PM Modi’s New Year eve speech proved to be a boon for players and startups in digital lending, here’s how

On NOV 8, when demonetisation was announced, it proved to be a boon for digital payment and mobile wallet companies, as the cash ban served as a bonanza for them. Now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's New Year eve speech has opened up opportunities for digital lending players, including startups in the space.

PM Modi had announced the inclusion of non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) in the credit guarantee scheme for small, medium and micro enterprises (SMEs) and also extended the scheme for loans up to Rs 2 crore. The inclusion will help new-age NBFCs such as Capital Float and Lendingkart reach out to more borrowers.

"This is the first time that the government has opened the credit gua rantee scheme for NBFCs, and this is abig move. NBFCs are reaching (out) to SMEs in every nook and corner and covering us under the scheme will help in reaching out to more borrowers. So far, NBFCs had to take the entire risk only by themselves, and some were still conservative in lending to borrowers who may not have been eligible under conven tional norms," Harshvardhan Lunia, cofounder of Lendingkart, which has so far lent to 7,500 SMEs, told ET.

The current credit guarantee scheme includes term loans or working capital facility up to Rs 100 lakh per SME borrower, extended without any collateral security or third-party guarantee. It was so far applicable only to scheduled commercial banks and some regional rural banks.

The guarantee cover available under the scheme is to the extent of a maximum 85% of the sanctioned amount.