Loans
The Mann Deshi's credit programs, which encourage women to build assets by providing micro-loans, finance a variety of asset-building enterprises including startup business and training. Unlike many other MFIs, Mann Deshi sees the importance in consumption loans to finance healthcare costs, marriages, childrens' education, and housing. Depending on each woman’s needs, Mann Deshi Bank offers different types of loans:
- Short term loan (1 year)
- Long term loan (2-5 years)
- Loans against deposit (1 year)
- Loans against gold (1 year)
- Gold Loans (1 year)
Today more than 140,360 women make deposits with the Bank and their accounts have become their assets. Crucially, if women take out a loan with the Bank, their husbands must make them co-owners of all of the family's property. Today 32,115 women have used self help groups (SHG) and bank loans to gain access to their family assets.
Individual loans
Individuals can receive loans of less than Rs. 15,000 ($375) with the signatures of two other women, who serve as guarantors. Those requesting more than Rs 15,000 must put up some form of collateral - a house, farmland, or livestock. Individuals may also take out loans using gold or their deposits as collateral (Loan Against Gold and Loan Against Deposit). The Bank gives 70% of the gold’s value and 80% of an individual’s deposit as loans
Group Loans
Women can form Self-Help Groups (SHG) and borrow from the bank at a cooperative lending rate. The SHG then re-lends the money to their members.
The Federation of Self-Help Groups (Mann Deshi Mahila Bachat Gat Federation) consists of more than two thousand self-help groups, which are made up of self-employed women such as vegetable vendors, milk sellers, and weavers.
The federation receives financial support from the Indian government and conducts group savings and credit transactions with the Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank.