Village Financial Services

Village Financial Services Ltd (VFS), headquartered in Kolkata, was incorporated on June 28, 1994,[1] as a private limited company over a decade before it got its present name.

Village Financial Services
Financial Services
IndustryFinancial services
Founded28 June 1994 (1994-06-28)
FoundersMr Kuldip Maity
HeadquartersVillage Financial Services, Eco space, Business Park, Tower-4 B, Room no. 403, 4th Floor, New Town, Rajarhat, Kolkata - 700160, West Bengal, India.
Number of locations
13 state, 78 districts, 20,900 Villages (2020)
Key people
  • Mr Ajit Kumar Maity
    (Chairman)
  • Mr Kuldip Maity
    (MD & CEO)
  • Dr Sankar Datta
    (Independent Director)
  • Ms Jayshree Vyas
    (Chartered Accountant)
  • Dr T.K. Mukhopadhyay
    (Independent Director)
  • Mr Pradipta Jena
    (Independent Director)
₹212.58 crore (US$30 million) (2020)
₹35.06 crore (US$4.9 million) (2020)
Total assets ₹1,007.57 crore (US$140 million) (2020)
Total equity161.05 Crore
Number of employees
1473 (2020)
Websitevillage.net.in

The name Village Financial Services Private Limited (VFSPL) was registered by the Registrar of Companies on January 23, 2006. Subsequently, the Reserve Bank of India granted it a certificate of registration dated December 1, 2006.[2] In 2013, VFSPL became the first microfinance institution (MFI) in eastern India to get the status of an NBFC-MFI or Non-Banking Financial Company-MFI from the RBI.[3]

On November 7, 2017, the company was converted into a public company, after which the RBI granted it a fresh certificate of registration on January 4, 2018.[4] VFS is also the first ISO-certified microfinance company in India. The microfinance operations under VFS have grown phenomenally. It has touched the lives of thousands of poor families by providing them credit for income-generating activities and helping them become economically self-sufficient, besides empowering women (who are the borrowers) and so letting them live with dignity.

History

In 1978, a group of young people got together to help flood victims of West Bengal. In 1982, that developed to Village Welfare Society (VWS) and was registered as a not-for-profit organization.[5] VWS began microfinance activities in 1996 which led to the setting up of Village Micro Credit Services in 2004, a Section 25 not-for-profit company to undertake microfinance activities. The firm was renamed to Village Financial Services Limited, regulated by the RBI. It was reclassified by the RBI as an ‘NBFC-MFI’ on 27 September 2013.[6]

The company was incorporated on June 28, 1994, in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, as a private limited company under the Companies Act, 1956, under a different name.

  • In 2006-07, it acquired a non-banking financial company (NBFC) and became Village Financial Services Pvt Ltd.
  • In 2013-14, the Reserve Bank of India reclassified VFSPL as an NBFC-MFI.[6]
  • In 2017-18, Village Financial Services Pvt Ltd became Village Financial Services Ltd and got its first private equity (PE) funding.
  • In 2018-19, VFS saw its assets under management cross Rs 1,000 crore.

The company has been included in academic studies of micro finance.[7][8][9][10]

Board of Directors
  • Mr Ajit Kumar Maity is the chairman of Village Financial Services Ltd. He has worked in microfinance since 1995 after having started an NGO in 1978. He is the pioneer of microfinance in eastern India. He is also the founder-member of Sa-Dhan[11].
  • Mr Kuldip Maity is the MD and CEO of Village Financial Services. He is associated with Sa-Dhan, AMFI West Bengal and Micro Finance Institutions Network (MFIN)[12]. He has been a dedicated social worker for over two decades. He has received numerous awards for his work.
  • Dr Sankar Datta, a doctorate in economics, is an independent director of VFS. He has been working for more than three decades with the poor to improve their livelihoods by getting linked with various value chains and accessing microfinance.
  • Ms Jayshree Vyas, a chartered accountant, is an independent director of VFS. She is the Managing Director of Shri Mahila Sewa Sahakari Bank Ltd and Promoter Director in Sewa Grih Rin Ltd, and a director in Equitas Holding Ltd, among others[13].
  • Dr T.K. Mukhopadhyay is an independent director of VFS. He was earlier country head of IDBI Bank and has been on the board of North Eastern Development Financial Corporation (NEDFi).
  • Mr Pradipta Jena, an independent director of VFS, is a former Regional Director of the Reserve Bank of India. He has handled general banking and foreign exchange, among others, and has a special interest in rural development and microcredit.

