MFI Grading
BWR MF 1 MFI Grading Scale at Brickwork Ratings
The MFI Grading Scale at Brickwork Ratings is on an 8
point scale from BWR MF 1 to BWR MF8 with BWR MF
1 corresponding to the highest grade while BWR MF 8
is the lowest grade.
The MFI grades assigned refer to the ability of the MFI
to manage its operations in a sustainable manner; they
do not refer to the credit quality of the MFI and should
not be used as a proxy for the creditworthiness of the
company.
BWR MF 2
BWR MF 3
BWR MF 4
BWR MF 5
BWR MF 6
BWR MF 7
BWR MF 8
Analysts Media
Phone Relationship Contact
Phone: 1-860-425-2742
Mic
ro
fin
an
ce
In
sti
tuti
on
Gr
ad
ing
Margdarshak Financial Services
Ltd. (MFSL)
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 2 | P a g e
Table of Contents
Grading Rationale .................................................................................................................................. 3
Profile ...................................................................................................................................................... 4
Mission & Vision of the company .......................................................................................................... 5
Management Details .............................................................................................................................. 5
Lending Model & Products Strengths .................................................................................................... 6
Operational Model .................................................................................................................................. 7
Collections Process ................................................................................................................................. 8
MIS & Reporting .................................................................................................................................... 8
Share Holding Pattern ........................................................................................................................... 8
Transparency .......................................................................................................................................... 9
Financial Statements ............................................................................................................................ 13
Operational Indicators ......................................................................................................................... 16
Projected Business Growth ……………………………………………………………………………………………..17
Portfolio Details …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….17
Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………19
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 3 | P a g e
Grading Rationale
Brickwork Ratings has assigned ‘MF 2’ grading to Margdarshak Financial Services Ltd (‘MFSL’
or the ‘MFI’).
The grading has factored the long track record of operations, extensive experience of the promoters
and management in the micro finance industry, significant improvement in the operational &
financial performance, adequate capital adequacy and healthy asset quality with 96.20% recovery
rate during FY17. The grading also draws strength from the well-defined operational procedures &
policies, adequate internal controls, risk & cash management policies and robust MIS & IT systems
adopted by the MFI. The grading is, however, constrained due to geographical concentration of the
portfolio in the Northern states, mainly Uttar Pradesh, and other inherent risks associated with the
micro finance industry in terms of regulatory framework and other socio-political issues viz.
unsecured nature of lending, vulnerable customer profile, exposure to vagaries of political situation
in states, and cash handling associated with the NBFC-MFI sector.
Headquartered in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Margdarshak Financial Services Limited (MFSL) a non-
deposit taking NBFC-MFI is a part of the Margdarshak Group promoted by development
professionals in 2004 to carry out financial inclusion activities in the state of Uttar Pradesh. In 2007
Margdarshak group commenced its microfinance operations under the name of ‘Margdarshak
Development Services’ (a not for profit group company). Later in 2010, the promoters of
Margdarshak group acquired a NBFC to carry out the business of financial services in a sustainable
manner with appropriate legal status. MFSL had received the NBFC-MFI license from Reserve Bank
of India in December 2013. MFSL is engaged in a wide range of community development and
livelihood strengthening initiatives across India and is working towards the objective of economic
empowerment for women and poverty alleviation.
The Company is engaged in providing microfinance loans based on Joint Liability Group (“JLG”)
(comprising of 5-15 members) model to poor women residents of urban (~60% of total portfolio)
and rural areas (~40% of total portfolio) to carry out income generation ventures such as trading,
retailing, embroidery shops, eateries, agriculture and allied related activities among others. The
organisation currently operates in 5 states through a network of 120 branches spread across 33
districts of Uttar Pradesh, 9 districts of Bihar, 4 districts of Haryana, 1 district of Uttrakhand and 3
districts of Himachal Pradesh. The operations are well spread across rural, peri-urban and urban
areas of the state, with loan products designed for various segments of the society. The districts have
been chosen taking into consideration the objective of enterprise and livelihood financing in the long
term. All districts have a large number of micro entrepreneurs and workers involved in
internationally acclaimed crafts. The mix of districts allows the company to provide financial services
in both rural and urban areas.
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 4 | P a g e
Profile Summary
Margdarshak Financial Services Limited (MFSL) - MFI Grading Report
Year of incorporation Incorporated in 1996
Year of commencement of
microfinance operations 2007
Legal status Non-Deposit taking Non-Banking Finance Company
Microfinance Institution (NBFC-MFI) registered with RBI.
Lending model Joint Liability Group (JLG)
Managing Director Mr. Rahul J Mittra
Geographical areas of
operation Presence in 50 districts across 5 states of UP, Bihar,
Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh.
Branches 120
Business Correspondence
(“BC”) arrangement
IDBI Bank, Yes Bank and Reliance Capital (Direct
assignment)
Margdarshak Financial Services Limited (“MFSL”) is a category B, non-deposit taking NBFC-MFI
headquartered in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The Company is engaged in the business of financial
inclusion and microfinance in North India. Its areas of activities include wide range of community
development and livelihood strengthening initiatives across India. The Company is mainly working
towards the objective of economic empowerment for women and poverty alleviation.
As of March 31st, 2017, MFSL had achieved a Gross Loan portfolio (owned + managed) of
Rs 292.18 Crs, out of which Rs 197.08 crore is own books, Rs 80.95 Crs under Business Correspondence
(“BC”) arrangement with IDBI Bank, Yes Bank and Reliance Capital and Rs 14.14 Crs under direct
assignment.
MFSL has a professional board consisting of promoters, institutional nominees and independent
Directors. Mr Rahul J. Mittra, the founder of MFSL is also the Secretary of Uttar Pradesh Microfinance
Association. The company has raised capital from 2 institutional investors viz. SIDBI & Dia Vikas
Capital Pvt. Ltd apart from the debt support from 14 public sector banks, 2 private sector banks, 12
NBFCs and 4 DFIs.
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 5 | P a g e
● Mission & Vision of the Company
The Mission of the MFI is to provide a holistic bouquet of financial products and services to the
economically weaker enterprising sections of the community for enabling mainstreaming and socio-
economic betterment.
The Vision of the MFI is to adapt industry best practices in all aspects of organization for emerging as
financial service provider of choice for 5,00,000 families in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Neighboring
States.
Management Details
Name Designation Experience
Mr. D.P.S. Rathore
Non-Executive
Chairman &
Independent
Director
Over 36 years of banking experience with the Reserve Bank
of India, he retired as Regional Director-RBI in 2011. He
heads the Asset Liability Management Committee and HR &
Compensation Management Committee and guides the
management in the areas of Organizational strengthening,
product development and environment management.
Mr. Rahul. J. Mittra
Promoter
Director, MD &
CEO
PG in Psychology, has over 20 years of working experience in
rural development at grass root level in North India.
Specializes in rural finance, organizational development, and
strategy development and operations management. Prior to
establishing MFSL in 2006, he has worked with
Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India and Asian
Centre for Organization Research & Development
(“ACORD”).
Mr. Arupjyoti Rai
Baruah
Whole Time
Director
Alumnus of Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA),
& B. Tech from Assam Engineering College, he possesses over
25 years of experience in development and corporate sector.
He specializes in enterprise development, business
facilitation and loan portfolio audit and contributes to
visioning of the organization and in livelihood interventions.
He was earlier associated with Entrepreneurship
Development Institute of India, Nagarjuna Fertilizers and
SAIL.
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 6 | P a g e
Mr. K. Prasad Independent
Director
Mr. Prasad has over 35 years of banking experience with
Reserve Bank of India, from where he retired as Chief General
Manager. He has extensive experience in the areas of
Supervision and Examination of Non- Banking Financial
Institutions & Banks including the Developmental Financial
Institutions. He heads the Audit Committee of the Board and
Risk Management Committee of MFSL and is engaged in
training and guiding the internal audit team of the
organization.
Mr. Saneesh Singh
Institutional
Nominee
He has over 25 years of experience in the field of
development, banking and finance, microfinance, financial
inclusion, MSME lending, capital structuring and social and
impact investments. He is the MD of Dia Vikas Capital Pvt.
Ltd. (a subsidiary of Opportunity International Australia). He
is an associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers and an
alumnus of Indian School of Business.
Ms. Saroj Topno Whole Time
Director
M. Com. from Calcutta University, she has over 20 years of
experience in the field of accounting and finance, direct
finance, refinance, development finance and audit. Prior to
joining MFSL in 2008, she has worked for over 11 years
(1996-2008) in various managerial capacities in different
departments of SIDBI. She is an associate of the Indian
Institute of Bankers.
Mr. Bhanu Prakash
Verma
Nominee Director
He has 23 years of experience in the field of Development
Banking, Promotion & Financing of MSMEs and Micro
finance. Presently, he is posted as Deputy General Manager
in SIDBI Foundation for Micro Credit (SFMC) at SIDBI Head
Quarter, Lucknow.
Ms. Maitrayee
Banerjee
Independent
Director
He has over 30 years of banking experience with public sector
bank in India and abroad where she retired as General
Manager. She has extensive experience in Credit, MSE, Self-
Help Groups, Government Sponsored Schemes, Mid-
Corporate and Corporate Credit - processing, sanction and
monitoring thereof. She also holds experience in Foreign
exchange and Treasury Experience.
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 7 | P a g e
Senior Management
Name Qualification Designation Experience
Ms. Saroj Mittra M.Com, C.A.I.I.B ED & CFO
He has 20 years of
experience in the field of
accounting and finance,
direct finance, refinance,
development finance and
audit.
Mr. Gurmeet Singh
Anand
M.Com, MBA-
Finance
AVP-Resource
Generation &
Business Planning
He has over 15 years of
experience in
Development and
Financial sector.
Mr. Gagan Deep Sehgal MBA-Marketing
& Finance
Chief Operating
Officer
He has over 14 years of
handling banking
operations. Worked with
institutions like ICICI
Bank Ltd, Kotak Mahindra
Bank and IndusInd Bank.
Mr. Rohit Sinha MBA- Marketing Dp. V.P- Risk, Audit
and Monitoring
He has over 12 years of
banking and Financial
Inclusion experience with
institutions such as HDFC
Bank etc.
Mr. Yogendra Bharti B.Tech & MBA DVP- Technology
He has over 10 years of
Technology and FI
experience with
institutions such as FINO,
UIDAI etc.
Ms. Anchit Pandey CS Company Secretary
She has over 5 years of
experience in a Secretarial,
Legal and Managerial work
profile, with proficiency in
handling Corporate Law
matters, statutory
compliances, drafting and
documentation.
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 8 | P a g e
Lending Model & Products Strength
The key lending model and the products offered by MFSL is described below:
• Lends to Joint Liability Groups (JLGs).
• Lends only to Women.
• Progressive Borrowers include economically active women primarily for income generation
purpose such as service enterprises, retail/trading, production & manufacturing unit, livestock,
agri & allied activities etc.
