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64% OF MSMEs RESUME POST-PANDEMIC; 54% REPORT 10% YOY GROWTH: SAYS THE THIRD EDITION OF MSME SAMPARK REPORT BY UGRO CAPITAL AND DUN & BRADSTREET

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In-depth analysis of 45,000+ MSMEs, highlighting credit access, formalization, and digitalization for growth.

MUMBAI, India, April 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — UGRO Capital Ltd., a leading DataTech NBFC focused on MSME lending, has released the 3rd MSME Sampark Report – a semi-annual report that is prepared in partnership with Dun & Bradstreet. The 3rd edition highlights that 64% of MSMEs have resumed activity post-pandemic, with around 54% reporting a growth of over 10% Year-on-Year (YoY), underlining the sector’s strong momentum. However, growth in investments in Udyam-registered MSMEs has slowed from 61% in FY22 to 22% in FY23 and 23% in FY24. Large and medium businesses anticipate slower domestic growth in Q1 2025, while small firms remain optimistic. It is noteworthy that while capital costs are expected to remain high in Q1 2025, revised MSME classification criteria could drive further investment and expansion.

 

Mr. Shachindra Nath, Founder & Managing Director – UGRO Capital, said “MSME Sampark has gone beyond just a report and is slowly becoming a movement that brings together industry leaders, policymakers and financial institutions to collaboratively shape the future of MSME financing. With the 3rd edition of MSME Sampark, we aim to elevate the discourse further by exploring the next phase of MSME credit delivery in India. Our analysis reveals a nuanced picture. We see moderation in total loan disbursement in recent quarters, a trend reflecting more conservative lending practices across the industry. While this could be attributed to stricter risk assessments, it also presents an opportunity for NBFCs to play a more strategic role in bridging the credit gap. The increasing formalisation of MSMEs, as evidenced by lower cash percentages and improved debt-to-turnover ratios, especially among mature and larger businesses, is an encouraging sign.

MSME Sampark’s 3rd edition reaffirms our commitment to empower India’s MSMEs with the right financial solutions, insights, and policy advocacy that drive their sustained growth.”

Dr. Arun Singh, Global Chief Economist – Dun & Bradstreet, said “Dun & Bradstreet’s sector risk ratings indicate improvements in the risk profile of MSMEs in 2024 from 2023, despite global and domestic economic uncertainties. Improvements in the MSMEs’ credit profile were also indicated through a decline in the gross non-performing assets (GNPAs) postpandemic. The overall GNPAs touched a 12-year low in September 2024, with GNPA of large borrowers at 2.4% and of MSMEs at 2.2%, respectively, compared to 12.8% and 11% during early 2020. However, businesses have scaled back their optimism for capital expenditure as their outlook on managing financial risks has deteriorated, reflecting heightened uncertainty faced by them.”

Key Findings:

The 3rd edition highlights that 64% of MSMEs have resumed activity post-pandemic, with around 54% reporting a growth of over 10% Year-on-Year (YoY), underlining the sector’s strong momentum.Global supplier risks are rising as businesses prioritise localised supply chains. Sales and export optimism is declining due to economic uncertainty and trade policies.India has maintained over 7% annual average growth over the past 15 years, excluding the pandemic, and is projected to grow at 6.6% in FY26.Growth in investments by Udyam-registered MSMEs has slowed from 61% in FY22 to 22% in FY23 and 23% in FY24. However, revised MSME classification criteria could drive further investment and expansion.Large and medium businesses anticipate slower domestic growth in Q1 2025, while small firms remain optimistic.Export sentiment among small and medium businesses has weakened amid geopolitical and trade protectionist concerns.Capital costs are expected to remain high in Q1 2025, influencing investment decisions. Medium-sized firms have scaled back optimism on capital expenditure, while small businesses show slight improvement.Credit growth has declined for micro and small businesses (15.5% in May 2024 to 10.1% in Nov 2024), remained stable for large businesses, and surged for medium-sized firms (12.6% in June 2024 to 20.0% in Nov 2024).

