<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2023/01/Fintech-trends-banner-2.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="358">2022 was a rollercoaster for the fintech industry. Macroeconomic upheavals, intensifying competition, and regulatory headwinds contributed to the great fintech reset. However, with advances in technology innovation, increasing digital adoption, and improving public infrastructure, the industry overcame hurdles and emerged stronger. Swimming against the tide with turnaround strategies and course corrections, fintech businesses collaborated, consolidated, and diversified to enable sustainable and accessible financial solutions without compromising on people, compliance, and growth. Now, the future of fintech is bright. Blurring boundaries and transforming the way people transact, fintech has been a beacon of hope to many. People across all walks of life and in remote corners without access to fancy smartphones and devices have been able to access digital banking and financial services just by using biometrics and other fintech-led payments. Fintech companies have played a phenomenal role in facilitating this financial inclusion without greater emphasis on security, speed, or convenience. Valued at around $132 billion in 2022,&nbsp;the fintech industry is estimated to grow at 25% CAGR to reach <a class="link" href="https://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/fintech-market">$324 billion</a> in 2027. The ability to improve accessibility, drive inclusion, enhance customer experience, and reduce costs are key drivers behind the growth projection.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/future-of-core-banking-systems/">Core Banking</a>, <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/rbis-new-digital-lending-guidelines-will-it-be-a-game-changer/">Digital Lending</a>, <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/factors-and-psychology-behind-the-great-bnpl-allure/">Buy Now Pay Later</a> (BNPL), <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/upi-the-driver-of-economic-growth-and-inclusion/">Unified Payments Interface (UPI),</a> Credit Cards, and other <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/ready-to-sneak-peek-into-global-cashless-societies/">Cashless</a> Payment modes dominated markets, while Blockchain emerged resilient with RBI adopting the technology for CBDC. Collaborations, consolidations, and platformizations last year set a great tone for 2023.<h2 class="heading-node" id="qp5iitvs9" style="text-align: justify">Trends we can expect in 2023</h2>Consistent customer-centric innovations, partnerships between banks and fintechs, regulatory interventions, and better accessibility - all point towards a promising future for fintech. Here are a few trends we can expect to see in 2023.<ul class="list-node" id="jxu8ecnrq"><li><a class="link" href="#embeddedfinance">Embedded Finance</a></li><li><a class="link" href="#sf">Sustainable Fintech</a></li><li><a class="link" href="#af">Alternative Financing</a></li><li><a class="link" href="#sa">Super Apps</a></li><li><a class="link" href="#ai">Artificial Intelligence</a></li><li><a class="link" href="#cp">Contactless Payments</a></li><li><a class="link" href="#bc">Blockchain</a></li><li><a class="link" href="#mv">Metaverse</a></li></ul><h3 class="heading-node" id="embeddedfinance" style="text-align: justify">1. Embedded Finance &nbsp;</h3><a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/embedded-finance-101-the-bridge-connecting-tech-and-financial-services/">Embedded finance</a> will see exponential growth in 2023 with emerging models that will help businesses thrive. Valued at over <a class="link" href="https://www.simon-torrance.com/blog/EmbeddedFinance1#:~:text=Embedded%20Finance%20offers%20one%20of%20the%20most%20exciting,value%20of%20the%20world%E2%80%99s%20top%20thirty%20banks%20today.">7 trillion-dollar</a>, embedded finance enables smooth integration of financial services into non-financial platforms or applications. Subsets of embedded finance viz., embedded credit, embedded payments, embedded insurance, and embedded banking will majorly benefit SMEs, MSMEs, and other app-based businesses by helping them scale product offerings and customer lifetime value while monetizing their customer base. As the embedded finance space grows, businesses will have the leeway to lower expenses, increase revenue streams, and innovate to deliver personalized, customer-centric products and services, while fintechs handle the heavy lifting on technology, compliance, and delivery.<h3 class="heading-node" id="sf" style="text-align: justify">2. Sustainable Fintech</h3>As the world heads towards net-zero and decarbonization by 2030, fintechs need to take sustainability seriously. In 2023, financial health, <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/how-m2p-maps-sustainability-with-finance/">sustainable practices,</a> and environmental well-being will be deeply interconnected. A recent Eurogroup survey shows us that 67% of consumers demand sustainability engagement from their bank. &nbsp;And according to a study by Cornerstone Advisors, 70% of Gen-Z and Millennial consumers wanted to track their carbon footprint. Customers are eager to understand how their spending habits affect climate change and if their financial service provider invests in businesses that harm the environment. Being transparent with sustainability practices, incentivizing sustainable engagement, and introducing metrics to track climate impact, could be starting steps to transform businesses into <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/climate-fintech-fintechs-leading-the-green-tech/">green powerhouses</a>.<h3 class="heading-node" id="af" style="text-align: justify">3. Alternative Financing &nbsp;</h3>There was a time when traditional financial players dominated the lending industry. But those times are changing now. Secure alternative financing options from non-banking fintech companies are emerging rapidly. In fact, the alternative financing industry is valued at <a class="link" href="https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/alternative-financing-market-report">$6.62 billion</a> and is expected to grow at 20% in 2023. The lending industry is democratized with co-lending business models to serve versatile customers, SMEs, MSMEs, and businesses across size and scale.&nbsp;With more core lending players entering the game, evolving regulatory frameworks, and a vast consumer base in need and with access to equitable financial instruments, the alternative financing market is ripe for the taking.<h3 class="heading-node" id="sa" style="text-align: justify">4. Super Apps&nbsp;</h3>2023 will the year for <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/super-apps-in-consumer-banking-what-role-does-open-banking-play/">super apps</a>. It will be the swiss army knife for businesses as it consolidates multiple applications and eliminates the need for customers and employees to toggle between disparate applications. Just one super app will be able to provide enhanced mobile-first experiences across an aggregated range of services for the growing digital-native generation. Gartner predicts that by 2027, more than 50% of the global population will be active users of super apps. So, it's high time financial businesses leverage the first-mover advantage and develop super apps that fuses the beneficial attributes of an app, platform and digital ecosystem.<h3 class="heading-node" id="ai" style="text-align: justify">5. Artificial Intelligence (AI)</h3>High on data and customer experience, fintech industry will rely heavily on AI for analytics, decision-making, and customer support. Facilitating seamless onboarding, compliance, product customizations, and payments, AI will be the game changer that reduces overhead cost and operational risk along with improving security, and sorting legacy issues. Valued at <a class="link" href="https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/artificial-intelligence-in-fintech-market-report">$9.4 bn</a>, <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/how-is-ai-changing-the-financial-industry-top-6-use-cases-in-fintech-and-banking/">AI in fintech</a> holds a 16.5% growth potential. And Machine Learning (ML)-based models have been adopted by companies in the financial space to ace real-time target marketing and risk management. But here’s the billion-dollar question. Will AI ever replace humans in fintech? We don’t think so. &nbsp;Complement yes. But not replace.<h3 class="heading-node" id="cp" style="text-align: justify">6. Contactless Payments</h3>The pandemic made contactless payments and shopping the new norm. And there’s no turning back from there.&nbsp; Offering immense speed, security, hygiene, and convenience, technologies like NFC, RFID, and QR codes have simplified checkouts and have taken the payments industry by storm. Valued at $2.2 bn, the contactless payments market is expected to grow at 20% CAGR to reach <a class="link" href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220106005590/en/The-Worldwide-Contactless-Payment-Industry-is-Expected-to-Reach-12.6-Billion-by-2030---ResearchAndMarkets.com">$12 bn</a> by 2030. As research firms predict exponential growth in wearables, smart devices and contactless cards, fintechs must keep up with the demand for contactless payments.<h3 class="heading-node" id="bc" style="text-align: justify">7. Blockchain</h3>The future of <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/blockchain-and-fintech-use-cases-and-applications/">blockchain</a> is solid despite setbacks like the crypto crash. Its inherent strength in security, transparency, speed, cost efficiency, and efficient storage will play out as Web3 and <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/central-bank-digital-currency-cbdc-101-a-primer/">CBDC</a> adoption increases. Blockchain-based data sharing, smart contracts, payment tracking, peer-to-peer lending, encryptions, decentralized architectures and ecosystems, and cybersecurity will be key emerging trends in 2023. The fintech blockchain market size is expected to hit <a class="link" href="https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/fintech-blockchain-market-38566589.html#:~:text=The%20FinTech%20blockchain%20market%20is%20expected%20to%20grow,Rate%20%28CAGR%29%20of%2075.9%25%20during%20the%20forecast%20period.">$6.2 mn</a> by the end of 2023. So, it's high time fintechs give blockchain some mndspace.<h3 class="heading-node" id="mv" style="text-align: justify">8. Metaverse</h3>Sparking some of the hottest tech discussions, metaverse shook the world with its decentralized, community-owned, virtual utopia. &nbsp;Though in the early developmental stages, metaverse is considered to be the next big evolution in the world of fintech, with the potential to transform how people work, shop, live, and transact. According to a recent Goldman Sachs research, metaverse could give rise to a <a class="link" href="https://newseu.cgtn.com/news/2022-06-13/Metaverse-valued-at-12-trillion-a-year-to-the-global-economy-1aKNYwIjyp2/index.html">$12 trillion</a> virtual economy with intense activity around cross-border payments, financial assets creation, safekeeping and trading. Leveraging Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), this virtual phenomenon enables fun and personalized banking and transactions. But the flipside of metaverse is the security concerns that may arise, which if addressed will hold massive promises for the fintech industry. With this we conclude our fintech trends for 2023. While it is challenging to predict exactly how fintech will unfold, we can say with reasonable certainty that 2023 will be an interesting one for the industry, India, and the world. What do you think of these trends? Let us know in the comments! Have a great 2023! Stay connected for the latest fintech news, views, updates, and more.<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/newsletter/">Subscribe</a>&nbsp;to our newsletter and get the latest fintech news, views, and insights, directly to your inbox. Follow us on&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/m2pfintech/mycompany/">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://twitter.com/m2pfintech">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for insightful fintech tales curated for curious minds like you.

