R Thyagarajan: Meet the tycoon who built a fortune by lending to low-income borrowers shunned by banks
Shriram Group's R Thyagarajan is arguably one of the worlds most idiosyncratic financiers — in no small part because his multibillion-dollar business has thrived in an industry that tripped up countless others around the globe. A pioneer in extending credit to Indias poor for trucks, tractors and other vehicles, Thyagarajan built Shriram into a conglomerate that employs 108,000 people in everything from insurance to stockbroking.