Rajashree Gopalakrishnan

Our second blog in the series on digitising Indian retail businesses covers the various digital tools available and how they could benefit a small or micro retailer

Digitisation of offline Indian merchants

Imagining Digital Solutions for Small and Micro Retailers of India

Vinith Kurian

Monami Dasgupta

Our first blog of this series explores the current landscape of small and micro-merchants in India and the potential for digitization to improve business outcomes.

Digitizing Small and Micro-Merchants in India - What’s missing?

This blog articulates the meaning, mechanisms and business motives behind offering embedded finance solutions.

Embedded Finance - 101

D91 Labs

Proposing ideas and interventions across the user journey by leveraging the insights collected from interviews in the Banking on Women series.

Banking on women

Playbook: Designing Financial Products for the Women of Bharat

We conducted an audit of popular fintech apps and assessed for deceptive design used by them. Here's what we found.

Tricked by Design: Deceptive Patterns in Indian Fintech Apps

In the fifth blog of the Digital Payments for the Next Half Billion series, we explore the importance of 'offline' digital payments in furthering financial inclusion in India.

Digital payments for the next half billion

Can ‘Offline’ Drive Digital Payments in India?

The fourth blog of the insights from the “Banking on Women” series covers our respondents’ views and apprehensions when it comes to insurance policies.

Women's obscure path from awareness to adoption of insurance products

For the 9th episode of the D91 Labs Idea Series, we have with us Beni Chugh and Srikara Prasad from Dvara Research’s Future of Finance initiative

In this interview, we will delve deep into understanding the new-to-UPI user’s experience where our guests will share the findings from a behavioural study with 262 respondents from Kerala and Uttar Pradesh.

D91 Labs on YouTube

Understanding digital payment journeys of new to UPI users

The third blog of the insights from the “Banking on Women” series covers our respondents’ views on savings, investments and emergency funds

Women’s choice between savings and investments to gain financial freedom

Our fourth blog examines the implications of enabling credit on UPI for financial inclusion in India. Is it an effective concept or just a case of much ado about nothing?

Can Credit on UPI drive Financial Inclusion in India?

The second blog of the insights from the “Banking on Women” series covers our respondents’ views on credit, their borrowing patterns, and preferences for credit instruments.

Women’s tenuous relationship with credit & the factors that affect their borrowing decisions

Blog one of this series contains insights on banking habits, digital payments and household expense tracking practices among the respondents.

Women’s journey from access to the usage of bank accounts and digital payment platforms

Our third blog of the Digital Payments for the Next Half Billion series explores if voice technology can bridge the digital divide and provide a more accessible way of making transactions digitally.

Voicing Their Needs: Can Voice Technology Make Payments Easier for Digital Newcomers?

For the 8th episode of the D91 Labs Idea Series, we have with us Pooja Haldea and Vartika Shukla, from the Centre of Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC) at Ashoka university. 


Can WhatsApp drive financial inclusion in Rural India?

Our guest for the 7th episode of the D91 Labs Idea Series is Arjun Arora, Co-Founder and CEO of Betafi.

Understanding Bharat better by simplifying UX research

Rutvik Paikine

In this blog, we share insights from our interviews with small sellers in India on how they imagine ONDC will alter business for them.

ONDC—Revolutionising e-commerce for last-mile merchants

Will ONDC solve problems faced by small sellers?

In our second blog of the Digital Payment for the Next Half Billion series, we explain the e-RUPI voucher-based payment, its usefulness for 'Bharat', and potential design flaws that could derail it.

Can ‘e-RUPI’ enable digital payments for the unbanked?

Our guest for the 6th episode of the D91 Labs Idea Series is Kuldeep Parashar, Founder, and CEO of PensionBox.

Digital Pension - Making retirement planning easy for Bharat

Our guest for the 5th episode of the D91 Labs Idea Series is Anup Pai, Founder, and CEO of e-Samudaay. 

E-samudaay is a collective aiming to empower entrepreneurs with DIY digital tools which can enable them to run digital businesses, serve their communities, and spark grassroots local innovations
 
In this interview, we ask Anup about his journey of building e-Samudaay and what that means for small-scale sellers in India. Anup is building e-Samudaay for Tier 3,4 and 5 cities and has already demonstrated it's potential for the sellers of Udupi. 

