Purpose
Regulation is critical for sustainable microfinance sector growth. Under this premise, the study aims to examine the different regulatory noncompliance (RNC) practices prevalent in the operations of microfinance institutions (MFIs) at the ground level.

Design/methodology/approach
Both the quantitative and qualitative (observations, interviews and focus group discussions) techniques are used to extract the findings.

Findings
The study highlights the different RNC practices exercised by the loan officers at the field level in their microfinance loan disbursements.

Originality/value
This study is based on the primary data collected from microfinance clients. The arguments put forth for the RNC practices are extracted from direct personal interviews with the loan officers and the clients. The role of various dilemmas/circumstances of the loan officers and the beneficiaries that implicate the MFIs in RNC is highlighted.