Explore by keyword
Search beyond titles. This explorer reads the full archive and shows each word in context before you choose an essay.
AI & Digital Lending
…perimenting with chatbots and digital journeys? Or has AI begun entering the real operating layers of banking — credit, fraud, underwriting, monitoring, collections, compliance and employee productivity? This blog is an attempt to answer that question. Not through opinion. N…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
…world has changed. Today, lenders have access to bank statement analysers, GST analysers, bureau tools, MCA extractors, fraud checks, legal search tools, financial spreading tools, dashboards and risk-intelligence platforms. Companies such as Perfios, ScoreMe, SaveRisk, Prob…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…nly after default? Are the documents contemporaneous or created later? Does the documentary story match the conduct? In fraud examination, timing often speaks. Sometimes louder than the document itself. The unresolved ending This is why I find the Central Bank case thought-p…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…ecution. A right that cannot be enforced in time may have limited recovery value. Lessons for Fellow CFEs For Certified Fraud Examiners, possession risk is also a behavioural signal. A false declaration of possession may not be a clerical lapse. It may point to something dee…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…ecution. A right that cannot be enforced in time may have limited recovery value. Lessons for Fellow CFEs For Certified Fraud Examiners, the case offers a familiar message: Do not stop at the document. Fraud examination often begins where documentation comfort ends. A file m…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
Justice, Scheduled—But Not Served Listed, But Not Heard: The Accountability Gap in Justice Delivery We smiled when Advocate Chaudhary delivered that iconic line in Damini . It felt exaggerated. Dramatic. Cinematic. But for many litigants today, it is no longer…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…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
March is the most sensitive month in the books of any bank. As the financial year closes, the quality of the loan portfolio — especially SMA accounts and NPAs — comes under intense scrutiny. To strengthen early detection of stress in the banking system, the Re…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
Decision Manipulation How AI is Changing Fraud and Asset Stripping in Financial Institutions For decades, fraud in banking followed a familiar pattern. Documents were forged. Collateral was inflat…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
Section 94, Sequencing Power, and the New Insolvency Reality Section 94 Received The branch received a letter. It was formally worded. Procedural. Calm. The personal guarantor had filed an application under Section 94 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
Gold Jewellery Funding : Episode 19 A ring rarely comes alone. It comes with a finger size, a stone, a promise, a memory — and often, an expectation that something so small must be valuable. In gold lending, rings are the most misunderstood collateral: compact…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…Odisha This is not an Odisha-only lesson. It illustrates a broader truth: Gold lending risks are not only about purity fraud — they are about construction logic mismatches between culture and collateral frameworks. For bankers, the takeaway is not suspicion — it is contextu…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…can guarantee truth. Modern appraisal works when: chemistry confirms purity , and physics confirms mass and structure . Fraud survives where only one property is tested. Truth emerges when multiple properties agree. What Experienced Bankers Do (Quietly) They don’t argue with…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
When Gold Became Working Capital: The Rise and Closure of the Re-Pledged Route Gold Jewellery Business - Episode 15 Introduction For decades, pawn brokers occupied a quiet but critical space in India’s gold ecosystem — bridging household distress, informal cre…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…end-use and category controls (via MCC), and jewellery/gold is often treated as a sensitive category from a regulatory, fraud, and conduct-risk standpoint. That’s why you may be allowed to buy jewellery on a card, but blocked from turning it into EMI. 5. Jeweller Schemes (10…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…nded by Credit (A simple regulatory flow) Step 1: Individual intent appears harmless A customer borrows to buy gold. No fraud. No default. No immediate stress. Step 2: Credit + gold scales rapidly When the same behaviour repeats across lakhs of borrowers: Credit demand rises…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…ative Banks Interpretation Closure Disputed ✔️ Multiple reported consumer & HC cases ✔️ Consumer forum cases ✔️ Audit & fraud cases ✔️ Frequent Exit is contested, not default Valuation Challenged ✔️ Yes ✔️ Yes ✔️ Yes ✔️ Yes Valuation fairness litigated Auction Contested / De…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
