[ECB] No objection for Corporate Guarantee after Board Resolution

External Commercial Borrowings Policy – Liberalization Issue of Guarantee for operating lease

As all of you aware that in term of AP DIR Circular No.24 dated March 01, 2002 AD Category – I banks have been permitted to allow payment of lease rentals, opening of letters of credit towards security deposit, etc. in respect of import of aircraft / aircraft engine / helicopter on operating lease basis subject to the terms and conditions mentioned therein.

Further, in terms of AP DIR Circular No.01 dated July 11, 2008, as a measure of rationalization of the existing procedures, AD Category - I banks have been allowed to convey ‘no objection’ under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999 for creation of charge on immovable assets, financial securities and issue of corporate or personal guarantees in favour of overseas lender / security trustee, to secure the ECB to be raised by the borrower, subject to compliance of prescribed conditions.

As part of further rationalization, vide AP (DIR Series) Circular No.62 dated April 20, 2009, it has been decided to allow AD Category – I banks to convey ‘no objection’ from the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999 angle for issue of corporate guarantee in favour of the overseas lessee, for operating lease in respect of import of aircraft / aircraft engine / helicopter.

The ‘no objection’ to the Indian importer for issue of corporate guarantee under FEMA, 1999 may be conveyed after obtaining –

• Board Resolution for issue of corporate guarantee from the company issuing such guarantees, specifying names of the officials authorised to execute such guarantees on behalf of the company.
• Ensuring that the period of such corporate guarantee is co-terminus with the lease period.

Click here - AP (DIR Series) Circular No.62 dated April 20, 2009

[FTP-Hp] LUT & BG for duty credit scrips before realisation of export proceeds

Obtaining transferable duty credit scrips made easier

Source: TNC Rajagopalan / New Delhi April 06, 2009, 0:09 IST

Ref: Handbook of Procedures (FTP)

The Director General of Foreign Trade has notified the procedures for executing legal undertaking and bank guarantee for obtaining transferable duty credit scrips under Duty Entitlement Passbook scheme and under the reward schemes such as Focus Product Scheme, Focus Market Scheme etc. before realisation of export proceeds. The formats of legal undertaking and bank guarantee have also been notified

The good news is recognised export houses and PSUs need not furnish bank guarantees. Manufacturer exporters registered with Central Excise and with exports in the preceding two years of at least Rs 1 crore and manufacturer exporters who have paid excise duty of over Rs 1 crore in the preceding year need not execute bank guarantee.

The relevant Public Notice (no. 167/2008 dated 30th March 2009) says the applicant shall execute the legal undertaking and bank guarantee as per Customs circular no. 58/2004 dated 21st October 200 4. The said circular exempts exporters who have a turnover (physical exports) of Rs 5 crore in the current or preceding fiscal and having a track record of three years of exports.

Other manufacturer exporters need furnish bank guarantee of only 15 per cent of the amount of legal undertaking. Other exporters have to furnish bank guarantee covering 100 per cent of the amount involved.

Apparently, the amount of legal undertaking should cover the full duty credit amount. The exporter, however, has the option to file a revolving legal undertaking for a higher amount which will act as a limit i.e., within the limit, it will be debited if a duty credit scrip is issued and credited whenever the exporter submits evidence of realisation of export proceeds relating to any shipping bill against which the duty credit scrip was issued.

The revolving legal undertaking has to be submitted separately for each scheme. The legal undertaking/bank guarantee should be kept valid for 24 months from the let export order date. Perhaps, the DGFT expects that few payments will be delayed beyond 24 months from the date of exports.

The DGFT circular says that in case the export proceeds are not realised within 12 months of export, the exporter should either produce Reserve Bank approval extending the period for realisation of export proceeds or deposit amount equal to the duty credit or produce duty credit scrip for debit of equivalent amount within further 60 days failing which he will have to pay, in addition, 15 per cent per annum interest on the duty credit amount. The legal undertaking/bank guarantee will be enforced if the exporter does not surrender the benefits.

The Customs credit the duty drawback at All Industry Rates in the exporter’s bank account immediately after shipment based on only a declaration along with the shipping bill. The exporter is not required to submit a bond or bank guarantee but a six monthly certificate of export bills outstanding beyond the period allowed by RBI from authorised dealer(s) or chartered accountant.

Click here to understand Foreign Trade Policy 2004-2009.

FII’s rush with your debt request to SEBI tonight when clock ticks 23:59 PM IST

Yes, as you are aware the Government of India reviewed the External Commercial Borrowing policy and increased the cumulative debt investment limit by USD 9 billion (from USD 6 billion to USD 15 billion) for FII investments in Corporate Debt.  Click here for the amendment.

1. As per SEBI circular No. IMD/FII & C/37/2009 dated February 06, 2009 USD 8 billion shall be allocated to the FIIs/ sub-accounts in an open bidding platform.
2. The remaining limit for investment in corporate debt shall be allocated among the FIIs/sub-accounts on a ‘first come first served’ basis in terms of SEBI circular dated January 31, 2008, subject to a ceiling of Rs.249 cr. per registered entity.
3. The debt requests in this regard shall be forwarded to the dedicated email id fii_debtrequests@sebi.gov.in . The window for first come first served process shall open at 23:59 PM IST, March 17, 2009. Time period for utilization of the allocated debt limit through first come first served shall be 11 working days from the date of the allocation.