8 Fintech Trends to Look Out for in 2023

<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/11/BNPL-Issuer-Th.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="296">The global ecommerce payments industry is constantly evolving to adapt to the ever-changing needs of the customer. With the pandemic fueling digital commerce, flexible payment options have become an element of convenience in online shopping. What started with basic debit/credit card payments now includes internet banking, e-wallets, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), EMI, and more. Among these, <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/factors-and-psychology-behind-the-great-bnpl-allure/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BNPL</a> is one of the most popular payment choices as it enhances the customers’ purchasing power.<h2 class="heading-node" id="vhq15h9fq">BNPL Footprint in India</h2>India is a budget-driven country, and BNPL is where financial inclusion meets budgeting. The country’s association with <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/bnpl-the-rising-fintech-star/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BNPL</a> has been on an upward trajectory since 2021, owing to the rising adoption of ecommerce platforms among the country’s large youth demographic. Currently, India has around 20–25 million BNPL users, and it is likely to reach 100 million by 2026, given the magnitude of its demand and inclusivity.&nbsp;<h2 class="heading-node" id="8dowitkj2">Challenges for BNPL Issuers</h2>In recent years, competition in the BNPL space has intensified, with incumbents going beyond their horizons to develop new, sustainable business models and traditional payments companies deploying their own models to stay relevant in the market. This not only unlocked the purchasing power and helped customers manage their finances by accessing affordable and low-cost credit, but also expanded the market for BNPL products. On the other hand, the vying put significant pressure on the <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/six-profitable-bnpl-business-models-to-unlock-infinite-value/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BNPL</a> companies to scale quickly. The role of BNPL lenders does not stop with just issuing credit lines to consumers. They ought to partner with fitting merchants and large aggregators to offer appropriate payment plans, empowering smooth transactions and superior customer experience. Let’s look at the challenges that every <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/how-can-lenders-overcome-challenges-in-deploying-bnpl-solutions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BNPL</a> issuer must manage/address immediately.<ul class="list-node" id="8qvy9xw6r"><li>Onboarding of multiple merchants and aggregators</li><li>Customizing solutions for each merchant based on ticket size and lending rules</li><li>Managing end-to-end transactions such as billing, settlements, and refunds</li><li>Understanding the payment flow to increase the success rate</li><li>Handling schemes, promotions, and subventions</li><li>Analyzing and managing risks</li><li>Integrating multiple stakeholders to enable a number of checkout options</li></ul>Partnering and working with a fintech that has a deep understanding of the market can help BNPL issuers set up the right mix of merchants and aggregators, which is the key to make BNPL work at checkout.Keeping this in mind, we at <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/buy-now-pay-later/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">M2P</a> built a robust Merchant Acquiring &amp; Payment Processing Platform. The platform is an exemplification of features that help improve checkout financing, boost merchant experience, promote sustainable growth, and amplify the acceptance rate of BNPL at checkout.<h2 class="heading-node" id="ub1c3819a">Merchant Acquiring &amp; Payments Platform</h2>Our Merchant Acquiring &amp; Payments platform comes integrated with our BNPL stack that allows issuers to onboard merchants (online or offline) and payment aggregators instantly and integrate on checkout flow to go live in minutes. The platform is designed to scale with the best payment flows for higher customer acceptance and to support end-to-end checkout experience for all types of BNPL products like checkout EMIs and one-click payments. In addition, it offers complete transparency and control to the issuers in the merchant acquiring and payment processes.&nbsp;Thus, creating a win-win situation for all.&nbsp; Here is a quick overview of what our platform can do.<ol class="list-node" id="hj8oxq8fg"><li>Frictionless and Instant Onboarding: The platform enables automated DIY onboarding with built-in validations and operations that comply with the maker-checker workflows to establish frictionless, real-time onboarding. It facilitates instant DIY and assists onboarding for all types of merchants (online or offline) and Payment Aggregators. This allows merchants across geographies to do business on a single platform.</li><li>&nbsp;Supports all credit products: The platform supports all credit products on merchant checkout, like low-ticket convenience spends and EMI. This creates a robust interoperable shopping environment that renders flexible and smooth checkout experience, thereby augmenting customer loyalty, resulting in lesser cart abandonment, improved average order value (AOV) and transaction size, and increased sales. Such interoperability will significantly increase profits by creating new revenue channels for all parties involved. &nbsp;</li><li>&nbsp;Easy developer integration: Developer friendly <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/api-the-power-that-drives-new-age-banking-ecosystems/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">APIs</a>, SDKs and plugins with a dedicated test environment to ensure merchants go live in minutes with minimal development effort. &nbsp;</li><li>&nbsp;Feature packed merchant dashboard: The platform empowers merchants to manage transactions, refunds, settlements, reconciliations, disputes, and much more from one single dashboard. This substantially improves operational efficiency and supports easy reconciliation.&nbsp;</li><li>&nbsp;Secure &amp; Compliant: The platform is <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/pci-dss-a-quick-guide-to-its-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PCI DSS</a> Level 1 Compliant and regular internal security audits are carried out to ensure that the systems are compliant, and data is safe. It has an in-built fraud and risk management module to protect your business and customers from fraudulent activities.&nbsp;</li><li>&nbsp;Reduces cost and time: Traditionally, reports are manually generated, involving extensive manpower, time, effort, and money. Our platform’s automated billing, settlement reports, and reconciliation reports will reduce the operational cost and time consumed in monitoring and generating the reports. In addition, it also radically reduces the cost and a resource drain entailed in integrating payment methods into a merchant’s checkout. &nbsp;</li></ol><h2 class="heading-node" id="lat8t529s">What differentiates M2P's BNPL solution from others?</h2>Our BNPL stack comes with an in-built Merchant Acquiring &amp; Payment Processing system. It is a meld of seamless onboarding and merchant management system, integrated payments, refund processing, and risk governance. It facilitates multiple merchant or payment aggregator onboarding, merchant KYC, approval, and bank account addition workflow to assist in settlement and reconciliation. In addition, it enables merchants to run campaigns, cashback and rewards integrations for each transaction, dispute management and refunds management, and merchant plug-ins. Our transaction risk management runs a dynamic MCC/MID check for each transaction, limit management per merchant, and velocity checks for transactions. It also provides a comprehensive fund settlement and report module to generate T+1 settlement with merchants and detailed MIS reports and analytics based on the user behavior. In retrospect, with only 4% of the total population opting the pay later option, India's BNPL journey has a long way to go. Nevertheless, given the flexibility and inclusivity, the sector is steadily gaining ground in the country's financial ecosystem. It gives merchants of all sizes a chance to expand their customer bases to increase their average order values and sales. Want to be a market leader in BNPL? Write to us at <a class="link" href="mailto:business@m2pfintech.com">business@m2pfintech.com</a><a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/newsletter/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Subscribe</a> to our newsletter and get the latest fintech news, views, and insights directly to your inbox. &nbsp; Follow us on <a class="link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/m2pfintech/mycompany/">LinkedIn</a> and <a class="link" href="https://twitter.com/m2pfintech">Twitter</a> for insightful fintech tales curated for curious minds like you.

