Teaching Note: Kosh: digitizing financial inclusion for blue-collar workers Available to Purchase

Smita Dayal is based at the Department of Finance and Accounting, Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, New Delhi, India. Smita Dayal, assistant professor at Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, Delhi. She has over 15 years of teaching and research experience. She has completed PhD in finance from Mumbai University, an MBA from Amity Business School and a BCom (Hons) from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University. Her research focusses on sustainable finance and financial inclusion.

Nidhi Malhotra is based at the Department of Finance and Accounting, Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, New Delhi, India. Nidhi Malhotra is an associate professor of finance with a PhD from Banasthali Vidyapith and a financial risk manager (FRM) certification from GARP, USA. She has over 17 years of experience spanning academia and industry. Her research focuses on event studies, financial market contagion and the dynamics of energy and alternative assets. Proficient in equity research, portfolio management, risk management and financial analysis, she has published extensively in leading national and international journals. Her academic contributions reflect a deep commitment to advancing knowledge in finance.

Vineet Ranjan is based at the Department of Finance and Accounting, Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, New Delhi, India. Vineet Ranjan, visiting faculty, Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, Delhi. With over 14 years of expertise in finance and banking, he is currently serving as head of risk and strategic Alliances at Kosh, where he manages a portfolio exceeding ₹150 crore. His work focuses on fostering strategic partnerships, optimizing P&L metrics and advancing digital lending solutions.

Shakeb Akhtar is based at the Department of Economics and Business Administration, University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Ibri, Sultanate of Oman; School of Management, Universal AI University, Karjat, India and Department of Business and Communications, INTI International University, Nilai, Malaysia. Shakeb Akhtar, lecturer, Department of Economics and Business Administration, University of Technology and Applied Science, Ibra, Oman. He is currently Lecturer in University of Technology and Applied Science, Ibra, Oman. He holds an MFC and PhD in banking and finance from Aligarh Muslim University, India. He specializes in accounting and finance related courses and has over 10 years teaching experience in accounting and finance at both tertiary and senior high school levels. Previously he was program director (MBA-FS), chair professor, research coordinator and examination cell head in School of Business, Woxsen University, Hyderabad, India. Then before that division chair (area chair) and assistant professor at Galgotias University, Greater Noida, India. His research interest is in banking industry, behavioural economics and secondary data analysis techniques.