In recent times,  Govt. is testing the Open Network for Digital commerce (ONDC) which aims to improve discoverability for small sellers and decentralize the e-commerce experience for them. Anup shares with us e-Samudaay's plans to participate in ONDC and offer a revolutionary experience for the millions of sellers in Bharat. 

Decentralising e-commerce—Anup Pai on ONDC & eSamudaay

In our first blog for the Digital Payment for the Next Half Billion series, we explain the UPI Lite model, and its various use cases along with design suggestions for payment apps offering UPI Lite.

Has UPI Lite solved for small-value transactions in India?

ONDC might solve the distribution & discovery of small producers and sellers. Read to know how.

Re-imagining B2B e-commerce with the advent of ONDC

In this blog, we closely evaluate the extent to which an unbundled and interoperable e-commerce network might undo existing competition concerns.

Does ONDC address the competition concerns that plague Indian e-commerce?

This blog is a quick introduction to the ONDC model and its intended purpose of providing better e-commerce access to the merchants of Bharat

Why do we need ONDC for e-commerce?

Abhishek Gaurav

Multiple businesses still use cheques for payments. Cheque payments have inefficiencies that can be resolved with a digital post-dated payment platform (PDPP). Read here to know more about PDPP.

What if we could digitize the cheque payment process for businesses and banks?

Our guest for the 4th episode of the D91 Labs Idea Series is Sasidhar Thumuluri, MD and CEO of Sub-K impact solution. Sub-K is a digital finance (Fintech) company that offers affordable, accessible, and scalable financial and payment services to the underserved segment.

In this extensive interview, we ask Sasidhar some hard questions about digitizing the decades-old business model of cash-based MFI loan repayments. Sub-K has witnessed steady growth in the number of digital repayment made by its borrowers. This interview could be relevant to MFI institutions and researchers. 

D91 Labs Idea Series - #4 Sasidhar Thumuluri

Mahavir Chopra is the Founder and CEO of Beshak.org. He has 17 yrs of experience in digital insurance distribution before it was called Insurtech and previously worked at Coverfox. In this interview, we have discussed some of the challenges in building and distributing suitable, tailored, and unbiased insurance-related services. 


D91 Labs Idea Series - #3 Mahavir Chopra

Kalpitha Jagadeesh

Neeti Bhatt

No matter how much I have studied, the environment in a village is such that most of us are not very technologically savvy and are unaware of how to transition to the digital age without assistance.

#20 Arundathi | Chief of all trades

Delving into digital payment usage patterns of small vendors, and the role of UX research and design in building financially inclusive products for new smartphone users.

The QR code revolution in payments — what's missing?

Several times, irrespective of my skill sets, organizations have decided not to move forward with me because I don’t have the right qualifications on paper.

#19 Raksha | Mastering the hustle culture despite setbacks

I am not aware of how to do things online, so I rely on my husband to manage my finances. But with the right guidance, I hope to change that for myself soon.

#18 Farah | Silver lining of cloud kitchens

I am happy where I currently am because there have been many ups and downs in my life before. Therefore, I feel as long as things are going smoothly, it’s fine.

#17 Pavitra | The power of starting small

Sonal Agrawal, COO and co-founder of Lakshya inclusion services, 
talks about innovative and suitable financial solutions for the financially underserved segment. 

D91 Labs Idea Series—#2 Sonal Agrawal

Sure you need money to do things, but thinking about personal development is also important and money is not the only factor that comes into play.


#16 Mary | Carving out a niche for herself

To be honest, in the initial phase of my journey a lot of people have tried to fool me for the simple reason that I am a woman.


#15 Dimple | Inspiring hope for rural business women

Kumar Shailabh, the co-founder of Uplift Mutuals talks about the mutual model of health financing in the first-ever collaboration under the D91 Labs Idea Series!

D91 Labs Idea Series—#1 Kumar Shailabh

In order to be able to move forward with finances, it is important to be able to trust the system or the person who is willing to guide you.


#14 Deeksha | Credit in the time of Covid-19

We have parsed through the All India Debt and Investment Survey (2019) to map where Indians stand in terms of accessing and using financial products and services.

Financial report card of the people of India (Assets)

Whenever I want to make an investment, I talk to my husband as he is very supportive or even my father-in-law sometimes because according to me male members have a lot of knowledge about these things.


#13 Priya | Tailoring her financial future

We hosted a webinar on women’s financial inclusion by bringing together the experience of 6 women working at the intersection of finance, tech & research for women. Here’s our final learnings!


