List of Abbreviations

Glossary

ABCO

ABCO is an acronym for Active Borrower per Credit Officer. It is a key operational metric in microfinance that measures the client-to- credit officer ratio, indicating the average number of active borrowers managed by each credit officer. It is also commonly referred to as the Case Load. This will also indicate the efficiency of operation, which can impact the operational expenses

Active Borrowers

The individuals whose loan accounts are current have an outstanding loan balance with the MFI, and are under repayment obligation. Individuals who have multiple loans with an MFI should be counted as a single borrower.

Assets Under Management (AUM)

Assets Under Management (AUM) refers to the total value of client loan portfolios that an institution actively manages, including both on- book and off-balance sheet (off-BS) portfolios. This includes all outstanding principal from current, delinquent, and renegotiated loans, but excludes loans that have been written off, on the own book, as well as those securitized or direct assignment assets resting on the securitization partners. AUM reflects the overall scale of financial assets the institution is responsible for, regardless of ownership.

Average Loan Size

Average Loan size represents the client-per- capita loan amount. It is calculated as the Loan portfolio divided by the number of clients of an MFI. It is a key indicator used to assess the scale and depth of credit outreach.

Average Ticket Size (ATS)

Average Ticket Size (ATS) refers to the average loan amount disbursed per loan during a specific period of time. This metric is typically calculated for a defined time period such as monthly, quarterly, or annually, depending on the reporting or analysis needs. It is calculated as the Total Loan Amount Disbursed divided by the Total Number of Loans Disbursed.

Borrowing Cost

The cost of borrowing refers to the total charge incurred for taking a debt obligation, which includes interest payments as well as any additional financial fees (such as processing fees, service charges, insurance premiums, or administrative costs). A percentage of such cost over the total amount borrowed indicates the rate of such cost.

Capital Adequacy Ratio

Capital Adequacy is a key financial indicator used to measure the solvency and risk-bearing capacity of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs). It reflects the institution’s ability to absorb potential losses and protect depositors and creditors. It is the proportion of the equity capital and free reserves or own funds held by an MFI against its total risk-weighted assets. A higher Capital Adequacy Ratio indicates stronger financial health and a greater ability to withstand credit or operational shocks. A minimum requirement of an NBFC-MFI is 15%.

Capital to Total Assets

The Capital to Total Assets ratio is a measure of an institution’s financial strength and stability. It indicates the proportion of an institution’s own capital (or net worth) relative to its total assets.

Co-lending

Co-lending is a financial arrangement in which two or more regulated entities join hands to extend a loan, by taking a fixed share by each entity. It will reflect on the books of all the partnering institutions. Typically, a bank and a non-bank financial institution (NBFC or NBFC-MFI) or HFC can join together to extend credit to a borrower and a prefixed ratio at a weighted average interest rate. The partnership combines the strengths of both entities.

Debt-Equity Ratio

The Debt-Equity Ratio is a key financial metric that indicates the proportion of total debt to total equity held by an institution at a given point in time. It reflects the degree to which an organization is financing its operations through borrowed funds versus own funds or free capital. It also indicates the leverage of capital of an entity

Debt Funding

Debt Funding refers to the portion of a financial institution’s loan portfolio that is financed through external borrowings, rather than from internal accruals or equity capital. It reflects the extent to which an institution relies on borrowed funds, such as loans from banks, financial institutions, or capital markets, to support its lending activities.

External Cost

External Cost refers to the finance cost incurred by Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) on the borrowed funds from external sources, primarily banks and financial institutions. This cost is largely determined by the prevailing lending rates of banks, and as such, it is beyond the direct control of MFIs.

Finance Cost

Finance Cost refers to the actual interest and other financial expenses incurred by a Microfinance Institution (MFI) on the average borrowed funds that remain outstanding during a given period. This metric is crucial for evaluating the cost-efficiency and funding strategy of MFIs, and plays a key role in determining their lending rates and financial sustainability.

Financial Inclusion

Financial Inclusion refers to the delivery of affordable, accessible, and appropriate financial services to disadvantaged and low-income segments of society who are traditionally excluded from the formal financial system. These services include savings, credit, insurance, remittances, pensions, banking services, etc.

Joint Liability Groups

Groups of 4 to 8 borrowers come together to borrow from a financial institution under a joint liability concept, as per which there is an inter se agreement between the members whereby each borrower is liable to repay the loan of each member of the group.

Margin

Margin refers to the difference between the total yield on the loan portfolio and the finance cost incurred to fund that portfolio. It represents the net earnings a Microfinance Institution (MFI) makes from its lending activities before operating expenses and provisions.

