Latest news with #NagarajGarla
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
ET Make in India SME Regional Summits: How IDBI Bank is supporting Surat's MSMEs
Live Events Personal cash flow management: Promoters must handle cash flow personally rather than delegating this critical function Avoid fund diversion: Never use short-term working capital for long-term investments Personal wealth planning: Regularly set aside 0.5-1% of profits to build personal reserves as a safety net. The ET Make in India SME Regional Summits reached their fifth destination of 2025 on July 18, arriving in Surat to spotlight one of India's most critical industrial hubs. As the nation's leading platform for hyperlocal micro, small, and medium enterprise ( MSME ) engagement, these summits create vital connections between enterprises, industry enablers, and policy architects. The carefully-curated gatherings deliver precision networking that acknowledges the distinct advantages and challenges facing each regional the theme 'Make in Surat, scale for the world', the edition zeroed in on a city uniquely positioned at the intersection of traditional industrial strength and modern economic transformation. With 90% of the world's diamonds processed here through approximately 4,000 diamond factories and 30 million metres of fabric produced daily, Surat demonstrates unparalleled industrial concentration. The city's remarkable efficiency is rooted in the fact that it accounts for 25% of Gujarat's GDP despite accounting for less than 11% of the state's geographical area. And at the heart of Surat's growth are the thousands of MSMEs that form the backbone of its the unique needs of Surat's diverse MSME landscape, the summit's banking and lending partner IDBI Bank has developed a comprehensive suite of specialised services designed to address everything from cash flow management to foreign exchange risks. Speaking at the ET SME Summit - Surat, IDBI Bank Executive Director Nagaraj Garla outlined how the institution is supporting local entrepreneurs with tailored MSMEs, effective cash flow management determines the difference between success and failure. IDBI Bank has introduced a technology-enabled product that leverages Account Aggregator (AA) and digital end-to-end money lending infrastructure, enabling loan decisions within 10-15 minutes. Such rapid-fire lending addresses one of the most pressing concerns for small businesses operating in seasonal industries:"Cash flow management is absolutely critical," explained Mr. Garla. "If you were to identify one factor that distinguishes successful MSMEs from the rest, it's the effective management of cash flow."The bank also offers products to help MSMEs manage both receivables and payments, including participation in the TReDS and GeM Sahay platforms. Both allow businesses to quickly access funds against invoices, providing immediate liquidity when needed diamond industry faces unique challenges, particularly in managing foreign exchange risks and global payment uncertainties. IDBI Bank has positioned specialised treasury teams in Surat, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai to provide expert guidance on forex products, including forward contracts, options, and currency export-focused solutions include packing credit for pre-shipment funding, post-shipment credit in both INR and foreign currency, and ECGC-backed products. With new Free Trade Agreements being signed, particularly in textiles, the bank emphasises the importance of professional forex risk management for aspiring global banking usually requires substantial collateral, creating barriers for first-generation entrepreneurs and asset-light businesses. At the ET Make in India SME Regional Summit - Surat, Mr. Garla explained that IDBI has adapted to changing times, leveraging government schemes like CGTMSE coverage (extending up to ₹10 crore for most businesses and ₹20 crore for exporters and startups) and the new Individual Guarantee Scheme for capital expenditure up to ₹100 crore."While collateral remains important, its role has significantly reduced," he noted, acknowledging that viable businesses can now access funding without traditional security in the evening, IDBI Bank General Managers CS Arya and Sherine Mendez demonstrated how the institution has transformed its traditional industrial development expertise into a comprehensive MSME-focused banking ecosystem. This philosophy extends to traders, vendors, dealers, and entrepreneurs, ensuring that regardless of scale or profession, every enterprise finds appropriate financial presentation at the ET SME Summit Surat focused on the following:1) Innovation-driven working capital solutionsIDBI Bank has two products that eliminate traditional banking friction. MSME Express offers instant loan sanctions up to ₹25 lakh without requiring branch visits or prior banking relationships, while the PSU Supplier Loan provides collateral-free financing ranging from ₹40,000-₹10 lakh, with instant disbursal upon purchase order verification. These products reflect the bank's commitment to leveraging technology for seamless financial access, supported by robust trade finance capabilities that process approximately 200,000 invoices monthly across various platforms, maintaining a 5% market