Inclusion Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Several government committees, apart from the Niti Aayog, have asked for regulatory impact assessments (RIAs) to be institutionalized in India. The statutory backing of a legislative framework can ensure its meaningful use as a tool for assessing the costs and benefits of current and prospective regulatory measures. The inclusion of provisions related to RIAs in India’s recently concluded free trade agreements (FTAs) highlights the urgency to enact a central law on such study-based reports.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The usage gap in India’s flagship financial inclusion programme has widened further, with inactive zero-balance accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) surging to 26% at 143.83 million at state-run banks, while falling to 36% at 6.3 million at private banks as of March 2026.The total PMJDY accounts across state-run and private banks stood at 581.8 million, with deposits reaching ₹3.02 trillion by early April 2026. State-run banks had 449.8 million accounts, while private banks held 20.8 million.This spike in inactive accounts has been broad-based across public sector banks, which had 112.4 million dormant PMJDY accounts, or 21% of the total, at the end of March 2025.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Concerned about the rising number of complaints over unfair sales practices in India’s insurance sector, the regulator is planning a major clean-up of how life, health and motor vehicle policies are sold by bringing out a discussion paper on proposed distribution reforms.The next phase of insurance reforms will focus less on headline liberalization and more on fixing structural inefficiencies in pricing, distribution and customer outcomes, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India chairman Ajay Seth said in an interview. IRDAI is also working with the Reserve Bank of India to tighten oversight of banks selling insurance products while pushing for a lower-cost and more transparent model, he said.“We are coordinating with the RBI to curb mis-selling through the bancassurance channel.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.In most modern homes, we only think about electricity or wi-fi when they stop working. They are essential, life-altering utilities that function quietly in the background, demanding zero cognitive effort. They enable productivity, comfort and continuity without needing constant intervention.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.A decade has passed since India began rebuilding inclusive and progressive infrastructure for women, with the gender budget hitting ₹5 trillion in 2026-27. This represents around 9% of the Centre’s total expenditure.While the push for women’s inclusion through higher expenditure is visible, and millions of women are part of several schemes encompassing self-help groups, small businesses, and employment, among others, several gaps remain that raise questions about whether these benefits are just on paper.Data shows that over 50 million women beneficiaries are under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), and over 100 million under self-help groups, but very few are registered businesses—the share of formally registered enterprises run by women was just 20.5% in 2023-24, marginally up from 17.5% in 2021-22.While the gender budget has grown in size, the internal architecture suggests a shifting focus towards livelihood rather than women-led industrialization.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India’s presidency of Brics arrives at a consequential moment for the global order. Traditional multilateral institutions are struggling to respond to geopolitical conflict, economic fragmentation and technological disruption.

₹1 trillion in the upper layer could leave little wiggle room for Tata Sons, save for the benevolence of the central bank. The holding firm of the eponymous group has been in the category in recent years, a classification that entails tighter regulatory oversight and a mandatory listing requirement.The new norms, released on 10 April, currently in the form of a draft circular, take away a part of RBI’s discretion in deciding who gets to be on the list.

India’s development narrative increasingly places women at the centre of an economic transformation. As Parliament prepares to operationalize the Women’s Reservation Act ahead of the 2029 elections, the focus on women’s participation in public life is intensifying. Over the past decade, policy efforts have expanded women’s access to bank accounts, jobs and entrepreneurship.

trade negotiations because it opens access to large public-sector markets.The gross merchandise value (GMV) on the GeM portal fell 7.4% to ₹5.03 trillion in FY26, from ₹5.43 trillion in FY25.“There is a degrowth of 7.4 % in FY26 with respect to FY 24-25 due to the absence of unique/ sporadic procurement. However, the cumulative GMV of ₹18.4 lakh crore (since its inception in 2016) reflects the sustained confidence of buyers, sellers and institutions in a transparent and technology-driven ecosystem improving public procurement.

The government’s ₹20,000 crore credit guarantee support for the microfinance sector, announced on 21 March, comes at a crucial time for smaller non-banking finance company-microfinance institutions (NBFC-MFIs), which are grappling with tight liquidity and risk-averse lenders.In an interview, Sadaf Sayeed, chief executive officer of Muthoot Microfin in New Delhi, told Mint the move could unlock lending, revive financial inclusion and support sectoral growth. Edited excerpts:This is a very welcome step and something the industry has been requesting for a long time.

