The FI Lab was set up to support early-stage fintech start-ups. The Lab will help the start-ups understand the LMI segment better to build stronger products and businesses. Eleven start-ups were selected after an extensive process of screening and evaluation. We have captured the lessons from the first cohort in a series of blog posts that discusses the unique offerings and challenges of each start-up.
Blog
Digital Governance: Is Krishna a Glimpse of the Future?
This paper reports on research to better understand the functioning and effectiveness of its reforms to strengthen state capacity by digitalizing service delivery. Against the wider backdrop of the use of Aadhaar in India, it summarizes Andhra’s reforms, which go beyond those of most other jurisdictions in the measures taken to strengthen accountability, offer choice of service provider, and incorporate feedback loops using the vast amount of data generated by a real-time digital service system as well as beneficiary responses. It reports the results from surveys of beneficiaries who receive food rations through the Public Distribution System (PDS) and/or pensions, and on the response of landowners and tenant farmers to the digitization of land records, another important program. The results suggest strong support for the digitalization of these programs. The way in which the reforms have been implemented has indeed led to substantial improvements in delivery (as seen by beneficiaries) as well as, probably, significant fiscal savings.
Is this case, then, a model for other Indian states and for other countries? Perhaps yes from a technology perspective; there are many lessons that apply to a wide range of programs and services and that others can usefully draw on. The picture is more complex from a political economy perspective, as suggested by some of the particular features of Andhra.
Access to finance for enterprises (including agriculture sector businesses) in Kenya
This video gives highlights on access to finance to enterprises in Kenya and reveals that there is a huge gap for financing. Similarly, there are huge opportunities that financial players can exploit towards bridging this gap. Watch to learn more
Supporting the Government of India to digitize
Rajiv Srivastava, UP Mandi Parishad, explains how MSC has worked hard to implement the eNAM program in Kannauj APMC successfully. MSC’s effective implementation of the program will benefit both farmers and traders. Dr. Pawan Bakhshi, India Lead, Financial Services for the Poor at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation speaks on the changes MSC’s services have brought about in social welfare payments to the poor in India and in solving the challenges of making the Indian government’s DBT program operational.
eNAM platform to digitize the marketing of agricultural produce in India
The Government of India launched the Electronic National Agriculture Market or eNAM platform to enable trading of primary agricultural produce. The platform connects 585 agricultural markets (or APMCs) through an online platform. MSC has been supporting the central and the provincial governments in the design, policy reforms, and implementation of the eNAM program.
MSC undertook an extensive study of physical and electronic agricultural markets across multiple states and markets. MSC supported the government in the state of Uttar Pradesh to improve the functioning of eNAM across several APMCs. We worked with the government to implement our recommendations and to support operational and policy-level changes in the state.
MSC also created a blueprint to improve the design and implementation of electronic agricultural markets across India. Many of the design improvements were accepted and implemented. From 2016 to 2018, over 10 million farmers and 150,000 traders or commission agents had registered on the eNAM platform across India. The cumulative volume of electronic trade on eNAM had crossed about INR 482 billion (USD 6.5 billion) by September 2018.
Research for evidence-based policymaking
MSC’s strong field team and our analytical approach in making evidence-based policy have been able to shape and expand the horizon of policymakers. Our expertise feeds into how policymakers can frame policies towards better financial inclusion in the context of digital governance for the larger benefit of beneficiaries in the country. Anit Mukherjee, policy fellow at the Center for Global Development, expands upon this idea in this video.