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<ul><li>The overall credit demand stands at $220 billion, yet only $165 billion is serviceable, says a report by Redseer and GetVantage.</li><li>Formal lending systems like banks have only been able to service 30% of the overall credit demand.</li><li>Alternate finance systems like recurring-revenue advances and trade receivable financing have the potential to double their share in five years. </li></ul>Indian digital small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are on a growth path but suffer from a working capital deficit of around $112 billion — as only $53 billion was injected via various channels. As per a report by Redseer and GetVantage, the overall credit demand stands at $220 billion, yet only $165 billion is serviceable. “Small businesses account for 90% of credit demand but continue to struggle to raise capital, owing to poor business metrics, limited assets, and uncertain growth projections. If the current economic and regulatory climate continues, this gap is likely to widen significantly over the next five years,” said Kanishka Mohan, partner at Redseer. Moreso, as more businesses go digital along with growth in new-age businesses, the demand for credit will only grow. The report estimates that in the next five years, as the number of digital SMEs doubles, the demand for credit is expected to cross $570 billion. Advantage Alt-Fi Formal lending systems like banks have only been able to service 30% of the overall credit demand. Lack of collateral and clear documentation has always been a hindrance for traditional lenders such as commercial banks to provide adequate capital to SMEs. That presents an unprecedented opportunity for alternate-financing platforms, NBFCs and traditional financial lenders (Trad-Fi) like banks to collaborate and catalyze economic growth by prioritizing compliance, governance, inclusion and innovation, opines Bhavik Vasa, founder &amp; CEO of GetVantage. Alternate finance systems include third-party lenders such as revenue-based financing platforms, recurring-revenue advances and trade receivable financing etc. Alternate-finance provides access and flexibility which make these quasi-equity solutions ideal for SMEs. “India is a nation of small businesses, and modern businesses in India deserve modern capital solutions that are fair, accessible, and flexible. Alternate-financing has a vital role to play in extending the limited reach of traditional lenders to serve millions of new-economy businesses and emerging sectors,” says Vasa. At present, the share of alternate finance is around 5%, which Redseer estimates can double to reach to around 11% in the next five years. India has 64 million micro, small, and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs), which contribute to 30% of the nation’s GDP. The sector which is recognized as a crucial growth engine is riddled with challenges such as limited digitization and strained access to capital. Redseer says that only 12% or 7.7 million MSMEs in India are digitized. Yet, businesses that have been able to shift their operations online partly have been able to achieve scale as they could take advantage of new economic opportunities and cost efficiencies.

India’s small digital businesses have a capital problem and this will only grow

Ahead of the Union Budget, <keyword id="34743" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rohit-arora" source="Orion">Rohit Arora</keyword>, CEO and Co-Founder of Biz2X, has suggested the government needs to come out with a specialised <keyword id="18173" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="sme" source="Orion">SME</keyword> <keyword id="50691" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="digital" source="Orion">digital</keyword> bank to cater to the funding needs of small businesses. Finance Minister <keyword id="129243" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="nirmala-sitharaman" source="Orion">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> will present the last full Budget before the 2024 general elections in the Lok Sabha on February 1, wherein she is expected to announce slew of measures to boost economic growth. <keyword id="176" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="arora" source="Orion">Arora</keyword> said that small and medium businesses perennially face credit shortage and it is time that the government should come out with a specialised bank to cater their requirements. "SME digital bank can provide a bouquet of services to MSMEs, such as business CASA accounts for transaction banking, invoice and payments processing, correspondent banking, SME credit and trade finance, and other business financial services," he said. Biz2X is a turnkey global SaaS platform that enables financial institutions to provide a customised online lending experience for their small and mid-size business customers. Further, Arora stressed that such a bank can also include a special portfolio of revenue-linked credit instruments that will address the credit needs of MSMEs and also help in diversifying SME credit vis-a-vis the present system of collateral-based financing, which restrains the very practicality of running a small business. Being completely digital, he said such banks can process quicker loan application and disbursals for SMEs, backed by advanced data analytics and technology-based decision making. "The current system of portfolio mapping and underwriting is an arduous and time consuming process, involving exhaustive documentations and required multiple visits to banks. Digital banking will quicken loan processing, lower risk and scale up faster, meeting the credit needs of small businesses," he said. He said many large sovereign funds, pension funds, multilateral agencies as well as large Indian private equity funds wants to invest in such an initiative, given its enormous economic potential. About 6.3 crore MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) provide more than 11 crore jobs in India. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/gautam-adani-plans-to-launch-at-least-five-ipos-between-2026-to-2028/slidelist/97248256.cms">Gautam Adani plans to launch at least five IPOs between 2026 to 2028</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/idbi-bank-posts-60-growth-in-profit-in-third-quarter/articleshow/97251640.cms">IDBI Bank posts 60% growth in profit in third quarter</a>