Find more details of this circular no. IMD/FII & C/38/2009 dated March 13, 2009 in http://www.sebi.gov.in/circulars/2009/fii382009.html

Now Buy Back FCCB till 31st December 2009

1. Attention of Authorized Dealer Category - I (AD Category - I) banks is invited to the A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No.39 dated December 08, 2008 on the captioned subject. In terms of Para 7 of the above circular, the entire procedure of buyback should be completed by the Indian Companies by March 31, 2009.

2. It has been decided to extend the date for completing the entire procedure for buyback of FCCBs from March 31, 2009 to December 31, 2009. Accordingly, the entire procedure of buyback should be completed by December 31, 2009.

3. All the other terms and conditions of buyback / prepayment of FCCBs as mentioned in A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No.39 dated December 08, 2008, shall remain unchanged.

For the status before this amendment, kindly click Prepayment of FCCB.

Click here for the said amendment RBI/2008-09/411 A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 58 dated 13th March 2009.

[Press Note 2009]FDI, Downstream Invesment, clarification & types of companies

Downstream investment refers to either fresh investment or acquisition by foreign-owned Indian holding company in a project of different activity which may or may not belong to the same group.

Click here for Press Note 2 of 2009 series regarding "Guidelines for calculation of total foreign investment i.e. direct and indirect foreign investment, including downstream investment in any or all Indian companies". 'Downstream investment' means indirect foreign investment by one Indian company into another Indian company by way of subscription or acquisition in terms of Press Note 2 of 2009. Para 5.2 of the said Press Note provides the guidelines for calculation of indirect foreign investment with conditions specified in para 5.5. It has definition of terms "when an Indian Company is owned and controlled by resident Indian citizens" OR "when an Indian company is owned or controlled by non-resident entities" OR "foreign investment". Download Press Note 2 from http://siadipp.nic.in/policy/changes/pn2_2009.pdf

Click here for Press Note 3 of 2009 series regarding "Guidelines for transfer of ownership or control of Indian companies in sectors with caps from resident Indian citizens to non-resident entities" with definition of terms "owned by resident Indian citizens & Indian companies" OR "controlled by resident Indian citizens or Indian companies" OR "owned by non-resident entities" OR "controlled by non-resident entities". It is clarified that these guidelines will not apply for sectors/activities where there are no foreign investment caps, that is, 100% foreign investment is permitted under the automatic route. Download Press Note 2 from http://siadipp.nic.in/policy/changes/pn3_2009.pdf

Click here for Press Note 4 of 2009 series regarding "Clarificatory guidelines on downstream investment by Indian Companies". The 'guiding principle' is that downstream investment by companies 'owned' or 'controlled' by non resident entities would require to follow the same norms as a direct foreign investment i.e. only as much can be done by way of indirect foreign investment through downstream investment in terms of Press Note 2 (2009 series) as can be done through direct foreign investment and what can be done directly can be done indirectly under same norms. It has definitions of "operating company" OR "investing company". It can be downloaded from http://siadipp.nic.in/policy/changes/pn4_2009.pdf

The classification for the purpose of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) include:
Only Operating Companies - to comply with respective sectoral conditions & caps for foreign investment.
Operating-cum-investing companies - to comply with respective sectoral conditions & caps for foreign investment and the subject Indian companies into which downstream investments are made by such companies should also comply with its respective sectoral conditions & caps.
Investing companies - require prior approval of Government or FIPB for foreign investment and the subject Indian companies into which downstream investments are made by such companies should also comply with its respective sectoral conditions & caps.
Companies with no operations or downstream investments - require approval of Government or FIPB for foreign investment and when such company commences business or makes downstream investment it will have to comply with its respective sectoral conditions & caps.

Downstream investment by OTHER THAN 'only operating companies' is subject to following conditions:

1. To notify SIA, DIPP and FIPB of its downstream investment within 30 days of such investment even if equity shares/CCPS/CCD have not been allotted;
2. If by way of induction of foreign equity in an existing Indian Company to be duly supported by a resolution of the Board of Directors supporting the said induction as also a shareholders Agreement if any;
3. Issue/transfer/pricing/valuation of shares shall be in accordance with applicable SEBI/RBI guidelines;
4. Investing companies would have to bring in requisite funds from abroad and not leverage funds (not raising debts) from domestic market for such investments.

Thats it about Press Notes 2, 3 & 4 of 2009. TO keep track of Press Notes, click http://yehseeyes.blogspot.com/search/label/Industries%20DIPP

Like it subscribe it, Get See Yes -> Yes, ACS delivered by email

[FDI-DIPP]Print Media liberalisation & read Indian Wall Street Journal now

Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion has issued press Note 1 of (2009 Series) dated 14th January 2009 amending FDI policies in Print Media in particular News & Current affairs matters.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in publication of facsimile edition of foreign newspapers:

· FDI up to 100% is permitted with prior approval of FIPB in publication of facsimile edition of foreign newspapers.

