“The artisan sector has immense potential to grow and boost economies while offering environmental returns.
With the right capital, we have the potential to make this sector a multibillion-dollar industry and positively impact the millions of lives directly or indirectly linked to the artisan economy.”
— SUDHA SRINIVASAN, CEO, THE/NUDGE CENTRE FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION
We asked 516 HCMs in India about their needs and challenges when accessing finance and investment
Here’s what we found
Only 1 in 10 HCMs have easy access to finance
88
%
HCMs are forced to self-fund — limiting scope, growth, and innovation
90
%
Lack of financial literacy is a major challenge
HCMs struggle with investor engagement
Govt. needs to improve ease of doing business
73
%
HCMs struggle with complex policies, processes, and tax liabilities
“Investors looking to invest in the artisan sector need to be in it for the long haul, and need to understand impact better. They need to have a clear understanding of rural marketing to help communities break the poverty cycle and access opportunities for sustained, dignified livelihoods.”
“
— ARINDAM DASGUPTA, CO-FOUNDER & CEO, TAMUL
Building an inclusive investment
ecosystem
for handmade
There is an urgent need to rethink investment and infrastructure approaches to create an enabling environment to support the outsized ambitions of the CMH sector and its diverse stakeholders.
"We don’t see scale among India’s craft-led enterprises because of their difficulty in accessing financing from mainstream institutions. A lack of credit history, insufficient documentation, difficulty in securing collateral, and insufficient professional support hinder these enterprises' ability to create a path to scale, and effectively contribute to their being forced to stay small.”
“
— DIANA DENKE, PRINCIPAL, CLIMATE & NATURE LEAD, KOIS