• The first category of loans, which constitutes bulk of the loans, is provided to women who are
involved in a host of agri-allied activities, handicraft, livestock rearing and petty trading related
activities. The loan amount ranges from INR 15,000 to INR 35,000. The Company also offers
Home Improvement Loan product to extend loans to the range of INR 50,000 to INR 75,000
for home improvement, extension and addition (except for new house construction) under
funding support from Habitat Microbuild India Housing Finance Co. Pvt. Ltd.
• Lending process of the company is segregated into various well–defined sub-steps beginning
with area identification where-in areas for expansion are identified. Both primary and
secondary data of the block/tehsil/district is collected on an Excel calibrated sheet. The sheet
gives score to the area on certain predetermined indicators. Areas achieving a score of 60 and
above are picked up for establishing branches. The company’s branch staff does group formation
by conducting promotional meeting and training of potential borrowers on company policy etc.
The borrowers clearing credit bureau check and satisfying other criteria for borrowing are
provided with loan ranging from 15K to 35K. The borrower details are captured on a web based
software of the company. Repayment from borrowers is collected during group meetings
conducted by company staff on a fixed day and time. The collections are recorded on a mobile
handset which enables the company in monitoring collections against schedule on a real time
basis.
• Salient details of the loan products provided by MFSL are given below:
Name of Loan Product
Income Generation Loan Home Improvement Loan
Loan Amount INR 15000-35000 (Multiples of Rs 5000)
INR 50000-75000
Purpose Livestock, vegetable vending, Family enterprises, artisans etc. for
borrowers with monthly Income – Between 7000-10000
Minor Repair and Renovation in the house
ROI 24.92%
23.00%
Duration 12/18/24 month 36 month (Moratorium period of 1
month)
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 9 | P a g e
Loan Processing Charges
1% of Loan amount with applicable taxes
2% of Loan amount with applicable taxes
Repayment Frequency
Monthly/Fortnightly/Weekly as mutually agreed with the
borrower.
Monthly EMI
Other Charges Insurance Premium as per actual Insurance Premium as per actual
Portfolio O/S as of 30-Sep-2017
Rs 186.11 Crs Rs 4.33 Crs
% of Total Portfolio 97.72% 2.28%
Operational Model
Process of loan origination, sanction and disbursement
• Area identification and selection: While identifying the areas for expansion, preference is
given to areas having no or negligible microfinance intervention. Area Identification is primarily
done by the senior management. The list of pre-identified areas has been developed as per the
geographical expansion plan of the organization with specific timelines (year-wise.). The
districts / areas, identified have been selected on the basis of having high population, high no.
of household, high population density and high population growth rate. This has been clubbed
with low microfinance activity and low natural, social and political risks.
● Identification of Borrowers: Once an area is approved for intervention, the Field Officer
(FO) along with Branch Head of the organization conducts promotional meetings for
identification of the potential borrowers. The Company runs awareness campaigns about JLG
lending before the launch of its operations in an area. To achieve this, key people in the area are
made aware about the program. In order to educate the people about the concept of micro
finance, meetings are called at a pre-decided venue and time. During the promotional meeting,
field officers are asked to gather potential people who may get converted into member in near
future. The branch team addresses the gathering by giving their introduction & company’s
introduction, and thereafter distributes pamphlets to potential customers. Apart from
promotional meeting, household listing format is also filled by FO for the particular Mohalla /
Village. This information is filled during the door to door visit of FO for the area where the no.
of households is more than 150 or above in the following format.
● Selection of Borrowers: As per company’s policy one family is provided with only one loan
to permanent resident of the locality. The company follows RBI guidelines for borrower
selection and therefore, annual household income should not exceed INR 100,000 for rural
families and INR 1,60,000 for urban families. In addition to the annual household income,
company also ensures that the loan size does not exceed INR 60,000 in 1st cycle and INR
100,000 in subsequent cycles.
● Group Formation and Approval: After the promotional meeting, interested borrowers are
given 3 day orientation on company policies and processes. On the first day, FO forwards the
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 10 | P a g e
KYC through mobile application for processing of Credit Bureau (CB) check at data center. The
report received from CB enables the organization to take the decision on lending to the client.
After analyzing the CB overlap report, additional data of client eligible for loan is incorporated
and clients are allocated in a group. Simultaneously, the group is formed and presented before
Branch Manager (BM) on 3rd day for Group Recognition Test (GRT). The role of BM in GRT is
to do residence verification, business verification and also assess the borrowing and repayment
capacities of the borrower.
● Back Office Appraisal & Sanctioning: Before approval, back office team (IVRS) thoroughly
validates the membership form along with the KYC enclosed and cross verifies the client
requirement/verification through tele-audit. The report received from CB enables the
organization to take the decision on lending to the client. After analyzing the CB overlap report,
complete loan application of client eligible for loan is incorporated in the software. Henceforth,
MIS supervisor sanctions the loan and expected disbursement sheet is generated on the
disbursement mobile application module.
● Disbursement: All approved loan applications are disbursed jointly by the BM and the cashier
from a central location which is branch office. MFSL follows cashless disbursement process for
all loans above Rs 20,000. There is a gap of two days between the date of sanction (sanction in
software after Credit Bureau clearance) and disbursement to ensure proper communication to
the clients of a group. The responsibility of BM is to ensure that loans disbursed are utilized for
income generation purpose and all other members stand guarantee to repay the loan in case of
delinquency by the client. The disbursement to the groups are done on the group meeting day,
where prior to disbursement joint liability agreement is signed in the group meeting itself and
clients are informed about the disbursement timings. The disbursements are made to the clients
in the order as appearing in the disbursement sheet and no cash is collected from the client at
the time of disbursement.
