This project develops a broad-stroke analysis of the design of India’s climate missions of the National Action Plan on Climate Change. The study is based on interviews of experts in particular domains who also understand climate change. The broad crosscutting … Read More
Publications
Chit Funds as an Innovative Access to Finance for Low-income Households
Chit Funds are indigenous financial institutions in India that combine credit and savings in a single scheme. In a chit fund scheme, a group of individuals come together for a predetermined time period and contribute to a common pool at … Read More
Selling Formal Insurance to the Informally Insured
Unpredictable rainfall is an important risk for agricultural activity, and farmers in developing countries often receive incomplete insurance from informal risk-sharing networks. This paper presents findings from a study that examines the demand for, and effects of, offering formal index-based … Read More
A Scoping Study of Financial Literacy Training Programmes in India
This study aimed at understanding the scope of different financial literacy training programmes that are being implemented across India, from both an implementer’s and beneficiaries’ perspective. To gather data for the study, discussions were held with all the stakeholders (module developing … Read More
Bringing the Bank to the Doorstep: Does Financial Education Influence Savings Behavior Among the Poor? Evidence from a Randomized Financial Literacy Program in India
This paper explores the uptake of branchless banking in one of the largest BC programs in the world, Financial Inclusion Network and Operations (FINO), which currently has over 48 million activated savings accounts across India. Despite being open, many savings … Read More
Climate Finance: Understanding India’s Requirements and Opportunities
Progress towards climate change goals often falter over a familiar stumbling block: financing. India’s climate finance requirements are enormous and we are looking for a combination of domestic public financing, private financing and international climate finance to meet our needs. … Read More
The Urban Poor and their Money: A Study of Cycle Rickshaw Pullers in Delhi
The study explored the financial behavior of cycle rickshaw pullers in Delhi to assess their strategies and choices in saving, storing and remitting their money and the challenges and the constraints they faced in managing their money and livelihoods.
Rethinking Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Regulations for MFIs
CMF coordinated this study in collaboration with five MRAP professors. The primary focus of this study was to investigate the borrowing practices of existing microfinance clients, inclusion within a formal banking system, and spending patterns in relation to microloans. Furthermore, … Read More
Microfinance Researchers Alliance Program (MRAP) – Programme Report
The MRAP Report details the capacity building program of CMF conducted over the last three years. This document summarizes the activities covered under Microfinance Researchers Alliance Program (MRAP)- a research capacity development programme funded by Ford Foundation in the span … Read More
Incidence of Loan Default in Group-lending Programme
This report explores the reasons and costs of hidden loan delinquency, despite high group repayment rates prevalent in the group lending mechanism. In a Joint Liability Group, if one of the members fails to repay a loan fully, the responsibility … Read More