The Legal Lifecycle: Where Gold Loan Risk Actually Surfaces Gold Jewellery Series - Episode 11 PART A — WHEN GOLD LOANS ENTER THE LEGAL DOMAIN ⚖️ Trigger Points (Not Defaults) Gold loans enter courts and tribunals not because borrowers default , but because: C…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
…s in. It’s not just another blog. It’s a lens that sharpens your view of complex financial topics like tractor finance, fraud, and AI in lending. Ready to explore? Why Vivek's Unique Perspective Matters in Finance Ever felt like finance talks over your head? Like the jargon…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…s a balance sheet. Why This Story Matters Because once you see it this way: you stop blaming jewellers you stop chasing fraud narratives you start asking better questions Such as: What is funding today’s promise? What breaks first if timing slips? How quickly can this unwind…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…that later reverses. Gold has always been seen as safe. So when jewellery businesses fail, the instinct is to look for fraud, bad intent, or regulatory crackdowns. But across India, a quieter story keeps repeating. Customer money arrives early. Gold ownership comes later. L…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…ELLERY BUSINESS SERIES - EPISODE 6 How Can a Banker Tell This Just by Looking at the Balance Sheet ? You cannot see the fraud directly. But you can see the timing distortion very clearly — if you know where to look . Think in four lenses , not one. Lens 1: Advances from Cust…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…edged, it stops being working capital and quietly becomes funding. Most stress in jewellery lending does not begin with fraud or theft. It begins with this single misclassification. Once bankers learn to see where the gold is — before giving credit relief — the balance sheet…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…r hollow items at full value Melt loss is very high. Weight ≠ purity. 6. Don’t rely only on hallmark stamps Hallmarking frauds are common. Always test purity. 7. Don’t ignore old gold in the stock statement Old gold = solder contamination = purity uncertainty. Treat with sus…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
Legacy complexity in Indian banking A case for cleaning up our legacy MIS code burden in Indian banking There are moments in policy that go quietly unnoticed — but signal a seismic shift in the way a system thinks. One such moment happened recently. The Reserv…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
TAT - The untold stories There was a time when bankers feared NPAs, audits, inspections, and credit committees. Today, they fear something far more colourful: the next morning’s TAT dashboard . One red cell is enough to trigger panic. People raise queries they…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
Aadhaar vs PAN/Passport If there is one question that keeps surfacing in customer onboarding counters across India, it is this: “My Aadhaar has an initial, but my PAN and Passport have my full name. Can the bank force me to open the account as per Aadhaar?” Sh…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 profes…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
…Why It Happens: Compliance frameworks are designed for stable cycles, not shock-response lending . Rather than adapting fraud and risk models, teams often ignore or bypass checks in “low-ticket” segments—creating operational leaks and reputational risks. Solution Blueprint:…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 f…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 + a…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
…retain field checks elsewhere. Digital literacy cells: 2–3 “consent coaches” per region to lift AA hit rates and reduce fraud. For Fintechs Explainable analytics: Translate UPI/QR/GST anomalies into plain-English reasons a credit officer trusts. Returns-aware scoring: For pl…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
Policy Vs Practice Series Policy Intent When the SARFAESI Act was introduced in 2002, it was hailed as a game-changer. For the first time, banks in India could enforce security interests without the long wait of civil courts . The intent was clear: empower len…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
Policy Vs Practice The Setting (Rating Methodologies) A branch credit officer is reviewing a ₹50 crore working capital renewal for a reputed engineering firm. The borrower proudly points to their BBB rating from a leading agency. Looks decent. Case closed? Not…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