share in supply chain finance.2) Sector-specific expertise and global reachIDBI's sectoral specialisation spans services, manufacturing, construction equipment, healthcare, and food processing, offering both traditional products like working capital and letters of credit alongside innovative solutions such as trade credit and port international capabilities are equally impressive, providing export finance solutions in over 100 currencies, forex risk management, and collateral-free loans up to ₹10 crore under CGTMSE. This is reinforced by dedicated infrastructure, including specialist MSME branches, trained relationship managers, and centralised processing from over three decades of experience, Mr. Garla wrapped up his fireside chat by sharing three critical success principles for MSME entrepreneurs:As Surat continues to evolve as an MSME powerhouse, IDBI Bank demonstrated how financial institutions can adapt their services to meet the unique needs of regional industrial clusters. The ET Make in India SME Regional Summit - Surat was the perfect platform to showcase a broader strategy of understanding local business ecosystems and developing solutions that address specific industry challenges, from the diamond merchant managing currency fluctuations to the textile exporter seeking working capital during peak seasons. The ET Make in India SME Regional Summits , ET MSME Day, and ET MSME Awards are flagship initiatives to celebrate the versatility and success of India's MSME sector. If you lead or are part of a micro, small, or medium enterprise, register for the ET MSME Awards 2025 before August 31, 2025.
Economic Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Entrepreneurial spirit lights up Surat at ET Make in India SME Summit
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Popular in Rise 1. From rocket engines to toys: How 3D printing is powering India's next industrial leap Nagaraj Garla, Executive Director, IDBI Bank spoke about several issues pertaining to the financial constraints of the sector. Raj Tiwari, Senior Sales Manager, Canon India, delivered a presentation titled 'Making Business Simple with Canon.' Local industry leaders and association heads got together to participate in an engaging session of the day—a panel discussion on how MSMEs in Surat can lead India's next wave of industrial innovation. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Nikhil Garg, Founder President of the Agarwal Business Network stated that Surat is known for adapting fast to changes. C S Arya, General Manager, IDBI Bank, gives a presentation highlighting the organisation's initiatives, outreach and tools empowering MSMEs. ( Originally published on Jul 22, 2025 ) Resilience, entrepreneurial drive, and innovation stood out in good measure at the second ET Make in India SME Regional Summit of this year in Surat . The city's potential as a hub offering the next wave of opportunities in diamonds, textiles , and chemicals was highlighted in the discussions with a cross-section of industry stakeholders in the ET Make in India SME Regional Summit is a series of 20 nationwide on-ground events to bring together micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises ( MSMEs ), policymakers, enablers and key industry professionals. The summit series aims to unravel emerging opportunities, address critical challenges, and promote meaningful knowledge-sharing and networking to unlock growth for the MSME event, held on July 18, began with an insightful keynote address by J.B. Dave, General Manager, District Industries Centre, who spoke on how MSMEs can be empowered. "We need to do more for MSMEs in Surat despite being the second-largestn terms of MSME registrations in the country," he said while discussing the strategy for a vibrant and resilient Surat. "For becoming an export-centric market, we need to focus on quality," he was followed by an interesting fireside chat with Nagaraj Garla , Executive Director, IDBI Bank , on the topic 'Catalysing Make in India Growth: IDBI Bank's Strategic Imperatives for Empowering MSMEs.'Garla spoke about several issues pertaining to the financial constraints of the sector. "Effective cash flow management remains the single most important factor distinguishing a successful MSME from a failed one," he emphasised the various initiatives implemented by the bank to facilitate cash flow for MSMEs, underscoring the significant role technology has played in achieving this goal. "In March, we introduced an AI-ML-based credit system that decides if the money has to be disbursed or not in 15-20 minutes."Following that, Raj Tiwari, Senior Sales Manager, Canon India , delivered a presentation titled 'Making Business Simple with Canon.' Tiwari offered numerous insights on new technologies that showcase added layers of security in printing. This, he stated, could be of immense help to the entrepreneurs looking to create a differentiation for their local industry leaders and association heads got together to participate in an engaging session of the day—a panel discussion on how Surat's MSMEs can lead India's next wave of industrial on the tariff developments, Ashish Gujarati, Managing Director, Aditya Textile Solutions, said that they are expecting 5-10% tariffs on the textile sector. "Most of