MSC supported the end-to-end digital transformation of BURO, one of Bangladesh’s leading microfinance institutions (MFIs), to strengthen its operational efficiency, expand outreach, and enhance customer experience. The objective was to help BURO adopt appropriate digital technologies, upskill its workforce, and diversify its product offerings to better serve its clients.
We followed a three-phase approach:
- Assessment and project design: We began with a comprehensive baseline assessment to understand BURO’s existing business model, technology landscape, and operational capabilities. This phase included a strategic planning exercise to define the digital transformation roadmap and the design of a pilot project aligned with BURO’s long-term goals.
- Pilot preparation: We strengthened BURO’s internal capacity by establishing the necessary back-end systems, defining operational processes, and aligning human resources. Our team worked closely with BURO to ensure the institution was ready to effectively launch the pilot phase.
- Pilot implementation and strategic planning: We supported the rollout and real-time monitoring of the digital pilot. Based on the findings and insights from this phase, we facilitated a final round of strategic planning to refine the digital transformation strategy and prepare for scale-up.
The first phase involved baseline assessment and project design, where we conducted a strategic planning exercise on the business model and pilot project. In the second phase of pilot preparation, we focused on establishing the back-end systems and HR resources needed to roll out the pilot phase. The last phase was pilot rollout and monitoring, followed by final strategic planning. For more details, read the case study here.
MetLife Foundation commissioned the project.
A leading commercial bank in India with a fast growing microfinance portfolio required an adequate human resource management system to support and fuel its growth in a sustainable manner.
The bank offered various financial products, such as credit and liability products to entrepreneurs, low-income clients, and SMEs. MSC designed the organizational structure from the bank’s perspective while making the structure effective enough for the bank to offer microfinance and SME products. The HR system included the development of the organizational hierarchy for microfinance operations, compensation packages, staff incentive policy, human resource policies, and guidelines. The inputs from this project helped to streamline the microfinance vertical of the bank.
The leading commercial bank commissioned the project.
MSC was commissioned to understand the needs and preferences of female mobile financial services (MFS) users in Bangladesh. We used our Market Insights for Innovation and Design (MI4ID) approach, which relies on behavioral research methods to conduct extensive in-depth research to understand female MFS users’ needs, requirements, and preferences. We designed two women-centric MFS products based on insights from the research and studied the demand and supply-side requirements. As a part of the project dissemination, MSC developed knowledge collaterals, such as policy briefs, focus notes, and blogs, and published them globally. After project completion, we disseminated key findings and collaterals at a national-level convention with key stakeholders.
IFC- World Bank commissioned the project.
MSC partnered with five non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) to design, develop, and scale enterprise financing verticals targeted at urban and rural microenterprises. The project aimed to enhance access to credit for microenterprises in India.
To inform the intervention, MSC conducted comprehensive primary and secondary research to assess the credit needs, behaviors, and preferences of microenterprises. Based on these insights, we co-created tailored enterprise loan products with the partner institutions and formulated strategic plans for product roll out and scale-up.
MSC also developed robust operational policies and an integrated credit-scoring framework to assess client risk. We built institutional capacity to ensure sustainable delivery of microenterprise lending.The initiative included extensive pilot testing and subsequent rollout support. During the pilot phase alone, partner institutions disbursed microenterprise loans worth approximately USD 14.8 million and far exceeded the project’s original targets.
Michael & Susan Dell Foundation (MSDF) commissioned the project.
Shakti Foundation for Disadvantaged Women (SFDW), a leading microfinance institution (MFI) in Bangladesh, provides credit and savings products to low-income women. To reduce inherent risks of cash-intensive operations and diversify its offerings, SFDW sought to adopt digital solutions and expand its product portfolio.
MSC supported SFDW in its digital transformation journey and provided technical assistance to design and implement new financial products and processes. Our team introduced an MSME loan product and voluntary savings products intended to expand the customer base and enhance financial inclusion.
We co-created a mobile-based application with SFDW’s field and IT teams that enabled loan officers to perform core MFI operations using mobile phones. We also supported the design and pilot of agent-assisted savings deposit and withdrawal services to enhance client accessibility.
As part of the engagement, MSC conducted a strategic business planning workshop and designed an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to streamline operations and enable real-time data access from the field. The field application was pilot-tested for usability, and product features were refined based on customer feedback and usage analytics.
As a result of MSC’s support, SFDW successfully opened over 350,000 voluntary savings accounts and built a portfolio valued at USD 10 million. The disbursement amount increased by 12 times, from BDT 87.3 million (USD 1.02 million) in July 2019 to BDT 1,108.07 million (USD 13.03 million) in June 2021.
This initiative has positioned SFDW to operate more efficiently, manage risks effectively, and better serve its growing customer base.
MetLife Foundation commissioned the project.
PT Bina Artha Ventura (BAV) is a non-bank microfinance institution in Indonesia that offers microfinance products to low-income people using the group-lending methodology. MSC was commissioned to provide technical advisory to BAV to expand its outreach and portfolio in microenterprise financing.
We supported BAV in product design, pilot planning and implementation, process design, capacity-building, and rollout. The advisory included demand-side research, credit product development, and the finalization of delivery channels for sourcing, disbursement, collection, and payments. We also helped design internal processes for operations, financial and accounts management, and human resource management.
The project concluded with the implementation of a pilot test. BAV now serves more than 25,000 MSMEs through this loan product.
IFC commissioned the project.