Findings from analysis of 45,000+ MSMEs during 2021-2024 across 7 sectors

Debt & Credit Trends in MSMEs: Loan disbursements have moderated in 2024, but the rise in working capital loans highlights a growing reliance on short-term financing. This shift reflects the challenges businesses face in long-term planning amid economic uncertainty. Among the 45,000+ MSMEs analysed, the light engineering, electrical equipment, food processing, and chemical sectors emerged as the largest borrowers in the first three quarters of 2024. Interestingly, over the past six months, B2C businesses have taken on less new debt than B2B businesses, except in the auto components and hospitality sectors.

Growing Formalisation in MSMEs: The study finds a clear trend toward formalisation, as businesses report lower cash holdings and declining debt-to-turnover ratios. This shift suggests improved financial management, optimised cash flows, and reduced dependence on external financing. The effect is even more pronounced in mature and larger businesses (₹20 crore+), signalling a steady move toward greater financial transparency and stability.

Micro Businesses & Credit Access: Among 15,000+ micro businesses studied, loan inquiries continue to rise despite lower disbursements, pointing to a persistent demand-supply gap in credit availability. While businesses actively seek funding, lenders remain cautious. A notable trend in 2024 is the increased preference for asset-backed financing, such as loans against gold jewellery, over cash flow-based lending — a sign that lenders favour secured credit amid economic uncertainties.

The semi-annual report, prepared in partnership with Dun & Bradstreet, a leading global provider of business decisioning data and analytics, offers a comprehensive analysis of India’s MSME sector that reveals key trends and opportunities for the sector’s future. It is based on an in-depth analysis of over 45,000 MSMEs across seven key sectors. It offers a nuanced understanding of the MSME landscape, stressing the importance of credit access, formalisation, and digitalisation in ensuring sustained growth.

The report can be downloaded for free from the websites of Dun & Bradstreet India (http://www.dnb.co.in/) and UGRO Capital (http://www.ugrocapital.com/).

About UGRO Capital Ltd (NSE: UGROCAP I BSE: 511742)

UGRO Capital Limited is a DataTech Lending platform, listed on NSE and BSE, pursuing its mission of “Solving the Unsolved” for the small business credit gap in India, on the back of its formidable distribution reach and its DataTech approach. It aims to service every need of every MSME as it believes that #MSMEAchhaHai.

The Company’s prowess in Data Analytics and strong Technology architecture allows for customized sourcing platforms for each sourcing channel – GRO Plus module, which has uberized intermediated sourcing; GRO Chain, a supply chain financing platform with automated end-to-end approval and flow of invoices; GRO Xstream platform for co-lending, an upstream and downstream integration with fintechs and liability providers; and GRO X application, to deliver embedded financing option to MSMEs.

The company’s patented proprietary underwriting model, GRO Score (3.0), is a statistical framework using AI / ML driven statistical models to risk-rank customers and it is revolutionizing MSME credit by providing on-tap financing like consumer financing in India by assessing a borrower’s creditworthiness based on a data tripod – banking, bureau and GST records. UGRO is also a pioneer in the Co-lending model in India, which is prevalent in the West.

The Company is backed by marquee institutional investors (raised INR 900+ Cr of equity capital in 2018, INR 340 Cr in 2023 and INR 1265 Cr in 2024) and aims to capture 1% market share over the next three years. For more information, please visit: http://www.ugrocapital.com/.

Looking ahead, U GRO Capital remains steadfast in its dedication to leverage technology, data-driven insights, and

industry expertise to provide innovative ­financial solutions that meet the evolving needs of MSMEs.For more information, please visit: http://www.ugrocapital.com/

About Dun & Bradstreet India

Dun & Bradstreet, a leading global provider of business decisioning data and analytics, enables companies around the world to improve their business performance. Dun & Bradstreet’s Data Cloud fuels solutions and delivers insights that empower customers to accelerate revenue, lower cost, mitigate risk and transform their businesses. Since 1841, companies of every size have relied on Dun & Bradstreet to help them manage risk and reveal opportunity. For more information on Dun & Bradstreet, please visit www.dnb.com.

