Associate Partner
Sunil Bhat is an Associate Partner in MicroSave’s Digital Financial Services- Payments & Distribution Domain. He is a financial sector consultant with over eight years of experience in advising more than 40 financial institutions in India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Malawi, Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Has the development community done enough to support women entrepreneurs in a post-COVID world?
The World Bank research conducted with 45,000 businesses in 49 countries indicates the impact of COVID-19 was disproportionate on women-led businesses. How can women’s businesses become more resilient? Learn more from Sunil Bhat and other panel of experts.
Oct 31, 2022
Oct 31, 2022
How can FinTech TSPs support microfinance institutions to get on board the DEPA ecosystem?
This blog, the second in this series, discusses the role of FinTechs as technology service providers (TSPs) in enabling last-mile lenders, such as MFIs, to adopt the DEPA framework. Read the blog to understand how TSPs can help onboard these institutions onto the DEPA framework while providing other value-added services.
Jun 13, 2022
Jun 13, 2022
What holds back microfinance institutions from adopting the DEPA framework?
This blog discusses the Account Aggregator (AA) framework, a consent-based system under the IndiaStack that enables data sharing across financial institutions. Here we look at the framework from the perspective of financial inclusion and discuss how microfinance institutions, which cater largely to low and middle-income (LMI) customers, may struggle to adopt AA at this stage.
Jun 13, 2022
“How did the new pricing strategy increase the income for Eko agents?” – Lessons from a pilot with Eko India Financial Services
Incentives remain a critical factor besides others to steer agents’ decision-making to onboard or continue their business with a particular agent network manager (ANM). The level of compensation affects the motivation of BC agents and, in turn, the quality of service they provide through these agent outlets. This deck analyzes the journey of the FinTech platform Eko and how its new incentive structure for its large network of agents impacted their business.
Apr 26, 2022
Apr 26, 2022
Different yet similar—the behavioral biases of low- and moderate-income segments in Bangladesh and Vietnam
“We see the potential volume, but do we design profitable products for low-and moderate-income (LMI) people?” MSC faces this question repeatedly in discussions with our clients across Asia and Africa—including our partners in Bangladesh and Vietnam under the MetLife Foundation-funded i3 program. In the first blog, we raise the question on the key behavioral biases to keep in mind to create compelling, engaging, and profitable products for the low- and moderate-income segment. The second blog speaks of the similarities and differences in the LMI segment in Bangladesh and Vietnam. The blog also takes you through the lives and struggles of two personas—Morium from Bangladesh and Hoang from Vietnam.
Jan 27, 2022
Jan 27, 2022
Different yet similar — behavioral biases of low- and moderate-income people in Bangladesh and Vietnam
“We see the potential volume, but do we design profitable products for low-and moderate-income (LMI) people?” MSC faces this question repeatedly in discussions with our clients across Asia and Africa—including our partners in Bangladesh and Vietnam under the MetLife Foundation-funded i3 program. Through this two-blog series, we question key behavioral biases to consider while creating compelling, engaging, and profitable products for the low- and moderate-income segment. The first blog speaks of the macro-economy and demography of the Bangladesh and Vietnam markets. We also take you through the digital financial services progress in both countries and the steps governments take to expand digitally. The next blog in this series will look at the similarities and differences of the LMI segment in Bangladesh and Vietnam.
Jan 25, 2022
Jan 25, 2022
Credit for low- and moderate-income people in Bangladesh—can new-age banks and FinTechs deliver the regulator’s wish?
The waves of digitization and technological advancements have led to the opening of MFS accounts for 60% of the population in Bangladesh. The country now boasts more than 1.1 million agents. Despite the widespread use of MFS and internet access, only 9.1% of people access the formal credit system. Digital credit can be a stepping-stone in Bangladesh due to the lower cost of delivering credit through digital means, combined with the mass digital readiness of consumers. Several solutions have emerged from banks, NBFIs, FinTechs, MFSPs, MFIs, and development partners, such as City Bank’s “Nano Loan” product pilot to Prime Bank’s loan product for blue-collar workers. Together, stakeholders are trying to forge partnerships to address problems around access to credit and social development in Bangladesh.
Jan 24, 2022
Jan 24, 2022