Simplifying Acquisitions and Payments for BNPL Issuers

<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/11/co-lending-blog-02.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="661">Co-lending has been the buzzword in the BFSI sector since the RBI announced its new <a class="link" href="https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=11991" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Co-lending Model</a> (CLM) in November 2020. While CLM was principally designed to bridge the gap between geographical limitations and lending opportunities, plus to expand credit distribution for priority sectors, financialists reckon it might just be the answer to the country's multi-trillion-dollar liquidity issue.&nbsp; Before we jump into why co-lending can be the solution, here is a quick intro to co-lending.&nbsp; For beginners, co-lending is an arrangement between two or more lenders to jointly loan out money to their target audience. RBI's guidelines necessitate banks and NBFCs to share the risk in a ratio of 80:20 (i.e., 80% of the loan with the bank and 20% with the non-banks). So, banks will lend to the NBFCs, and the NBFCs will lend to the priority sectors. And fintechs will serve as the cardinal technology layer for banks and NBFCs to achieve their co-lending objectives.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/11/co-lending-blog-04-1.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="502"><h2 class="heading-node" id="2w795jbxr" style="text-align: justify">Co-lending backstory</h2>Although co-lending has been in the Indian market since 2012, it’s the disruption of BFSI by fintechs and new-age NBFCs between 2018 and 2022 that turned co-lending into a well-heeled business. Today, every leading business wants a piece of this pie.&nbsp; MSMEs play a pivotal role in India's socioeconomic development. According to the <a class="link" href="https://www.ibef.org/industry/msme/infographic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ministry of MSME</a>, India is home to about 7.9 million MSMEs and account for about 29% of the GDP. However, with the pandemic curbing the global market and slowing down domestic trade, the sector was one of the most impacted by the capital crunch, high-risk perception by banks, and all-time high inflation rates. Subsequently, over 65% of MSMEs were temporarily shut down for three or more months in FY21, and more than half of the companies witnessed a decline of about 25% in revenues. These circumstances made it clear that the MSMEs needed a helping hand in surviving the impact. What's more?&nbsp; A sizeable chunk of India's population falls outside the purview of formal financial systems. This population comprises self-employed small-scale entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs, farmers, and other small borrowers. According to recent reports, the country has a 365 million underbanked/underserved population, creating an 8 lakh crore market for small-ticket loans. Wherefore, the government was obliged to set up a robust economic model to reach and cater to the monetary needs of this population, who serve as the backbone of the country's economy.&nbsp; In the wake of this condition, the RBI re-christened its co-origination framework as the Co-lending Model in 2020, with the prime objective of enabling frictionless collaboration of banks and NBFCs to increase the flow of credit in the MSME (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises), EWS (Economically Weaker Sections), LIG (Low-Income Group), and MIG (Middle-Income Group) categories, where banks take a backseat in lending owing to higher operating costs and credit risks.<h2 class="heading-node" id="kuxw2jr3b" style="text-align: justify">Why Co-lending?</h2>The priority sector has embraced economic hardships due to the pandemic and its repercussions. Industry experts believe the renewed co-lending model has great potential to significantly transform the sector. For one, banks can leverage the market outreach, loan origination, and servicing acumen of NBFCs, and NBFCs can bank on improved liquidity and profitability. In addition, per RBI's circular, NBFCs are the single point of interface for customers. They are responsible for loan origination, fund routing, servicing, and collection. Given their extensive reach at the grassroots level, better last mile connectivity, and customer relationship, NBFCs have established themselves as being more effective than banks in handling loan recovery/collection. Therefore, this approach is expected to augment the timely servicing of debt by the borrowers.Under the renewed co-lending model, the banks' finances and NBFCs' (customer reach and) capabilities meld with fintechs' technology. If exercised in the true spirit, RBI can score a hat-trick. 1. Render tailor-made and affordable financial solutions at the grassroots level 2. Catalyze the upraise of the priority sector from its economic hardships 3. Drive financial inclusion and accelerate the overall economic development of the country Learn more about the features of co-lending and why it is the future <a class="link" href="https://finflux.co/blog/co-lending-is-the-future-heres-why/">here</a>.<h2 class="heading-node" id="m5m618l46" style="text-align: justify">Advantages of Co-lending</h2>The fundamental goal of the co-lending model is to act as a seamless medium for large banks to extend their services to borrowers and MSMEs in the remotest regions, which are otherwise inaccessible. Further, the co-lending model opens up unique liquidity windows for market players, boosting their confidence, and enabling sustainable growth. For customers, co-lending helps build their portfolio. Under the co-lending guidelines, FIs can loan to many potential businesses that banks reject due to the absence of credit history. This facilitates them to rebuild a good credit history and qualify for other loans. Besides, NBFCs increase financial literacy among their underserved/unserved customers by educating them about co-lending and its terms and conditions.<h2 class="heading-node" id="5s7psfhby" style="text-align: justify">What's in it for Lenders?</h2>Extended reach&nbsp; NBFCs have a broader customer portfolio. They are capable of reaching out to potential customers in rural/remote areas who are underserved in banking and digitalization. NBFCs usually collaborate with fintechs to set up digital platforms that help them cater to the needs of borrowers across multiple geographies. Banks can take advantage of this to widen their customer base and provide the economically weaker strata with the funds they require. NBFCs have the advantage of having increased access to funds. Operational efficiency The digitalization and robust technology layer have led to superior quality services. As the entire co-lending process, from application to disbursal, is fully automated, it reduces the human effort and time consumed in processing a loan. This, in turn, strikingly lowers turnaround time for all processes. The digital approach has helped banks expand their scope into new segments while reducing the cost of capital for NBFCs. This implies low customer acquisition cost, more loan applications, lesser underwriting costs, disbursing more loans, and gaining more market share. Hence, the boost in operational efficiency. Shared risk&nbsp; CLM gives banks the opportunity and flexibility to partner with one or more lenders. According to the model, the risk is divided between the entities in the agreement. In this setting, banks benefit from an added sense of security and minimize the effects of loss. On the other hand, the primary challenge of NBFCs in India is the lack of established mechanisms to reduce the risk of defaults. Under the co-lending partnership, the losses on the loans/bad debts are shared between the partner banks and NBFCs. Thereby incurring a lesser loss. Improved credibility New-age companies looking to enter the lending business can build credibility for their brand through partnerships with major banks. Similarly, banks can tie up with established NBFCs to instill brand awareness. Want to implement a seamless automated lending process tool? Look no further. M2P’s core lending suite is what you need. Our core lending system takes care of the entire lending lifecycle without requiring any manual intervention.<h2 class="heading-node" id="dfkrvinwm" style="text-align: justify">How will NBFCs benefit from M2P’s Core Lending Suite?</h2>We are the only player in the industry to have a comprehensive product suite required for lending under one roof. Our core lending suite helps manage the entire loan lifecycle, including <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/loan-origination-system/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">loan origination</a>, <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/loan-management-system/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">loan management</a>, financial accounting, marketplace integration, app-based lending, <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/steps-in-credit-underwriting-why-using-an-alternative-source-of-data-and-behavior-metrics-will-be-of-help/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alternative data-based credit scoring</a>, dashboards, reporting, and analytics. <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">M2P’s lending program</a> is composable and built on Open API infrastructure, enabling you to develop customized programs and applications. We help you disburse credit in any form– cards, line, check-out EMI, embedded form, OD form, regular EMI, and asset-based​. In addition, our lending program has a robust LOS that allows you to configure custom workflows and change parameters on-the-fly without altering the code. With optimized TCO at all stages, constantly upgraded (quarterly) system, and bank-grade security, be market ready with our core-lending suite in a trice. To get down to the brass tacks of our system or for a demo, write to us at <a class="link" href="mailto:business@m2pfintech.com">business@m2pfintech.com</a> We will deep dive into how co-lending programs can be implemented using the Finflux platform, in the upcoming blog. Watch out this space for more insights.<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/newsletter/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Subscribe</a> to our newsletter and get the latest fintech news, views, and insights directly to your inbox.  Follow us on <a class="link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/m2pfintech/mycompany/">LinkedIn</a> and <a class="link" href="https://twitter.com/m2pfintech">Twitter</a> for insightful fintech tales curated for curious minds like you. &nbsp;