Policy Vs Practice Series Policy Intent: Regulatory frameworks — from RBI’s capital adequacy norms to provisioning requirements — are designed to safeguard the banking system and ensure credit discipline. Practice Reality: In real-world cycles, these very rule…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
Policy Vs Practice Series THE BEGINNING In just 67 days of early 2020, the RBI slashed the repo rate by 115 basis points — the steepest short-term cut since the global financial crisis. Corporate loan yields at India’s top banks fell by nearly 1% in a single q…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
…lientele These signals don’t prove income like a balance sheet. But collectively, they provide behavioral assurance. 5. Fraud Risks Are Real. But Not Unmanageable. Fraud Type Description Synthetic Identity Fake trainer persona with dummy clients Income Pumping Temporary infl…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
Over the past five years, working capital loans — dominated by Cash Credit (CC) and Overdraft (OD) facilities — have accounted for a substantial share of bank credit in India. Designed to bridge short-term liquidity gaps, these facilities were never intended t…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
…“I thought you were doing it.” The Story 📰 Panchkula Mayor Falls Victim to a ₹42. 5 Lakh WhatsApp Scam What happened: Fraudsters impersonated Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal , using a WhatsApp profile adorned with his name and company logo (ANA Group). How it played out: They offer…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
…gn scores to each claim based on behavioral proximity to verified claimant patterns — enabling partial refunds with low fraud risk. 🗃️ 3. Village Panels for Testimony Claim Submission: Claimants without complete documents submit a signed affidavit declaring their past depos…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…spoofed caller IDs and building cybercrime databases. IT Act & Telecom Guidelines : Enforcing stronger traceability of fraudulent calls under Intermediary Guidelines (2021). Why It Still Works Tactic Effect Bias Triggered Video calls with uniforms Visual legitimacy Status A…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…me, he clicked it between meetings. It asked for name, PAN, and Aadhaar number. He entered it all. Within 48 hours, two fraudulent credit card accounts were opened in his name. One had already been maxed out. ❝ He didn’t believe the sender. He believed the clock. ❞ 🧠 THE BI…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
Curiosity-driven trust — when the urge to know overrides the instinct to pause. REAL STORY: The Email That Felt Too Specific Hyderabad, 2023 Priya, a 29-year-old HR executive, received an unsettling email: “Final Notice: Your resignation approval letter is pen…Read in full
Tractor & Rural Finance
…ad a red beacon.” “His phone calls had a Delhi code.” “He had no reason to cheat us — he was going places!” This wasn’t fraud in the shadows. It was fraud in broad daylight , enabled by the deeply rooted truth bias that status confers legitimacy. 🪞 Matrix Placement: Episode…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…that after the morning bell rang and tiffin boxes snapped shut, Ma’am began her second lesson of the day — in compound fraud. 💰 “This is for women like us.” It began innocently. A few colleagues, a chit of ₹5,000 here, ₹10,000 there. She called it a “self-help fund” — some…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
When Misinformation Comes in Familiar Fonts He didn’t have a title.He didn’t wear a uniform.He didn’t even show his face. Yet, during the early days of the pandemic, his voice message went viral across Tamil Nadu: “Don’t take paracetamol — it’ll worsen COVID.…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…Among them were vulnerable senior citizens, schoolteachers, even a TMC MP , who was the one who ultimately exposed the fraud when she received no confirmation from the health portal. The public reaction was a cocktail of outrage and disbelief. How could so many fall for som…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…es have emerged: Fake IFS officers proposing marriage via matrimonial sites Conmen posing as IPS probationers for dowry fraud Retired clerks impersonating active district collectors Because in India, authority still blinds scrutiny. And when the badge is fake, the trust it c…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
…st be safe.” “These people come from our area. They won’t cheat us.” “They gave our temple a donation — how can they be frauds?” “It’s not a chit fund. It’s livestock. Real birds. Real business.” People trusted the faces , not the math. They trusted the smiles , not the bala…Read in full
Tractor & Rural Finance
…cross North Chennai in 2022 , particularly in areas like Tiruvottiyur and Ennore , where elderly women were targeted by fraudsters posing as TNEB (Tamil Nadu Electricity Board) staff. These incidents were covered in: The Hindu , Chennai Edition (Aug–Sep 2022) The Times of In…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
