The program, developed under the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub, will provide an end-to-end digital solution designed for easy integration by all banks, offering an open architecture with accessible APIs and standardized protocols, enabling a seamless “Plug and Play” approach.
Easy credit for MSMEs: The Reserve Bank of India has unveiled its platform Public Tech Platform for Frictionless Credit to enhance credit access for MSMEs, according to a report by news agency ANI. The platform will streamline and enhance credit delivery by financial institutions and contribute to greater financial inclusion, the report said citing T Rabi Shankar, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India.
The program was unveiled by T. Rabi Sankar, Deputy Governor of RBI, who further highlighted its potential to revolutionize credit access for MSMEs, the report noted.
As reported by FE in August, the platform will focus on products such as Kisan Credit Card loans up to Rs 1.6 lakh per borrower, along with collateral-free MSME loans, dairy loans, personal loans, and Home loans. The platform will provide satellite data, conduct PAN card validation, and Aadhar e-signing, among others.
It will be an end-to-end digital platform with an open architecture and open APIs and standards for lenders to connect seamlessly in a ‘plug and play’ model for a seamless flow of required digital information to them for frictionless credit delivery.
The platform was developed based on the learnings from pilots undertaken such as the digitalisation of Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loans which was started in September 2022. The pilot tested end-to-end digitalisation of the lending process in a paperless and hassle-free manner.
The KCC pilot is currently underway in select districts of Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, UP, and Maharashtra.
Last month, private sector lender Axis Bank announced offering up to Rs 10 lakh unsecured MSME loans and Kisan Credit Card (KCC) for loans up to Rs 1.6 lakh per borrower under the pilot project of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Public Tech Platform for Frictionless Credit which commenced on Thursday (August 17). KCC loans will be offered in Madhya Pradesh.
The Reserve Bank Innovation Hub is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of India, set up to promote an ecosystem that accelerates innovation in the financial sector. The hub works in partnership with financial sector entities, policy organizations, the tech industry, and academic institutions to facilitate the exchange of ideas and the creation of prototypes focused on financial innovations.