Focus: Rise of Co-Lending Model

<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/10/Surrogates-1.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="253">If you are in the credit card issuance business, then this is an article you must read.<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/credit-card-processing-a-definitive-guide/">Credit cards</a> have been a growing industry in India, with 7.36 crore card users. The issuance side is leaping at 19%, and card spending is growing at 48% YoY.3 primary levers that drive credit card growth are as follows.<ul class="list-node" id="cjmc3066q"><li>Current Account Savings Account (CASA) base for Existing to Bank (ETB) issuances</li><li>Co-branded card partnerships</li><li>New to Bank (NTB) issuances through sourcing partners</li></ul><h2 class="heading-node" id="h4y2sbeks" style="text-align: left">Challenges in NTB card issuance</h2>Though the market is moving towards instant credit card issuance, it still takes 3-5 days to provide hard approvals, complete <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/know-your-customer-kyc-the-need-for-authentication/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KYC</a>, and disbursal of cards. Instant origination is only possible when the assessment/decision becomes instant across touchpoints like branches, websites, apps, and partners. While this can be possible for issuing credit cards to ETB customers, the real challenge lies in issuing cards to NTB customers. Current origination systems are inadequate to meet the market’s needs.Credit cards require a unique origination system built for <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/steps-in-credit-underwriting-why-using-an-alternative-source-of-data-and-behavior-metrics-will-be-of-help/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">instant underwriting,</a> on-the-fly policy changes, central catalog management, and managing partnerships from a central point. This system will address the challenges in issuing cards to NTB customers - Instant Underwriting, Instant KYC, and Instant Issuance.<h3 class="heading-node" id="jfhywlxy5" style="text-align: left">What if there is a platform that accelerates instant card issuance?</h3>M2P’s Surrogate Platform is the fastest way for banks to issue credit cards to NTB customers by assessing the first-party data, such as the customer’s <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-payroll-cards/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">payroll,</a> existing credit cards (if any), and average quarterly balance through the <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/account-aggregator-101-democratizing-data-access-and-sharing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Account Aggregator framework.</a><h2 class="heading-node" id="m43pr1zsg" style="text-align: left">How does the platform work? (In case of a payroll-based surrogate)</h2><ol class="list-node" id="v31o5850k"><li>The customer enters their personal information on the bank website, and basic bureau checks are done.</li><li>They provide consent to retrieve payroll from HRMS.</li><li>The platform verifies employment, income, and personal information.</li><li>The credit limit and eligible cards approved for the customers are displayed on the website.</li><li>The customer is verified for CKYC, after which the virtual credit card is issued instantly.</li></ol>And all of this happens within 3 minutes.Through this surrogate program, payrolls of over 1.5 crore salaried individuals from Tier-A and Tier-B companies can be sourced easily for card issuance. Beyond payroll, surrogates like the Card-for-Card and AQB are some of the commonly used surrogates.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/10/Surrogates-img1.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="253"><ul class="list-node" id="liluf9587"><li>Card for Card (C4C) –The C4C surrogate helps banks issue new credit cards based on the customer’s existing credit card. The customer’s card statement is used for assessing their creditworthiness. What’s new with this program is that banks can run customized policies for credit user segments like revolvers, transactors, etc.</li></ul><ul class="list-node" id="5gzb34ztf"><li>Average Quarterly Balance (AQB)– This model reduces friction for uploading documents with the help of the Account Aggregator model to get the AQB information like the nature of the accounts owned, credit &amp; debit transactions in the account, investments made by customers, insurance premium payments, etc. And instantly issue cards based on this information.</li></ul>Depending on the bank policies, more than 20 surrogate programs can be used for issuing cards.The surrogate programs listed above can be suitable for issuing credit cards for all types of customer profiles as follows.<ul class="list-node" id="idrs7ace6"><li>New to Bank (NTB) – Customers with no previous relationship with the bank. These customers can be instantly issued a credit card based on their payroll.</li></ul><ul class="list-node" id="5n5tj4bc0"><li>Existing to Bank (ETB) – Customers who hold an account of any nature with the bank.&nbsp;</li></ul><ul class="list-node" id="kzoxkr562"><li>New to Credit (NTC) – Customers with no credit product.</li></ul><ul class="list-node" id="uzr6tgb0k"><li>Existing to Credit (ETC) – Customers who have availed of any credit product like loans, overdrafts, etc.</li></ul><ul class="list-node" id="xpyvrs7pi"><li>New to Credit Card (NTCC) – Customers who have loans or any credit product but do not have credit cards.</li><li>Existing to Credit Card (ETCC) – Customers who already have credit card(s).The C4C surrogate program will help issuers expand this customer base.</li></ul><h2 class="heading-node" id="f15od0nlm" style="text-align: left">6 reasons why you need a Surrogate Program</h2>Surrogate platforms enable card issuers to expedite credit decisions, increase their customer base and enhance <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/crack-the-kyc-jigsaw-ease-onboarding-compliance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seamless onboarding</a>. By enrolling with the surrogate platform, card issuance not only becomes simple and trustworthy but also super quick (within seconds).Here are 6 key reasons why issuers must leverage M2P’s surrogate platform.<ul class="list-node" id="x08edig6n"><li>Instant card issuance</li></ul>Issue a virtual card in minutes and enable customers to initiate an online transaction right after card issuance.<ul class="list-node" id="myllssvm8"><li>No code BRE</li></ul>Customize the Business Rule Engine (BRE) catering specifically to the target customers, thus resulting in a win-win situation.<ul class="list-node" id="qieiiihr5"><li>Funnel transparency</li></ul>Easy single-point visibility across all touchpoints.<ul class="list-node" id="gal14twhz"><li>Retargeting campaigns</li></ul>Rejected customers can be retargeted via campaign teams.<ul class="list-node" id="wzokl3pbo"><li>Single window for onboarding marketplace partners</li></ul>Completely manage your sourcing partners with the help of this platform so that banks don’t have to spend bandwidth for <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/api-the-power-that-drives-new-age-banking-ecosystems/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">API integrations</a> with partners.<ul class="list-node" id="0fngg5ic7"><li>User experience</li></ul>Provide a seamless experience that requires minimal or no effort on the end customer’s part.Leading banks in selected locations have started adopting our surrogate platform. Do you also want to transform your credit card issuance game?Write to us at <a class="link" href="mailto:business@m2pfintech.com">business@m2pfintech.com</a>.<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/newsletter/" target="">Subscribe</a> to our newsletter and get the latest fintech news, views, and insights, directly to your inbox.Follow us on&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/m2pfintech/" target="">LinkedIn</a> and <a class="link" href="https://twitter.com/m2pfintech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for insightful fintech tales curated for curious minds like you.

Resolving NTB Credit Card Issuance Challenges

<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/09/banner_1_1.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="253">Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the latest Digital Lending (DL) guidelines on September 2nd, 2022. This notification confirmed the implementation of the recommendations specified in Annex-1 of the RBI press release**, published a few weeks ago.&nbsp;Before deep diving into these guidelines, let us understand the RBI’s role as a regulator in the Indian economy. &nbsp;<h2 class="heading-node" id="xttnnf4sw">Brief history of RBI</h2>A book by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar sparked the idea of setting up a central banking institution for India. Subsequently, on April 1, 1935, RBI started its operations based on the RBI act of 1934. The act provides the statutory basis for the functioning of the bank. Yet, RBI remained a private institution till it was nationalized in 1949. Since then, RBI has been regulating, moderating, and monitoring the financial aspects of the country’s fiscal and economic position.The primary functions of RBI include the following.<ul class="list-node" id="z3s3llbmp"><li>Monetary Authority – Implementing and monitoring monetary policies</li><li>Currency issuance – Producing, managing, issuing, and exchanging quality currency notes and coins</li><li>Regulator &amp; Financial administrator – License issuance, bank mergers, branch expansion, and liquidity of assets</li><li>Managing foreign exchange – Maintaining Rupee value outside India, managing Indian FOREX reserves, and helping foreign trade payments</li></ul>Other than these, RBI’s role also includes stabilizing India’s financial reserves. They work with players such as financial institutions, regulatory bodies, fintechs, and government agencies to ensure the smooth flow of financial services.&nbsp;To summarize, all private and public banks are monitored by RBI to build trust and safety among their users.&nbsp;In the last eight years, fintechs, online/mobile banking, and other technological advancements have modernized the financial ecosystem worldwide. Digital transformation in financial services is on a rapid growth spurt. And in recent years, digital lending has been a prominent topic in the industry with its share of pros and cons. &nbsp;<h2 class="heading-node" id="ti82051sp">So, what is digital lending?&nbsp;</h2><blockquote class="block-node" id="p26pelwhr">According to RBI reports, Digital Lending (DL) is “A remote and automated lending process, majorly using seamless digital technologies in customer acquisition, credit assessment, loan approval, disbursement, recovery, and associated customer service.”