SAIJA Finance Private Limited is a Non Banking Finance Company (NBFC) formed in 2007 with a focus on providing microfinance services to the urban and rural poor, as well as micro and small businessmen in the underserved geographies of Northern & Eastern India, starting with Bihar.
The name SAIJA has been coined from “Sai” of Sai Baba of Shiridi, an Indian saint, while “Ja” has been taken from the holy shrine of Ajmer Sharif which is the tomb of Khawaja Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti, the founder of the Sufi order.
SAIJA started with a small portfolio of micro loans, taken over from its associate non-profit entity, SAIJA Vikas, which was registered as a society in July 2007. The company started in July 2007 with a market research survey interviewing 1500 clients in the Patna slums regarding their socio-economic conditions, prevailing economic activities and current access to financial products. The first disbursement was done in November 2007.