Dun & Bradstreet Information Services India Private Limited is headquartered in Mumbai and provides clients with data-driven products and technology-driven platforms to help them take faster and more accurate decisions across finance, risk, compliance, information technology and marketing. Working towards Government of India’s vision of creating an Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) by supporting the Make in India initiative, Dun & Bradstreet India has a special focus on helping entrepreneurs enhance their visibility, increase their credibility, expand access to global markets, and identify potential customers & suppliers, while managing risk and opportunity.

India is also the home to Dun & Bradstreet Technology & Corporate Services LLP, which is the Global Capabilities Center (GCC) of Dun & Bradstreet supporting global technology delivery using cutting-edge technology. Located at Hyderabad, the GCC has a highly skilled workforce of over 500 employees, and focuses on enhanced productivity, economies of scale, consistent delivery processes and lower operating expenses.

Visit www.dnb.co.in for more information. Click here for all Dun & Bradstreet India press releases.

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TacticalPay Launches New GunBroker Payment Gateway for FFLs, Powered by NMI

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TacticalPay now offers FFLs a GunBroker payment gateway built for the firearms industry, that also seamlessly integrates with WordPress, WooCommerce and an extensive catalog of shopping carts and platforms.

HOUSTON, Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — TacticalPay LLC, a payments and point-of-sale provider for the firearms industry, today announced the TacticalPay Gateway, the company’s own payment gateway for FFLs and firearms businesses. Powered by NMI®, a global leader in embedded payments infrastructure, the TacticalPay Gateway is available now to new and existing TacticalPay merchants.

With TacticalPay POS, TacticalPay Tap and now the TacticalPay Gateway, an FFL can run the counter, the phone, the website and their GunBroker store all on one payments platform, with one support line.

Built for the Firearms Industry

Online sales are a growing share of revenue for gun stores, ranges and firearms retailers, but not every payment provider welcomes them. Some gateways and payment platforms restrict firearms sales outright, and others leave FFLs piecing together a gateway, a processor and a shopping cart from different vendors. The TacticalPay Gateway helps bring those pieces together under one name, on a firearm-friendly merchant account. Onboarding and support are handled by TacticalPay’s in-house team, based in Texas.

Powering Online Sales for FFLs

The TacticalPay Gateway powers e-commerce transactions for FFLs and firearms businesses. It can connect to a merchant’s own website, take phone orders through a virtual terminal, and serve as a payment gateway for GunBroker sales. Integrations with Shopify and more than 125 other shopping carts and platforms are available and easy to set up, along with card-on-file storage, electronic invoicing, recurring billing, 3-D Secure and fraud screening.

Powered by NMI

The TacticalPay Gateway runs on the NMI payment platform, which powers more than $700 billion in annual payment volume and more than 6.5 billion transactions a year for over 1.2 million merchants. The NMI platform lets partners deliver a fully branded payment experience to their own customers. For FFLs, that means a gateway with the scale and reliability of one of the industry’s largest platforms, under a name that understands their business.

“Firearms businesses deserve the same payment technology that every other industry takes for granted, and too often they haven’t had it,” said Rich McIver, Co-Founder & CEO of TacticalPay. “With TacticalPay POS, TacticalPay Tap and now the TacticalPay Gateway, an FFL can run the counter, the phone, the website and their GunBroker store all on one payments platform, with one support line.”

The TacticalPay Gateway is included in TacticalPay’s E-commerce plan and is also available with its retail plans. TacticalPay is exhibiting at SHOT Show 2027 in Las Vegas, January 19–22, and will demonstrate the gateway at Booth 42850.

About TacticalPay

TacticalPay LLC is a payments and point-of-sale provider for firearms businesses, in business since 2015. It offers firearms merchant accounts and credit card processing for gun stores, plus TacticalPay POS, TacticalPay Tap and the TacticalPay Gateway. TacticalPay holds a Better Business Bureau A+ rating and is a regular exhibitor at SHOT Show, the firearms industry’s trade show produced by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). Visit https://www.tacticalpay.com/ to learn more.