&nbsp;</blockquote>Now that the definition clearly states what constitutes digital lending, let's see who the players are and their roles in the DL realm.&nbsp;<h2 class="heading-node" id="dklhgur4h">Key players in the DL arena</h2><ul class="list-node" id="ibj6ivuxn"><li>Borrower- End customer who is the recipient of the loan amount.</li><li>Lenders- Traditional players include Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and Banks. They can be further divided into:<ul class="list-node" id="vt0pd5crw"><li>Balance sheet lenders- Those who have a record of the loan in their books</li><li>Marketplace lenders- Those who connect borrowers and balance sheet lenders</li></ul></li><li>Lending Service Providers (LSPs)- They are the fintechs that carry out one or more of the lender’s activities like acquiring potential borrowers, disbursement, and collection among several others. LSPs could either be in or out of the regulatory purview of the financial regulator.&nbsp;</li><li>Fringe lenders: They are shadow and unlicensed lenders who do not come under the purview of any registered entity. Monitoring these lenders is difficult as they do not have a proper identity trail.&nbsp;</li></ul>The key players listed above contribute to the remarkable growth of the industry.&nbsp;<h2 class="heading-node" id="ir07p6kz3">Steady growth prospects</h2>The pandemic era witnessed phenomenal growth in online transactions. There was a significant rise in digital lending platforms and applications. As a result, applying for and borrowing money from a digital lender got simplified, thus giving rise to thousands of Digital Lending Applications (DLAs).&nbsp;Digital Lending (DL) recorded one of the highest growth in India, from $9bn in 2012 to around $110 bn in 2019. &nbsp;By 2023, the value of the digital lending industry is expected to reach $350 Bn dollars.&nbsp;<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/09/inner-image_1-copy-2.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="253">When we talk about DL, First Loss Default Guarantee (FLDG) is the term we hear quite often. It is one of the many triggers of RBI's DL regulation.Let's get a quick glimpse into what FLDG is.<h2 class="heading-node" id="e7ha4q7hp">What is FLDG?</h2>We'll start with a simple example. In trading communities, family businesses are carried on from one generation to the next. When entrepreneurs emerge in these situations, loans are given to them based on the family's credibility. The reason is that if they do not make a payment, the lender can recover it from the borrower’s family.Likewise, in the case of First Loss Default Guarantee (FLDG), whenever a borrower defaults, a third party (fintech, in this case) comes in to compensate the lender. This mechanism is FLDG.&nbsp;Here's how FLDG works.<ul class="list-node" id="9gs2tjgn2"><li>Typically, fintechs partner with financial institutions by proposing to widen their customer base by targeting a particular customer segment</li><li>They zero in on that niche and turn them into leads using different marketing strategies</li><li>NBFCs agree to take on these loans on their books with a threshold of guaranteed interest</li><li>This guaranteed interest will be backed by the FLDG arrangement between the lender (NBFC) and LSP (fintech)</li></ul>Few NBFCs were renting out their licenses through FLDG. This enabled LSPs to build a proxy portfolio which some industry experts claim to be a risk to the lending system.&nbsp;<h2 class="heading-node" id="111xwkfi9">Need for RBI Working Group</h2>While FLDG contributed to the industry's increasing volume, several unregulated entities came into the picture. They exploited customer data and resorted to illicit collection activities. Many borrowers faced serious trouble as they were unaware of the real nature of these entities. An alarming rise in customer complaints resulting from the actions of the unregulated entities placed digital lending on RBI’s radar.&nbsp;To address and streamline the same, RBI set up a Working Group (WG) to understand the risks and set up necessary controls in the DL industry.&nbsp;<h2 class="heading-node" id="fcp9tkbk8">What did the Working Group find out?</h2>On January 13, 2021, RBI set up a WG consisting of thirty-six stakeholders. The purpose was to study the DL industry and its activities in detail and to implement the right regulatory approach.The WG surveyed and studied the industry and presented a report (containing two annexures) to RBI on November 18, 2021.&nbsp;The report’s findings were based on the following pillars.<ul class="list-node" id="motjl864k"><li>Discussions with the stakeholders</li><li>Survey and data analysis</li><li>Review of extant regulatory / Supervisory framework and industry practices</li><li>Review of global practices and literature</li></ul>After considering the recommendations, RBI officially announced the implementation of the DL guidelines on September 2, 2022.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/09/inner-image_1-copy.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" id="f425sz7ha" width="100%" height="253"><h2 class="heading-node" id="6avlwzuzi">&nbsp;DL guidelines implemented</h2><h3 class="heading-node" id="9x0k6ukoy">Annexure – I</h3>The following recommendations were accepted by RBI for immediate implementation.<h3 class="heading-node" id="xwx0cvy12">Customer Protection</h3><ul class="list-node" id="tsdlck58x"><li>Loan disbursals and payments should be between the borrower’s bank account and the lenders without any third-party pool account involved</li></ul><ul class="list-node" id="r68myhycc"><li>Regulated Entities (REs) should directly pay the fees and charges to the Lending Service Providers (LSPs) instead of charging the borrower directly</li></ul><ul class="list-node" id="29mxi1vhz"><li>Before the execution of the loan contract, the borrower must be given a standard Key Fact Statement (KFS)</li></ul><ul class="list-node" id="23dbqwzho"><li>Contents of KFS – Annual Percentage Rate (APR), Recovery method, Grievance addressal, cooling-off/ look-up period&nbsp;</li></ul><ul class="list-node" id="avc3zqm4a"><li>Any change in credit limit must require the borrower’s explicit consent</li></ul><ul class="list-node" id="ty03qxa1h"><li>Borrowers must be given the option of exiting digital loans during the cooling-off period by paying the principal and the applicable APR without any penalty</li></ul><ul class="list-node" id="mciab4cid"><li>All borrower’s complaints should be resolved by a RE and LSPs engaged nodal grievance redressal officer</li></ul><ul class="list-node" id="hve36i3x7"><li>The borrower can escalate it to the RBI if the complaint is not resolved within 30 days</li></ul><h3 class="heading-node" id="dd7ts6i9g">Technology and Data</h3><ul class="list-node" id="h4tyt70ye"><li>Data collection should be done with the borrowers' explicit consent with audit trails &nbsp;</li><li>DLAs should collect only specific data of the borrowers pertaining to <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/crack-the-kyc-jigsaw-ease-onboarding-compliance/">Know your Customer (KYC)</a> and onboarding</li><li>Borrowers must be provided with consent to accept, deny, or delete the data collected by the DLAs/LSPs</li></ul><h3 class="heading-node" id="6kpyid9pl">Legal and Regulatory</h3><ul class="list-node" id="27yjfnlrz"><li>Any lending sourced through DLAs (of the RE or the LSP employed by RE) must be disclosed to Credit Information Companies (CICs) by REs</li><li>If REs are using the FLDG model, they shall adhere to the provisions of the <a class="link" href="https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/BS_ViewMasDirections.aspx?id=12165">Master Direction – Reserve Bank of India (Securitisation of Standard Assets) Directions, 2021, dated September 24, 2021</a></li></ul><h2 class="heading-node" id="t9hkboftc">WG recommendations accepted in principle</h2><h3 class="heading-node" id="3r58jerkf">Annexure – II</h3>The following recommendations were accepted in principle but require further examination.&nbsp;<h3 class="heading-node" id="tga9u9bap">Customer Protection</h3><ul class="list-node" id="bwn63txc9"><li>Any time a RE or LSP looks at or asks for credit information from a CIC, the borrower will be notified by email or text message&nbsp;</li></ul><h3 class="heading-node" id="nn4390fg9">Technology and Data</h3><ul class="list-node" id="3xoi0979d"><li>Banks will keep an eye on accounts often used from a different or overseas IP address that doesn't match the account holder's KYC profile&nbsp;</li></ul><ul class="list-node" id="nd7vb0o1c"><li>Baseline technology standards to be laid down by RBI primarily include secure application logic and an auditable log for every user action</li><li>REs should ensure that the underwriting algorithms are well-researched and auditable enough to point out discrimination factors&nbsp;</li><li>Artificial Intelligence (AI) used by digital lenders should be ethical and focus on protecting customer interests, security, and privacy</li></ul><h3 class="heading-node" id="28bmw3gy5">Legal and Regulatory Framework</h3><ul class="list-node" id="oktvcvrxo"><li>A Self-Regulatory Organization (SRO) to be set up which will focus on framing a code of conduct for recovery and a model standardized LSP agreement for Balance Sheet Lenders</li></ul><ul class="list-node" id="age2sbmui"><li>While the recommendation concerning FLDG is still under examination, REs must ensure financial products involving third-party compensation for defaulters should comply with the Master Direction – Reserve Bank of India (Securitization of Standard Assets) Directions</li></ul><h2 class="heading-node" id="qu1um5gxv">Conclusion</h2>The latest guidelines emphasize the importance of protecting borrowers by curbing the misuse of digital lending apps. The REs are given time until November 30, 2022, to develop systems and processes that are compliant with the ruling.Undoubtedly, fintech-led digital lending will certainly undergo changes. The larger perspective is to protect the customers and the economy from unscrupulous practices and uphold the trust of the banking system.&nbsp;Reference**: <a class="link" href="https://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/PublicationReport/Pdfs/DIGITALLENDINGF6A90CA76A9B4B3E84AA0EBD24B307F1.PDF">Annexure 1 of RBI press release</a>Want to know more about digital lending? Write to us at&nbsp;<a class="link au lg" href="mailto:business@m2pfintech.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener ugc nofollow">business@m2pfintech.com</a>.<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/newsletter/">Subscribe</a>&nbsp;to our newsletter and get the latest fintech news, views, and insights, directly to your inbox.Follow us on&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/m2pfintech/mycompany/">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://twitter.com/m2pfintech">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for insightful fintech tales curated for curious minds like you.

