May 2022, Bangalore: India’s leading Fintech startup, Khatabook, continues to strengthen its MSME Lending organization with the appointment of Sachin Bawari as Head of Risk. Earlier this year, Khatabook announced its plan to become a Digital bank for MSMEs before the end of 2022. MSME lending is an important pillar of this strategic move. The lending organization at Khatabook currently has 45 employees.

Sachin will be leading a team responsible for managing risk and underwriting, while ensuring growth of the lending business at Khatabook. As a function leader, Sachin will play a crucial role in defining the Risk Strategy & Framework, lendable set of customers, underwriting policies, operating processes & the optimal risk v/s return expectations.

Sachin is a seasoned professional in underwriting and risk and has a track record of managing portfolio risk across customer segments (MSME, large corporates & retail) and products (secured & unsecured) . Before joining Khatabook, Sachin was associated with a Fintech NBFC, NeoGrowth Credit Pvt. Ltd., where he was Exec. Vice President – Credit Policy, Portfolio Risk & Internal Controls. Sachin’s extensive experience in the BFSI segment also includes working with Edelweiss Retail Finance, HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank. An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calcutta, Sachin is a rank holder in his Executive Programme in Applied Finance.

Ravish Naresh, CEO, and Co-founder, Khatabook, commented, “Setting up a robust team and leadership is our top strategic priority as we progress towards establishing Khatabook Digital Bank for MSMEs. Risk is a dynamic aspect of our lending business, and hence, I am excited to have Sachin on board to lead it. With his experience, Sachin brings qualities like sharp risk assessment, deep understanding of the various segment behaviors, and proven track record with efficient operations, policies, and growth.”

Sachin Bawari, Head of Risk, Khatabook said, “I am delighted to be a part of Khatabook. I look forward to contribute towards setting up a lending business at the Khatabook Scale of userbase, spread across every district in India. I believe that we are set to enable transformation of small businesses in our country. With Khatabook’s digital capabilities, we will drive access to the finance for millions.”

The FinServ offerings on the Khatabook and Biz Analyst platforms are designed to improve the bottom line for the MSMEs, making them more profitable and efficient. With the Series C funding announcement in August 2021, Khatabook expressed the intention of enhancing FinServ on the platform by introducing Lending for MSMEs. The Startup has concluded a successful pilot and is in the process of introducing lending on the App. With 10Mn+ monthly active merchant users on its platforms, Khatabook plans to be a comprehensive platform for MSMEs which offers loans, handles billing & invoicing (including GST filing) , manages payments, provides business analytics besides its core capabilities like managing business ledgers and receivables management (bahi khaatas).