…lending should not just be digital. It must be ethical. Integrating ERM: Ethical AI as an Enterprise Risk Imperative 🔍 Fraud Risk Perspective – ACFE Insights According to the ACFE’s 2024 Report to the Nations , over 50% of occupational fraud cases stem from internal failing…Read in full
AI & Digital Lending
…onals who started talking about exploring RURAL MARKETS and discussions meandered into Tractor Finance and how it was a fraudulent business to get into. “Risky” – I could accept. Yet here was a champ out-casting a product I held close to my heart. I did not respond… My thoug…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…rrower to justice. My attention goes to one such statute called the INDIAN CONTRACT ACT, where a borrower is classified FRAUD under section 17. The most important portion of using this statute is in proving INTENT. Malafideness of intent has to be established. The entire pro…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…e human instinct has towards truth. If we look at the activities of Field Investigation, Sourcing, Credit Underwriting, Fraud Evaluations, this principle is at work The Sourcing Team believes that the Customer is uttering the Truth, unless the sourcing official evidences som…Read in full
Credit & Underwriting
…hich would encompass Sales, Credit, Operations, Marketing, Collections, Risk / Policy Governance, and Risk Containment (Frauds / Vigilance etc.) Why Underwriting ? Do we need it ? The start point is a theory that different factions of business, function at different altitude…Read in full
Tractor & Rural Finance
…aptured. How do we capture this ? 8. Red Flags - These are based on (a) Cases / Patterns highlighted by the IAD / RCU / Fraud Prevention Team, which will highlight types of cases that we may not want to get into. (b) Our own experiences / Loss experiences with specific brand…Read in full
Credit & Underwriting
…h we have never gone in to earlier owing to time and management limitations. While he was talking about the same in the fraud prevention perspective, his perspective was a breath of fresh air. In the days of algorithms, logics, bots, artificial intelligence, robotics, enteri…Read in full
Tractor & Rural Finance
A question was posed by a fellow mate from the same finance industry, about the practicality of detecting frauds. He explained himself with an example. A customer was assessed by them, and found fit to be financed. Based on their policies and credit norms, the…Read in full
Tractor & Rural Finance
…omer - Financier Relationship. Ultimately, irrespective of use, the intention forming happens in this CHAKRA. Intent is fraudulent ab initio, only in 1 - 2 % of the cases. Many of us who go on FI, end up talking ourselves or land up feeding answers / leading prospective cust…Read in full
Credit & Underwriting
I was quite influenced by a training on Fraud Detection and Prevention recently, where a point came up about "Triggers" losing relevance with time. This was when the Trainer pointed to the underl…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…at came out the discussion. It was with a group of friends – all of us from the Audit / Compliance / Regulatory Check / Fraud Prevention background. It was fun, with a lot of new lessons making me feel humbled. Here are some of the expressions that caught my fancy ! We had s…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…at came out the discussion. It was with a group of friends – all of us from the Audit / Compliance / Regulatory Check / Fraud Prevention background. It was fun, with a lot of new lessons making me feel humbled. Here are some of the expressions that caught my fancy ! 1. WATER…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
Continued..... from Part 1.. ..highlights of a talk on "Fraud Prevention in Farm Equipment Financing" Observation 3 - Know your domain I've read about Luca Pacioli's Quote, which I shall use slightly differently…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
…fit into ? Similarly define your REGIONS based on your domain and territory knowledge and you’d be surprised at the way frauds come down. The farmers do not require waivers. In the absence of better mechanisms of income governance, they seek waivers…. Don’t believe me – here…Read in full
Fraud, Ethics & Governance
At a recent gathering, I was asked to speak on " Fraud Prevention in Farm Equipment Financing ", and this was more of an impromptu talk with little time to prepare. Yet, I gathered and covered the talk in…Read in full
Credit & Underwriting
…" So what's the problem ? " I asked naively. "This quarter is the pick of the seasons for Quality Checks / Root Cause / Fraud Analytics. " he continued ," If you actually review, there would cases which would have been declined and in some cases rejected, which would go thro…Read in full