SME digital bank can provide services like business CASA accounts to MSMEs: Biz2Credit co-founder

<ul><li>Thousands lost their jobs amid a deepening funding winter in 2022 amid massive layoffs by the tech companies.</li><li>According to a PwC <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> report, startup funding in India hit a two-year low at $2.7 billion in the third quarter of 2022.</li><li>Seed stage rounds also experienced a contraction and dropped by 38 per cent as compared to the previous year.</li></ul> Indian startups, which saw a massive 35 per cent drop in funding in 2022 -- from $37.2 billion in 2021 to $24.7 billion (till November) -- are bracing themselves for a deepening funding winter in 2023 as recession fears loom. Although some startups, like fintech platform <keyword id="6557529" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="kreditbee" source="Orion">KreditBee</keyword> ($200 million), Foodtech platform HealthKart ($135 million) and HRtech software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform BetterPlace ($40 million), raised decent funds in December last year and in the beginning of January, the scene overall is grim as VC money has squeezed. Thousands lost their jobs amid a deepening funding winter in 2022 amid massive layoffs by the tech companies, which still continues. According to a PwC India report, startup funding in India hit a two-year low at $2.7 billion in the third quarter of 2022. In 2022, the significant drop in funding was attributed to a decline in late-stage investments, which fell by 45 per cent from $29.3 billion in January-November 2021 to $16.1 billion for the same period this year, according to data provided by <keyword id="2779670" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="tracxn" source="Orion">Tracxn</keyword>, a leading global market intelligence platform. Seed stage rounds also experienced a contraction and dropped by 38 per cent as compared to the previous year. The report said that 22 startups entered the unicorn club in 2022, as compared to 46 in the previous year.The number of big ticket ($100 million and above) funding rounds dropped by 35 per cent to 55 as compared to 85 in the reported period. The number of funding rounds saw a drop of 30 per cent, from 2,647 last year to 1,841 this year, the report said. "The funding winter, which began in Q4 of 2021, will persist in 2023 as well. In order to survive the drought, startups are taking unit economics more seriously, which has been illustrated through the series of mass layoffs that have occurred this year," said <keyword id="520013" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="neha-singh" source="Orion">Neha Singh</keyword>, Co-Founder, Tracxn. "Although we are currently experiencing a slump, the situation is prompting startups to establish clearer and more sustainable paths to growth, as investors' evaluation metrics begin to emphasise good profitability over growth at all costs," Singh had said in a statement. The startup ecosystem's funding winter could last another 12 to 18 months and the industry may face "a lot of turmoil and volatility", Flipkart CEO <keyword id="6379357" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="kalyan-krishnamurthy" source="Orion">Kalyan Krishnamurthy</keyword> warned recently. According to <keyword id="12046361" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="shrijay-sheth" source="Orion">Shrijay Sheth</keyword>, Founder, Legalwiz.in, 2023 will continue to be the year of sustenance for most, and funders will continue to remain more cautious. "Both valuation multipliers and funding opportunities will go more conservative. Startups must build better units economics as opposed to expensive acquisitions driven growth channels. Geo-political issues, Global supply chain crisis and other macro issues are expected to prevail," he said. However, this also needs to be seen as a year where resilient, innovative and problem-solving entrepreneurs shall get an opportunity to stand out from the crowd. "As the macro environment gets tougher, we can expect some excellent business models to outshine the rest with high levels of innovation and frugality. Also, mostly the serious funding houses will prevail while we will see visitors in the VC world take a break," <keyword id="262579" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="sheth" source="Orion">Sheth</keyword> noted. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/there-is-a-link-between-drinking-sugary-sodas-and-hair-loss-says-beijing-based-study/slidelist/96796018.cms">There is a link between drinking sugary sodas and hair loss, says Beijing-based study</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/chaman-metallics-first-sme-ipo-of-2023-subscribed-197x/articleshow/96795916.cms">Chaman Metallics, first SME IPO of 2023, subscribed 197x</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/60-of-blue-and-grey-collar-jobs-go-to-freshers-with-tech-skills-billion-careers-report/articleshow/96795198.cms">60% of blue and grey collar jobs go to freshers with tech skills: Billion Careers report</a>