RBI’s New Digital Lending Guidelines – Will it be a Game Changer?

<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/08/Credit-Underwriting-Blog_1-05-1.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="529">India's digital lending market recorded a 132% CAGR between 2017 and 2022 and is expected to reach 350 billion dollars in value by 2023. The upswing in the number of consumers using digital avenues for banking proliferated digital loans by 40 to 60%. In today's lending landscape, credit underwriting is fundamental and pivotal in gauging the credibility of the borrower. Assessing credit risk remains the&nbsp;top priority for lenders as it determines the viability and profitability of the business. It helps lenders assess if the borrower can pay back a loan. Although the way lenders evaluate their applicants may vary across products, the basic framework is the same. In this article, let's focus on credit underwriting and how alternate data sources can change the dynamics of the process.&nbsp;<h2 class="heading-node" id="3czmturic" style="text-align: justify">What is Credit Underwriting?</h2>Credit underwriting is a systematic risk assessment method performed to appraise the creditworthiness of a loan or insurance policy applicant. It is a crucial function of banks, NBFCs, and other Financial Institutions (FIs) in the lending business as it helps measure the applicant or borrower's risk profile. Traditionally, Financial Institutions utilize credit reports generated by manually examining customers' financial data from credit applications, credit bureaus (CIBIL), and lender databases. The metrics used to evaluate credit include the source of income, age, number of dependents, bank statements, repayment capacity, past and current debts, health, nature of employment, and other assets. It is essential to note that some loans require an in-depth review of primary data like income and current debt. In contrast, others involve a comprehensive analysis of the applicant's financial history.<h2 class="heading-node" id="4d6gomkwk" style="text-align: justify">Steps in Credit Underwriting</h2>The credit appraisal process differs from product to product and also based on the lender type. Here is a broad overview of the steps of credit appraisal.<ul class="list-node" id="v4vjekojl"><li>Credit Processing – In this stage, the applicant fills out and submits a credit application, either in person or online. Lenders garner all necessary data such as loan details, business or individual information, and primary risk-related information for screening the applications. Each FI has a checklist to validate if all essential information is collected.</li><li>Analysis and Review – The lender scrutinizes the application, analyses the accuracy of the information/documents, and determines the creditworthiness. A credit analyst checks against the RBI defaulter list, CIBIL score, POSIDEX report, and ITR. In addition, the lenders assess the overall political and economic risks and evaluate the financial stability and reliability of the applicant.</li><li>Documentation – From credit application to foreclosure of impaired loan and realization of security, each level in the credit cycle is recorded. The documentation is filed in an appropriate cross-indexing system to facilitate review and follow-up. Moreover, all credit applications must be documented regardless of approval or rejection.</li><li>Approval/Sanction – Each FI has predetermined guidelines on the credit approval process for each product. The credit analyst identifies and measures the credit risk against the guidelines and forwards a recommendation to the approval authorities. The approval authorities examine the request and decide whether to reject or sanction the loan. Typically, authorities deal with new credit approvals, renewals of existing credits, and modifications in the terms and conditions of previously approved credits.</li><li>Credit Administration – In this stage, loan agreements are duly prepared, credit files are updated, and renewal notices are sent methodically. FIs allocate credit administration functions to a designated department or individual in credit operations, depending on the size and complexity of the credit portfolio.</li><li>Disbursement – Once the loan is approved, the letter of offer comprising the disbursal amount and the terms and conditions, etc., is sent to the customer or the borrower. The borrower should duly sign the duplicate copy and return it to the FI. Upon receipt of the letter, institutions proceed with the formalities including final documentation, registration of collateral, insurance cover, and vetting of documents by a legal expert. Before funds are released the borrower must comply with pre-disbursement conditions and the loan must be approved by the relevant authorities in the financial institution.</li></ul><img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/08/Credit-Underwriting-Blog_1-01.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="529"><h2 class="heading-node" id="njesobao5" style="text-align: justify">Shift in the Metrics Matrix&nbsp;</h2>Evolution in consumer behavior and the surge in technology adoption resulted in a paradigm shift in digital credit. This made FIs switch from mainstream practices and adopt innovative approaches to render a faster and seamless borrowing experience. Further, the emergence of fintech and the evolution of Artificial Intelligence and API-enabled services broadened the bandwidth of risk assessment.&nbsp; They included data points from alternative sources that genuinely contribute to determining the quality and value of the loan applications. These data points go beyond the regular financial specifics and dwell deep into customers' buying/spending patterns and behaviors. Such data points obtained from non-traditional sources are known as alternative credit data.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/08/Credit-Underwriting-Blog_1-03.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="529"><h2 class="heading-node" id="nq0zjxcbu" style="text-align: justify">What is Alternative Credit Data?</h2>The alternative data is a collection of information including a customer's utility, rental, insurance, other bills payment track record, employment and travel history, governmental and e-commerce transactions, and property records. The data points exhibit the customer's habits, preferences, behavior, and character that help lenders better understand an individual's financial reliability and stability.<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/08/Credit-Underwriting-Blog_1-04.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="529"><h2 class="heading-node" id="wu0yr03ef" style="text-align: justify">Why Alternative Data?&nbsp;</h2>Over the last few years, alternative data and behavior metrics have created ripples in the financial sector. However, fintechs and other FIs are just at the tip of the untapped potential of alternative data. Utilizing the correct alternative data and metrics can significantly enhance predictive models such as risk modeling, lead scoring, and fraud detection. Drives Financial Inclusion&nbsp; According to a world bank report, there are 1.7 billion unbanked individuals in developing economies like India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, China, Indonesia, and Mexico. In India, lack of credit scores is the stumbling block to achieving financial inclusion. This is predominantly because most working professionals are deprived of access to financial services due to a low or non-existent credit score. Alternative data sources unlock a gamut of opportunities to empower such consumer groups with economic power. It also serves as a significant value addition to applicants and credit grantors. Alternative sources for data and metrics enable fintechs and NBFCs to tap into the unbanked and underbanked population. The alternative data sources are less susceptible to manipulation, and it serves as a source to score the applicants who are underbanked, credit invisible, or generally labeled 'no-hit' or 'thin-file' by traditional models. The insights from alternative data enhance credit access for such consumer groups, who are usually overlooked. For example, first-time credit card/loan applicants do not have a credit history or background that meets specific criteria. Alternative data points help FIs profile such applicants to process their credit requirements. Augments Business&nbsp; Alternative datasets provide a comprehensive and well-rounded picture of consumers' behavior. This helps FIs make better decisions on who to target and design &amp; develop superior products to ensure a higher adoption rate and sustainability in the market.&nbsp;On the other hand, a more accurate assessment of a consumer's risk status ensures loans/credits are both profitable as well as low-risk. Alternative data enables FIs make the following enhancements and stay ahead of the winning curve.<ul class="list-node" id="q4msu49t5"><li>Boosts business agility and market responsiveness</li><li>Capture new market segments</li><li>Develop competitive interest rates</li><li>Create more tailored products and services</li><li>Identify low-risk candidates for automatic loan pre-approval</li><li>Offer loans and credit efficiently</li><li>Eliminate high-risk applicants by having access to extensive data on risky borrowers</li></ul>Fraud Detection&nbsp; The key source for alternative data is digital platforms that provide information through digital automation. Artificial intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), deep data analytics, and anonymous metadata can help detect anomalies in business operations or an individual's transactions. For example, using AI-enabled tools that employ alternative data, lenders can detect financial fraudsters as early as in the pre-qualification stage.<h2 class="heading-node" id="myayq2dc9" style="text-align: justify">Unlocking Value from Alternative Data</h2>Alternative data is the new oil. Before we know it, most legacy banks will join the bandwagon and include alternative data sets in their standard lending strategies. The key to capturing the value of alternative data is recognizing and analyzing the cost/benefit balance and determining the ideal blend of data sources and their impact on profitability. For more insights on credit underwriting and alternative sources write to us at <a class="link" href="mailto:business@m2pfintech.com">business@m2pfintech.com</a>.&nbsp; <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/newsletter/">Subscribe</a>&nbsp;to our newsletter and get the latest fintech news, views, and insights, directly to your inbox. Follow us on&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/m2pfintech/mycompany/">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://twitter.com/m2pfintech">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for insightful fintech tales curated for curious minds like you.

Credit Underwriting - How Alternative Data Sources Help

<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/04/banner1251-9.webp" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" id="dmf2k0y2z" width="100%" height="356">“Hey, buy your favorite designer shoes now. Pay later at your convenience.”Can anything be sweeter than these words?It’s sure to beat the sweet pleasure of biting into soft, creamy, warm waffles. Except, of course, you pay for them later too!Now don’t be lost. We’re not blabbing about a random retail marketing gimmick.We’re referring to the strategic, monumental Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) phenomenon that’s taking the world by storm.If you don’t know what BNPL is, here’s a starterBNPL is the hottest revolution in the world of credit payments. It gives consumers access to instant credit lines to pay for products they want at their leisure. BNPL fuels, not just food delivery and e-commerce today. It pervades the world of travel, fashion, education, insurance, and anything and everything that allows digital payments.In India alone, the BNPL market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 24.2% from 2021 to 2028.<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/700/1*Y7VyoSPYDYUWjKkF5dA7_g.jpeg" alt="Buy Now Pay Later Market Size in India" title="" width="100%" height="284">Did you know?Over 49% of consumers spend more when using BNPL service than they would on a credit card (Source: Cardify.ai, a consumer spending data firm).Yes, the Buy Now, Pay Later service stimulates people to checkout with fuller carts loaded with luxury products compared to other payment forms<h2 class="heading-node" id="4307">But why is BNPL so popular?</h2>Several tangible and intangible components contribute towards the immense allure of the BNPL phenomena. First, the proliferation of BNPL is more in online commerce than in-store ones due to changing customer behavior coupled with the impact of the pandemic.&nbsp;Second, it has also made businesses leverage this payment mode as a potent tool to entice customers to load their carts with impulsive purchases.<h3 class="heading-node" id="ecb4">1. Pandemic-driven online commerce</h3>The Covid-19 pandemic provided a significant boost to BNPL, as the restricted mobility accelerated online purchases. However, consumers had limited purchasing power, and the existing credit infrastructure did not support the demand and supply dynamics.This was precisely when BNPL emerged as a potent enabler helping lockdown consumers use instant credit to purchase food supplies, medical supplies, apparel, and services such as online courses, insurance, utility payments, housekeeping services, etc. The financial support BNPL provided consumers during the pandemic was unwavering and relentless. Thus people began purchasing only from businesses that provided BNPL payment options<h3 class="heading-node" id="8f8c">2. Instant gratification across demographics</h3>Over 50% of Gen Z and millennial consumers who are most tech-savvy amongst the consumer base indulge in the convenience, affordability, and speed that BNPL transactions offer over other forms of payments.Today’s youth have lower purchasing power, a volatile credit rating, and a whim to purchase anything and everything in an instant. BNPL gratifies its caprice by providing instant credit, convenient repayment plans, and soft credit checks that do not impact individual credit scores.But it does not mean that older consumers are not drawn by the Buy now pay later allure. On the contrary, the no interest rate feature and convenient duration to pay off the loan attract consumers across all demographics.<h3 class="heading-node" id="78bd">3. Convenient, affordable repayment plans</h3>Most BNPL providers enable consumers to repay the credit within 15 days without any interest. Or you can switch to easy EMIs with 2,4,6, or 12 months window or facilitate auto-debit from your bank account. You can also use the scan and pay option to pay in stores and use the BNPL UPI ID to go cashless anywhere, anytime<h3 class="heading-node" id="06f3">4. Easy KYC, no exorbitant charges</h3>With minimal eKYC, you can enjoy maximum credit based on your income. There are no complex interest calculations, service charges, compound interests, or hidden charges, unlike credit cards. All the payment terms are stated upfront before the payment.Also, there is no need for OTP verification, entering card details, recharging your wallet every time you need to make a payment.<h2 class="heading-node" id="l84nocbpw">Psychological factors that accelerate BNPL adoption</h2>Intrinsic psychological factors play a critical role in accelerating the growth of BNPL. Understanding the psychology behind BNPL helps businesses design product/service offerings according to customer behavior and preference, increasing customer experience, satisfaction, and conversion.<h3 class="heading-node" id="8d5c">The pain of paying</h3>Ever experienced the pleasure of a tranquil spa massage or a scrumptious plate of grilled lobster vanish right when you pay the bill with cash? Here’s why.<blockquote class="block-node" id="emxg5kizl">When people make purchases, they immediately experience the pain of paying.</blockquote><h3 class="heading-node" id="cb2e">Love-hate chemistry between spending and consumption</h3>No one can deny the peculiar love-hate chemistry between spending money and the pleasure of enjoying what you pay for.When payments get deferred, it triggers relief in the brain, allowing you to enjoy life at the moment. Using the Buy now pay later option instead of cash to pay for your dream product or service lets you enjoy the moment without worrying about the money left in your pocket.<h3 class="heading-node" id="88ae">Payment modes and their emotional impact</h3>Payment modes such as cash, credit cards, BNPL, and debit cards leave their own psychological ‘pain of payment’ impact on the consumer.Dr.Carey Morewedge, Asst.Professor in Carnegie Mellon explains the pain of paying with a simple formula.Cost of your item/pool of resources (cash/BNPL/others) = pain of payingThe larger your resource, the greater will be the inclination to make costlier purchases. For example, when you are shopping using BNPL, you feel like spending a small fraction of money from a large reserve with no immediate deadline. So the pain of paying becomes dramatically less in BNPL.Whereas drawing a few currency notes out of your pocket seems like you are consuming a large portion of the available fund. Thus the pain of paying in immediate cash payment is more significant.<h2 class="heading-node" id="3bb3">How can businesses make the most of BNPL?</h2>Adopting BNPL gives your business instant access to an enormous customer base who would otherwise refrain from spending due to lack of credit availability, exorbitant credit card interest rates, and credit rating depreciation. As BNPL removes all purchase barriers, you can immediately see a rapid increase in sales and revenue.Merchants and businesses can reap huge profits as BNPL drive higher average order values (AOV) and conversion rates and lower cart abandonment and customer acquisition costs. In addition, now that BNPL reduces the pain of instant payments, it triggers repeated purchases, which is a huge deal for businesses that strive for increased sales, customer satisfaction, and loyalty.However, trying to build your BNPL infrastructure in-house will exert a lot of strain on your bandwidth and productivity. Partnering with reputed API providers will help you deploy efficient plug-and-play BNPL systems at an incredible speed. API service providers empower businesses to go to market within days with seamless integrations and in-built analytics solutions.<h2 class="heading-node" id="b997">Conclusion</h2>Like everything else in life, BNPL is a double-edged sword too. Though it fosters a win-win situation for both consumers and businesses, this short-term credit instrument presents a few risk factors. For example, consumers can run the risk of debts if they indulge in too much impulsive shopping. And e-commerce aggregator businesses may suffer from merchant fraud or credit risks if KYC and regulatory compliances are not adhered to.Want to know more about BNPL? Write to us at business@m2pfintech.com.<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/newsletter/">Subscribe</a>&nbsp;to our newsletter and get the latest fintech news, views, and insights, directly to your inbox. Follow us on&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/m2pfintech/mycompany/">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://twitter.com/m2pfintech">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for insightful fintech tales curated for curious minds like you.

