Tycoon who gave away US$750mil sees profit in loans to the poor


R Thyagarajan, founder of Shriram Group. Photographer: Prashanth Vishwanathan/Bloomberg

HE built a fortune lending to low-income borrowers shunned by banks. He paid staff below-market wages and thought they still earned too much. He gave away almost all his wealth to a handful of employees, content with his small house and a US$5,000 car.

R Thyagarajan is arguably one of the world’s most idiosyncratic financiers – in no small part because his multi-billion-dollar business, the Shriram Group, has thrived in an industry that tripped up countless others around the globe.

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R Thyagarajan , Shriram Group

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