Indicus Analytics announces the launch of the Indicus Centre for Financial Inclusion (CFI). The CFI, based out of the Indicus office on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, will conduct research on the optimal design and regulation of new business models which promise to expand financial inclusion in India. It is commissioned for an initial period of six months.

The CFI will draw on contemporary studies and examine in-depth, the current state of market penetration of financial services, which stands at 45%. Its objectives are to assess the obstacles to universal inclusion in India, identify what services people value most, assess customers’ willingness to pay for various financial services, and ultimately propose a feasible way forward for universal inclusion.

In this effort, it will work with the media, industry associations, commercial actors, and various governmental agencies. The CFI is being launched with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.