the challenges come from QCOs and raw material availability," he the advantages offered by Surat as a textile hub, Gujarati said that Surat's main advantage is that the entire textile ecosystem is within a radius of 45 on to Surat's legacy as a diamond hub, Jayanti Savaliya, Regional Chairman of GJEPC India, said that Surat has unique strengths with which it can mould itself as per the market situation. "Surat has this distinct advantage: if there are threats to its diamond polishing and cutting business, then it can capitalise on its lab-grown diamond segment," he said while talking about the emerging opportunity in this new a question regarding the prominence of gemstone manufacturing in China, Savaliya noted that the gemstone industry holds a lot of potential in India, especially in Surat. "We still have miles to go," he said, candid in his panel discussion then moved on to the importance of schemes for the MSME sector. Bikash Chandra Naik, Zonal Head, National Small Industries Corporation Ltd (NSIC), said that they offer a number of schemes to handhold small businesses. "Micro and small businesses need a lot of handholding; they don't go to banks directly. Therefore, we have many collaborations with banks, and we help these businesses to get loans," he also spoke about how people in rural areas lack the required skills, and NSIC helps in getting more skilled professionals into the industry. "NSIC has projects at various levels and also programmes that help them train in different skills," he his views, Prashant Patel, former President of FISME and Director of RK Synthesis Ltd, highlighted some big challenges faced by MSMEs in Surat. These challenges include land availability due to high land costs, a shortage of skilled manpower, the high cost of R&D equipment, and inadequate common infrastructure. Patel also spoke of the importance of R&D investment for enterprises to carve a niche for themselves in the long panel was followed by a fireside chat with Nikhil Garg, Founder President of the Agarwal Business Network. Garg stated that Surat is known for adapting fast to changes. "The growth of the knitting industry here is remarkable. In India, if there is any other city that can challenge China, it's Surat," he said, adding that the power of communities can help to bring the MSME ecosystem together and go forward in their journey as small final session of the evening was a presentation by C.S. Arya, General Manager, IDBI Bank, and Sherine Mendez, General Manager, IDBI Bank, highlighting the organisation's initiatives, outreach, and tools that empower concluded the second summit in the ET SME summit series of this year in Surat, showcasing how MSMEs can leverage their strengths and counter the challenges in their path in an effective manner. The summit served as a key platform for bringing industry experts together and offering networking opportunities to a host of small businesses in the event sponsors were IDBI Bank as Banking & Lending Partner and Canon as Tech Enabler. The series now heads to Nagpur on 24 July 2025 for another round of conversations, discussions and learning in the ET SME Make In India pan India series.
Time of India
22-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Entrepreneurial spirit lights up Surat at ET Make in India SME Summit
Resilience, entrepreneurial drive, and innovation stood out in good measure at the second ET Make in India SME Regional Summit of this year in Surat . The city's potential as a hub offering the next wave of opportunities in diamonds, textiles , and chemicals was highlighted in the discussions with a cross-section of industry stakeholders in the city. The ET Make in India SME Regional Summit is a series of 20 nationwide on-ground events to bring together micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises ( MSMEs ), policymakers, enablers and key industry professionals. The summit series aims to unravel emerging opportunities, address critical challenges, and promote meaningful knowledge-sharing and networking to unlock growth for the MSME sector. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Data Science Project Management MBA Others Data Science CXO others Design Thinking Leadership Healthcare Operations Management Artificial Intelligence Management Finance Technology Data Analytics Digital Marketing Degree Public Policy Product Management Skills you'll gain: Data Analysis & Interpretation Programming Proficiency Problem-Solving Skills Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence Duration: 24 Months Vellore Institute of Technology VIT MSc in Data Science Starts on Aug 14, 2024 Get Details The event, held on July 18, began with an insightful keynote address by J.B. Dave, General Manager, District Industries Centre, who spoke on how MSMEs can be empowered. "We need to do more for MSMEs in Surat despite being the second-largest i n terms of MSME registrations in the country," he said while discussing the strategy for a vibrant and resilient Surat. "For becoming an export-centric market, we need to focus on quality," he emphasised. