Kolkata: As part of its Shop Owners Benefit Program, PayNearby, India’s leading branchless banking and digital payments network, has tied up with Centrum Microcredit Limited, the micro finance arm of the Centrum Group, to facilitate unsecured business loans to its retail partners.
As part of the tie-up, loan requirements will be sourced through PayNearby’s vast network of retailers and will be disbursed by Centrum Microcredit Limited. The solution is aimed at fortifying and driving the business growth of PayNearby’s retail partners, especially in these challenging times where businesses are struggling to stay afloat due to the economic fallout of COVID 19.
The partnership will work towards enhancing the shared goals of the two organizations, which are committed to enabling financial inclusiveness and the economic wellbeing of the retailers. Retailers often need timely and small-ticket working capital loans for short tenures to keep their businesses up and running. More often than not, due to lack of collaterals or being new-to-credit, these retailers predominantly rely on alternative options such as local moneylenders or loan sharks instead of mainstream options such as Banks or Financial Institutions. But, loans from these informal sources come at exorbitantly high interest rates, pushing them further into an inevitable vicious cycle.
This partnership will allow PayNearby to facilitate competitive lending solutions to its retailers who otherwise may not be eligible for formal lending options. PayNearby is determined to ensure that the Digital Pradhans do not face a cash crunch of any kind and continue to offer their services, thus creating a thriving ecosystem for the local community.