Mint India Investment Summit & Awards in Mumbai on Friday.As credit expands, maintaining asset quality, strong capital buffers, rigorous underwriting, and robust governance will remain non-negotiable, he added.“Growth and financial stability must be pursued together, because they are mutually reinforcing. We operate in an environment of global uncertainty, with geopolitical tensions, shifting trade patterns, and evolving monetary policy dynamics across major economies,” he added.To be sure, Indian banks were burdened with a mountain of bad debt a decade ago, prompting the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to take several measures to revive the sector.

India joined several developing countries to advocate for a global framework to lower cross-border remittance costs ahead of the World Trade Organisation's 14th ministerial conference (MC14), marking a focus on development-linked financial issues in trade.The proposal, supported by Morocco, Pakistan and the African Group, addresses remittance fees, which remain above the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals target of under 3% by 2030. On several routes, costs still range between 5% and 6%, significantly reducing the amount that ultimately reaches recipient households.

₹10,485 crore—higher than what any equity category received in the same month.The asset-allocation and diversification argument underpinning multi-asset funds, strengthened by the inclusion of gold and silver as investable components, appears to be driving their rising popularity among investors.But just as investors were getting comfortable with the multi-asset pitch, fund houses have begun multiplying their offerings.Sebi’s 2025 directive on fund-of-funds (FoF) re-categorization appears to have triggered a fresh wave of multi-asset products. But do investors really need this variation of the multi-asset strategy, or does it simply amplify noise in an already crowded market and make choice harder?When Sebi first introduced fund categorization rules in 2018, FoFs were tucked into a residual “Other Schemes” bucket.

Coming to the next milestone, more than half of Indian states now have a female-investor share that exceeds the national average of nearly 25%. Despite this, the underlying momentum is undeniably positive as the needle is moving in the right direction nearly everywhere.

A new term that entered the lexicon after India’s budget for 2026-27 was the ‘orange economy.’ Synonymous with the creative economy, it is emerging as a formidable engine of growth that transcends traditional industrial boundaries. Once viewed as niche, the intersection of culture, technology and intellectual property now accounts for roughly 3.1% of global GDP and 6.2% of all employment.For a country like India, where recent budgetary initiatives recognize the strategic value of creative assets, the growth of this sector offers more than just economic expansion.

A NITI Aayog report seeking to promote small cars and hybrids to reduce vehicular pollution has again brought the spotlight on India’s divided automobile industry.Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd has objected to the report prepared by a government panel under NITI Aayog to promote small cars under the upcoming fuel efficiency norms, and increase the adoption of multiple-fuel vehicles and hybrids, alongside electric vehicles (EVs).However, Toyota Kirloskar Motor Ltd, the Indian joint venture of Japan’s Toyota Corp., praised the plan for a phased electrification approach and the inclusion of biofuel powertrains as zero-emission vehicles, according to a letter reviewed by Mint.The contrasting views mirror differences within the industry over whether to offer other cleaner or lower-emission vehicles parity with EVs, and if small cars should receive concessions under the corporate average fuel efficiency (CAFE 3) norms. While Maruti Suzuki India Ltd and Toyota seek support for a wider range of vehicles, including small cars, Tata Motors and Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd, which have invested heavily in EVs, have opposed it.The panel, set up by think tank Niti Aayog, comprised representatives from the ministries of road transport and highways, heavy industries, petroleum and natural gas, power, railways, and shipping, along with think tanks and industry representation from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam).

Three recent orders of the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) mark an inflection point in Indian securities law. Individually, they address disclosure lapses, alleged accounting manipulation, fraud under Sebi’s Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices relating to Securities Market (PFUTP) Regulations, initial public offering (IPO) fund utilization and interim relief. Collectively, they pose a larger question: What model of corporate governance enforcement is India converging towards—the letter of the law, substantive transparency or calibrated market pragmatism?The first ruling, in the Varun Beverages case, sharpens the meaning of disclosure.

History is not a catalogue of inventions. It is a record of how societies adapt—or fail to adapt—to them.Every major technological revolution has followed a similar arc. First comes the breakthrough.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : India has put forward a framework for how the country's artificial intelligence startups and the world’s frontier labs should build and deploy inclusive AI.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Governments love global summits. They signal ambition, draw CEOs and leaders, and create the impression of shaping the future rather than chasing it.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani’s venture firm Fundamentum is preparing to sharpen its fintech bets in its upcoming third fund, banking on India’s digital public infrastructure and a widening financial inclusion gap to drive the next wave of growth, according to a top executive at the firm.