Simplification, Embracing the unknown, or The microfinance paradox?

Saturday evening, 7:00 pm. While most people were dating Netflix, I was dating 200+ future leaders at XIM-B Rural Management 😄

I had the joy of taking the Xavier Institute of Management(XIM Bhubaneswar) Rural Management MBA- senior and junior batches on a fast track ride via Leadership talk sessions: from my first loan file to becoming a so-called “Risk Architect”.

We spoke less about designations and more about decisions under uncertainty, less about CV lines and more about building career !

I walked them through my 18+ year journey — from learning what CMA actually means on Day 1 at SBI, to building the entire Credit Risk architecture at Bandhan Bank from ground zero, to now teaching, consulting and mentoring full-time.

In between, there were a few balance sheets, a few thousand crores, a lot of mistakes, and a lifetime of learning !

The most fun part? Seeing 200+ bright minds lean in when we discussed why microfinance borrowers don’t come with balance sheets, income proofs or collateral — and yet often repay more honestly than many others !

In Microfinance, We decoded-

✔️ how peer pressure becomes collateral,
✔️ how hi-touch field relationships can beat hi-tech dashboards, and
✔️ how difficult it is to create a Micro Finance Score card from alternative data.
✔️ how tech enabled micro lending is slowly but steadily becoming the future.

We also spoke about careers: why saying “yes” to work outside your JD early on your career can be your biggest opportunity to garner knowledge in quick time.

I told them my experience of how moving from corporate banking at SBI to microfinance at Bandhan forced me to unlearn, relearn and completely rewire my risk mindset — and how such uncomfortable shifts can quietly build your leadership DNA.

Huge gratitude to XIM-B for opening their campus, minds and Saturday evening to me. A special thank you to Dr. Pradeep Mishra (Associate Professor- School of Rural Management, XIM University) for the opportunity, as well as the XIM-B student placement cell & their alumni, and of course, every student who chose a leadership talk over a weekend netflix series – that itself shows your risk appetite is strong and your future ROE looks promising. 😊

If you were in the room, tell me in the comments:
Which insight hit you the hardest –

simplification, embracing the unknown, or the microfinance paradox?

#BankingSimplifiedwithSumanta #XIMB #LeadershipTalk #Microfinance #Credit #CreditRisk