India's startup economy stares at deepening funding winter in 2023

The growth momentum picked up by the manufacturing sector in the last few months is likely to be sustained for the next six-to-nine months, <keyword id="15451445" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="quarterly-survey-on-manufacturing" source="Orion">Quarterly Survey on Manufacturing</keyword> conducted by industry body <keyword id="6355001" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="ficci" source="Orion">FICCI</keyword> revealed. The latest Survey reveals that after experiencing a revival of the Indian economy in the FY 2021-22, the momentum of growth continued in subsequent quarters of Q1 (April-June 2022-23) and Q2 July-Sept (2022-23) with over 61 per cent of respondents reported higher production levels in Q2 (July-September 2022-23). This is significantly more than the percentage of respondents experiencing higher growth in Q2 of the last few years including pre-Covid years too. This assessment is also reflected in order books as 54 per cent of the respondents in Q2 (July-September 2022-23) that had a higher number of orders. FICCI assessed the sentiments of manufacturers for Q2 July-September (2022-23) for ten major sectors namely Automotive and Auto Components, Capital Goods, <keyword id="6378916" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="cement" source="Orion">Cement</keyword>, Chemicals Fertilizers and Pharmaceuticals, Electronics, <keyword id="655658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="machine-tools" source="Orion">Machine Tools</keyword>, Metal and Metal Products, Paper Products, Textiles, Textile Machinery and Miscellaneous. Responses have been drawn from over 300 manufacturing units from both large and <keyword id="18173" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sme" source="Orion">SME</keyword> segments with a combined annual turnover of over 2.8 lakh crores. Capacity Addition and Utilization: The existing average capacity utilization in manufacturing is over 70 per cent, which reflects sustained economic activity in the sector. The future investment outlook also slightly improved as compared to the previous quarter as close to 40 per cent of respondents reported plans for capacity additions in the next six months, by as much as over 15 per cent on average. Global economic uncertainty caused by the Russia-Ukraine War and increasing cases of various mutations of COVID virus worldwide have accentuated the volatilities impacting the major economies. High raw material prices, increased cost of finance, cumbersome regulations, and clearances, shortage of working capital, high logistics cost due to rising fuel prices and blocked shipping lanes, low domestic and global demand, excess capacities due to the high volume of cheap imports into India, unstable market, high power tariff, shortage of skilled labor, highly volatile prices of certain metals, etc. and other supply chain disruptions are some of the major constraints which are affecting expansion plans of the respondents. Inventories: Over 87 per cent of the respondents had either more or the same level of inventory in Q2 July-September 2022-23, which is the same as compared to that of the previous quarter, where around 86.19 per cent of respondents expected either more or the same level of inventory. Exports: The outlook for exports seems to be positive as over 42 per cent of the respondents expect a high increase in exports in Q2 2022-23 as compared to the Q2 July-September of FY 2021-22. Hiring: Hiring through positive remains below potential as 36 per cent of the respondents in Q2 2022-23 were looking at hiring additional workforce in the next three months. Interest Rate: Overall, the average interest rate paid by the manufacturers has decreased to 8.37 per cent per annum as against 9.3 per cent during the last quarter and the highest rate at which a loan has been raised is 13.5 per cent. High lending rates were reported by around 62 per cent of the respondents. Production Cost: The cost of production as a percentage of sales for manufacturers in the survey has risen for 94 per cent of respondents in the quarter. Reduced availability and high raw material prices especially that of steel, increased transportation, logistics, and freight cost, and a rise in the prices of crude oil and fuel have been the main contributors to the increasing cost of production. Other factors responsible for escalating production costs include enhanced labour costs, high cost of carrying inventory, and fluctuation in the foreign exchange rate. Workforce Availability: Most sectors have a sufficient labour force engaged in their operations and are not facing a labour shortage at factories. While 81 per cent of the respondents mentioned that they do not have any issues with workforce availability, the remaining 19 per cent feel that there is still a lack of skilled workforce available in their sector. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/indian-e-rupee-to-boost-digital-payments-sans-bank-accounts-say-industry-stakeholders/articleshow/95332849.cms">Indian e-rupee to boost digital payments sans bank accounts, say industry stakeholders</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/sensex-rises-over-360-pts-to-scale-61k-level-in-early-trade-nifty-above-18220/articleshow/95348184.cms">Sensex rises over 360 pts to scale 61k-level in early trade; Nifty above 18,220</a>