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Join new Free to Play WWII MMO War Thunder War Thunder Play Now Undo Also Read: ET Make in India SME Regional Summit to debut in Nagpur, the 'Orange City', on July 24 This was followed by an interesting fireside chat with Nagaraj Garla , Executive Director, IDBI Bank , on the topic 'Catalysing Make in India Growth: IDBI Bank's Strategic Imperatives for Empowering MSMEs.' Live Events Garla spoke about several issues pertaining to the financial constraints of the sector. "Effective cash flow management remains the single most important factor distinguishing a successful MSME from a failed one," he said. ET Online Nagaraj Garla, Executive Director, IDBI Bank spoke about several issues pertaining to the financial constraints of the sector. He emphasised the various initiatives implemented by the bank to facilitate cash flow for MSMEs, underscoring the significant role technology has played in achieving this goal. "In March, we introduced an AI-ML-based credit system that decides if the money has to be disbursed or not in 15-20 minutes." Following that, Raj Tiwari, Senior Sales Manager, Canon India , delivered a presentation titled 'Making Business Simple with Canon.' Tiwari offered numerous insights on new technologies that showcase added layers of security in printing. This, he stated, could be of immense help to the entrepreneurs looking to create a differentiation for their businesses. Thereafter, local industry leaders and association heads got together to participate in an engaging session of the day—a panel discussion on how Surat's MSMEs can lead India's next wave of industrial innovation. Reflecting on the tariff developments, Ashish Gujarati, Managing Director, Aditya Textile Solutions, said that they are expecting 5-10% tariffs on the textile sector. "Most of the challenges come from QCOs and raw material availability," he stated. ET Online Local industry leaders and association heads got together to participate in an engaging session of the day—a panel discussion on how MSMEs in Surat can lead India's next wave of industrial innovation. Highlighting the advantages offered by Surat as a textile hub, Gujarati said that Surat's main advantage is that the entire textile ecosystem is within a radius of 45 km. Moving on to Surat's legacy as a diamond hub, Jayanti Savaliya, Regional Chairman of GJEPC India, said that Surat has unique strengths with which it can mould itself as per the market situation. "Surat has this distinct advantage: if there are threats to its diamond polishing and cutting business, then it can capitalise on its lab-grown diamond segment," he said while talking about the emerging opportunity in this new segment. Answering a question regarding the prominence of gemstone manufacturing in China, Savaliya noted that the gemstone industry holds a lot of potential in India, especially in Surat. "We still have miles to go," he said, candid in his admission. The panel discussion then moved on to the importance of schemes for the MSME sector. Bikash Chandra Naik, Zonal Head, National Small Industries Corporation Ltd (NSIC), said that they offer a number of schemes to handhold small businesses. "Micro and small businesses need a lot of handholding; they don't go to banks directly. Therefore, we have many collaborations with banks, and we help these businesses to get loans," he said. Naik also spoke about how people in rural areas lack the required skills, and NSIC helps in getting more skilled professionals into the industry. "NSIC has projects at various levels and also programmes that help them train in different skills," he added. Affirming his views, Prashant Patel, former President of FISME and Director of RK Synthesis Ltd, highlighted some big challenges faced by MSMEs in Surat. These challenges include land availability due to high land costs, a shortage of skilled manpower, the high cost of R&D equipment, and inadequate common infrastructure. Patel also spoke of the importance of R&D investment for enterprises to carve a niche for themselves in the long run. The panel was followed by a fireside chat with Nikhil Garg, Founder President of the Agarwal Business Network. Garg stated that Surat is known for adapting fast to changes. "The growth of the knitting industry here is remarkable. In India, if there is any other city that can challenge China, it's Surat," he said, adding that the power of communities can help to bring the MSME ecosystem together and go forward in their journey as small businesses. ET Online Nikhil Garg, Founder President of the Agarwal Business Network stated that Surat is known for adapting fast to changes. The final session of the evening was a presentation by C.S. Arya, General Manager, IDBI Bank, and Sherine Mendez, General Manager, IDBI Bank, highlighting the organisation's initiatives, outreach, and tools that empower MSMEs. This concluded the second summit in the ET SME summit series of this year in Surat, showcasing how MSMEs can leverage their strengths and counter the challenges in their path in an effective manner. The summit served as a key platform for bringing industry experts together and offering networking opportunities to a host of small businesses in the city. The event sponsors were IDBI Bank as Banking & Lending Partner and Canon as Tech Enabler. The series now heads to Nagpur on 24 July 2025 for another round of conversations, discussions and learning in the ET SME Make In India pan India series.