Factors and Psychology Behind the Great BNPL Allure

<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/04/banner-1251-1.webp" alt="Account Aggregator" title="" id="9hxp4jacw" width="100%" height="479">Data is a gold mine that drives insights and efficiencies across industries. Gartner predicts that by 2023, companies that actively leverage shared data will outperform their peers in crucial metrics. With 180+ zettabytes of data estimated to be created by 2025, businesses across industries need to devise strategies to gain access to relevant consumer information. Such access will drive insight-driven decisions to boost revenue, <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/why-is-risk-based-authentication-rba-critical-for-banks/">mitigate risks</a>, and reduce costs.<h2 class="heading-node" id="134f" style="text-align: justify">Consent-based digital access to data</h2>Account aggregators or financial data aggregators play a significant role in enabling data access to financial institutions, businesses, and individuals. Prioritizing fiduciary consumer relationships, account aggregators share digitally signed and encrypted data upon explicit consumer consent.<h2 class="heading-node" id="160d" style="text-align: justify">Financial data aggregation in India</h2>India launched its Account Aggregator (AA) network in September 2021, as the first step towards open banking. Built on the Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA), the account aggregator framework is the world’s leading consensual data-sharing infrastructure.This digital data access structure serves as a substantial digital enablement initiative after the launch of public infrastructure for digital identification (Aadhaar) and <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/the-rise-of-digital-payments/" target="">digital payments</a> (UPI). Millions of customers can now digitally access and share their financial data in a compliant manner.<h2 class="heading-node" id="019c" style="text-align: justify">Potential to transform efficiencies</h2>The AA framework holds the potential to transform the efficiencies and profitability of financial institutions and businesses in India. Banks, fintechs, and NBFCs can use consumer data to widen target-base, personalize services, lower risks, enhance customer experience, and future-proof their product portfolio. Collecting, cleansing, and synthesizing pertinent data helps enhance insight-driven decisions and executions.Democratization of data access via account aggregator networks has brought in a win-win scenario for businesses, consumers, and <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/digital-lending-open-credit-enablement-network/">new-age digital lenders</a> with advanced underwriting algorithms and a larger risk appetite. They have broken the data monopoly of digital and financial services firms by transferring data sharing power to individuals.<h2 class="heading-node" id="a06c" style="text-align: justify">So, who are account aggregators in India?</h2>Account aggregators are NBFC-AA licensed entities that are regulated by the RBI. Contrary to the name, they cannot ‘aggregate’ data. They only enable consensual data sharing and access between consumers and financial institutions in the network. Account aggregators cannot read or resell data. They can carry data from one financial institution to another based on individual consent and direction. Consumers also have the choice to revoke data already shared.<h2 class="heading-node" id="b934" style="text-align: justify">How account aggregation happens?</h2>Data gathering, collation, and dissemination are enabled through open <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/api-the-power-that-drives-new-age-banking-ecosystems/">Application Programming Interface (API</a>) connections.<h2 class="heading-node" id="e756" style="text-align: justify">Do account aggregators benefit individuals?</h2>The answer is yes.Account aggregators help consumers get rid of laborious paperwork, effort, and security issues involved in notarizing, stamping, signing and scanning physical copies of bank statements. Users need not have to expose themselves to vulnerabilities of sharing login credentials and financial history to a third party.With mobile-based digital data access and sharing process, account aggregators eliminate the conventional hassles of data access and sharing. People across demographics will get access to experiential, preference-based financial services and products. While the affluent will experience value through customized investment and insurance options, the popular masses will enjoy greater inclusiveness through friction-free access to formal credit.<h2 class="heading-node" id="0dd3" style="text-align: justify">Participants in the AA network</h2>While individuals and small businesses form the epicentre, the AA network comprises the three participants listed below.1. Financial Information Providers (FIP)&nbsp;— Data sources like banks, tax platforms &amp; insurance providers.2. Financial Information Users (FIU)&nbsp;— Data recipients such as banks, NBFCs, and <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/fintech-a-catalyst-for-financial-inclusion/">fintech</a> firms.3. Account Aggregators (AA)&nbsp;— RBI-regulated entities that facilitate real-time data sharing.<img src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1400/1*UnkSCGfGWZf-YpOqny9J7w.jpeg" alt="M2P Fintech" title="" width="100%" height="384">Source: PIB Delhi<h2 class="heading-node" id="72d9" style="text-align: justify">Banks in the AA network</h2>The top eight banks (listed below) that cater to over 300 million consumers have joined the AA network.1. Axis Bank2. ICICI Bank3. IndusInd Bank4. HDFC Bank5. Kotak Mahindra Bank6. IDFC First Bank7. Federal Bank8. State Bank of India<h2 class="heading-node" id="d405" style="text-align: justify">What kind of data does AAs share? How are they different from Aadhar eKYC, credit bureau, and CKYC?</h2>Central Know Your Customer (<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/know-your-customer-kyc-the-need-for-authentication/">CKYC</a>) registry and paperless Aadhar Electronic Know Your Customer (<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/know-your-customer-kyc-the-need-for-authentication/">EKYC</a>) capture identity verification and only shares data such as name, address, and gender. And credit bureaus reveal only the credit score, loan, and repayment history of consumers.On the other hand, account aggregators facilitate transaction data sharing from savings, <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/how-can-banks-and-nbfcs-leverage-the-potential-of-digital-fds/">deposits</a>, or current accounts. They share data pertaining to consumer bank transactions, tax, pension, securities, insurance, and much more.<h2 class="heading-node" id="5e7e" style="text-align: justify">Is data sharing via AA network secure?</h2>Data shared on the account aggregator network is completely secure. It is encrypted by the sender and can be decrypted only by the intended recipient. End-to-end encryptions and digital signatures remove vulnerabilities and secure the process.<h2 class="heading-node" id="42b2" style="text-align: justify">What if consumers choose not to share data?</h2>By all means, a consumer can choose not to share any data. Joining the AA network or registering for data sharing is completely voluntary. They can link the account of their choice, enable or revoke data access at any point in time.<h2 class="heading-node" id="b9c4" style="text-align: justify">Use cases for account aggregator network</h2>Here are use cases in which account aggregators can drive efficiencies and add value to consumers and financial institutions.Personal finance management&nbsp;— Consumers can analyze personal spends across accounts, which will help generate recommendations to streamline expenditure. This process will enable better personal finance goals and budgetary adherence for consumers.Cashflow-based lending&nbsp;— Consuming data from FIPs, FIUs can get better visibility into the cash flow of applicants. Cashflow-based lending will accelerate mainstream lending, especially in SME and MSME credit space.Alternate data for credit assessment&nbsp;— Evaluating a consumer’s creditworthiness is a true challenge if there is inadequate data on his income or payment history. If credit applicants who do not have formal credit access could share their telecom bill payment to the lender, this will generate an alternate data set to assess creditworthiness.Loan monitoring for predictive default analysis&nbsp;— Every lender will want visibility into the borrower’s financial behavior to ensure discipline in repayments. The income and outflow from a person’s bank account could reveal his financial behavior. And this could help lenders predict default patterns.Selling customized financial products&nbsp;— Accessing data concerning consumer behavior with financial products will help financial institutions involved in wealth management and insurance customize their products.Wealth management&nbsp;— Imagine a customer has invested in insurance from A, mutual fund from B, Gold deposits from C, and savings account from D. An account aggregator can unify all this data and help wealth managers handle customers' portfolios more efficiently.Accounts reconciliation for small businesses&nbsp;— With account aggregators, SMEs and MSMEs would not require to manually feed in Tally/ QuickBooks for their daily invoices. They can simply consent to platforms to consume data from FIPs and derisk manual errors.Unified nomination register&nbsp;— Nominations in financial products today are decentralized, hence have to be managed individually. A joint collaboration between the account aggregator and the unified nomination register can solve this.Now, these are not all. We have just scratched the surface of the use cases that account aggregators could have. When more pipelines get enabled on AA network, the use cases will grow exponentially. Then they will have to address concerns surrounding platform stability, data privacy, and grievance redressal mechanisms.M2P believes in democratizing credit by empowering lenders with alternate data/ surrogate channels. Should you be looking for a partner who could help you look beyond conventional credit applicants' data, write to us at&nbsp;<a class="link" href="mailto:business@m2pfintech.com">business@m2pfintech.com</a><a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/newsletter/">Subscribe</a>&nbsp;to our newsletter and get the latest fintech news, views, and insights, directly to your inbox.Follow us on&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/m2pfintech/mycompany/">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://twitter.com/m2pfintech">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for insightful fintech tales curated for curious minds like you.

