IDFC Bank to expand reach with acquisition of Grama Vidiyal Micro Finance

Upon completion of acquisition, Grama Vidiyal will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of IDFC Bank.

Grama Vidiyal will act as a dedicated Business Correspondent of IDFC Bank, and will help deepen reach and widen the delivery mechanism for banking services.

The move enables IDFC Bank to significantly enhance its network and reach and make basic banking services available to a large customer base.

The acquisition will give IDFC Bank immediate access to 1.2 million rural and semi-urban households and Grama Vidiyal’s network of 319 locations across 65 districts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Pondicherry, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh will act as BC centres to IDFC Bank. 

Current customer households of Grama Vidiyal, in turn, will benefit from IDFC Bank’s full range of liability products, customised credit offerings, innovative digital services and doorstep banking.

Grama Vidiyal’s has an AUM (Assets Under Management) of Rs. 1,502 crore of micro finance assets, as on March 31, 2016. All loan assets on the book will be transferred to IDFC Bank.

The 30-year-old, Trichy-headquartered Grama Vidiyal is known for its double-bottom-line approach, focusing on the sustainability of financial inclusion programmes and the development of women and their families. Its employee base of over 3000, with an understanding of the needs of local communities, will represent IDFC Bank, in their branch locations.

“The acquisition of a micro-finance institution by a bank is an industry first,” said  Rajiv Lall, Founder MD & CEO of IDFC Bank. “IDFC Bank intends to be a mass retail bank with a significant footprint and customer base, in five years. Its retail offering is all about delivering a unique banking experience using technology and new processes. For a young bank, however, it takes time to build its footprint. The acquisition of Grama Vidiyal not only fast-tracks the build out of a retail network, but with technology intervention, enables the bank to deliver new age banking solutions at scale, thereby financially enriching the lives of people in both, rural and urban geographies . ”

Lall added, “Grama Vidiyal is a perfect fit, as its business values and service philosophy aligned with that of IDFC Bank. The bank plans to build a public banking infrastructure that benefits the under-served segments. Grama Vidiyal is a perfect complement to this plan. IDFC Bank and Grama Vidiyal will work together to build sustainable communities, make small households self-reliant, financially empower women and encourage local entrepreneurship.”

Devaraj, Chairman & MD of Grama Vidiyal, said, “Grama Vidiyal and IDFC Bank came together to achieve a common objective – that of transforming lives and advancing livelihoods in the deepest rural reaches of the country and in underserved segments.  I am pleased that our customers will now also have access to a wider range of banking products through our network and outreach provided by our frontline field force.”

Members of Grama Vidiyal will use the Bank’s innovative and inter-operable Micro ATM, which functions like a “Bank-in-a-Box”, allowing customers as well as non-customers to transact from the comfort of their homes and neighbourhoods. In addition to Grama Vidiyal’s existing locations, IDFC Bank plans to set up new bank branches in areas where Grama Vidiyal’s presence is concentrated to complement and support the BC operations.