Honoring NGOs, social enterprises, and individuals delivering financial education and promoting inclusion among underserved communities
MUMBAI (India CSR): HDFC Securities, India’s leading stockbroking firm, successfully hosted the second edition of the ‘Powerful Voices in Finance 2026,’ a prestigious platform that celebrates those making a real difference in advancing financial inclusion across the country. The awards acknowledge organizations and individuals who are delivering practical financial education to India’s most underserved populations.
This year’s awards highlighted impactful initiatives from rural savings programs that enable farmers to manage crop loans effectively, to urban women gaining confidence with digital payment systems, and young people learning fundamental investment skills before entering the workforce. The initiative spotlighted efforts that have fostered lasting financial resilience where it is needed most.
The awards ceremony recognized winners across 11 comprehensive categories, reflecting the diverse range of financial inclusion work taking place throughout India. Categories included excellence in rural financial literacy, women-focused financial empowerment, digital financial inclusion, financial literacy for youth and students, among others.
A distinguished independent jury, comprising some of India’s most respected leaders in CSR and sustainability: Dr. Bhaskar Chatterjee, Abhishek Ranjan, Sita Ram Gupta, and Dr. Vivek Prakash, together evaluated over 100 applicants from across the country. The top 12 awardees were selected based on rigorous criteria, including the impact and reach of their initiatives, measurable outcomes, innovation, sustainability, scalability potential, and transparency in governance.
IndiaCSR® moderated the initiative by inviting nominations, reviewing applications, and conducting the jury rounds.
The ‘Powerful Voices in Finance Awards’ continues to serve as a platform to honor and promote transformative efforts in financial inclusion, inspiring more changemakers to build a financially inclusive India.
Celebrating the Champions of Financial Inclusion: Highlights from the ‘Powerful Voices in Finance Awards’ 2026
The second edition of the ‘Powerful Voices in Finance Awards,’ hosted by HDFC Securities, brought to the forefront inspiring stories of individuals and organizations transforming financial literacy and inclusion across India.
Below are the distinguished winners and their remarkable contributions:
Golden Award for Lifetime Contribution to Financial Inclusion
AROH Foundation Centre for Financial Literacy
Honoured with the Golden Award, AROH Foundation’s Centre for Financial Literacy has reached over 70 lakh beneficiaries through innovative community engagement like street plays, mobile campaigns, and local sessions, targeting underserved populations in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and beyond. Their work emphasizes meeting people in their language and stories, turning financial literacy into a life-changing tool. More than half of their beneficiaries are women, exemplifying their focus on women’s empowerment.
Dr. Neelam Gupta, President & CEO of AROH Foundation, receives the award from Dhiraj Relli, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of HDFC Securities Limited.
Golden Award for Lifetime Achievement in Financial Literacy
N.P. Mohapatra, Odisha
A veteran in the field, N.P. Mohapatra received this honour for decades of dedication to advancing financial literacy in India. His journey reflects milestones like empowering first-time investors, women opening savings accounts, and young graduates making informed decisions. His work has contributed to the substantial progress India has made in financial education.
Outstanding Contribution to Rural Financial Literacy
Sairam Institutions
Recognized for their innovative Unnat Bharat Abhiyan initiative, Sairam Institutions have directly engaged 1.3 lakh individuals, conducting village surveys, awareness camps, and door-to-door campaigns. Their student volunteers have explained savings, insurance, digital payments, and government schemes in local languages, resulting in households transitioning from informal moneylenders to formal banking.
Outstanding Contribution to Women-Focused Financial Empowerment
Maa Bamleshwari Janhitkari Samiti Chhattisgarh
With over 14,000 women’s self-help groups, this organization has fostered microfinance, livelihoods, and savings among women in Chhattisgarh. Their grassroots efforts have shown how community-driven change is possible from within, empowering women to take control of their financial futures.
Outstanding Contribution to Digital Financial Inclusion
Manjari Foundation, Rajasthan
Through their Digital Sakhis, women in Udaipur, Rajsamand, and Chittorgarh have become digital ambassadors, teaching neighbours to access government schemes and make digital payments. Reaching 2 lakh individuals, their work exemplifies trust-based, door-to-door digital literacy and confidence-building.
