Commonly Used Terms and Definitions

1. Lending Service Provider (LSP):

An agent of a Regulated Entity who carries out one or more of lender's functions or part thereof in customer acquisition, underwriting support, pricing support, servicing, monitoring, recovery of specific loan or loan portfolio on behalf of REs in conformity with extant outsourcing guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank.

2. Digital Lending Apps/Platforms (DLAs):

Mobile and web-based applications with user interface that facilitate digital lending services. DLAs will include apps of the Regulated Entities (REs) as well as those operated by Lending Service Providers (LSPs) engaged by REs for extending any credit facilitation services in conformity with extant outsourcing guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank.

3. Annual Percentage Rate (APR):

APR is the effective annualised rate charged to the borrower of a digital loan. APR shall be based on an all-inclusive cost and margin including cost of funds, credit cost and operating cost, processing fee, verification charges, maintenance charges, etc., and exclude contingent charges like penal charges, late payment charges, etc.

4. Key Fact Statement (KFS):

REs shall provide a Key Fact Statement (KFS) to the borrower before the execution of the contract in a standardized format for all digital lending products. The format of KFS is provided.

5. Regulated Entities (REs):

REs shall ensure that all loan servicing, repayment, etc., shall be executed by the borrower directly in the RE's bank account without any pass-through account/ pool account of any third party. The disbursements shall always be made into the bank account of the borrower except for disbursals covered exclusively under statutory or regulatory mandate (of RBI or of any other regulator), flow of money between REs for co-lending transactions and disbursals for specific end use, provided the loan is disbursed directly into the bank account of the end-beneficiary. REs shall ensure that in no case, disbursal is made to a third-party account, including the accounts of LSPs and their DLAs.