RBI Circular Notification Press Release and Instructions issued by Reserve bank of India. News and Article on provisions, Rate changes, Policy changes and FAQ
Fema / RBI : The article explains how routing Indian funds through offshore structures and reinvesting them into India may violate FEMA and att...
Fema / RBI : RBI has introduced a concessional forex swap facility allowing eligible PSUs to hedge ECB and OFCB exposures at a fixed 1.50% cost...
Fema / RBI : RBI's KYC framework mandates customer identification, risk categorization, and ongoing monitoring to combat money laundering and t...
Fema / RBI : The article explains RBI’s decision to reduce the export proceeds realization period from 15 months to 9 months and its impact o...
Fema / RBI : Companies receiving foreign investment must comply with reporting, valuation, and approval requirements under FEMA. Failure to do ...
Fema / RBI : RBI has clarified reporting requirements, valuation methods, submission procedures, and entity obligations under the Portfolio Inv...
Fema / RBI : The amendment redefines revenue reserves by excluding provisions for liabilities and depreciation. This ensures clearer classifica...
Fema / RBI : RBI revises the definition of revenue reserves to exclude provisions and liabilities. The change enhances transparency and consist...
Fema / RBI : The Reserve Bank of India has removed a key provision from capital adequacy norms to ensure consistency with updated investment ru...
Fema / RBI : RBI introduces annual IFR assessment instead of continuous compliance for RRBs. The change reduces operational burden while mainta...
Fema / RBI : The key issue was whether cash falls within the definition of property under the PBPT Act. The Tribunal ruled that cash is a tangi...
Fema / RBI : The case examined whether Indian assets could remain seized after foreign asset value was repatriated. The Tribunal ruled that onc...
Fema / RBI : The appellant claimed the disputed funds were received unknowingly and had attempted to return them. The Tribunal granted relief b...
Fema / RBI : The Tribunal held that bank accounts cannot remain frozen merely because the account holder is related to a suspect or under inves...
Fema / RBI : The Tribunal held that retention of seized assets can continue under Section 8(3) when a PMLA prosecution complaint is already pen...
Fema / RBI : RBI has issued draft amendment directions to harmonise governance standards for risk management, compliance, and internal audit fu...
Fema / RBI : RBI has released draft amendment directions on the Standardised Approach for Counterparty Credit Risk after reviewing legal and re...
Fema / RBI : RBI's 2026 amendment directions permit AIFIs to finance listed InvITs but impose stringent conditions relating to valuation, lever...
Fema / RBI : RBI has amended the Small Finance Banks framework to permit lending to listed InvITs while imposing detailed conditions on leverag...
Fema / RBI : The RBI has classified bank exposures to REITs as Commercial Real Estate exposures with specified risk weights. Overseas branch le...
Attention of the Authorised Dealer Category – I (AD Category – I) banks is invited to Regulation 4 of Notification No.FEMA 22 /2000-RB dated May 3, 2000, viz., Foreign Exchange Management (Establishment in India of Branch or Office or other Place of Business) Regulations, 2000, as amended from time to time, in terms of which, no person, being a citizen of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iran or China, shall establish in India, a branch office or a liaison office or a project office or any other place of business by whatever name called, without the prior permission of the Reserve Bank. Attention of the AD Category -I banks is also invited to the A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 37 dated November 15, 2003 which provides the guidelines regarding general permission to a foreign entity for setting up a Project office in India, subject to certain conditions.
Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, is intended to consolidate the law regulating the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution or foreign hospitality by certain individuals or associations or companies and to prohibit acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution or foreign hospitality for any activities detrimental to the national interest and for matters connected therewith. The Act extends to the whole of India, to its citizens outside India and also to associate branches or subsidiaries outside India, of companies or body corporate, registered or incorporated in India.