Account Aggregator 101- Democratizing data access and sharing

<img src="https://m2p-website-file.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/m2p-website-file/marketing-cms/m2p-blog/2022/04/BNPLs-Risk-Mitigation-Strategies-Wordpress-02.webp" alt="Strategies to reduce credit risks in BNPL" title="" width="100%" height="317">Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) is a fascinating financing tool that presents incredible value potential to lenders, merchants, and consumers. Growing into a $100 billion industry globally with over 85% rise in user base (from 2020 to 2021), BNPL has evolved into an inevitable trend in the retail credit space.<h2 class="heading-node" id="zxstxjdpm" style="text-align: left">Win-Win-Win scenario</h2>There are no losers in the BNPL ecosystem. Whether it is consumers or merchants or lenders, all have clear winning potential. Consumers adore the <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/factors-and-psychology-behind-the-great-bnpl-allure/">power BNPL gives them</a> to shop instantly and cost-efficiently, even if they have no cash at hand. And merchants prefer BNPL payments as its <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/six-profitable-bnpl-business-models-to-unlock-infinite-value/">business models</a> provide them a great opportunity to drive sales. Sizeable BNPL players have attributed their 20% revenue increase to this consumer credit phenomenon. &nbsp;They’ve even reported that BNPL helped offset the generally higher transaction fees (appr. 4% to 7% per transaction) charged by service providers. Lending institutions love chiming into the BNPL tune, as it broadens and optimizes their credit issuance pipelines and drives scalable shorter-tenure small-ticket financing.<h2 class="heading-node" id="2spiqi6wu" style="text-align: left">Secret sauce to success</h2>Even though BNPL is one happy party, it still comes with some risk factors. Not just from external scamsters, but also from inherent vulnerabilities. Credit risks, chargeback scams, and Account Take Overs (ATOs) are typical issues that plague this consumer financing phenomenon. Managing and mitigating such risks is the secret sauce to successful BNPL operations. Implementing the right mitigation strategies can get rid of underlying risks without hampering customer experience.<h2 class="heading-node" id="kan5wsfe1" style="text-align: left">Mind your risk exposure</h2>A typical BNPL transaction value encompasses credit sanctioned to the customer and the amount reimbursed to the merchant. Usually, a consumer’s intent to pay, repayment capability, soft credit checks, and merchant recommendation are factored in before granting credit access. But this process doesn’t make the system immune to credit risks.Credit risk occurs when a consumer defaults on the repayment after the transaction. The tiniest exposure to default risk can put any lending institution in a vulnerable position. It could even snowball into insolvency and liquidity issues for the BNPL service provider.<h2 class="heading-node" id="gxknqrve8" style="text-align: left">Strategies to mitigate credit risk</h2>Evaluating creditworthiness plays a critical role in controlling credit risk. To make credit assessment as effective and secure as possible, best-in-class risk management parameters and credit profiling are required.As smooth and secure customer experiences are non-negotiable for successful BNPL transactions, customer-centric strategies and efforts need to be directed towards effective credit evaluation. &nbsp;State-of-the-art technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Data Analytics are crucial tools to manage inherent and external risk factors. These technologies help in reducing fraud and default risks by analyzing data patterns across metrics, business performance, cash flows, and past payment track records derived from varied data sources.To mitigate credit risks effectively, the following strategies can be adopted.<h3 class="heading-node" id="zl6327vvl" style="text-align: left">1.Do a credit bureau check</h3>In Nov 2021, RBI amended the Credit Information Companies Regulation 2006, allowing fintechs to access individual consumer credit information from credit information bureaus like TransUnion Cibil, Equifax, Experian, and CRIF. With this amendment fintechs and ecommerce players can partner with lenders directly to issue BNPL on the platform, without acquiring an NBFC license. This enables first-level checks (parameters listed below) for each consumer to determine the risk associated with lending.<ul class="list-node" id="i7w0yj5i6"><li>Credit rating</li><li>Frequency of recent credit inquiries</li><li>Tracking pattern of Days Past Due (DPD) and settlements</li><li>Active credit lines</li><li>Past and active credit frauds</li></ul><h3 class="heading-node" id="rai5qc7qd" style="text-align: left">2.Interlink data points</h3>Interlinking data points associated with risk indicators such as invalid contact numbers, email addresses, or multiple card ownership will help detect irregularities. As per the privacy laws, the sensitive details of consumers need to be stored securely. So, without violating data breach and privacy laws, BNPL players can apply data analytics to gather valuable information on risk indicators, purchasing trends, and behavior.<h3 class="heading-node" id="mk9fouomh" style="text-align: left">3.Look for hidden linkages</h3>Processing BNPL transactions is not a simple task. It involves multiple steps that include linking IP, devices, email, phone numbers, and other details, in order to track and validate a customer. There is a high possibility of hidden linkages in cases that involve multiple names with common phone numbers or email addresses. Machine Learning plays a crucial role in establishing this linkage and sorting out disorders such as delivery address discrepancies and multiple account sign-ins from a single device.<h3 class="heading-node" id="biehsswov" style="text-align: left">4.Check for sudden changes in transaction velocity</h3>Credit risks and fraudulent transactions typically go hand-in-hand. Online frauds can be easily detected when there is a series of unusual high-value transactions taking place at consumer or merchant end. Cybercriminals indulge in this activity by using stolen card credentials to quickly spend the money or even create multiple accounts with fake user details.<h3 class="heading-node" id="sp618e1wg" style="text-align: left">5.Keep a lookout for shady delivery address patterns</h3>When it comes to ecommerce and BNPL, one must never underestimate the power of delivery address tracking in risk mitigation. Machine Learning tools check on delivery address patterns and take risk identification to the next level. With minimal human intervention, ML effectively detects mismatches and erratic patterns in shipping and billing addresses. This data plays a key role in detecting BNPL risks.<h3 class="heading-node" id="2ja7g15xs" style="text-align: left">6.Trust alternate data</h3>Asked to choose between the efficacy of traditional data and alternate data, most leading credit check houses will vouch for the latter. When a customer is credit-invisible, alternate data such as utility bills, rental bills, social media usage, travel history, employment record, and even property ownership come in handy to save the day.&nbsp; Alternate data supplies critical information for AI-based credit decisioning engines to determine a customer’s credit risk. Parameters such as income, nature of expenses, FOIR (Fixed Obligations to Income Ratio), location checks, negative list scrub (for PIN Code, credit check), and merchant data must be prioritized over other data points.<h2 class="heading-node" id="qwunst7q3" style="text-align: left">How we help lenders overcome BNPL risks</h2><a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/fintech-a-catalyst-for-financial-inclusion/">Fintech</a> companies and lenders today are vying to scale up their BNPL offering by investing in in-house technology capabilities and building risk modeling expertise directed toward the automation of credit decisions. A major hiccup here is the exorbitant cost and effort involved in technology upgrades.This is where a 3rd party partnership is required to curb costs and mitigate risks without compromising on customer experience. The collaboration will manage BNPL operations and risk management in totality while you can focus on the core business.Our BNPL Platform is a perfect example of the synergy scenario.&nbsp; We deliver the best risk management strategies for diverse consumer journeys via our loan management &amp; loan origination System. Our credit decision engine hunts and solves credit risks associated with each consumer. Using multiple cutting-edge APIs, we cover New to Bank, New to Credit, and of course existing credit data consumers at the quickest time possible.Our proprietary <a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/blog/the-world-of-apis-how-they-power-fintech/">API</a> stack enables a secure and seamless shopping experience by pairing customer onboarding with a lender credit decision engine. We deliver risk management strategies that cater to Merchants, Lenders, and Fintechs across distribution channels such as card-based pay later, digital payment lines (multiple merchants), and closed-loop lending platforms.Want to know more about how your BNPL program can benefit from our credit decisioning engine?Write to us at business@m2pfintech.com. We’ll be glad to help.<a class="link" href="https://m2pfintech.com/newsletter/">Subscribe</a>&nbsp;to our newsletter and get the latest fintech news, views, and insights, directly to your inbox.Follow us on&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/m2pfintech/mycompany/">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="link" href="https://twitter.com/m2pfintech">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for insightful fintech tales curated for curious minds like you.

Tag: "Digital Lending (58)"

Product

About

Compliance

Resources