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
ET Make in India SME Regional Summits: This bank is revolutionising MSME financing
Live Events On June 26, the ET Make in India SME Regional Summits made their fourth pitstop of 2025 in Thane. The Summits are India's premier platform for connecting with the country's micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) at a hyperlocal level, bringing together enterprises, enablers, industry heavyweights, and policymakers. The outcome is targeted networking opportunities that recognise the unique strengths and challenges of industrial the theme 'Thane means business: Manufacturing excellence, entrepreneurial drive', this leg of the ET Make in India SME Regional Summit focussed on one of India's most strategically-positioned clusters. Thane benefits from its proximity to Mumbai, ports, airports, and the financial institutions that are crucial for MSME growth and export competitiveness. It also has a multi-sectoral industrial base spanning pharmaceutical, chemical, and engineering companies. According to data from the Udyam portal, this district is home to over 161,000 registered MSMEsIn the illuminating fireside chat, 'Catalysing 'Make in India' Growth: IDBI Bank's Strategic Imperatives for Empowering MSMEs', the bank's Executive Director Nagaraj Garla spoke about what his institution is trying to do differently in the MSME Bank brings something unique to MSME financing: a dual legacy that most banks don't have. With roots in development finance and a sharp focus on MSMEs, the bank isn't just lending money; it's channelling decades of understanding about what makes small businesses tick."MSMEs form the economic backbone of our country. Which is why we provide an environment of opportunities for them," Garla told the assembled bank's development finance heritage means it understands that MSMEs aren't just smaller versions of large corporations. They have different needs, challenges, and cash flow patterns. This understanding is translating into solutions that actually work for small added that IDBI Bank isn't just digitising existing processes, but reimagining what banking can look like for MSMEs. Take its collection and payments mechanism, for instance.'We have a sophisticated collection mechanism, where you virtually need not maintain any accounts registered," he said. This system captures all cash flows, tracks payments, and even sends automated SMS reminders to fee about what this means for a micro enterprise. Instead of maintaining complex records and chasing payments manually, the system handles everything automatically. The entrepreneur gets detailed Management Information System reports without the administrative headache. It's banking that adapts to the business, not the other way many banks talk about AI as a buzzword, IDBI Bank is using it to solve real problems. Its data analytics tools anticipate customer needs. As Garla revealed, "We use AI analytics tools to understand the behaviour of the customer.'This isn't about pushing more products, but about approaching customers before they even realise they need financing. The system analyses patterns, identifies growth opportunities, and proactively offers solutions. It's like having a financial advisor who never importantly, IDBI Bank recognises that MSMEs need more than just money. It runs training programmes for micro-entrepreneurs, offering everything from three-day bootcamps to week-long courses. IDBI has also partnered with the Entrepreneur Development Institute of India, where they're a major shareholder, supporting programmes that include startup is banking as ecosystem building: not just providing capital, but creating the infrastructure for small business Garla also spoke about IDBI Bank's dedicated MSME teams. These aren't generalist bankers trying to understand local business challenges, but specialists who speak the language of MSMEs, understand their seasonal patterns, and know how to structure solutions that actually work."If you have a separate team such as this, they will also know how to properly manage currency risks when it comes to exports," he economic transformation is more about mindset than it is about technology or processes. IDBI Bank's approach to MSMEs is a reflection of this, Garla concluded at the ET Make in India SME Regional Summit- Thane. Its approach offers a glimpse of what banking could look like when it truly serves the small business community. It's not just about lending money, but about building the financial infrastructure that helps MSMEs thrive.