Manufacturing sector's growth momentum to sustain for 6-9 months: FICCI

New Delhi [India], November 13 (ANI): <keyword id="178886" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-manufacturing" source="Orion">Indian manufacturing</keyword> has accelerated through the second quarter of 2023-24 and is likely to continue for the subsequent quarters of the financial year 2023-24, notwithstanding the slowdown in developed nations, industry body <keyword id="19481819" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ficcis-latest-quarterly" source="Orion">FICCI's latest quarterly</keyword> survey revealed. The industry body's latest quarterly survey assessed the performance and sentiments of manufacturers for the July-September 2023-24 quarter for ten major sectors -- automotive and auto components, capital goods and construction equipment, cement, chemicals fertilizers and pharmaceuticals, electronics and white goods, machine tools, metal and metal products, textiles, apparels and technical textiles, paper, and miscellaneous. It sought responses from over 380 manufacturing units from both the large and SME segments with a combined annual turnover of over Rs 4.88 lakh crores. The existing average capacity utilization in the Indian manufacturing sector is around 74 per cent, slightly higher than the 73 per cent recorded during the previous quarters. The future <keyword id="628648" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="investment-outlook" source="Orion">investment outlook</keyword> has also improved as compared to the previous quarter as over 57 per cent of respondents reported plans for investments and expansions in the coming six months. This is also a slight improvement over the previous survey. In terms of major constraints, demand is a limiting factor to realise the true potential of the manufacturing sector in India, with over 40 per cent of respondents highlighting this as a significant constraint. "Whether it is domestic demand or exports, this remains a major limiting factor. Some other constraints, though not major ones are high raw material prices, increased cost of finance, logistics, and other supply chain disruptions are some of the major constraints which are affecting expansion plans of the respondents," finds the FICCI survey. The table below gives the average capacity utilization for various sub-sectors of manufacturing: On the export front, performance seems to be better than in previous quarters as over 48 per cent of the respondents reported higher exports in July-September 2023-24 as compared to 33 per cent in Q1 2023-24. "However, further improvement in export demand is required in the light of the country's growth aspiration," FICCI said. Further, the hiring outlook, according to the survey, looks stable with around 38 per cent of the respondents looking at hiring additional workforce in the next three months. "Most sectors have sufficient labour force engaged in their operations and are not facing a shortage of labour at factories. While 82 per cent of our respondents mentioned that they do not have any issues with workforce availability, the remaining 18 per cent feel that there is still a lack of skilled workforce available in their sector," FICCI noted. (ANI)

Indian manufacturing sector growth expected to continue: FICCI survey

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in India are set to benefit from a $30 million global "anti-COVID" programme that <keyword id="3360525" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Alibaba-Cloud">Alibaba Cloud</keyword>, the data intelligence backbone of Chinese e-commerce giant <keyword id="302749" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Alibaba">Alibaba</keyword> Group, launched on Thursday. The "<keyword id="9102531" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Global-SME-Enablement-Programme">Global SME Enablement Programme</keyword>" will provide cloud technology relief to both new and existing SME customers of the company around the world and equip them with the solutions needed to maintain business continuity amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is offering a $300 coupon package for all new SME customers, and a $500 coupon for its paying customers. The new SME customers of the company worldwide can apply for the relief between now and June 22. The portfolio consists of a support package with 12 key products, including Elastic Compute Service (ECS), which powers cloud applications with low latency, and Object Storage Service (OSS), an encrypted service for data storage and backup in the cloud, as well as Alibaba Cloud Academy Courses. Existing customers can also apply for product coupons between now and June 22 to help them expand or upgrade their cloud applications, Alibaba Cloud said. In addition, Alibaba Cloud said it will reach out to SME associations to help meet their members' technology needs as they fight the pandemic. "India has a vision to increase the contribution from its MSME's (micro, small and medium enterprises) to its National GDP to 50 per cent and a large part of that growth will be possible in this day and age through empowering companies with technology," Alex Li, General Manager, Alibaba Cloud South Asia, said in a statement. "The Alibaba Cloud Global SME Enablement Program aims to provide much needed and timely relief to SMEs so they can rapidly respond to the current crisis while speeding up their digital transformation and emerging from the current pandemic stronger and more resilient," Li added. Alibaba Cloud announced the Global SME Enablement Programme during its Digital Cloud Day. The interactive one-day online conference introduced Alibaba Cloud's latest technologies and customer case studies and in particular how Alibaba Cloud is applying cloud computing, data analytic, and artificial intelligence capabilities to help businesses and the wider communities better cope with COVID-19. Alibaba Cloud this week announced to invest additional approximately $28 billion (RMB 200 billion) in the next three years on its cloud infrastructure, focusing on technologies including operating system, servers, chips and network. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/you-cannot-afford-to-change-things-how-alkira-a-multi-cloud-management-startup-just-raised-21-5-million-from-sequoia-and-kleiner-perkins-during-an-economic-crunch-/articleshow/75149453.cms">'You cannot afford to change things.' How Alkira, a multi-cloud management startup, just raised $21.5 million from Sequoia and Kleiner Perkins during an economic crunch.</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/7-5-billion-mongodb-explains-how-its-partnership-with-google-cloud-is-paying-off-with-lots-of-new-customers-were-benefiting-from-that-macro-level-push-google-has-in-the-market/articleshow/75055420.cms">$7.5 billion MongoDB explains how its partnership with Google Cloud is paying off with lots of new customers: 'We're benefiting from that macro-level push Google has in the market'</a>

Alibaba Cloud's $30 million programme to benefit small and medium-sized enterprises in India

