On a review, it has been decided to allow companies in the infrastructure sector, where infrastructure is as defined under the extant guidelines on External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) to avail of trade credit up to a maximum period of five years for import of capital goods as classified by DGFT subject to the following conditions: -

Banks can henceforth extend financial assistance to support the factoring business of Factoring Companies which comply with the following criteria: (a) The companies qualify as factoring companies and carry out their business under the provisions of the Factoring Regulation Act, 2011 and Notifications issued by the Reserve Bank in this regard from time to time.

On a review, it has been decided to allow refinancing of such bridge finance (if in the nature of buyers’/suppliers’ credit) availed of, with an ECB under the automatic route subject to the following conditions:- (i) the buyers’/suppliers’ credit is refinanced through an ECB before the maximum permissible period of trade credit;

On a review, it has been decided: (a) to enhance the maximum permissible limit of ECB that can be availed of to 75 per cent of the average foreign exchange earnings realized during the immediate past three financial years or 50 per cent of the highest foreign exchange earnings realized in any of the immediate past three financial years, whichever is higher;

In terms of Regulation 6 (2) of the Notification ibid, “Notwithstanding anything contained in these Regulations, investment in Pakistan shall not be permitted.” It has now been decided that the overseas direct investment by Indian Parties in Pakistan shall henceforth be considered under the approval route under Regulation 9 of the Notification, ibid.

Please refer to our Circular DBOD. No. Leg BC. 91 /09.07.005/2007-08 dated June 4, 2008 on the captioned subject advising that all banking facilities such as cheque book facility including third party cheques, ATM facility, Net banking facility, locker facility, retail loans, credit cards etc., are invariably offered to visually challenged persons without any discrimination as they are legally competent to contract

It has now been decided to allow QFIs to hedge their currency risk on account of their permissible investments (in equity and debt instruments), as per the details given in the Annex.

Borrowing and lending of Indian Rupees between two persons resident in India does not attract the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999. In case where a Rupee loan is granted against the guarantee provided by a person resident outside India, there is no transaction involving foreign exchange until the guarantee is invoked and the non-resident guarantor is required to meet the liability under the guarantee.

. It has now been decided to allow a limited two way fungibility for IDRs (similar to the limited two way fungibility facility available for ADRs/GDRs) subject to the following terms and conditions:

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked regional rural and co-operative banks to modify Fixed Deposit account opening forms to allow premature withdrawal of FD on death of one of the joint account holders without any penalty. Under the modified norms, it will be easier for the surviving joint account holders to go for premature withdrawal of FD in the event of death of the other.