Manish Jaiswal, the Managing Director & CEO of Grihum Housing Finance Ltd., joined ET Edge Insights for an exclusive one-on-one session. The conversation marked a new chapter for the housing finance company, formerly known as Poonawalla Housing Finance Corporation. Following a major acquisition by Perseus, a Singapore-based affiliate of TPG Global, Grihum has emerged with a renewed focus and brand identity.
“Our core mission is to bring quality and affordable housing to every doorstep, across all regions,” emphasises Jaiswal. He highlights their dedication to serving the Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, leveraging their established presence in 19 cities and over 190 branches.
But Grihum’s ambitions extend beyond bricks and mortar. They see themselves catering to customers, particularly those in the 20-25 lakh income bracket. Their commitment goes beyond lending, encompassing financial literacy, collateral literacy, and KYC literacy. This customer-centric approach empowers individuals and paves the way for future cross-product offerings like health insurance and personal loans.
Interestingly, Grihum finds that inclusivity and diversity within the company translate to better loan repayments and management. This underscores their unique understanding of the challenges and opportunities present in the affordable housing segment. While digital transformation plays a role, their focus in this segment is more on digitising land records and establishing clear audit trails rather than aiming for pure online processes.