● Group Meeting & Collection: Responsibility for conducting the group meeting is given to
FO on fortnightly basis. As per the company’s loan policy, it is mandatory for all the members
of the group to participate in the group meeting for repaying their instalments. The FO will
enter the amount of cash collected from individual members on Collection Demand Sheet
generated through the mobile application, which indicates about the total outstanding
(principal and interest), total due (principal and interest) and total collection to be received
along with the signature of client. The group in return is provided proper numbered receipt
against the payment of the group instalments. Thereafter, the instalment received is also
updated on the Loan card provided to all the borrowers.
• Post Disbursement Monitoring viz. end use Verifications: Loans provided by the
organization are only to be utilized for income generation activities. The responsibility of FO is
to closely monitor the utilization of each loan disbursed. Within one month of disbursement, all
BMs are required to do Loan Utilization Check (LUC) by visiting the groups to check whether
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 11 | P a g e
the loan has been utilized as per loan purpose mentioned in application form. After one month,
the internal audit team during the field audit also re-verifies 100% of the loan utilization done
by FO’s done in the last month.
• Loan Monitoring Mechanism: MFSL checks the progress of borrower’s business and how
much the income level has increased after the loan disbursement. Monitoring the performance
of the borrower is based on the progress reports prepared through visits and supervision.
Delinquency Management
The organization has a standardized and well established delinquency management process described
below:
● During the group meeting, if any client of the group is not able to pay the current dues, the field
officer’s responsibility is to cross-verify with the client and discuss within the group meeting the
reason for not repaying the instalment. If the reason is genuine, the group members are asked
to jointly contribute towards the current instalment and thereafter Field Officer (FO) updates
the details in the loan card and CDS and issue a proper numbered receipt towards the group
installment.
● In case of wilful default, FO discusses within the group for repaying of default payment for a
particular client and simultaneously informs the branch manager regarding the default. The
Branch Manager (BM) thereafter visits the group and continues with the group meeting where
the BM motivates the defaulting client to repay and asks group to exert peer pressure.
● If joint liability is not exercised, then BM and FO leave the group meeting and return to the same
group after end of all group meeting for the day for concerned FO. The BM/FO tries to motivate
all the clients of the group and inform them there will be no extra interest charged in case of any
delinquent payment but the track record of the group will not be satisfactory.
● If the client/group members are not ready to repay, then BM updates the Area Manager (AM)
on the same day regarding delinquency in the group. During the visit of AM, group meeting is
organized and reason of delinquency is discussed in detail.
● If the group and Client are not ready to pay for delinquent client, then the Field Officer is being
instructed to keeps on following up every week till the recovery of default installment.
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 12 | P a g e
The whole lending process of the Company can be summarized into following organogram:
Internal Audit & Control System
● MFSL has a strong Internal Audit & Control System to monitor its operations.
● The company has well documented policies related to credit, operations, internal audit, and HR.
Monitoring is carried out regularly by middle and senior management.
● During the year 2016-17, 100% of its branches were issued Bluetooth Printers for shifting to
giving electronic receipts for collection at group meetings.
● Assistant Branch Manager Position was introduced during 2017-18 to strengthen the dual
custody policy in critical cash handling task.
● The Company has a strong Internal Audit department headed by a senior person, who works in
guidance of the Audit Committee of the Board comprising of 2 Independent Directors and 1
Executive Director.
● The Audit Committee of the Board meets minimum 4 times in a year to discuss important
observations on credit risk, operational risk, revenue leakage if any, of the branches and for the
audit plan.
● The annual audit plan is approved by the Audit Committee of the Board in its first Audit
Committee Meeting of the Financial Year.
Area Mapping &
Baseline
Area Approval by
Central Committee
Promotional
Meeting
Application
Approval as per DOP
Client Training and Group Formation
Submission of client
data to Credit Bureau
Member data entry and creation in
software – HO / Data Centre
Generation of
disbursement list
Disbursement to Group at Branch
Loan Utilisation Check by
CO/BM/AM/ Internal Audit
Group Meeting and
Repayment Collection
Group and Client
Grading Re-loaning
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 13 | P a g e
● The audit procedure covers following broad aspects:
● Field Audit: In field audit, auditors check the adherence of process & policies,
verification of loan utilization, group meetings, CGT & GRT and overall group discipline.
The audit team also verifies and checks the client attendance, agent involvement if any
and overall group discipline & whether the field staff is following the code of conduct as
per the Company’s norms or not.
● Branch Audit: In branch audit, the auditor verifies the various aspects including the
branch opening time, cash handling, attendance register and leave register, cash book,
key register, movement register, stock register, stationary register, stationary storage,
physical cash verification, denomination matching, petty cash book maintenance,
voucher verification and cheque register. The audit team also checks the disbursement
process.
● Document Audit: In this, the auditor checks the group files which include loan
document, joint liability agreement, CGT form, membership details data, loan
application, GRT, KYC document, demand promissory note and joint liability form.
● Tele Audit: Tele audit consists of 2 parts viz., disbursement check by calling the client
and to verify whether the clients has prepaid the loan or wants normal closure of loan.
● Surprise Audit: Surprise audit include verification of physical cash with cash book
and cash balance book, attendance of field staff, conduct of group meeting and collection
process.
