We evaluate the effectiveness of disclosures in the context of the insurance market in India. We present product advertisements to customers with three differing sets of disclosures: the actual rate of return on the product, a benchmark return of a similar product, and product features of a more...

We use an audit methodology where auditors ask for tax saving instruments from banks and document the disclosures made on product features at the time of sale. In private sector banks with high sales incentives, the high commission product is recommended. In public sector banks, where there are...

We evaluate a major Indian investor protection reform that attempted to reduce commissions tied to mutual fund sales by banning the distribution fees that mutual funds had previously earmarked for commissions. We identify the policy impact by comparing funds charging high versus low distribution...

Over the last decade, there have been vast improvements in surveillance technology and the availability, storage, and mining of personal information online, supported by developments in big data analytics. This has created a public policy conundrum over balancing the benefits of big data with...

International norms mandate customer identification as an essential step in accessing the formal finance. However, poor design of identification processes can lead to unwanted outcomes such as promoting exclusions from financial markets. In this context, this paper examines the ``know your...