Keeping in view public interest, it has been decided that State and Central Co-operative Banks / Regional Rural Banks should, in addition to the instructions contained in the above mentioned circular, play a more pro-active role in finding the whereabouts of the accountholders of unclaimed deposits/ inoperative accounts. They are, therefore, advised to display the list of unclaimed deposits/inoperative accounts which are inactive / inoperative for ten years or more on their respective websites. The list so displayed on the websites must contain only the names of the account holder(s) and his/her address in respect of unclaimed deposits/inoperative accounts. In case such accounts are not in the name of individuals, the names of individuals authorized to operate the accounts should also be indicated. However, the account number, its type and the name of the branch shall not be disclosed on the bank’s website. The list so published should also provide a “Find” option to enable the public to search the list of accounts by name of the account holder.
The Reserve Bank of India, RBI on Tuesday asked banks to locate and refund unclaimed deposits estimated at over 1700 crore rupees. In an instruction to banks, the RBI said that banks in public interest must play a more pro-active role by finding the whereabouts of the account holders of unclaimed deposits and inoperative accounts.
Directorate of Enforcement Vs. Subhash Muljimal Gandhi ( Delhi HC)- that interest at the rate of 6% per annum under Rule 8 could have been awarded to the respondent on the seized Indian currency only. The learned Single Judge has however applying the said Rule also awarded interest on the seized foreign currency and which cannot be sustained. The Division Bench of this Court in Neeraj Kumar (supra) has held that a writ remedy cannot be availed to circumvent the non grant of interest by the authority, Commissioner, Central Excise in that case. It was also observed that in any event a writ petition for award of interest simplicitor was not maintainable in view of the availability of alternate remedy by way of appeal or by way of a suit. . Else the position is squarely covered by Suganmal and M/s Orient Enterprise (supra) and this writ petition in the nature of enforcement of a civil liability that is claim for interest in the nature of compensation for wrongful retention of money is not maintainable. It is not as if payment of interest under Rule 8 (ii) was mandatory (as under Rule 8(i)) and which could be enforced by way of a writ petition. The impugned judgment awarding interest under Rule 8(i) qua Indian currency also can thus not be sustained.
As per the extant ECB procedures, requests for reduction in the amount of ECB, changes in the drawdown schedule where the original average maturity period is not maintained and reduction in the all-in-cost of the ECB after obtaining the Loan Registration Number (LRN) is required to be referred by the AD Category-I bank to the Foreign Exchange Department, Central Office, Reserve Bank of India for necessary approval.
Keeping in view public interest, it has been decided that banks should, in addition to the instructions contained in the above mentioned circular, play a more pro-active role in finding the whereabouts of the accountholders of unclaimed deposits/ inoperative accounts. Banks are, therefore, advised that they should display the list of unclaimed deposits/inoperative accounts which are inactive / inoperative for ten years or more on their respective websites
We clarify that the revised guidelines issued vide our circular referred to above would be applicable to domestic savings bank deposits held by residents in India. Further, the interest rates applicable on the domestic savings deposit will be determined on the basis of end-of-day balance in the account. Accordingly, while calculating interest on domestic savings bank deposits, banks are required to apply the uniform rate set by them on end-of-day balance up to Rs. 1 lakh and for any end-of-day balance exceeding Rs.1 lakh, banks may apply the differential rate(s) as fixed by them.
The Reserve Bank of India has today reiterated that it never contacts the public via unsolicited phone calls or emails asking for money or any other type of personal information. The Reserve Bank does not maintain/give money/foreign currency or any other type of funds to individual or opens accounts for/in the name of individuals. The Reserve Bank has urged the public to remain alert and not to fall prey to frauds or scams perpetrated by individuals who impersonate to be employees of the Reserve Bank of India.
The Act stipulates that certain persons are totally barred from accepting any foreign contribution. The term ‘foreign contribution’ is defined in Clause (h) of Section 2 of the Act to mean the donation, delivery or transfer made by a foreign source of any article (not being an article of gift for personal use, the market value of which is not more than the specified amount), currency (whether Indian or foreign) or any security. The following are the persons prohibited from accepting foreign contribution:
