalyan Financial Services Pvt. Ltd. Or Shri Sunanda Mitra,
Chairman, Janakalyan Financial Services Pvt. Ltd.
26. Shri Abhijit Ray, MD, U.C Inclusive Credit, Bangalore
27. Shri. Pramod Kumar Vijayvargia, GM, SIDBI, or , Shri. Siddhartha Mandal, DGM, SIDBI –
Kolkata Office
28. Shri Vivek Tiwari, MD, Satya Micro Capital Ltd.
29. Shri Sudipto Roy, MD & CEO, L&T Finance, Mumbai, or, Smt. Sonia Krishnankutty, Chief
Executive – Rural Business Finance, Customer Service & Operations, L&T Finance, Mumbai
30. Shri. Manoj Kumar, CGM, IDBI Bank, or, Shri. Prasad Prakash Revdekar, GM, IDBI Bank –
Mumbai Office
31. Shri. Ashutosh Kumar, National Head – Inclusive and Social Banking | Business Monitoring
Team, YesBank, Mumbai
32. Shri Deepak Srinivas, Executive Vice -President, Kaleidofin Pvt. Ltd,
33. Shri. Praveen Kumar Saha, Chief Business Officer, Inclusive Banking, Unity Small Finance
Bank, Mumbai
34. Shri. Ritesh Gupta, Head – Corporate Coverage – West & East Wholesale Banking Group,
IDFC First Bank, Mumbai
35. Shri. Deepak Alok, Research Partner, M2i
36. Shri Tamal Bandapadhyay, Consulting Editor, Business Standard and Senior Advisor, Jana
Small Finance Bank.
37. Senior Leader, CMS
38. Manish Rathi, CEO & Director, Nelito
39. Shri Rahul Johri,Chairman cum MD,Vector Finance Private Limited
Discussions in the 9th Eastern India Microfinance Summit 2025 will focus on the following themes:
The Inaugural Session of the 9th Eastern India Microfinance Summit 2025 will deliberate upon the following key issues relevant to the theme of the Summit, “Microfinance - On the path to $5 trillion Economy through Women Entrepreneurship & Financial Empowerment”.
Role of Un-Organized Sector and its contribution to GDP of India……
Microfinance Role to Unorganized sector is very significant there by will play very important role
toward the contribution of $5trillion Economy of India
Session Overview: Credit bureaus are pivotal in the microfinance industry, enabling accurate credit assessments that help mitigate lending risks. For borrowers, maintaining a strong credit history can open doors to essential financial services, promoting financial inclusion and stability. This session will explore best practices in credit bureau operations and the significant impact these practices have on supporting both microfinance institutions (MFIs) and their clients. Industry experts will discuss effective strategies and standards for reliable credit evaluations, empowering MFIs to make informed lending decisions while offering clients sustainable financial pathways.
Session Overview:As technology reshapes the financial landscape, microfinance institutions are increasingly adopting digital solutions to minimize operational risks, improve process efficiency, and elevate customer service standards. This session will delve into the transformative role of technology in the microfinance sector, focusing on how digital tools can streamline operations while safeguarding the interests of clients. The discussion will highlight practical approaches for fraud prevention, ensuring that clients are protected within a digital-first framework.
Session Overview:India’s regulatory and policy framework for microfinance has been instrumental in advancing financial inclusion, particularly for the unorganized sector and women clients. By supporting accessible, affordable, and secure financial services, regulatory bodies like the RBI, SROs, and other governing authorities have set the foundation for sustainable sector growth. This session will examine recent regulatory changes, the challenges of compliance, and the sector’s collaborative efforts with regulators and stakeholders. Panelists will discuss how these frameworks support responsible growth, while focusing on stability, fair pricing, and the sector's mission of fostering financial inclusion.
Session Overview: Financial inclusion requires a dual focus on product innovation and strategic collaboration to meet the evolving needs of underserved communities. This session explores how tailored financial products, strategic partnerships, and technology-driven solutions can enhance outreach, efficiency, and resilience in serving low-income populations. Discussions will cover the importance of empowering clients through digital literacy, leveraging credit bureaus for comprehensive credit histories, and utilizing colending models and fintech collaborations to drive sustainable financial inclusion.
Universe highlights
The following are the most important issues to consider to further increase the resilience of the microfinance sector and creating enhanced value for the under privileged sections of the society.
1. The government should further increase the funding and liquidity support to the sector particularly the smaller MFIs. 2. The interest rate calculation formula specified by the RBI will prevent lenders from enjoying huge margins and especially banks, which have low-cost deposits, will be discouraged from charging the same rate as the MFIs. But should insurance charges be included for pricing micro loans? Most of the customers in this segment are not insured and death rates are high. Inclusive of insurance charges, the interest rates will be high, which may not be politically palatable. The calculation of internal rate of return, or IRR, for a lender should exclude insurance though it should be mandatory to declare it. 3. Finally, cash collections of micro loans run into thousands of crores a month. Shouldn’t the RBI look for a differential pricing for digital offerings? That will help speed up digitisation in this segment. 4. Apex financial institutions like SIDBI and NABARD need to further enhance equity and loan support to the MFIs particularly the smaller ones. 5. Investment in client education needs to be enhanced to increase productivity of their businesses and enable them to take advantages of the available opportunities 6. There is scope to further support the MFIs in improving their capacity to develop more products and understand needs of the clients better. 7. The Government should further increase the funding and liquidity support to the sector particularly the smaller & medium sized MFIs like continuation of CGSMFI scheme for another 2 years. 8. Apex financial institutions like SIDBI, NABARD and MUDRA need to further enhance equity loan and long term sub-ordinate debt support to the MFIs particularly the smaller ones in line with IMEF Fund as earmarked in earlier budgets. 9. More & More ‘Financial Literacy Workshop’ for Clients may be organized so that they can embrace the digital transactions more freely. Capacity Building support is also required. 10. It is high time for the Government to create ‘Microfinance Regulatory Authority’ exclusively for regulating and promoting NBFC-MFIs. 11. Creation of an ‘Autonomous Finance Corporation’ for MFIs that may address the problems of liquidity of Small & Medium sized MFIs 12. Creation of special window by the Banks for funding of NBFC-MFIs & special budgetary allocation for this purpose. 13. Regulators have prescribed guidelines for responsible lending but there is no such guidelines related to responsible borrowing. Code of Conduct for responsible borrowers may also be framed forthwith. 14. Rating & Grading agencies must formulate separate guidelines of rating / grading for Small & Medium sized MFIs. 15. A dedicated funding facility and providing MFIs some scope for diversification will help expand market outreach.