About the NMI payment platform

NMI is powering the next generation of embedded payments with its modular, white-label payments platform and industry-leading gateway. Processing over $700 billion annually, NMI enables SaaS platforms, ISOs, PayFacs and banks to accept, manage, price and move money, turning payments into a strategic advantage, driving growth, loyalty and new revenue streams. More than 6,000 technology partners trust NMI to deliver seamless, scalable payment experiences across online, in-app, in-store, mobile and unattended environments. Learn more at nmi.com.

Media Contact

Andy Hagans, TacticalPay LLC, 1 (888) 281-5830, sales@tacticalpay.com, https://www.tacticalpay.com/

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SOURCE TacticalPay LLC

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Why Singles Over 50 Fear Connecting Online More Than Being Alone

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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Building new connections later in life can feel daunting, especially for those who haven’t met someone they’re genuinely interested in for years. After a long time away from meeting new people, some may feel unsure about where to start, whether meaningful connections are still possible, or how to navigate concerns about online safety and the risk of scams.

For DateMyAge, a platform designed for mature singles, understanding these emotional and practical barriers to building relationships online is key to helping people connect with greater confidence. To explore these challenges, DateMyAge surveyed adults over 50 about their experiences, concerns, and attitudes toward forming new connections online.

Key Findings

57% can’t say they’ve met someone new they were genuinely interested in within the past decade.33% have wanted to try building connections online but stopped themselves from signing up.52% don’t know whether their children would approve of them building connections online.15% believe their children would think they are too old to pursue online connections.8% worry their children would see it as disrespectful to their other parent.11% haven’t asked their children or someone younger to set up a profile but would welcome their help.72% say being scammed online scares them more than spending the rest of their lives alone.47% cite fear of being scammed as their biggest barrier to signing up.32% identify privacy concerns as their biggest obstacle to building connections online.

Many Haven’t Met Someone New In Years

More than a third of respondents say it has been over 10 years since they last met someone new they were genuinely interested in, while a further 21% say they honestly can’t remember the last time it happened.

The findings show that many older adults have gone years without experiencing a meaningful romantic connection.

While interest in companionship remains, the path back into meeting new people can feel unfamiliar after long periods away from the relationship world.

Family Support Could Help Singles Over 50 Take The First Step

For singles over 50 who are unsure how to begin building relationships online, adult children could be an important source of support. Yet many aren’t sure how their families would react: 52% don’t know whether their children would approve, while 25% believe their children would be happy for them. Just 15% expect their children to think they’re too old to build relationships online.

Some would welcome practical help, too. While 4% have already asked their children or someone younger to set up a profile for them, another 11% would love that assistance.

The holidays, when families come together, could offer an opportunity to bridge that gap. Helping a parent create a profile, explaining how a platform works, or simply encouraging them to meet new people could make the process feel more approachable. For some, the first step towards a new connection may begin with a conversation at home.

Fear Of Scams Is Bigger Than Fear Of Being Alone

The survey’s most striking finding is that 72% of respondents say being scammed online scares them more than spending the rest of their life alone.

While loneliness is often assumed to be the biggest concern facing singles later in life, the findings point to trust and safety as even greater priorities.

For many older adults, the fear isn’t finding someone online — it’s not knowing whether that person is who they claim to be.

Privacy Concerns Continue To Hold People Back

Nearly one-third of respondents say privacy concerns are the biggest thing stopping them from signing up to meet people online.

Many older adults have spent decades building their personal and financial security. Sharing personal information online can feel like a significant risk, particularly when meeting strangers through digital platforms.

“There are many people who may still have the desire for socialization even in their advanced age, but because of worries about fraud, the prospect of making this first move becomes a challenge. What’s important here is to treat the process of forming relationships online with the same prudence and time investment as any other new relationship.”

— Jaime Bronstein, LCSW, Relationship Expert at DateMyAge

Conclusion

For singles over 50, building new relationships can mean overcoming several hurdles, from concerns about scams to uncertainty about family reactions and the challenge of getting started after years away from meeting new people.

With the right support and a little encouragement, taking that first step can feel more achievable. Sometimes, a new connection begins with something as simple as creating a profile, asking for help, or giving yourself permission to meet someone new.

