He built credit risk systems for ₹10,000+ crore companies.
Then he decided to build his own NBFC from zero.
Pankaj Poddar’s conversation made me rethink what separates sustainable lending businesses from ones that blow up.
20+ years across Standard Chartered Bank, Bajaj Finance, SBFC Finance. Then BNF. Secured MSME lending (₹1-25L loans).
The decision to go deep into one segment instead of chasing every opportunity.
We covered everything:
— Why credit discipline matters more than growth at cost
— What a CRO lens actually brings to lending
— The MSME segment banks abandoned
— Why zero NPAs is about operations, not luck
— How to build credit policy that sticks
— Why most founders fail (spoiler: it’s not capital)
If you’re building an NBFC or lending business — this conversation is essential. Because Pankaj isn’t selling you a dream. He’s telling you how to avoid the mistakes 90% of founders make.
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👤 GUEST
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Pankaj Poddar — Founder MD & CEO, BNF (Business Nextgen Finance)
22+ years in credit and risk management
ex-CRO SBFC Finance (₹10,000 Cr listed company) | 7 yrs
ex-CRO Bajaj Finserv | 7 yrs
ex-Credit Officer StanC | 6 yrs
CA qualified
🌐 BNF: https://bnfl.in/
🔗 Pankaj’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/poddarpankaj
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🎙️ HOST
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Mudit Jain — Founder & CEO, Synoriq
Synoriq powers 60+ NBFCs across India with core lending software.
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