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Financing a

handmade

revolution

Business of Handmade 2

There is a massive
financing gap
that stunts India’s handmade and craft-led MSMEs (HCMs)

Artisan Weaver

The right financing at the right time, right place, and right terms can help the Creative Manufacturing and Handmade (CMH) sector catalyse 200 million livelihoods, large-scale gender inclusion, and advance positive climate action.

Sudha Srinivasan

“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

mean

serious

business

HCMs

Sustainable growth, green industrialisation, meaningful livelihoods — HCMs mobilise all of these and act as a bridge between formal and informal economies.

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

Basket Weaving

92% HCMs see catalytic capital as a great fit for their financing needs

Catalytic capital has the potential to jumpstart a 
handmade revolution

It can open doors to reimagine a new way of financing that can enable the CMH sector to capitalise on its immense socio-economic potential.

Money flying
“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

— 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

— DIANA DENKE, PRINCIPAL, CLIMATE & NATURE LEAD, KOIS

Want more?

Download the full report for an in-depth look at our findings and recommendations for investors, enterprises, and policymakers.

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