Insights from banking on women project

Women are buyers, they cannot be sold to!

The general financial advice anybody would give you is to have six months worth of your salary in liquid cash, but that is not the case for me.


#12 Anjali | Coping with a chequered life

We hosted a webinar on women’s financial inclusion by bringing together the experience of 6 women working at the intersection of finance, tech & research for women. Here’s part 2 of our key learnings!


Every woman entrepreneur without exception has had to have jugaad to get her legs off the ground!

I invest to have a better lifestyle. I am trying to stabilize my career as I want to become financially independent and early retirement is an aspiration for me.


#11 Pragati | Investing in a brighter future

We hosted a webinar on women’s financial inclusion by bringing together the experience of 6 women working at the intersection of finance, tech & research for women. Here’s part 1 of our key learnings!


Good girls don't talk about money!

I believe that in case an emergency arises, we should be in a financially stable position to fight that. I never want to be in a situation where I have to go to someone else and ask for money.


#10 Zainab | Building structures to building narratives

So what happens in villages is that people really try to fool you when you are a woman and think that you don't understand what has to be done in terms of financial matters.


#9 Anupama | From being digital first to digitizing other women

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, this webinar looks at women’s access to and usage of traditional / digital financial products and services.

International Women’s Day webinar

In my house, though I am the most comfortable with digital payments, somewhere my decision-making becomes weak when it comes to financial matters because I have been dependent on my husband till now.

#8 Bhakti | Re-entering the workforce after 12 years

Allwin Williams

The digital financial inclusion for low value, high volume vendors


Designing inclusive solutions for securing the financial future of a kirana wallah

If my parents hadn’t told me the importance of investing, I probably wouldn’t have started. Having a service that increases awareness about finances will definitely benefit everyone.

#7 Sandhya | From IT to agri-entrepreneurship

Join us on an insightful discussion on the many facets of a woman’s financial and entrepreneurship journey.


Moving from access to usage—Making formal finance work for women

Not everybody is from the banking sector, so a platform to help bridge the financial knowledge gap will make it much easier for the masses to grasp things without feeling like we are lacking.


#6 Preksha | Investing in kids, at home and at work

Initially, most of my investments were for my children, but now they're old enough and don't need it. Since that money and my Guwahati flat rent had accumulated, my brother suggested that I invest it.


#5 Ritika | From teaching kids to learning business

Vishal Ramprasad

Exploring the needs of mobility participants from insurance products!


Auto-rickshaw wallahs and insurance – investing in a digital future

Initially, it hurts to pay for investments every month because that money cannot be used for other things, but eventually when you see your money grow, it feels great.


#4 Bhavana | One Mandala at a time

For me, trust and confidence in the institution is of utmost importance when taking financial decisions such as loans because there are a lot of swindlers who try to extract money from a debtor.

#3 Susan

As solo entrepreneurs, we should always fix the cost of our effort because if we were to hire somebody else, they would have also taken their share.


#2 Tara

Anurag Gupta

Sumanth Suri

The trucking industry in India has a sizeable untapped opportunity i.e. access to short-term credit for truck drivers. This blog explores how FASTag infrastructure can help to solve this problem.

Credit for truck drivers using FASTag information - an opportunity

In my life, I have learned the hard way about the value of financial knowledge and so I am educating my daughter about finances at a young age itself.


#1 Rachana

Introducing a series chronicling the financial journeys of the women of Bharat


The final blog of our 3 part series. In this piece, we discuss some insights on Covid, fintech and the goal of financial inclusion.

Covid and fintech

Covid-19 pandemic and the Fintech industry — Key takeaways, Part III

The second blog of our 3 part series. In this, we discuss the fintech industry’s commitment to expanding business through new customers, new products, and reimagined services.

Covid-19 pandemic and the Fintech industry — Key takeaways, Part II

The first blog of our 3 part series. In this, we discuss the fintech industry’s commitment to expanding business through new customers, new products, and reimagined services.

Covid-19 pandemic and the Fintech industry — Key takeaways, Part I

An introduction to the “Covid and Fintech Industry” series, that present key takeaways from our research through existing literature on this subject and interaction with members of the fintech community.

Covid-19 pandemic and the Fintech industry — An introduction

Neha Beri

Serving rural India needs better access to financial products. Among other things, they need phygital services, customer education, and suitable products.