The auditor discusses with the BM/AM and staff regarding the observations. The auditor also discusses
the minor observation with the branch staff during the course of audit and helps in rectifying the
observations. The auditor also checks whether the observation of last audit has been complied with.
MIS & Reporting
● MFSL uses web-based integrated software for information management developed by Force Ten
Technologies, a Kolkata based Software Company. The web based software is an advanced
version of the LAN based software used earlier.
● The software integrates operations management, accounting, HR management and financial
management. The migration to web-based software has enabled the organization in de-
centralizing its operations management & monitoring thus reducing load at HO level & enabling
localization of operations management.
● The de-centralization has further reduced the TAT in following up on discrepancies at the field
level and addressing the same in a reasonable time.
● MFSL has introduced mobiles for managing front end operations.
● As initial steps, the most time consuming aspects of recording client repayments &
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 14 | P a g e
disbursements have been migrated to mobile modules – wherein the facilities have been
provided to client interface management team (operations) to upload & download client data
for operations management.
● The successful integration of mobile modules in the software, have enabled availability of real-
time information related to collections, disbursements and outstanding / overdue with the
central monitoring office.
● This has also reduced the HR requirements and increased information management efficiencies
in the organization.
● The software produces summaries for all available accounts for any given period (by choosing a
beginning and end date for the account summary).
● Integrated reports show information sorted by independent variable (Field Officer, District,
Area etc.) related to groups and members.
● MIS reports regarding loans, security, portfolio, financial ratios and repayment schedules are
also available.
Membership with Credit Bureaus
MFSL is member of 4 RBI accredited credit bureaus- Highmark Credit Information Services, Equifax
Credit Information Services Pvt. Ltd., and Experian along with CIBIL. While client data is submitted to
each credit bureau, credit history checks are made for low end clients (JLG loans) with Highmark and
for individual loans credit history is checked with CIBIL. Currently 100% of client data is shared and
submitted to the CB’s on a weekly basis. The organization is also an active member of Sa-dhan –
Association of Microfinance Institutions, and is one of the founder members of the state chapter of
Sa-dhan. Mr. Rahul Mittra, Managing Director of the company, is Vice President of the state chapter of
Sa-dhan.
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 15 | P a g e
Share Holding Pattern
Shareholding Pattern as on 31st Dec 2017 is as given below:
Name of Shareholder No. of Shares % of Holding
Equity Share Capital (A)
Mr. Rahul J Mittra 1040093 6.62%
Dia-Vikas Capital Pvt Ltd 6269176 39.89%
Margdarshak Development Projects and
Consulting Pvt Ltd 25028110 15.93%
SIDBI 31000000 19.73%
Individual shareholders 18028780 11.47%
Margdarshak Employee Welfare Trust 10000000 6.36%
Total (A) 15714958 100%
Preference Shares (B)
SIDBI 1750000 100%
Total (B) 1750000 100%
Total (A+B) 17464958 100%
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 16 | P a g e
Transparency
1- Management Quality
Extensive microfinance
experience in area of operations
The promoters of the company are well experienced in the
microfinance and asset finance sector. The management team
comprises of professionals from varied fields such as Banking,
Law, Finance and Accounting etc. The Chairman of the Board
was the former Former Regional director of Reserve Bank of
India (RBI). He has almost four decades of experience in
Banking, finance, currency, public debt, administration,
personnel, human resources (specially training field), foreign
exchange (including control as well as management), rural
credit, training, legal work and education, financial literacy etc.
. Also the promoters have hired qualified and experienced
professionals to manage different departments of the company
Business Strategies
The company has well defined operational procedures &
policies. There are adequate policies in place to manage various
types of risks as well as to efficiently manage cash.
Financial and accounting &
Corporate Governance policies
and processes
MFSL has a separate Internal Audit team which verifies the
transactions, financial statements, compliance & operational
aspects periodically. Also, the board includes independent
directors to ensure quality of reporting and corporate
governance.
The management’s stability and
inclusion/exit of key management
personnel
Management team and senior personnel are qualified and
experienced in the microfinance sector. The management keeps
on strengthening its staff in order to accommodate the business
growth and manage its operations efficiently.
Vision and Social Impact expected
to be achieved through
operations.
MFSL, apart from the regular microfinance loans, provides
credit for Home Improvement. It has also tied up with three
insurance Companies viz. Kotak Mahindra Life. DLF Pramerica
& SBI Life Insurance to provide insurance services to its
customers. Further, the company also regularly organizes
activities such as medical check-ups, eye check-up, drug de-
addiction awareness, etc. and arranging presentations on
money management, financial literacy and credit discipline.
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 17 | P a g e
2- Social Impact
The segments of borrowers
financed and the reason for
financing
MFSL primarily finances women borrowers from low/mid
income households, who do not have access to banking
services. The loans given are mainly towards income generating
activities.
The presence of other financial
service companies in the region
MFSL is currently operating in 5 states through a network of
120 branches spread across 33 districts of Uttar Pradesh, 9
districts of Bihar, 4 districts of Haryana, 1 district of
Uttarakhand and 3 districts of Himachal Pradesh.
Tie ups with corporate houses for
Corporate Social Responsibility
Programs etc.
MFSL is constantly working towards economic strengthening
of the clients by understanding their need for financial services,
vocational trainings and business development support.
During the last few years, MFSL had conducted around 175
financial literacy training programs covering around 6,125
participants with the support of SIDBI. During FY17, Digital
Literacy Programme for micro business clusters of Uttar
Pradesh, was conducted during the month of April 2017 in 14
districts of UP covering around 1600 clients which, among
other things, introduced digital platforms of different version
such as Paytm, Oxigen and BHIM to clients and their family
members for transaction.
