Gayatri Pandey

Gayatri is an Assistant Manager in MSC’s Banking, Financial Services and Insurance domain.

She is a financial inclusion consultant with experience in designing and conducting market research using qualitative research methods. She has been involved in multiple types of research in areas of MSME finance and development, business process re-engineering, digital financial services, agent network management, and community-based organizations and women collectives such as Self Help Groups.  

Posts by Gayatri Pandey

The hidden cost of financial services in India

This blog discusses hidden pricing tactics that hinder digital financial services (DFS) adoption by low- and moderate-income (LMI) users. It also emphasizes why financial regulatory authorities must promote transparency and accountability in financial services.

The six village story – India: An assessment of the real gap in financial inclusion

MSC conducted The Real Gap study with 2,862 individuals from 958 households across six villages. The study intended to unpack the on-ground status of financial inclusion. It used a complete enumeration method for data collection and covered 150-200 households across each of the six selected villages.

Women’s agent network—the missing link in India’s financial inclusion story: A supply-side perspective

About 10% of 1.26 million BCs in India are women. This policy note discusses a supply-side perspective on challenges and opportunities to expand the women agent network in India.

“Train me like this”: Lessons from a pilot with CDOT and JRGB on CICO agent training

As per the RBI guidelines, BC agents need to clear the IIBF BC/BF examination to continue offering BC services. However, CDOT, a BCNM, faced issues while helping its agents clear the IIBF BC examination. This deck details the concept we tested to increase the pass percentage of CDOT agents.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on MSMEs

Since the onset of the pandemic, large-scale social restrictions have had a direct impact on the economy and the livelihoods of more than 63 million MSMEs in Indonesia. This report is part two of a larger study on the impact of the pandemic on MSMEs in Indonesia.

Navigating the new normal: Can behavioral sciences help?

This note focuses on the situation of COVID-19 in India and the government’s communication efforts during the pandemic. Based on MSC’s research with low- and middle-income households, it highlights how these efforts can be strengthened through the adoption of a Social Behavioral Change Communication (SBCC) campaign.

Philippines: Impact of COVID-19 on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)

The extended community quarantine imposed by the government to contain the spread of COVID-19 has adversely affected MSMEs in the Philippines. This report outlines the impact of the pandemic on MSMEs and provides recommendations for policymakers to support their recovery.

India: Impact of COVID-19 on Business Correspondents

This report highlights the impact of COVID-19 on business correspondent (BC) agents in India and the issues they faced while delivering financial services in the wake of the pandemic. It also offers policy recommendations to help BCs offer uninterrupted services.