Methodology

DateMyAge surveyed 1,000 adults over 50 to explore attitudes and behaviors surrounding online relationships, trust, and connection later in life.

pr@sdgroup.ai

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SOURCE DateMyAge

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The Biological Computing Co. Launches World’s First Publicly Available Neuron-Derived AI Video Model

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TBC mischief 1 generates video 5x faster than its base model and is the lowest-priced image-to-video model on two leading AI marketplaces

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Biological Computing Co. (TBC), an applied biological computing company that uses living neurons to improve AI models, today launched TBC mischief 1, an AI video model that generates video 5x faster than its base model. Available on fal and OpenRouter, mischief 1 is the lowest-priced image-to-video model on both marketplaces, enabling video creators and developers to experiment with more ideas, faster and for less.

The launch marks a major step in bringing discoveries from living neurons into commercial AI. mischief 1 is faster and cheaper because of efficiencies TBC discovered in living neurons and applied directly to the model. Just five weeks after announcing its collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to bring the model to enterprise customers, TBC is extending access to creators and developers through fal and OpenRouter.

Built for how creators actually work

At half a cent per second, a five-second clip costs 2.5 cents, and 100 clips cost $2.50. Creators can test more ideas, compare takes and refine their work within the same budget. For developers, lower generation costs make it easier to build video into products that people can afford to use repeatedly.

Wonder Studios, an AI-native creative studio, tested mischief 1 in its own production workflow.

“Great storytelling comes from refining an idea until it’s right, and that’s usually the crunch point for time and budget. mischief 1’s speed and cost-effectiveness meant we could push the work much further within the same time and more cost effectively,” said Justin Hackney, co-founder of Wonder Studios. “That kind of efficiency gives creatives more time for the craft and lets them stay in the flow of an idea. As this approach reaches more advanced models, it could reshape how films and commercials are made, with faster, more efficient generation that finally keeps pace with imagination.”

A new source of AI efficiency

Built on Wan 2.2, a widely used open-weight video model, mischief 1 matches its quality while generating video 5x faster and at a fraction of the cost.

“We said we would take discoveries from living neurons all the way to a product anyone can use, and we did it faster than anyone expected,” said Alex Ksendzovsky, CEO and co-founder of TBC. “Behind this model is a discovery platform that keeps learning. Every experiment adds to our understanding of how neurons compute and gives us new opportunities to improve AI. Video is our first commercial application. We’re already working to bring those discoveries to language and physical AI, with the goal of building more capable models without simply adding more compute.”

TBC’s discovery platform grows living neurons in the lab, measures how they process information and identifies computational principles that can improve AI. Those discoveries become proprietary software that makes existing models more efficient. The neurons stay in the lab. Customers use software that runs on standard AI hardware and adds less than 0.1% to the base model’s parameter count.

TBC is already applying its discovery process to newer open-weight video models, with early results showing greater efficiency gains. Additional applications in language models and physical AI are in development.

“Our first model shows what happens when we learn from biology instead of relying on conventional inference optimization alone,” said Jon Pomeraniec, co-founder and COO of TBC. “mischief 1 is our first commercial proof point. The larger opportunity is to apply these discoveries across models and workloads. We’re building a platform that can change the economics of AI at scale.”

Most efficiency gains in AI today come from a shared set of industry techniques, such as quantization, distillation and caching. TBC’s optimizations come from a different source: direct measurements of living neurons. They are derived from biology, not just inspired by it, which makes them hard to replicate.

Availability

TBC mischief 1 is live on fal at https://fal.ai/models/TBC/mischief-1/image-to-video and OpenRouter at https://openrouter.ai/tbc/mischief-1 starting October 30 to mark Mischief Night. Learn more at tbc.co.

About The Biological Computing Co. (TBC)

The Biological Computing Co (TBC) is an applied biological computing company that uses living neurons to improve AI models. TBC makes intelligence radically more efficient by learning from biology. Discoveries in living neurons improve AI models that run on the silicon customers already use. Customers get better AI without changing their infrastructure. Headquartered in San Francisco, TBC is a fast-growing team of neuroscientists, biologists, AI researchers and engineers redefining how the world computes.

Media Contact:

tbc@hoffman.com

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SOURCE The Biological Computing Co.

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