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AI & Digital Lending
A colleague asked whether AI adoption in banks really has depth. I paused to examine the public evidence. A colleague who had been reading my recent blogs on AI in lending called me with a simple question: “ Is there really so much depth in AI adoption within…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
…ng. At sanction, the lender forms a view of the borrower. Early warning sensing tests whether that view is still valid. Digital lending tells us what happened. Intelligent lending helps us sense what is changing. Disclaimer and Usage Notice This article is an original work of the auth…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
…tise waste faster. It should help lenders move from data abundance to judgement clarity. That is the difference between digital lending and intelligent lending. Digital lending changes the medium. Intelligent lending changes the method. Disclaimer and Usage Notice This article is an o…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
Episode 2: The AI Lending Flywheel From Isolated Use Cases to Intelligent Credit Flow In Episode 1, we looked at the hidden waste in lending. Paper is visible. But the deeper waste lies elsewhere — waiting, repeated data entry, duplicate documentation, manual…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
Episode 1: The Hidden Waste in Lending A Lean View of Why Paper Is Only the Visible Problem. For many lenders, transformation has been described in terms of digitisation. Paper forms became PDFs. Physical files became digital folders. Branch workflows moved in…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
The Changing Landscape of Fraud Detection For many of us who worked deeply in fraud control a decade ago, fraud detection was never merely about catching forged paper. It was about learning to read disturbances — the small things that did not fit. A date that…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
…d and portfolio discipline. But it also shapes how risk is interpreted. The Role of CCV Algorithms (Due Diligence) Most digital lending frameworks rely on Credit Control Validation (CCV) algorithms . These algorithms evaluate whether a borrower satisfies predefined policy parameters s…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
…sented to the bank: fake invoices inflated receivables forged financial statements overstated collateral. In a world of digital lending and automated decision models, many of these inputs are no longer manually submitted. Instead, decisions increasingly rely on digital data ecosystems…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
Centralization vs Decentralization of Decisions A situation familiar to many bankers unfolds more often than we realize. A long-standing MSME customer seeks a modest enhancement to his working capital limit. The business is stable. The relationship manager kno…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
Finance is not just numbers on a spreadsheet or dry reports stacked in a dusty cabinet. It’s a living, breathing ecosystem, full of stories, risks, and opportunities. And if you want to truly understand it, you need more than just data—you need perspective. Th…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
…ides eligibility. Because technology can reduce effort… but it cannot replace wisdom. And this is exactly where India’s digital lending story stands today. Today our industry has scorecards that approve loans in 30 seconds, data aggregators that read financial history in a minute, and…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
Globally, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) will observe its 25ᵗʰ International Fraud Awareness Week from 16 November 2025 to 22 November 2025 , urging organizations and professionals everywhere to “join the movement to minimize the impact of…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
The Promise — What Limit Trees Were Supposed to Do Every bank swears by its limit tree . Every system claims — “We can’t breach limits.” And yet… breaches happen. Quietly. Daily. Not because technology failed —but because governance did. LIMIT TREES The Realit…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
…o Everyday Integration LEI doesn’t yet appear in daily workflows like: GST filings Invoice generation Loan applications Digital lending platforms Without visibility, it remains an invisible identifier . 4. The Incentive Gap — No Tangible Benefit Annual renewal fee (₹3–6K) feels steep…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
Introduction: The Knitwear Capital in Crisis Tiruppur—the "Knitwear Capital of India" —is in turmoil. Once a bustling export powerhouse, with over ₹44,000 crore in knitwear exports last fiscal, the city’s production is now slowing dramatically. Why? In August…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
Fraud Prevention Series Three banks in Chennai are fighting a new card-testing fraud. Each sees a tiny piece of the pattern. If they could pool data, the fraud would pop instantly—but privacy rules and contracts say “no.” Federated learning is like forming a j…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
Fraud Prevention Series The frontline reality A branch approves small‑ticket MSME loans on a tight 48‑hour TAT. Day 1, Hunter throws a “match on mobile + address” alert. Day 2, CFR flags a name similar to a prior fraud, but the branch freezes, the borrower wal…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
Policy Vs Practice Series In FY 2024–25, MSME lending powered ahead as the fastest‑growing credit segment in India.” MSME loans surged 14. 1% , outstripping retail (11. 7%) and services (11. 2%) Their share of total (non‑food) bank credit hit an all‑time high…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
Beyond Ratios Series In today’s risk committees and appraisal notes, a dangerous trend is setting in — ratios rule, narratives are ignored . 🧾 Credit officers are asked: “Is the Current Ratio above 1.33?”“Has the DSCR touched 1.5?” But here's the uncomfortabl…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
BEYOND RATIO SERIES Introduction - Account Aggregator - Microfinance Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) have long been the torchbearers of financial inclusion, extending credit to India’s most underserved populations. But in a world that's fast digitizing, MFIs…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
…BFCs targeting salaried gig workers and urban micro-enterprises are leading the charge: Segment Adoption Level Use Case Digital lending NBFCs High Bureau + AA-driven underwriting Neo-banks Medium Alternate scoring for retail/gig credit PSU Banks Growing Pilots in ECLGS, personal loans…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
BEYOND RATIOS SERIES - EPISODE 3 Introduction Ramesh runs a flourishing tailoring unit in Tirunelveli. His clients are mostly regulars from his WhatsApp group and neighbourhood references. His inflows come through UPI, small cash deposits, and advance payments…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
BEYOND RATIOS SERIES - EPISODE 2 Introduction Priya, a certified fitness coach based in Coimbatore, has carved a niche for herself online. From Zoom-based workouts to personalized WhatsApp fitness coaching, her client base spans metros and small towns. Her inc…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
BEYOND RATIOS SERIES - EPISODE 1 It started with a kirana store in Tirunelveli. The bank had rejected his ₹4 lakh loan request — citing insufficient collateral and lack of formal ITRs. DISCLAIMER : This is an AI Generated image - only for illustration Frustrat…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
Section 1: The Illusion of Structure For decades, India’s MSMEs have been navigating a labyrinth of credit norms designed to bring structure, logic, and discipline to working capital financing. From the moment a small business approaches a bank, its viability…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
Circle of Trust After our episode on misplaced trust in institutions, a reader asked — “But what happens when everyone thinks someone else has done the checking?” Welcome to the world of Collective Bias — where due diligence drowns in diffusion of responsibili…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
The Sahara Story Reader Prompt “You’ve been writing about how bias shapes our decisions. Is this also a case of bias?” someone asked me, forwarding a clipping about unclaimed Sahara deposits. I paused. Because the question wasn’t rhetorical. Sahara Refund Open…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
(Based on the true story of the Susi Emu Farms scam, 2006–2012) If you drove past the outskirts of Perundurai , in Tamil Nadu’s Erode district, sometime around 2010, you’d have seen an unusual sight — acres of open land lined with tall wire fencing, hundreds o…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
…lined. Welcome to the age of algorithmic lending — where decisions are fast, data-rich, and dangerously opaque. India’s digital lending is no longer a fringe experiment. It’s mainstream, scaling faster than regulators can blink. But in this rush to digitize credit, we’ve forgotten to…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
Originally written on Jul 21, 2018 There are those moments when it becomes difficult to tolerate broad brushing. This was a formal group of professionals who started talking about exploring RURAL MARKETS and discussions meandered into Tractor Finance and how i…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
…nd that AI-driven lenders inflated hidden costs in gold loans. 4. AI & Arbitration Clauses – The Hidden Legal Trap Most digital lending agreements now include mandatory arbitration clauses , blocking borrowers from going to court. AI-based contract systems auto-approve such clauses ,…Read in full