Royston Braganza joined Grameen Capital in 2007 to launch the organization as CEO. He currently oversees all aspects of operations in India.
Grameen Capital, founded by Grameen Foundation USA, Chennai-based venture capital firm IFMR Trust, and Citigroup, is a first of its kind social business providing microfinance institutions and social enterprises wider access to the capital markets. Grameen Capital is part of the global Grameen family of companies, the flagship of which is the Nobel Prize-winning Grameen Bank founded by Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus.
To realize his dream of a “capital with a conscience” ecosystem, Mr. Braganza and Grameen Capital recently promoted Grameen Impact Investments India, a unique vehicle offering debt financing to social enterprises across sectors such as affordable education and skills development, affordable health care, clean energy and innovation, agriculture, financial inclusion and livelihoods.
Previously, Mr. Braganza served as a senior vice president with HSBC, where he was instrumental in establishing and leading the bank’s microfinance and priority sector business. Prior to that, he was head of HSBC’s SME Business. Before joining HSBC, he worked with Citibank India for over eight years in various assignments across consumer and corporate banking.
In addition to being the chair of Sa-Dhan, the association of Indian microfinance institutions with member organizations serving over 30 million women micro-entrepreneurs, Mr. Braganza serves on numerous boards and advisory bodies, including Grameen Foundation India, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry Financial Inclusion Committee, the Confederation of Indian Industry’s National Committee on Nonbanking Financial Companies, the United Nations Microfinance Resource Group, the Impact Investors Council, the Inclusive Business Action Network, and the Banking and Finance Committee of the Indian Merchants’ Chamber.
Mr. Braganza has been invited to address various conferences and programs in India and beyond to promote impact investment and blended finance as a sustainable tool to eradicate poverty, and to help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. He was also invited to write the introductory chapter for the OECD report on Financing for Development that was later released at the 73rd session of the U.N. General Assembly in 2018.
The London-based Finance Monthly publication named Mr. Braganza among its list of 2013 Global CEO. Award winners as one of the top four CEO.s in Asia, and the top two in India. He is also the recipient of the World CSR Congress Global CSR Leadership award, and the Power of One award by the Archdiocese of Bombay.
Mr. Braganza completed his master’s degree in management studies from the prestigious Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies in Mumbai.