Somesh Dayal

Sa-Dhan is an association of Impact Finance Institutions

Sa-Dhan's mission is to build the field of community development finance in India to help its member and associate institutions to better serve low-income households, particularly women, in both rural and urban India, in their quest for establishing stable livelihoods and improving quality of life. Founded as the Association of Community Development Finance Institutions by SEWA Bank, BASIX, Dhan Foundation, FWWB, MYRADA, RGVN, SHARE and PRADAN in 1999. Sa-Dhan's membership has now grown to 251 with the collective loan outstanding and outreach in excess of Rs. 18,343 Crores and 26.7 million poor, respectively. The Microfinance sector in India is still evolving and witnessing increasing entry of new players. Hence,Sa-Dhan as the designate national association of Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) represents an "emerging but rapidly growing sector". Given the nascent nature of the sector, Sa-Dhan has a crucial role to play in increasing capacities, affecting the evolution and adoption of best practices, increasing the number of service providers and contributing to improving the policy and operational context for Microfinance in India.