Banking for Rural Bharat

Anushri Uttarwar

Atreya Arun

Unpacking the role of fintech in driving financial inclusion for women-led businesses

The fintech call for women-led businesses

How the AA framework opens up new avenues & greater efficiency for MSME lending

Credit where credit is due — Enabling MSME businesses through the AA framework

'Pay Later' products have the potential to provide small-ticket loans to customers who are new to credit or do not own a credit card. Read to know how

Bridging the credit gap with 'Buy now pay later' products

What if we told you that you could live in South Bombay and pay a rent of Rs. 500. Would you believe me? Well, you can. Read to know more


Pagdi rent system — 101

Part 2 — How Indian households can turn their financial dreams to reality.

Securing financial futures and the case for goal-based financial planning

Dharmesh BA

Geetika Shukla

Lakshmi Ajayan

Design principles for data sharing through Account Aggregator apps.

Future of data sharing

Designing for Account Aggregators

What Jigneshbhai's daily life and activities tells us about account aggregators!

'Bridging' the data gap one consensual data transfer at a time.

Part 1—Why do people 'save' the way they do?

Naresh

Applications that empower small businesses and institutions in building a digital presence without detailed know-how in software development.


Can no-code and low-code applications boost digitization and financial inclusion?

Can tech aid in the implementation of the RBI's proposals?

The future of microloans—Part 2

Atulaa Krishnamurthy

How RBI's new consultation paper provides impetus to innovate and places customers at the core of the sector.

The future of microloans—Part 1

How is a standard chit fund product designed and what makes this instrument so attractive


Chit Fund 101

On ground user research conducted across India, to document people’s financial journeys, with in-depth interviews.

Personal finance survey, 2020

Personal Finance Survey 2020 — Insights

Why Indian startups don't distribute F.Ds

India ❤️s F.D and they need a digital makeover!

Soumitro Datta

Naman is a fresh MBA graduate with 3 years of work experience in Sales. He is back home in Bengaluru after finishing his MBA in Mumbai and is currently looking for a job.

Millennial banking

Meet Naman

What would an end to end digital experience using account aggregators look like?


Whatsapp and the future of lending

Hari is a 26-year-old, originally from Kottayam, who works as a Business Analyst at a SaaS company in Bangalore. Hari finished his schooling and graduation in Kerala after which he pursued his MBA in Mangalore. 


Meet Hari

28-year-old Som is a Senior Consultant in the HR Tech domain. He lives in Gurugram with his mother. He completed his schooling and graduation in New Delhi. Later, he went ahead to pursue MBA after 2 years of work experience.

Meet Som — Part II

What does the new entrant in the India Stack hold for the future India?


Account Aggregators and the Future of data sharing

Meet Som — Part I

“To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business, and your business in your heart.” —Thomas Watson, IBM

Tales of Bharat — Issue #14

“A small business is an amazing way to serve and leave an impact on the world you live in.” -Nicole Snow



Tales of Bharat — Issue #13

Discussing millenial banking journeys in the context of neobanking

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We're hiring: Research Intern and User Research Intern

Inner circle

A space for like-minded members of the fintech community to participate in their shared goal of achieving financial inclusion.

As part of this series, we work with multiple collaborators on anything fintech.

Want to join us?

Part of Inner circle collaborations

What if we could digitize the cheque payment process for businesses and banks?

Designing inclusive solutions for securing the financial future of a kirana wallah

Auto-rickshaw wallahs and insurance – investing in a digital future

Credit for truck drivers using FASTag information - an opportunity

Banking for Rural Bharat

The fintech call for women-led businesses

Credit where credit is due — Enabling MSME businesses through the AA framework

Bridging the credit gap with 'Buy now pay later' products

We're hiring: Research Intern and User Research Intern

Inner circle

A space for like-minded members of the fintech community to participate in their shared goal of achieving financial inclusion.As part of this series, we work with multiple collaborators on anything fintech.

Want to join us?

Part of Inner circle collaborations

What if we could digitize the cheque payment process for businesses and banks?

Designing inclusive solutions for securing the financial future of a kirana wallah

Auto-rickshaw wallahs and insurance – investing in a digital future

Credit for truck drivers using FASTag information - an opportunity

Banking for Rural Bharat

The fintech call for women-led businesses

Credit where credit is due — Enabling MSME businesses through the AA framework

Bridging the credit gap with 'Buy now pay later' products

A space for like-minded members of the fintech community to participate in their shared goal of achieving financial inclusion.

As part of this series, we work with multiple collaborators on anything fintech.