Professional Experience:
Ramesh’s career, spanning over 35 years, is distinguished by the completion of 355 professional assignments across 32 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, North America, and the Caribbean. He has also worked in 710 districts of India.
His clients have included: The World Bank, The Asian Development Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the Department for International Development, the International Fund for Agriculture Development, SIDBI, NABARD, ACCESS Development Services, ICICI Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the United Nations Development Program, UNTRS, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, GTZ/BMZ, Rabo Bank International, NCRPB, Ministries of Finance, Rural Development, MSME and Agriculture Governments in Several Countries and States Globally, The Commonwealth Secretariat, A whole variety of Regulators and Supervisors, and so on.
His vast expertise covers several areas, including:
Financial Inclusion, MSME Finance and Technology Integration: He has effectively merged technology and artificial intelligence with financial services, enhancing access, usage and quality in financial inclusion service delivery for low-income people and MSMEs.
Microfinance and MSME Finance: Significant contributions to the development of microfinance and MSME finance, empowering small and medium enterprises and also informal sector nano enterprises. He has a strong exposure to women micro-entrepreneurs across JLGs and SHGs and has personally seen over 100,000 SHGs in his career.
Agriculture and Climate Finance: Initiatives in agriculture and climate finance that address critical environmental and economic challenges, especially for low-income and smaller producers. He has practised agriculture for over 30 years and is well-versed in cultivation practices for a wide variety of crops across the globe.
Risk Mitigation Services and Insurance: Designing risk mitigation and insurance solutions for low-income people and MSMEs.
Pensions and Infrastructure Finance: Expertise in pension schemes and infrastructure finance, showcasing his broad understanding of financial instruments, especially for low-income people and MSMEs.
Investment Banking and Strategic Governance: His work has provided critical direction to multinational corporations, financial institutions, and policy-making bodies in investment banking and strategic governance.
Corporate Strategies, Regulation, and Supervision: Known for his skill in crafting corporate strategies and regulatory frameworks, particularly in emerging financial technologies. He is particularly skilled at developing organizational-level AI strategies for deployment and use at various levels of analysis for risk management, governance, internal audits and operations at large and small FIs/Banks.
Research, Publications and Thought Leadership
Arunachalam is an accomplished author of eighteen critically acclaimed bestselling books in finance and governance. His regular contributions as a columnist for prestigious publications reflect his status as a thought leader in the field. He also writes a daily newsletter on Linked IN, which has a significant readership. Arunachalam's Ascension Newsletter on Linked IN stands out as a source of cutting-edge knowledge in his areas of specialisation. It provides insightful analyses and updates on the latest trends and developments in the financial sector
Policy Influence and Advisory Impact
His policy-making contributions and regulatory designs, especially in financial inclusion, technology, and MSMEs, have been pivotal. Arunachalam's advisory services to diverse clients, including multilateral organisations, private sector firms, government agencies, banks, NBFIs, cooperatives, Farmer's Producer Organizations, regulators & supervisors and other stakeholders, have had a far-reaching impact on the financial inclusion and MSME landscape.
Capacity Building - Trained over 200,000 professionals