Financial Well-being and Social Protection

This article presents findings from a pilot study that sought to analyse how information about chit fund clients, their retrospective transaction data, and their track records in the bidding process can be optimally used to develop credit scoring algorithms for … Read More

This report presents insights from an early stage assessment of the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, conducted by LEAD and Dvara Research.

This report presents insights from a study that assesses the impact of an SHG based microfinance model on the overall well-being of low-income households in terms of household’s investment capacity and consumption, occupation and income profiles, women’s bargaining power within … Read More

This brief presents an overview of findings from a detailed landscape assessment of agricultural insurance in India, with a focus on crop and livestock insurance. It provides an insight into the current landscape of products available in the sector, and … Read More

This study, conducted by IFMR LEAD, attempts to contribute to the ongoing debate of the short and long-term effects of demonetization on low income households who while formally banked, are among the most prone to adverse effects of demonetization policy, … Read More

The brief presents findings from a study that tested the awareness of digital payments systems and the efficacy of different government incentive schemes in promoting adoption and usage of payment platforms.

Catalyst partnered with Kyepot technologies to study how informal chit funds or Rotating Savings and Credit Association (ROSCAs) can be digitized and graduated to a formal platform. This field story captures Farida ben’s experience of transitioning her traditional chit fund … Read More

This field story captures insights from an initiative to expand access to formal savings accounts for low-income communities as part of Catalyst’s Incubator Initiative. Kaleidofin, a startup that was part of the first cohort of the program, seeks to empower … Read More

In this paper, the authors explore the hypothesis that traditional joint-liability microfinance programs fail to increase borrower incomes in part because they cannot screen out unproductive borrowers. In randomly selected villages in West Bengal, India, a study was implemented in … Read More

This report presents findings from a study that seeks to understand current income levels of farmers in the state, and understand the necessary actions and focus areas that needs to be prioritised. This also provides an opportunity to assess strategies … Read More