The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) organised a conclave with the heads of all 28 Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) in New Delhi on August 25 to discuss expanding the SIDBI-RRB MSME co-lending programme.

The meeting, chaired by Department of Financial Services Secretary Sanjay Lohiya, focused on increasing access to credit for MSMEs in rural and semi-urban areas by combining SIDBI’s expertise in MSME financing with the extensive reach of RRBs.

Officials highlighted the potential for RRBs to diversify their loan portfolios through greater MSME lending, while rule-based underwriting could help maintain asset quality. The importance of using MSME cluster data to identify and reach potential borrowers was also emphasised.

SIDBI has developed an end-to-end digital Co-Lending Origination Platform that enables a faster, paperless lending process, including digital documentation, quick in-principle sanctions and direct loan disbursement into borrowers’ bank accounts.

Following encouraging results from a pilot involving three RRBs, the proposed expansion of the programme to more RRBs is expected to improve access to formal credit, particularly for micro and small enterprises in rural and semi-urban regions.