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Janalakshmi Financial Services Receives ‘Operating Licence’ for Small Finance Bank
BANGALORE, April 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ —
Janalakshmi Financial Services (JFS), India’s largest microfinance organization, today announced the receipt of final licence from Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to set up Small Finance Bank. The Small Finance Bank will commence operations in the second quarter of the current financial year. JFS plans to set up 300 bank branches during the year covering the major locations in India.
The licence to operate ‘Small Finance Bank’ will enable all existing 5 million+ customers of Janalakshmi Financial Services to access financial services beyond the scope of microfinance. This is aimed at addressing financial inclusion and to empower the unbanked segments of the society with several financial tools such as savings account, cashless transactions and so on. The bank is also building innovative financial products which every aspiring Indian wants to avail.
What does this transition mean to JFS’ existing customers?
Commenting on this, V S Radhakrishnan, MD & CEO of Janalakshmi Financial Services Ltd, said, “We are excited about this and this will take us closer to our vision of financial inclusion in its true sense. We are fundamentally a unique organization with key differentiators such as primary focus on inclusion, significantly advanced technology platform and top-class management team.” He added, “We are well capitalized with investments from world’s leading institutions which ensures seamless delivery towards our vision.”
Janalakshmi Financial Services has touched the lives of 8 Million+ people over the past 9 years and plans to continue its endeavor towards financial inclusion for the coming years in the form of a Small Finance Bank.
About Janalakshmi Financial Services Limited (JFS)
JFS is the largest Micro Finance Institution (MFI) in India. JFS gave out its first loan in October 2000, and currently serves over 5 million families across 259 cities in India. It has over 16,000 employees, referred to as Jana Nayaks. JFS has deep domain expertise in banking and financial services with over 500 years of consolidated banking sector expertise just among the senior management. It is an organization that is recognized globally as one of the world’s innovative financial institutions working on the problem of financial inclusion.
JFS is promoted by Jana foundation, which is an urban inclusion think tank based in Bangalore with a vision to transform urban India where financial inclusion and enhanced quality of life are assured to all those who aspire to help themselves.
The Foundation undertakes various activities that deepen understanding of financial inclusion and its many challenges. It addresses policy issues through its financial advisory services; education, skilling, livelihood initiatives, community connect activities inorder to help customers to improve the quality of their lives and help them meet customer needs comprehensively.
In March 2016, JFS was recognised and awarded as the ‘Best Financial Services firm in India’ by VC Circle. In 2017, JFS was also featured in ‘Fortune – The Top 500’ largest corporations in India.
