Recent Developments

• In November 2021, the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) inked a pact with Google to pilot social impact lending with financial assistance up to Rs. 1 crore (US$ 133,939.60) at subsidised interest rates to micro enterprises. To reinvigorate the Indian MSME sector, Google India Pvt. Ltd. GIPL, will bring a corpus of US$ 15 million (~Rs. 110 crore) for micro enterprises as a crisis response related to COVID-19.
• In November 2021, digital freight forwarder Freightwalla, launched a shipment tracking service for MSME exporters and importers based on predictive analytics to help businesses tackle risks associated with shipment delays and improve supply chain efficiency.
• In November 2021, Cashinvoice, a supply chain financing (SCF) platform, announced that it will aid MSMEs with over Rs. 10,000 crore (US$ 1.33 billion) worth of financing in the year ahead, as it has raised Pre-Series A funding of US$ 1 million from Accion Venture Lab.
• In October 2021, Sundaram Finance and the MSME Development Institute (Chennai), provided marketing assistance to MSMEs. Entrepreneurial and managerial development of MSMEs will be done through an incubator scheme, that will give innovators opportunities to develop and nurture ideas for the production of new products.
• In September 2021, Aerospace Engineers Private Limited, a Tamil Nadu-based MSME, secured a contract from Boeing to produce and supply critical aviation components.
• In September 2021, Walmart and Flipkart announced the completion of the first phase of training of >2,500 MSMEs under Vriddhi, the supplier development programme.
• In September 2021, Flipkart introduced 'Flipkart Boost’ to help digital-first consumer brands and empower MSMEs.
• In September 2021, HDFC Bank collaborated with the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) to offer credit support to the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector.
• In August 2021, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) collaborated with Kotak Mahindra Bank to support MSMEs.
• In August 2021, Facebook India, in collaboration with Indifi, announced ‘Small Business Loans Initiative’, a new programme to support small and medium businesses (SMBs) get quick access to credit via independent lending partners.
• In August 2021, Indian Bank introduced 'MSME Prerana', an online business-mentoring programme for MSMEs in Odisha. In FY21, the state (Odisha) accounted for ~5% of the total MSME credit exposure of Indian Bank and recorded an increase of 39% YoY.
• In July 2021, Amazon India announced to expand its existing nine fulfilment centres and launch additional 11 new centres. This expansion plan is expected to create direct and indirect job opportunities in India and further strengthen Amazon’s foothold in the country.
• In July 2021, Razorpay acquired TERA Finlabs, a provider of embedded financing solutions, to strengthen capabilities in data-driven risk management, capital solutions and credit underwriting to financially support MSMEs.
• In July 2021, Amazon India introduced Digital Kendra in Surat—its first brick and mortar resource centre to assist ‘kiranas’ and small businesses to go digital.
• In July 2021, the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Aramex India, logistics services provider, to support MSME exporters in India.
• In June 2021, Tide, a UK-based business financial platform, announced to invest >Rs. 1,000 crore (US$ 134.21 million) in India over the next five years to tap the rising SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) market.