Managed Loan Portfolio

Managed Loan Portfolio refers to the loan assets originally originated by Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) but subsequently sold or assigned to a third party, such as a bank, to improve liquidity. Despite the sale, MFIs continue to manage these loans, including activities like collection of repayments and servicing the accounts on behalf of the purchasing institution. This arrangement helps MFIs free up capital while maintaining their relationship with borrowers and ensuring ongoing portfolio management.

Non-Performing Assets (NPA)

A Non-Performing Asset (NPA) is a debt obligation where the borrower has failed to honour repayment commitments, either interest, principal, or both, to the designated lender for a specified period, typically 90 days or more. As a result, the NPA ceases to generate income for the lender in the form of interest or principal repayments. NPAs represent credit risk and affect the financial health and asset quality of lending institutions.

On-book Portfolio (Net Loan Portfolio)

On-book Portfolio (Net Loan Portfolio) refers to the total outstanding principal of all active client loans recorded on the institution’s balance sheet. This includes current, delinquent, and renegotiated loans, but excludes loans that have been written off. Interest receivable is not included, except for Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) that report under Ind-AS, where such interest is recognized as part of the outstanding amount.

Operating Self Sufficiency (OSS)

Operating Self Sufficiency (OSS) measures the extent to which a Microfinance Institution’s (MFI’s) income from operations and investments is sufficient to cover its operating expenses, like operating costs, loan loss provisions, and finance costs (cost of borrowed funds) incurred for conducting the operations. An OSS ratio of 100% or above indicates that the MFI is generating enough income to sustain its operations without requiring subsidies or external support, reflecting financial viability and sustainability.

Outstanding Borrowings

Outstanding Borrowings refer to the total amount of funds that an entity has borrowed and has not yet repaid as of a specific reporting date. This includes all short-term and long- term debt obligations, such as loans, credit lines, bonds, and other forms of financing, net of any repayments made.

Portfolio Quality

Portfolio Quality refers to the level of credit risk present in a loan portfolio, indicating the likelihood of default by borrowers. A high- quality portfolio contains a lower amount of risk, characterized by timely repayments and minimal defaults. Maintaining good portfolio quality is crucial for the financial health and sustainability of lending institutions.

Portfolio at Risk (PAR)

Portfolio at Risk (PAR) indicates the proportion of outstanding amounts of all loan accounts having past due/arrears to the total outstanding loan. In general, PAR 30 refers to the percentage of the loan portfolio that remains unpaid 30 days or more beyond the due date, which would be used as a measure to assess the portfolio quality. Loans with dues overdue by 90 days or more (PAR 90) are generally classified as Non-Performing Assets (NPAs).

Qualifying Assets

Qualifying Assets are loan portfolios created by MFIs adhering to certain conditions as prescribed by RBI, to make the MFIs eligible to be called as MFIs and to raise loans from banks under the Priority Sector Advances Scheme (as per recent RBI norms). For an MFI, 60% of the total ass ets need to be under this category

Return on Assets (RoA)

Return on Assets (RoA) is the universally accepted profitability measure, which, in essence, is the percentage net income earned out of total average assets deployed by MFIs during a given period, typically one financial year. It is a widely used profitability metric that measures how efficiently an institution utilizes its total assets to generate net income.

Return on Equity (RoE)

Return on Equity (RoE) is a key profitability indicator that measures the net income earned by a Microfinance Institution (MFI) relative to its average equity during a given period, typically one financial year. RoE reflects how efficiently an MFI is using its own capital (equity) to generate profits.

Self Help Groups (SHGs)

SHGs refer to groups of 10-20 persons coming together to form an informal community-based institution to meet their common financial and social needs. Most of the SHGs are formed by women from a homogeneous background. SHGs collect regular savings from members and use them for internal lending, before accessing higher amounts from banks.

SHG Bank Linkage Programme (SBLP)

SHGs are linked to mainstream banks for keeping their surplus savings and also to obtain loans. The loan is often given as a multiplier of the total internal savings accrued in a group. It is considered to be an effective strategy to ensure financial inclusion for the unbanked poor people.

Surplus

Surplus refers to the excess of income over expenses. It is calculated as the difference between the yield (i.e., income earned from the loan portfolio) and the total cost (including finance cost, operating expenses, and provisions). It can also be referred to as net margin.

Yield on Portfolio

Yield represents total income from microcredit operation - interest income, processing fee/ service charge – earned out of the average loan portfolio outstanding for a specific period. It does not include investment income. It is a good proxy/surrogate for loan interest rates. It serves as a useful proxy for the effective loan interest rate charged to clients and is often used to assess the pricing structure and earning capacity of the loan portfolio.