The world loves jargon. In this case, it’s the latest one and much touted new kid on the block in the lending segment -- ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ (<keyword id="9522245" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="bnpl" source="Orion">BNPL</keyword>). It sure is not a coincidence that almost every Indian business media has written about this topic in the past few weeks, accelerated by the PR [public relations] blitzkrieg of the lending players, and some of their (potential) advertising spends being a motivator too. Is BNPL much ado about nothing ? Is this lending practice contemporary or is it just the newly coined terminology ? Isn’t the practice the same as the credit system we saw even as early as a few decades ago; the one that our old-fashioned uneducated mom-n-pop kirana store owner gave us as an option -- to buy through the month, and pay as a lump sum later in the subsequent month? His cost of such funding-the-customer was built into expenses (from his sales margins). He did not have any calculator or computer to store CRM [customer relationship management] or any customer database. The only cloud he knew and that existed then was the one above in the skies. There were not even landlines available (easily), let alone the PoS [point of sale] solutions. And more importantly, his customers rarely defaulted in repayments. So why is this sudden chatter about BNPL now? Why is so much private-capital chasing fintech BNPL players globally? Why are the banks, which loved their own credit cards, suddenly pushing for BNPL products too? Why is merchant acquisition becoming the hottest skill in the financial services sector? For a country with over 1.3 billion population, there are only 30 million unique credit card holders in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> (about 3% of total banked population). This huge gap is the actual business opportunity to provide BNPL solutions for various consumer segments. More importantly, the younger consumers seem to prefer BNPL, instead of credit cards (their high interest charges are seen as a deterrent). It’s then no-guess why apart from the purely digitally-led fintech players in India, traditional banks too have entered this vertical. The success of BNPL in the Indian context can be attributed to the fact that it offers formal credit in an easy-to-access way. It is also known as point-of-sale loans. In general, the retailer/merchant pays the BNPL provider a low single-digit percentage of the transaction value. This is equally a product promotion push to increase revenues. The banks and highly-funded fintechs have an advantage with cost of funding, while the banks have that historic funding-cost-advantage, techfins and fintechs (which have large capital to sign off) use the might of their large capital to acquire consumers; and to change consumer behaviour over a long period of time, by using their capital, even if debt markets are as shallow and as conflicted as our market (structurally in absence of deep domestic debt market, banks being a large proportion lender as well as provider of debt to non-banks is the conflict of interest). Hopefully the regulator would indicate their view on this subject, just to align the industry players in terms of regulatory thinking, before this segment grows fast, so that any business model steering could be done by the industry in time, saving precious capital, consumption trends and regulatory worries, if any. Can BNPL be inclusive ? With more keypad literate Indians than literate Indians now, wide availability of mobile services along the length and breadth of the country and lower-priced internet access, digital finance has never looked better before. The pioneering efforts by India with its <keyword id="6367533" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="jam" source="Orion">JAM</keyword> trinity [JanDhan-Aadhaar-Mobile] to bring banking access with secured identity and digital to every citizen is a global first. The initiatives such as ‘Digital India’, ‘Make in India’, ‘Startup India’ have inspired many youngsters to develop innovative ideas to solve real-life-consumer-issues. The basics of financial inclusion is to make sure that the consumers have access and choice of products that suit their needs. The brick and mortar distribution of conventional finance has not reached the nook and corner of the country. Digital channels have started making access to finance, especially credit, as easy as searching for something on Google and language no bar. The COVID lockdown fast-paced the digital adoption in almost all consumer segments, including those who were not digitally-led before. Online banking, app usage, and online commerce increased at a rapid pace. Many of these consumer behaviour would have become a habit and won’t make consumers go back to non-digital pre-covid behaviour. All these also helped in the BNPL growth in the past few months, spurred by a plethora of merchant offers across product categories. The larger opportunity set could be using BNPL products for livelihood-enhancing business-productivity needs. This could mean looking at business users like the gig economy and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) stakeholders. Will we see lending players offering BNPL to <keyword id="12386350" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sme-/-msme-/-psl" source="Orion">SME / MSME / PSL</keyword> segments with a win-win proposition ? It is only about “ity”s If extending credit is filtered on the basis of consumption, the risk parameters and its consequent lending would differ. Consumption itself is not a bad aspect. Responsible consumption is an ideal expectation from lenders. But lenders can’t judge consumer behaviour, but can very well decide if they want to lend to such consumers’ consumption patterns. <ul><li>Vanity consumption : Financing done for products bought or services used to give instant gratification. (Eg: Botox facial uplift treatment, bridal makeup. ) The challenge for this category of purchase is that the end-use is for “wants” and not “needs”. Absolute critics would even call it “unwanted wants”! </li><li>Sanity consumption : Financing done for products or service acquisition now, by customers who anyways have that affordability-capability but using it more for cash-flow management. (Eg: Consumer electronics, holidays, etc.) While these purchases using BNPL could be well within the budget of the buyer, studies have shown that the objectivity to stick to a financial wellness goal could be shaken, if the BNPL offers are tempting enough to buy yet another product or service. It would be beneficial for the industry at large to come together to build-in the concept of financial wellness assistance for its users. This would help the users conform to their financial plan and not to have any undue credit exposure that hurts their credit scores. And such hand-holding would go a long way in building consumer trust and to reposition BNPL as a safe practice. </li><li>Reality consumption : Anything that can add value to the real economy borrowers, be it for individuals or businesses, and done with responsible finance framework and responsible-credit behaviour would be long-term positive-trust-accretion to the overall industry. (Eg: business or livelihood enhancement loans) </li></ul>Not eating itself for lunch While BNPL surely is the flavour of the season, rational product development and prudent growth would build consumer trust. Valuations alone can’t drive up consumer trust, while they might drive up short-term public hype. Industry players have to build a profitable business model and sustainable service delivery (expectations), as they launch and/or scale BNPL products. If lending is driven well with adequate technology to understand risks, coupled with relevant merchant-partnerships on-the-ground, this can be a good source of financing for the consumers. Reckless lending through BNPL just to grow the AUM [assets under management] or to showcase the business pass-through that could drive-up potential valuations, will ensure that at some point that music will stop. Then that silence will be eerie. With so many conversations and coverage, hopefully BNPL should not become the next four-letter foul-word in the financial world. The better 4-letter-words that the financial sector does well to remember: “Lend”, “tech”, “risk”, “care”. If the industry does not offer improved socio-economic impact with BNPL, it might as well be called ‘Banal Nouveau Product (for) Lending’. After all, there is no free lunch. Someone has to pay for it! SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tech-mahindras-attrition-rate-is-nearly-twice-that-of-tcs/articleshow/87259727.cms">Tech Mahindra's attrition rate is nearly twice that of TCS</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/investment/news/all-bitcoin-price-estimates-for-2021/articleshow/87259108.cms">Bitcoin’s rally is far from over — these analysts are betting on the world’s largest cryptocurrency to more than double in value by the end of year</a>

