NBFC and MFI in India

NBFC

NBFC means Non Banking Financial Company. A non-banking financial company (NBFC) is a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956 and is engaged in the business of loans and advances, acquisition of shares/stock/bonds/debentures/securities issued by government or local authority or other securities of like marketable nature, leasing, hire-purchase, insurance business, chit business, but does not include any institution whose principal business is that of agriculture activity, industrial activity, sale/purchase/construction of immovable property.

MFI

Microfinance institutions, also known as MFIs, offer financial services to underserved, impoverished communities.

MFIs go for NBFC licences

An Increasing number of microfinance institutions (MFIs) are seeking non-banking finance company (NBFC) status from RBI to get wide access to funding, including bank finance.

Exemptions granted to NBFCs engaged in microfinance activities

The Task Force on Supportive Policy and Regulatory Framework for Microfinance set up by NABARD in 1999 gave various recommendations. Accordingly, it was decided to exempt such NBFCs which are engaged in (i) micro financing activities, (ii) licensed under Section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956 and (iii) which are not accepting public deposits from the purview of Sections 45-IA (registration), 45-IB (maintenance of liquid assets) and 45-IC (transfer of profits to Reserve Fund) of the RBI Act, 1934.

MFIs & SHG-Bank linkage programme

In a joint fact-finding study on microfinance conducted recently by Reserve Bank and a few major banks, the following observations have been made:

(i) Some of the microfinance institutions (MFIs) financed by banks or acting as their intermediaries/partners appear to be focussing on relatively better banked areas, including areas covered by the SHG-Bank linkage programme. Competing MFIs were operating in the same area, and trying to reach out to the same set of poor, resulting in multiple lending and overburdening of rural households.

(ii) Many MFIs supported by banks were not engaging themselves in capacity building and empowerment of the groups to the desired extent. The MFIs were disbursing loans to the newly formed groups within 10-15 days of their formation, in contrast to the practice obtaining in the SHG - Bank linkage programme which takes about 6-7 months for group formation / nurturing / handholding. As a result, cohesiveness and a sense of purpose were not being built up in the groups formed by these MFIs.

(iii) Banks, as principal financiers of MFIs, do not appear to be engaging them with regard to their systems, practices and lending policies with a view to ensuring better transparency and adherence to best practices. In many cases, no review of MFI operations was undertaken after sanctioning the credit facility.

RBI relaxes norms for NBFCs

The Reserve Bank of India has permitted non-banking finance companies registered with it to take up insurance agency business on fee basis and without risk participation and the need to seek the bank's approval. In a notification issued, the RBI said such NBFCs should obtain permission from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority and comply with the IRDA regulations for acting as "composite corporate agent with insurance companies.