Investors
  • IDFC First Bank and Param Value Investments[14] are the equity investors in Village Financial Services as on March 31, 2019.
  • Param Value Investments invested in VFS in March 2018.[15] Param Value Investments is a partnership firm owned by a high net-worth individual, Mr Mukul Mahavir Agarwal, and Param Capital Research Pvt Ltd.[16] The firm invests both in public and private equity across sectors.[17]
  • Capital First Limited invested in VFS in July 2018. In December 2018, IDFC Bank Ltd merged with Capital First Ltd and renamed itself as IDFC First Bank Ltd.[18]
  • IDFC First Bank Ltd owns a 7.03 per cent stake in VFS[19], while Param Value Investments along with other investors holds 11.62 per cent in VFS[20].

Awards and recognition

Awards received by the organisation are listed on its webpage.

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References
  1. "VILLAGE FINANCIAL SERVICES PRIVATE LIMITED - Company, registration details, products, directors, charges and contact details | Connect2India". connect2india.com. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  2. "International Journal of Microfinance" (PDF). Pondiuni.edu.in. 15 January 2011.
  3. "About VILLAGE FINANCIAL SERVICES PRIVATE LIMITED". Connect2India. 28 June 1994.
  4. "VILLAGE FINANCIAL SERVICES LIMITED". Zaubacorp. 18 November 2019.
  5. Margaret McLaren, 'Exploring Empowerment: Microfinance and Women's Agency', 2018 Hawaii University International Conferences: Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education (3-6 January 2018).
  6. Shariq Khan, 'Village Financial Services: Market-based impact lending for the underserved, unbanked', The Economic Times (24 April 2019).
  7. Erica Field and Rohini Pande, "Repayment Frequency and Default in Microfinance:Evidence from India," Journal of the European Economic Association, 6.2-3 (2008), 501-9.
  8. Erica Field, Rohini Pande, John Papp and Y. Jeannette Park, "Repayment Flexbility Can Reduce Financial Stress: A Randomized Control Trial with Microfinance Clients in India", PLoS ONE, 7.9 (2012), e45679.
  9. Erica Field, Rohini Pande, John Papp, and Natalia Rigol, "Does the Classic Microfinance Model Discourage Entrepreneurship Among the Poor? Experimental Evidence from India", American Economic Review, 103.6 (2013), 2196–226.
  10. P.Baba Gnanakumar, 'Demystifying the Financial Inclusion Penetration by Customised Financial Instruments: A Demand Side Study Done on Rural Customers of India', Asian Economic and Financial Review, 8.7 (2018), 999-1012.
  11. "Sa-Dhan organises two-day conference on microfinance". Web India 123.
  12. "Demonetisation halts disbursements by MFIs". India Today. 18 November 2016.
  13. "Demonetisation halts disbursements by MFIs". The Indian Express. 19 November 2016.
  14. "VFS raises Rs 25 cr private equity from Param Capital". Business Standard. 29 March 2018.
  15. "VFS 'confident' of growing loan book to ₹1,600 cr by FY20". Business Line. 5 April 2019.
  16. "VFS raises Rs 25 cr private equity from Param Capital". Business Today. 29 March 2018.
  17. "Village Financial Services to expand reach". The Hindu Business Line. 7 April 2017.
  18. "VFS in talks with merchant bankers for IPO". Business Standard. 3 October 2018.
  19. "Village Financial seeks private growth capital after deferring IPO". VC Circle. 14 January 2020.
  20. "VFS 'confident' of growing loan book to ₹1,600 cr by FY20". Business Line. 5 April 2019.
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