Microfinance India: State of the Sector Report is an annual publication which quantifies the growth and performance of Indian microfinance in addition to documenting recent developments, analyzing critical issues, and identifying policy choices with the overall objective of deepening the understanding of the sector. Besides making available the latest statistical data on growth, performance and expansion across regions and population segments, the document provides a thorough review of the operational climate and the recent innovations in the realms of products, services and processes.

This year’s State of the Sector Report is structured in line with the critical themes of current microfinance discourse. The report locates itself within the financial inclusion debate, as that is the overarching philosophical foundation of microfinance. Specifically, the report attempts to (a) unravel the major patterns of change within three major legal-organizational forms—self-help groups, for-profit microfinance companies and non-profit microfinance organizations; (b) explain the relationship among the major channels of microfinance, and between them and the other system players (banks, investors, government, central bank); and (c) review the main facets of the recent policy and regulatory changes that have a bearing on financial inclusion in general and microfinance in particular.

This report is a valued reference document for researchers, practitioners and policy makers in the microfinance sector.