SKOCH Summit

The primary role of SKOCH Summit is to act as a bridge between felt needs and policy making. Most conferences act like echo-chambers with all plurality of view being locked out. At SKOCH, we have specialised into negotiating with different view-points and bringing them to a common minimum agenda based on felt needs at the ground. This socio-economic dimension is critical for any development dialogue and we happen to be the oldest and perhaps only platform fulfilling this role. It is important to base decisions on learning from existing and past policies, interventions and their outcomes as received by the citizens. Equally important is prioritising and deciding between essentials and nice to haves. This then creates space for improvement, review or even re-design. Primary research, evaluation by citizens as well as experts and garnering global expertise then become hallmark of every Summit that returns actionable recommendations and feed them into the ongoing process of policy making, planning and development priorities.

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A-222, Sushant Lok Phase I
Gurugram, Haryana
info@skoch.in

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BankiNG Bharat
  • 26th September 2026
  • 13:30 - 18:00
  • India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

India has made remarkable progress in expanding access to formal finance. Bank accounts, digital payments, direct benefit transfers, Jan Dhan, Aadhaar-enabled services, UPI, credit platforms and a wider banking network have changed the architecture of financial inclusion. The next challenge is to ensure that access translates into outcomes: assets created, livelihoods strengthened, enterprises financed, risks protected and jobs generated.

This is the context for Banking Bharat for Inclusive Growth. The conference examines how India’s financial system can move from financial inclusion to productive and resilient finance. Inclusion can no longer be measured only by accounts opened, transactions processed or loans disbursed. It must be assessed by whether finance improves household security, supports farmers, strengthens small enterprises, creates local employment and builds resilience against economic, health, climate and business shocks.

SKOCH defines inclusive growth as spatially dispersed, job-generative, equitable and sustainable. Banking is central to each of these dimensions. It enables spatially dispersed growth by financing households, farmers and enterprises beyond metropolitan centres. It supports job generation through MSMEs, self-employment, rural enterprise and local value chains. It contributes to sustainability when finance supports climate-resilient agriculture, green MSMEs, clean mobility, energy efficiency, insurance protection and responsible lending..

The conference will take a broad view of banking and finance. Credit remains central, but inclusive growth also requires savings, insurance, pensions, guarantees, digital infrastructure, risk management and financial literacy. The real question is whether the financial system can help people move from vulnerability to security, from subsistence to enterprise and from access to opportunity..

A focused panel on Retail, Agriculture and MSME Finance: Credit, Insurance and Livelihoods will examine the practical channels through which banking reaches Bharat. Retail finance can support household aspiration through housing, education, mobility, savings, pensions and insurance, provided it remains responsible and suitable. Agriculture finance must move beyond seasonal crop loans towards rural livelihood finance, including allied activities and farm mechanisation. MSME finance must support working capital, supply-chain finance, cash-flow-based underwriting, credit guarantees and enterprise formalisation..

Insurance is equally important in this architecture. Credit enables investment, but insurance protects that investment from shocks. Households need protection against health, accident, income and asset risks..

The conference will also consider how digital public infrastructure, data-led underwriting, account aggregators, fintech partnerships and branch-level trust can improve access without weakening prudence. The goal is not indiscriminate credit expansion, but finance that is productive, responsible and sustainable..

* This summary content is AI generated. It is suggested to read the full transcript for any furthur clarity.