3- Business Model
Good loan tracking system and
process-control mechanism for
present scale of operations
The entire process is tracked and monitored through the
centralized system. The responsibility of FO is to closely
monitor the utilization of each loan disbursed. Within one
month of disbursement, all BMs are required to do loan
utilization check by visiting the groups to check whether the
loan has been utilized as per loan purpose mentioned in
application form. After one month, the internal audit team
during the field audit also re-verifies 100% of the loan
utilization done by FO’s done in the last month.
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 18 | P a g e
Adequate HR practices
Brickwork Ratings opines that MFSL has satisfactory HR
polices in place for its present scale of operations. The company
has a HR manager who oversees staff recruitment, incentive
planning and annual performance appraisal. Also, MFSL has a
systematic approach to building the pipeline, and it now uses
these trained pool of senior and middle managers to groom the
next level managers for more senior roles.
Adequate Recovery and
collections process
MFSL has well defined and stringent recovery and collection
process. As per the company’s loan policy, it is mandatory for
all the members of the group to participate in the group meeting
for repaying their instalments. The organization has a
standardized and well established delinquency management
process. The recovery is done in the Group meeting and in case
any borrower fails to repay her liability, other members
contribute and make the payment to FO (Field Officer).
Good management information
system (MIS) and process control
mechanism
MFSL uses web-based integrated software for information
management developed by Force Ten Technologies, a Kolkata
based Software Company. The software integrates operations
management, accounting, HR management and financial
management. It produces summaries for all available accounts
for any given period. Integrated reports show information sorted
by independent variables (Field Officer, District, Area etc.)
related to groups and members. MIS reports regarding loans,
security, portfolio, financial ratios and repayment schedules are
also available. MFSL has also introduced mobiles for managing
front end operations.
Cash management system
MFSL has developed Board approved Liquidity and Funding
Risk policy which, among other things, covers cash
management system. So, the Company has a formal cash
management policy. Book keeping and cash management is
handled by the Branch Manager along with the Assistant
Branch Manager. The Cash Management System follows a dual
reporting structure, with operational reporting to the Branch
manager and functional reporting to the data centers. The
Company also avails Cash-in-Transit insurance from Bajaj
Allianz General Insurance Company.
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 19 | P a g e
4- Operational Efficiency
Policy and operational manual in
place
All the operational procedures and policies ranging from client
identification, sanction, disbursement and collection are well
defined.
Management has adequate
experience to upscale and sustain
operations
The management team comprises of professionals from varied
fields such as Banking, Law, Finance and Accounting etc. The
Chairman of the Board was the former Regional director of
Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Also the promoters have hired
qualified and experienced professionals to manage different
departments of the company.
Growth in microfinance
operations and earning profile
MFSL has reported significant growth in its portfolio. The Loan
portfolio (Owned) stood at Rs 197.08 Crs as on
March 31 2017 as against Rs 119.12 Crs as on March 31 2016.
5- Enterprise Risk Management
Independent risk
management division and
independent internal audit
with Monitoring and
supervision
MFSL has a large team of Internal Auditors, responsible for
conducting the audit of all the branches of the Company on a regular
basis covering all the aspects in detail. Internal audit is performed
on a quarterly basis. The audit report is presented to the Head of
Operations. The report and its findings are discussed in the
Operations Meetings as well as in the Audit Meetings. Audit reports
are also shared with the respective Branches, so that they are aware
of their shortcomings and improve them accordingly. The RM
(Regional Manager) with the team takes responsibility to ensure
that relevant actions are taken on the Audit findings. The auditors
in their subsequent visits to the Branch ensure that the findings are
addressed.
Loan sanction and disbursal
policies
MFSL has defined detailed loan sanction and disbursement
procedure that involves various checks at different stages of the
process. End use verification & loan monitoring mechanisms are
also in place to ensure right utilization of the proceeds.
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 20 | P a g e
Management of credit,
market and operational risks
MFSL follows a centralized loan sanctioning process. The company
maintains a stringent KYC policy and is registered with four credit
bureaus to mitigate the credit risk. MFSL has invested in
technology and the company shifted to a cashless disbursement (for
loan amount greater than Rs 20,000) & repayment platform in
order to increase efficiency at operational level and induce greater
transparency. Adequate policies for management of credit and
operational risks are in place.
Fraud detection and
management
The MFI makes efforts to detect fake disbursements & curtail
frauds by creating multiple client verification checkpoints,
triangulation of the data, staff Training, staff awareness on Whistle
Blower Policy, client education & empowerment and cashless
disbursements.
Any misappropriation of collection amount or advances/
commission taken from clients is also monitored closely. The MFI
observes spending patterns of the staff and looks for instances
where lifestyle appears to be beyond his affordability. Client
education, staff training and awareness, staff verification and
guarantee mechanism, proper placement of staff to ensure he does
not work in his own village and rotation and transfer of field staff
after every year are some of the key initiatives of MFSL to monitor
the fraudulent practices.
Management of legal and
compliance risk
MFSL has a Legal department to oversee all the legal affairs of the
company and to ensure provision of appropriate legal advice &
supervision. Further, Vigilance officer ensures ethical conduct and
compliance with rules, regulations and standard processes of the
company.
Reputation and
strategic risks
The promoters are reputed and experienced in the Banking,
Microfinance and Financial Services segment.