Outstanding Contribution to Financial Literacy for Youth & Students
Aasraa Trust, Uttarakhand
At their Skillability Centre in Dehradun, over 600 young people have gained not just skills but financial confidence in learning budgeting, investment basics, and fraud prevention before entering the workforce. Their integrated approach aims for generational change.
Outstanding Contribution to Financial Education Models
Round Table India Trust
Reaching 11 million children, their structured models embed financial awareness into school environments, ensuring sustained behavioural change. Their work exemplifies how measurable outcomes and institutional partnerships can scale financial education effectively.
Outstanding Contribution to CSR Initiatives in Financial Literacy
Sri Sairam Engineering College, Tamil Nadu
With a focus on community engagement, they adopted 10 villages, directly impacting 24,000 people through digital tools, awareness drives, and government scheme linkages—building a model of sustained, community-led transformation.
Financial Literacy Champion
Dr. Maria Pramila Dsouza, Wealth2life
Her work in promoting financial literacy in regional languages like Konkani and Kannada bridges critical gaps, making financial knowledge accessible and understandable in local contexts. Her community-driven efforts have fostered real conversations around money in diverse regions.
Grassroots Financial Educator
Dr. Vinay Kandpal, SWFRI
Leading research on women’s financial resilience, Dr. Kandpal’s validated frameworks help measure and improve financial capability among women in self-help groups in Uttarakhand. His work ensures policies and interventions are data-driven and impactful.
This collective celebration of dedication and impact underscores the transformative power of financial literacy and inclusion initiatives. HDFC Securities remains committed to supporting and amplifying these voices, forging a more financially inclusive India.
The HDFC securities
HDFC Securities, a subsidiary of HDFC Bank, is one of India’s leading stockbrokers, with 25 years of expertise in the Indian equity market. Serving around 6 million customers in over 100 cities, the company operates a robust network of more than 120 branches. HDFC Securities provides a comprehensive range of investment products and trading services tailored to meet diverse financial needs. Over its 25-year history, HDFC Securities has played a crucial role in empowering investors with more than 30 distinct financial solutions. These offerings include equities, gold, mutual funds, currency derivatives, non-convertible debentures (NCDs), fixed deposits, bonds, basket investing, global investing, and acts as a distributor of the National Pension System (NPS), each designed to align with various investment goals.
Dedicated to providing seamless and future-ready trading experiences, HDFC Securities features cutting-edge platforms such as InvestRight and HDFC SKY (discount broking), along with mobile apps, a user-friendly website, Integrated Trading Solutions (ITS), and ProTerminal. In addition, HSL Prime Research offers best-in-class investment opportunities, backed by comprehensive fundamental and technical analysis conducted by a team of seasoned analysts, many of whom have been with HDFC Securities for over a decade. The company has also launched its investment advisory service, HDFC TRU, focusing on high-net-worth individuals (HNIs), ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNIs), family offices, and treasury clients. HDFC Securities also maintains a strong social media presence, proactively sharing market updates and educational content to promote financial literacy.
Jury Honoured at ‘Powerful Voices in Finance Awards’ 2026
An eminent independent jury comprising some of India’s most respected voices in CSR and sustainability — Dr. Bhaskar Chatterjee, Abhishek Ranjan, Sita Ram Gupta, and Dr. Vivek Prakash — reviewed more than 100 applications from across the country. The final 12 awardees were selected through a rigorous evaluation process that considered the impact and reach of their initiatives, measurable outcomes, innovation, sustainability, scalability, and governance transparency. Rusen Kumar, Founder and Managing Editor, India CSR®, also contributed significantly to the moderation and overall evaluation process.
Rusen Kumar, Founder and Editor, India CSR
Sita Ram Gupta, Veteran Social Sector Leader
Dhiraj Relli, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of HDFC Securities Limited, honours Sita Ram Gupta, Veteran Social Sector Leader
Abhisek Ranjan, CSR and Sustainability Leader
The India CSR
India CSR played a key moderating role in the ‘Powerful Voices in Finance Awards’ initiative, supporting the overall process from outreach to evaluation. The organization actively invited nominations from across the country, bringing forward impactful stories in financial inclusion. India CSR also facilitated the review process and coordinated the jury rounds, ensuring a rigorous, transparent, and merit-based selection of winners. Through its involvement, India CSR strengthened the credibility and reach of the initiative, helping recognize and celebrate grassroots changemakers driving financial literacy and inclusion in India.
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