OPINION: The next four-letter word taking the world of finance by storm

<ul><li>Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced that the government will buy shares in MSMEs that get listed on Indian stock exchanges.</li><li>"The units which have a good turnover and GST will be listed," he said during the <keyword id="6355512" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="union-cabinet">Union Cabinet</keyword> press briefing.</li><li>The Bombay Stock Exchange (<keyword id="35140" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="BSE">BSE</keyword>) and the National Stock Exchange (<keyword id="6354646" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="nse">NSE</keyword>) already reduced the annual listing fees for MSMEs on May 18.</li></ul>Among the six measures that Nirmala Sitharaman announced in May, one was a ₹50,000 crore equity infusion for MSMEs through Fund of Funds. The Union Cabinet today expanded to say that units, which get themselves listed in the market through this route will have the assurance of the government buying their shares. "The units which export, have a good turnover and GST, will be listed and the government will buy shares in the company which will be a revolving fund and this will benefit the MSMEs entering the stock market," said Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="75717258" title="Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announces six measures for the MSME sector" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Gadkari explains how the revolving fund will work The Union Minister highlighted that MSMEs listed on the stock market will no longer have to depend on banks for their funding. The government will be allowed to buy up to 15% of equity in any given MSME stock. “Through this equity investment, the MSME stock will be strengthened,” said Gadkari. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="76136376" title="Entities with up to ₹250 crore turnover, excluding exports, to be medium enterprises" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> He described that the government will eventually sell off the shares for a profit and use that money to invest in other MSMEs. “Through this method MSMEs with a good balance sheet, good ratings and good GST record — we will give a push to those units,” said Gadkari illustrating how government investments will also help boost exports. He explained that there are nearly six crore MSMEs in India, which contribute to 48% of the country’s exports and are capable of creating 11 crore jobs. “I am a little optimistic. Since this a revolving fund, it’s possible that it will be worth ₹2 lakh crore within a couple of years,” he quipped. It’s cheaper to get listed On May 18, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) announced that they have reduced the annual listing fee for MSMEs by 25%. Normally they are charged ₹25,000 or 0.01% of the full market cap on the BSE and between ₹10,000 to ₹45,000 by the NSE depending on the market cap. The revised listing fee structure is applicable for existing companies as well as for firms who are waiting to be listed. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/entities-with-up-to-250-crore-turnover-excluding-exports-to-be-medium-enterprises/articleshow/76136376.cms">Entities with up to ₹250 crore turnover, excluding exports, to be medium enterprises</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/oyo-founder-ritesh-agarwal-announces-esops-worth-130-crore-for-furloughed-employees/articleshow/76134783.cms">OYO founder Ritesh Agarwal announces ESOPs worth ₹130 crore for furloughed employees</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/flipkart-will-try-again-for-a-made-in-india-tag-to-be-able-to-sell-farm-produce/articleshow/76131890.cms">Flipkart will try again for a ‘Made in India’ tag to be able to sell farm produce</a>

