Manoj Sharma

Director

Manoj Kumar Sharma is a Director at MSC. He is a development and inclusive finance expert with over 28 years of experience.

Manoj has worked in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Lao PDR, Nepal, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Sweden, and Vietnam. Manoj oversees the Institutional Development & Support; Digital Transformation, FinTech-related initiatives, Value Chains Financing & Development; SME; Environment Financing and Capital Advisory Services Practice Groups at MSC. He leads downscaling projects for commercial banks, developing sustainable savings products for small entrepreneurs and clients, and building institutional capacity of MFIs. Manoj played a key role in mainstreaming loan portfolio audits in MFIs as a tool for banks to assess lending and investment decisions. He led the preparation of an organizational development toolkit for financial institutions and a business lending toolkit. He has played a leading role in MSC’s digital financial services domain, supporting strategy development and agent network management for a variety of banks in India, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea. His areas of interest include assistance to start-up microfinance institutions, product development, market research, and urban microfinance. Prior to joining MSC, Manoj was an Assistant General Manager at the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). During his time at SIDBI, Manoj was a part of the SME financing team, which negotiated a USD-225-million private sector support assistance package with the World Bank (lead investor), DFID, KfW, and GTZ. Manoj was responsible for managing the fund and a USD-22-million technical assistance to design and implement the program in clusters. He also worked extensively to design and implement programs to promote micro-enterprises and create livelihood opportunities in rural areas. The program was underway in more than 65 locations and has promoted more than 17,500 enterprises. Manoj has a Master’s of Science in Environment degree from Sikkim Manipal University, India. He is fluent in English and Hindi.

Posts by Manoj Sharma

The Ujjwala scheme needs a budget push

The PMUY scheme has delivered on its promise by providing more than 80 million connections since its launch. However, the scheme needs a budgetary push to expand LPG usage amongst the targeted customers. In collaboration with the State Rural Livelihood Mission (SRLM), MSC conducted a pilot with self-help groups (SHGs) in Madhya Pradesh. The pilot suggests that credit facility to avail loans for LPG canisters and higher subsidies to Ujjwala customers will go a long way to enhance LPG usage.

Can we turn the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity to enable indigenous capabilities?

At MSC, we believe that the COVID-19 pandemic gives us the opportunity and impetus to turn the crisis into an opportunity by developing indigenous capabilities instead of flying in international consultants. After all, local experts may have more to offer than meets the eye.

Fate of MFIs post the COVID-19 lockdown – will they prove resilient again?

Read MSC’s take on the impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns on MFIs. Join our journey as we examine the surprising resilience of Indian MFIs. The blog compares past challenges like demonetization and traces how MFIs bounced back each time. The lockdown enforced to control the spread of coronavirus in 2020 has been the most severe crisis to hit the sector. Hopefully, MFIs will once again emerge resiliently.

Food security: How are agriculture and the corner shops faring amid India’s lockdown?

What is the impact of COVID-19 on agriculture and microenterprises? As transport and flow of cash and goods remain restricted, how will farmers and owners of small shops cope with the crisis? These are some questions we explore in detail as we devise suggestions for policymakers and players in the ecosystem.

Assessing the most ambitious public financial inclusion drive in history

This note highlights the survey conducted by MicroSave, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to understand customers’ experience with PMJDY.

India’s enabling triangle for financial inclusion

The blog discusses that successful efforts to foster financial inclusion involves three inter-related and mutually-reinforcing components.

Mobile internet access – the next frontier for ‘Tech’

Limited mobile internet connectivity has significant implications for techs that seek to serve the mass market.

The Agent Profitability Conundrum in India – Time for Differentiated Agents?

The blog highlights agent profitability conundrum in India. Is it time for differentiated agents? As half of agents in India are dedicated, with agency business being only source of income.