Manual on Financial and Banking Statistics

6. NON-BANKING FINANCIAL COMPANIES
The activities of non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) in India have undergone qualitative changes over the years through functional specialisation. The role of NBFCs as effective financial intermediaries has been well recognised as they have inherent ability to take quicker decisions, assume greater risks, and customise their services and charges more according to the needs of the clients. While these features, as compared to the banks, have contributed to the proliferation of NBFCs, their flexible structures allow them to unbundle services provided by banks and market the components on a competitive basis. The distinction between banks and non-banks has been gradually getting blurred since both the segments of the financial system engage themselves in many similar types of activities. At present, NBFCs in India have become prominent in a wide range of activities like hire-purchase finance, equipment lease finance, loans, investments, etc. By employing innovative marketing strategies and devising tailor-made products, NBFCs have also been able to build up a clientele base among the depositors, mop up public savings and command large resources as reflected in the growth of their deposits from public, shareholders, directors and other companies, and borrowings by issue of non-convertible debentures, etc. Consequently, the share of non-bank deposits in household sector savings in financial assets, increased from 3.1 per cent in 1980-81 to 10.6 per cent in 199596. In 1998, the definition of public deposits was for the first time contemplated as distinct from regulated deposits and as such, the figures thereafter are not comparable with those before. The importance of NBFCs in delivering credit to the unorganised sector and to small borrowers at the local level in response to local