Small businesses with ‘good turnover’ looking to get listed on the stock market will have the Indian government will buying their shares

<ul><li>The economic distress from the recent <keyword id="48088" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="floods">floods</keyword> in <keyword id="28504" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kerala">Kerala</keyword> is mounting. Total losses have been pegged at ₹210 billion. </li><li>A recent report by India Ratings predicts that two-Kerala based banks, <keyword id="6356495" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="federal-bank">Federal Bank</keyword> and South India Bank, could see a 20-25% surge in their <keyword id="142154" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="bad-loans">bad loans</keyword> as a result of the floods. </li><li>Most of the banks in the region focus their lending on the two sectors that have been adversely impacted by the floods - SMEs and <keyword id="6355165" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="agriculture">agriculture</keyword>. </li></ul>The economic distress from the recent floods in Kerala is mounting. Total losses have been pegged at ₹210 billion. The state’s GDP for the current financial year is expected to fall by 1 percentage point. Insurers are readying a payout of ₹13 billion for motor and property claims alone. The national production of rubber and coffee is also expected to take a huge hit. And now, the balance sheets and financial strength of banks in the region are predicted to deteriorate significantly. Around five banks, including Federal Bank and <keyword id="125585" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="South-Indian-Bank">South Indian Bank</keyword>, are based in Kerala with a quarter of their loan book concentrated on the state. Infact, a recent report by India Ratings, predicts that Federal and South India could see a <a href="https://www.indiaratings.co.in/PressRelease?pressReleaseID=33662&amp;title=Market-Wire%3A-Lenders-with-Exposure-to-Kerala-Brace-for-a-Jolt-Amid-Floods">20-25% surge</a> in their bad loans as a result of the floods. Even microfinance institutions will see their operations affected owing to defaults. Last week, the CEO of Federal Bank, Shyam Srinivasan, said that the bank’s non-performing loans could rise by <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/markets/federal-bank-expects-bad-loans-from-kerala-to-go-up-20-30-says-md-ceo-118082200060_1.html">as much as 30%</a> within the next few quarters owing to its high level of exposure to the rubber and tourism industries. Most of the banks in the region focus their lending on the two sectors that have been adversely impacted by the floods - small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and agriculture. While agricultural output in Kerala will most definitely take a hit in the near term, even small businesses will suffer due to the loss of inventory, property damage and irregularity in cash flows. This in turn, will inevitably affect the ability of farmers, agricultural collectives and small business owners to pay back their loans. To soften the blow to creditors in the agricultural sector, the government has allowed a one-year grace period for interest and five-year grace period for principal payments on these loans. So banks will not have to immediately recognise these accounts as stressed. In the short term, banks could see a windfall in deposits as a result of a spike in remittances to the state. The floods are expected to unleash a wave of payments from Indian diaspora to their families. The absolute value of remittances will also be given a boost due to the weak rupee.

Kerala floods could lead to a surge in bad loans at India’s regional banks

In a day and age when businesses are facing all kinds of uncertainties due to the ups and downs of the market, Indian <keyword id="44779" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="SMEs">SMEs</keyword> remain hopeful of their near future. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in India are highly optimistic about domestic economic growth in the next 12 months and are confident about their business performance in 2017, according to the <keyword id="4613360" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="american-express-global-sme-pulse">American Express Global SME Pulse</keyword>2 2017, a new survey commissioned by <keyword id="91294" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="American-Express">American Express</keyword> and carried out by <keyword id="637984" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Oxford-Economics">Oxford Economics</keyword>. The survey was carried out among senior executives and decision-makers across 15 countries, with the purpose of understanding the priorities and aspirations of the SME community. Companies surveyed form part of India’s mid-market organizations having revenues of up to $90mn, including SMEs. According to the survey, Indian SMEs are more positive about the domestic economy over the next 12 months than their Asian counterparts. Indian led with 71% followed by <keyword id="6355311" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Japan">Japan</keyword> at 62%, China at 54%, and <keyword id="6356662" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Singapore">Singapore</keyword> at 26%. Interestingly, the confidence of Asian countries is substantially higher than the global average of 45%. In terms of global economic outlook, SMEs in India have higher optimism at 65% than Asian counterparts with Japan at 58%, China at 47% and Singapore at 20%. 

