Credit guarantee boost to help revive microfinance growth, says Muthoot Microfin CEO Sadaf Sayeed
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.
The key issue we have been facing is liquidity, particularly for mid-sized and smaller NBFC-MFIs. While the larger institutions still have access to funding, smaller players have struggled because lenders have become risk averse.The credit guarantee structure is important because it assures lenders that a large portion of their exposure is protected.
This reduces their hesitation and enables them to extend credit to MFIs, which in turn can continue lending to end-borrowers. This is critical for financial inclusion, especially at a time when the sector has seen a contraction in reach, with nearly 17 million customers moving out of the system over the past year and a half.The TLTRO support during covid was designed for an entirely different situation.
At that time, there was an immediate liquidity crisis because collections had slowed due to moratoriums, while operational expenses continued. The Reserve Bank of India’s intervention ensured that institutions had access to short-term liquidity to survive that phase.What we are seeing now is more of a long-term structural support.
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