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 21 | P a g e
6 - Financial Performance
Adequate Capitalization
As on 30th September 2017, MFSL reported a CRAR of 18.39%.
As per RBI guidelines for NBFCs, they have to maintain a
minimum CRAR of 15%.
Asset Quality
MFSL has always maintained its asset quality and has not
reported any NPAs during the past five years. MFSL writes off
loans where they are overdue for more than 180 days or where
the asset has been declared as loss or non-recoverable, on
receiving the Board approval. MFSL follows the RBI loan
provisioning policies for addressing the risk of delinquency and
default done by borrower.
Funding Profile
MFSL has availed funding from 32 lenders (including 14 PSU
Banks), however their resources profile continues to remain
concentrated towards borrowings from NBFCs which stood at
58% of total borrowings. The borrowings from Reliance Capital
Limited and MAS Financial Services Limited accounts for 23%
of the total borrowings (outstanding debt) as on March 31,
2017. MFSL has also issued NCDs & Subordinated Debt to
retail investors. It has also raised first tranche of Rs. 20.00 Crs
in Aug 2017 out of the rated NCDs of Rs 40 Crs from Japan
ASEAN Women Empowerment Fund @ 13.25%.
Cost of funds
The cost of funds (COF) for MFSL stood relatively lower at
16.08% in Sep-2017 against 16.28% in Mar-2017, despite an
increase in borrowings from NBFCs. While these relationships
with NBFCs have helped MFSL in meeting its funding
requirements to meet the projected growth, however the
company would have to increase its funding mix from banks to
bring down the cost of borrowing.
Earning Profile
The earnings capability of the company increased considerably
during FY17. The Interest Income, Net Interest Income and
PAT increased by 178%, 157% and 142% respectively in FY17.
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 22 | P a g e
Financial Statements
Profit & Loss Summary (Rs. Crores)
Particulars FY14A FY15A FY16A FY17A 6MFY18
(A)
P & L Summary (Rs. in Crores)
Interest Income
7.23
11.40
23.92
42.52
25.17
Interest Expense
2.84
5.25
13.91
26.84
15.35
Net Interest Income
4.39
6.15
10.00
15.68
9.83
Income from Other Financial Services
0.39
2.52
6.38
7.98
4.21
Other Financial Charges
0.37
0.74
1.37 1.34
0.94
Other Income
0.16
0.07
0.15
0.33
0.43
Total Income
4.57
8.00 15.17
22.65
13.53
Employee Benefit Expenses
1.83
2.95
6.16 9.51
6.09
Provision for contingencies
Other Expenses
1.79
2.83
4.38
6.25
3.77
Total Expenses
3.62
5.78
10.54 15.76
9.86
PBDTA
0.95
2.22
4.62
6.89
3.67
Depreciation
0.09
0.57
0.98 1.92
1.17
PBT
0.86
1.65
3.64
4.98
2.51
Taxes
0.28
0.61 1.21 1.53
0.83
PAT
0.58
1.05
2.43
3.44
1.68
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 23 | P a g e
Balance Sheet Details (Rs. Crores)
Line Item FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 6MFY18
(A)
Liabilities (Rs. in Crores)
Equity And Reserves 12.79 19.83 24.44 28.65 30.76
Share capital 10.83 16.06 17.61 17.54 17.54
Reserves and Surplus 1.97 3.77 6.83 11.11 13.22
Money Received Against Share Warrants
Non-current liabilities 16.40 27.02 62.24 109.72 96.55
Long-Term Borrowings 16.38 26.94 62.08 109.15 95.75
Deferred Tax Liabilities (Net) 0.01 0.08
Other Long Term Liabilities
Long-Term Provisions
0.16 0.57 0.80
Current liabilities 14.83 44.07 79.75 131.49 130.82
Short-Term Borrowings
2.95
Trade Payables
CPLTD 13.90 39.04 75.84 125.83 123.27
Other Current Liabilities 0.45 1.17 1.99 3.44 4.33
Short-Term Provisions 0.48 0.92 1.91 2.22 3.22
Total 44.02 90.93 166.43 269.87 258.13
Assets (Rs Cr)
Non-current assets 2.71 32.66 55.25 100.10 110.02
Tangible Assets 0.74 1.29 1.86 3.23 3.42
Intangible Assets
Non-Current Investments 1.91 10.93 12.00
-
Deferred Tax Assets (Net)
0.06 0.14 0.16
Long Term Loans and Advances
19.16 37.94 71.60 82.02
Other Non-Current Assets 0.06 1.28 3.41 25.13 24.41
Current assets 41.31 58.27 111.18 169.76 148.11
Current Investments 0.33 1.89 5.85 10.55 13.36
Receivables under Finance Activity
Cash and Cash Equivalents 2.90 13.52 17.70 23.60 17.16
Short-Term Loans and Advances 37.40 40.69 81.99 114.93 108.42
Other Current Assets 0.69 2.17 5.64 20.68 9.17
Total 44.02 90.93 166.43 269.87 258.13
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 24 | P a g e
Key Financial Ratios
Financial Ratios FY15 (A) FY16 (A) FY17 (A) 6MFY18
(A)
Cost Management Ratio
Interest Income/ Interest Expense 48.12% 62.82% 67.53% 65.27%
Operating Expense ratio as a % of gross
loan portfolio (Excluding Provision on
Std. Assets) (in %)
8.12% 7.95% 7.30%
7.75%
Capital Adequacy
CRAR (in %) 27.14% 15.55% 17.21% 18.39%
Asset Quality
Gross NPA (%) Nil Nil Nil 0.82%
Net NPA (%) Nil Nil Nil 0.81%
Viability Indicators
Average cost of borrowings (in %) 14.65% 16.58% 16.28% 16.08%
Net Interest margin (in %) 1.48% 1.78% 1.92% 1.75%
Operational Self Sufficiency (OSS) (in %) 113% 113% 111% 109%
Profitability Indicators
Yield on average portfolio (in %) 25.02% 25.96% 25.67% 25.58%
ROAA (%) 1.55% 1.76% 1.57% 1.27%
ROE (%) 7.72% 14.60% 19.45% 19.11%
Portfolio Quality Indicators
Write-Off Ratio 0.005% 0.04% 0.02% 0.02%
Note: The ratios are as per BWR’s calculation.