 

 

 

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Healthy optimism about profitability SMEs in India are confident about their ability to deliver increased revenues and profitability. According to the survey, 76% of the Indian SMEs surveyed expect revenue growth of at least 4% in 2017. In terms of profitability, Indian SMEs are similarly upbeat with 45% forecasting a profit of 8% per annum by 2020. This is in excess of the global findings which show 27% of SMEs forecasting net profits of 8% over the same period. While SMEs in India are optimistic about the economy and their own business, they cite domestic policies, uncertain laws and regulations as major concerns over the next year. Optimistic about recent political changes for businesses’ prospects SMEs in India see positive light among the government’s recent initiatives and support to boost the sector. 69% of them feel that barriers to entry are coming down and providing business opportunities. As revealed through the survey, 73% of Indian SMEs responded that recent political changes in the country make them optimistic about their businesses’ prospects. 

 

 

 

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Aim to smoothen business operations through funding options Amongst various sources of funds, Indian SMEs expressed that existing working capital (at 88%) and bank loans (at 77%) are the most readily available; whereas the funds they actually put to use are bank loans (at 62%) and existing working capital (at 49%). Over the next year, Indian SMEs plan to source funds through public equity markets (at 50%) and bank loans (at 46%). In order to streamline their future business financing options, Indian SMEs ranked flexible lending and repayment options (at 37%) as the most important factor and high interest rates (at 49%) as the biggest pain point when applying for business finance. Focus on expansion and sales growth to drive financial performance Indian SMEs are focusing on growth and expansion strategies to improve their financial performance. The survey revealed that 38% of Indian SMEs feel that expansion into new domestic market segments will be a top priority for their business over the next three years. They are also pushing for sales growth with over 35% looking to grow their current market share.

 

 

 

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 Increasing exports part of the growth push Exporting is a core pillar of many SMEs’ growth strategies globally and India is no exception. Almost 32% of SMEs surveyed said they recognize expansion into new international markets as a pathway to improved financial performance over the next three years. Indian SMEs are confident they are ready for export growth, with a sizeable 68% strongly believing their company has the right plans to increase export sales. An overwhelming majority (73%) agree it is easier to access new export markets than it was three years ago. Also, 37% of Indian SMEs said they will be looking at increasing operational efficiency as another key priority for driving financial performance. 

 

 

 

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 Technological investment is the most important priority area According to the research, the majority of Indian SMEs understands the growing importance of technology and wants to make investments in the same. 77% of Indian SMEs felt the importance of applying the latest technology in their businesses over the next three years. Another 71% said that they are developing and implementing innovation to business models, products and services and ways of working. About 62% said they are prioritizing on quickly responding to changing business demands. Understanding the need of being on track with technological advancements, 75% of Indian SMEs plan to use more scalable technology, like cloud based solutions in the next three years. Look beyond the short term As part of the research, top executives in Indian SMEs were asked about the long-term goals of the business. While profit margin growth (51%) and revenue growth (44%) are identified as the number one and two objectives, well over a quarter (29%) state that both sustaining the business for future generations and building company reputation (28%) are important long-term goals.

Indian SMEs confident about their growth in 2017, according to this American Express Survey

In <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=MasterCard&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">MasterCard</a>’s ‘Micro Merchant Market Sizing and Profiling Report’ released in collaboration with Confederation of All India Traders, the company has claimed small businesses make up for 45% of India’s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=GDP&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">GDP</a>, around three times of what Corporate India contributes. The sector is also said to be employing close to 46 crore people, and growing at 11.5% annually. 
 
India is pre-dominantly a cash-based economy, with less than 5% of the country’s personal consumption expenditure of $1.1 trillion transacted via <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=digital+payments&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">digital payments</a>. 
 “Cash can cost businesses up to 2% of their operating costs, including labor over-heads. Cash is not free”, Ravinder S. Aurora, Groud Head, Global Policy Affairs and Community Relations at <keyword id="6368201" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="MasterCard">MasterCard</keyword> said. 
 
The country currently with a population of over 1.2 billion has a mere 12 lakh POS terminals. Aurora claims a mere 1.5% of the 10 crore of India’s small traders currently have cards. 
 “As a consumer, the transactional cost is a major deterrent. The government should offer tax breaks and incidental benefits as incentives to <keyword id="6358577" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Digital-Payments">digital payments</keyword>. Currently only 5% of the cards issued are used for online payments. With incentives it can be bumped up to 30%. That’s way more than the 2% transactional fee banks make”, Praveen Khandelwal, National Secretary General, CAIT said. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=MasterCard&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">MasterCard</a> has promised to get over 500 million new consumers onto the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=digital+payments&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">digital payments</a> bandwagon by 2020, and Aurora claims India is a major strategic market for the company. 
 
Image Credit: Indiatimes

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