Inquisitive Mind

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced regulatory measures for the foreign exchange market. Cancellation and rebooking / rollovers of foreign exchange derivative contracts An Authorised Dealer shall not permit users to rebook any foreign exchange derivative contract involving the INR, whether deliverable or non-deliverable, which has been cancelled with any of the Authorised Dealers. An Authorised Dealer may, however, continue to permit users to rollover foreign exchange derivative contracts on maturity, subject to compliance with the extant directions. Threshold limit for taking positions without requirement to establish the existence of underlying Authorised Dealers were permitted to allow users to take positions upto USD 100 million equivalent of notional value (outstanding at any point of time), across all Authorised Dealers, for hedging contracted exposure without the requirement to establish the existence of underlying exposure.  Further, a user was allowed to take positio...

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued guidelines on credit facilities to Scheduled Castes (SCs) & Scheduled Tribes (STs). What are the guidelines on credit facilities to SCs & STs? District Level Consultative Committees formed under the Lead Bank Scheme should continue to be the principal mechanism of co-ordination between banks and development agencies.  National Scheduled Tribes Finance & Development Corporation and National Scheduled Castes Finance & Development Corporation have been set up under the administrative control of Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, respectively. Banks should advise their branches / controlling offices to render all the necessary institutional support to enable these institutions to achieve the desired objectives. Loans sanctioned to State Sponsored Organisations for Scheduled Castes / Scheduled Tribes for the specific purpose of purchase and supply of inputs and / or the marketing of the out...

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued the directions on maintenance of Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) by banks. To whom are the directions applicable? The directions are applicable to the following Regulated Entities (REs) – Commercial Banks  Small Finance Banks (SFBs) Payments Banks (PBs) Local Area Banks (LABs) Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks (UCBs) Rural Co-operative Banks – State Co-operative Banks (StCBs) District Central Co-operative Banks (DCCBs) What is CRR? Every bank shall maintain in India by way of cash reserve, a sum equivalent to such percent of its Net Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL) in India, as the RBI in terms of Section 42(1) of the RBI Act, 1934 (for scheduled banks) and Section 18(1) of the Banking Regulation Act (BR Act), 1949 (for non-scheduled banks) [including provisions of Section 18(1) of the BR Act as applicable to co-operative banks], may specify. What is incremental CRR? In terms of Secti...

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued directions on issuance of credit cards and debit cards. To whom are the directions applicable? The directions are applicable to the following Regulated Entities (REs) – Commercial Banks  Small Finance Banks (SFBs) Payments Banks (PBs) Local Area Banks (LABs) Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks (UCBs) Rural Co-operative Banks – State Co-operative Banks (StCBs) District Central Co-operative Banks (DCCBs) Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) for all layers – NBFC-Investment and Credit Companies (NBFC-ICC) NBFC-Factor  NBFC-Micro Finance Institutions (NBFC-MFI)  Housing Finance Company (HFC)  What is a credit card? Credit Card is a physical / virtual payment instrument issued with a pre-approved revolving credit limit that can be used to purchase goods and services or draw cash advances. What is a debit card? Debit Card is a physical / virtual payment instrument linked to a Savings Bank / Current Accoun...

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has consolidated the guidelines governing Special Rupee Vostro Accounts (SRVAs). Who can open and maintain Special Rupee Vostro Accounts (SRVAs)? Authorised Dealer (AD) banks in India may open Special Rupee Vostro Accounts (SRVAs) of its branch outside India or a bank resident outside India. Which transactions can be settled through SRVA? The settlement of cross-border trade transactions through SRVA is an additional arrangement for invoicing, payment and settlement of exports and imports in Indian Rupee (INR).  All permissible capital and current account transactions under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) may be settled through the SRVA.  AD banks maintaining SRVA are permitted to open additional current account for exporter / importer, exclusively for settlement of export / import transactions. What can be the source and use of funds in SRVA? SRVA may be funded by way of inward remittances or transfer from other repatriable INR accounts in t...

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued directions on credit derivatives. What is Credit Derivative? Credit derivative means a derivative contract whose value is derived from the credit risk of an underlying debt instrument or an index of underlying debt instruments. What is Credit Default Swap (CDS) and Total Return Swap (TRS)? Credit Default Swap (CDS) means a credit derivative contract in which one counterparty (protection seller) commits to pay to the other counterparty (protection buyer) in the case of a credit event with respect to a reference entity and in return, the protection buyer makes periodic payments (premium) to the protection seller until the maturity of the contract or the credit event, whichever is earlier. Total Return Swap (TRS) means a credit derivative contract under which one counterparty (total return payer) commits to transfer the entire economic performance of a reference asset to the other counterparty (total return receiver), and, in return, receives a pre-d...

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has updated the regulations on deposits between a person resident in India and a person resident outside India. What are the restrictions on deposits between a person resident in India and a person resident outside India? No person resident in India shall accept any deposit from, or make any deposit with, a person resident outside India. However, the following deposits are exempted – Deposits held in rupee accounts maintained by foreign diplomatic missions and diplomatic personnel and their family members in India with an authorised dealer. Deposits held by diplomatic missions and diplomatic personnel in special rupee accounts namely Diplomatic Bond Stores Account to facilitate purchases of bonded stocks from firms and companies who have been granted special facilities by customs authorities for import of stores into bond. The funds in the account may be repatriated outside India without the approval of the RBI. Deposits held in accounts maintained in foreig...

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued guidelines on the conduct of Government business by Agency Banks (ABs), payment of agency commission to ABs and disbursement of Government pension by ABs. Who are ABs? ABs mean all Public Sector Banks (PSBs), scheduled Private Sector Banks (PVBs), scheduled Payments Banks (PBs), and scheduled Small Finance Banks (SFBs) appointed by the RBI under Section 45 of the RBI Act, 1934, by mutual agreement, to carry out Government banking business of the Central Government (CG) / State Governments (SGs). What is agency commission? Agency commission means the remuneration paid by the RBI to an AB in consideration of it acting as an agent of the RBI in the conduct of general banking business of the CG and the SGs at the places and in the manner specified in the agreement between the RBI and the bank, with the exception of the functions relating to the management of the public debt. What are the guidelines on appointment of ABs? Any eligible bank which intend...