• NPA for an NBFC-MFI is recognized for Portfolio at Risk (PAR) greater than 180 days. MFSL
has not reported any NPAs during the past five years.
• CRAR of 17.21% for FY17 is well above the RBI requirement of 15% and hence, the Company
can leverage its balance sheet to meet its future loan portfolio growth
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 25 | P a g e
Operational Indicators
Particulars Performance for last three years 2017-18
FY2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 As of Sep-17
Client details
No. of active members at
the start of year
43527 84011 134566 212805
No. of active borrowers at
the start of year
41258 82670 133847 201185
No. of active members at
the end of year
84011 134566 212805 227597
Own 55409 83340 140524 156545
Managed 28602 50865 72281 71052
No. of active borrowers at
the end of year of which,
82670 133847 201185
215800
Own 54068 82982 128904 144748
Managed 28602 50865 72281 71052
No. of savers at the end of
year, if any
Nil Nil Nil Nil
Organizational details FY2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 As of Sep-17
No. of field offices /
branches
52 89 120 120
Total staff strength 252 487 799 776
Field staff 155 288 449 387
Managerial staff 97 199 350 389
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 26 | P a g e
Portfolio Details
Portfolio details FY2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 As of Sep-17
No. of loans disbursed during the year
45629 70790 101155 30688
Amount of loans disbursed during the year (Rs Crs)
67.30 124.09 198.36 68.28
Principal due during the year (Rs Crs)
44.93 64.14 122.99 86.78
Principal recovered during the year
44.85 64.01 121.20 85.06
Recovery rate (%) (11/10) 99.33% 99.65% 96.20% 96.41%
Principal overdue (i.e. due but not received) (Rs Crs)
0.07 0.13 1.78 1.72
Portfolio in arrears (total outstanding of loans that have one or more payments in arrears)
0.38 0.41 7.48 6.83
No. of loans outstanding at the end of year
54068 92982 129290 145466
Gross loan outstanding at the end of year (Rs Crs)
59.84 119.92 197.08 190.44
Out of the above, loan for Income generating activities (Rs Crs)
59.84 119.92 197.08 190.44
Break-up of Income generating loan
For Farm sector - - - -
For non-farm sector (Rs Crs)
59.84 119.92 197.08 190.44
For others - - - -
Amount of loans written off during the year, if any (Rs Crs)
0.02 0.03 0.04 0.24
PAR >30 days 0.13% 0.15% 1.30% 2.82%
Portfolio details (off-balance sheet)
No. of loans disbursed during the year
28602 17889 43383 14251
Amount of loans disbursed during the year (Rs Crs)
48.13 38.69 95.51 34.56
Portfolio (off balance sheet) (Rs Crs)
44.31 50.94 95.09 86.89
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 27 | P a g e
State wise data
State No. of Districts No. of Branches Gross Loan outstanding
(Rs Crs)
UP 33 83 188.60
Bihar 9 21 64.90
Haryana 4 11 20.14
Uttarakhand 1 2 2.27
Himachal Pradesh 3 3 1.42
Total 50 120 277.33
Charts and Graphs
Portfolio Details
The portfolio is majorly concentrated in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Uttarakhand and Himachal
Pradesh have a relatively lower share in the overall portfolio. MFSL needs to increase its presence in
these states as well as add new geographies to reduce the geographical concentration risk and
achieve growth.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
UP Bihar Haryana Uttarakhand HimachalPradesh
Total
188.6
64.920.14 2.27 1.42
277.33
LOA
N O
/S (
RS
CR
S)
STATES
State wise Loan O/S [Including Managed Loans](Rs Crs)
Brickwork MFI Grading | Margdarshak Financial Services Limited 28 | P a g e
The disbursements as well as outstanding portfolio declined during Q3 FY17 and Q4 FY17 majorly on
account of demonetization. Loan recovered was higher than the disbursements during the said period
leading to fall in the loan outstanding. However, the business activity has picked up during Q1 FY18
& Q2 FY18 as reflected from increased disbursements and outstanding amount of the portfolio.
Conclusion:
MFSL received the NBFC-MFI license in December 2013 and since then has shown significant growth
in its portfolio and borrower’s base. The promoters are well qualified and experienced in the sector
which has helped in achieving the present level of performance. The operational and technical
capabilities are in place to facilitate growth in the future. Further, the company has moved to a
cashless system (for loan amount greater than Rs 20,000) in order to ensure greater efficiency and
transparency. MFSL also has policies and systems in place to manage various risks such as credit,
operational, regulatory & compliance. The improved operational efficiency is also reflecting in
better financial performance of the company in terms of capital adequacy, asset quality, earnings
capability and profitability.
BWR believes that MFSL has the potential and required systems in place to achieve the projected
growth in its operational as well as financial performance.