· Investment should be made by the owner of the original foreign newspaper(s) whose facsimile edition is proposed to be brought out in India.

· Business can be undertaking only by an entity incorporated or registered in India under the provisions of the Companies Act.

· Publication of facsimile edition of foreign newspaper would also be subject to the Guidelines for publication of newspapers and periodicals dealing with news and current affairs and publication of facsimile edition of foreign newspapers issued by Ministry of Information & Broadcasting on 31.3.2006, as amended from time to time.

Foreign investment in publication of Indian editions of foreign magazines dealing with news and current affairs.

• FDI upto 26% including investment by NRIs/PIOs/FII, is permitted with prior approval FIPB.
• 'Magazine', for the purpose of these guidelines, will be defined as a periodical publication, brought out on non-daily basis, containing public news or comments on public news.

· Foreign investment would also be subject to the Guidelines for Publication of Indian editions of foreign magazines dealing with news and current affairs issued by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting on 4.12.2008.

Click here for the Press Note 1 2009 series http://siadipp.nic.in/policy/changes/pn1_2009.pdf

So, whats the impact of this amendment

A facsimile edition is an exact replica of an international edition that meets certain conditions and cannot carry separate advertisements aimed at Indian readers or locally generated content or India-specific content, not published in the original edition of the foreign newspaper.

The all new Indian edition was added to the WSJ.com website this weekend and includes coverage from the New Delhi and Mumbai bureaus of Wall Street Journal which can be read from http://india.wsj.com/

For your kind information, Wall Street Journal also has a partnership with Hindustan Times in India to publish Mint - a business newspaper that is available in both print and online edition at livemint.com.

And you will find many more Indian editions of e-newspapers & foreign magazines.

[FEMA]use only your own debit/credit/prepaid cards for private travel/visit abroad & comply KYC

RBI/2008-09/318
A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 40
A. P. (FL Series) Circular No. 03 dated 10th December 2008

Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 –
Foreign Travel – Mode of payment in Rupees

Attention of Authorised Dealers Category I & II and Full Fledged Money Changers (FFMCs) is invited to paragraph A.10 of the Annexure to A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No.19 dated October 30, 2000, in terms of which Authorised Dealers may accept payment in cash up to Rs. 50,000 (Rupees Fifty Thousand only) against sale of foreign exchange for travel abroad (for private visit or for any other purpose). Wherever the sale of foreign exchange exceeds the amount equivalent to Rs.50,000, the payment must be received only by a -

(i) crossed cheque drawn on the applicant's bank account

or

(ii) crossed cheque drawn on the bank account of the firm/company sponsoring the visit of the applicant

or

(iii) Banker's cheque / Pay Order / Demand Draft.

2. With a view to provide flexibility in the mode of payment against sale of foreign exchange, in addition to the payment by Rupees / through crossed cheque / Banker's cheque / Pay order / Demand draft, Authorised Dealers Category I & II and FFMCs may also accept the payments made by the traveller through debit cards / credit cards / prepaid cards for travel abroad (for private visit or for any other purpose) provided -

(i) KYC / AML guidelines are complied with,

(ii) sale of foreign currency / issue of foreign currency travellers' cheques is within the limits (credit / prepaid cards) prescribed by the bank,

(iii) the purchaser of foreign currency / foreign currency travellers' cheque and the credit / debit / prepaid card holder is one and the same person.

3. Authorised Dealers Category I & II and Full Fledged Money Changers may bring the contents of the circular to the notice of their constituents and customers concerned.

4. The directions contained in this circular have been issued under Section 10(4) and Section 11(1) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (42 of 1999) and is without prejudice to permissions / approvals, if any, required under any other law.

[FEMA]BuyBack FCCB@15%/25% discount under Automatic/Approval Route now

Buyback / Prepayment of Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCBs) RBI/2008-09/317 A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 39 dated December 08, 2008 To, All Category - I Authorised Dealer Banks Madam / Sir, Buyback / Prepayment of Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCBs) Attention of Authorised Dealer Category - I (AD Category - I) banks is invited to Regulation No. 21 of Part III and Schedule I to the Notification No. FEMA 120 /RB-2004 dated July 7, 2004, as amended from time to time, relating to FCCBs. Attention of AD Category - I banks is also invited to A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No.5 dated August 1, 2005, A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No.60 dated May 21, 2007, A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 4 dated August 7, 2007, A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 43 dated May 29, 2008, A.P. (DIR Series) No. 16 dated September 22, 2008, A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No.20 dated October 10, 2008 and A. P. (DIR Series) No. 26 dated October 22, 2008 relating to instructions / guidelines in respect of External Commercial Borrowings, which are also applicable, mutatis mutandis, to FCCBs. 2. Under the extant ECB Guidelines, AD Category - I banks are permitted to allow prepayment of ECB up to USD 500 million without prior approval of the Reserve Bank, subject to compliance with the stipulated minimum average maturity period as applicable to the loan. Further, existing ECB can be refinanced by raising a fresh ECB, subject to the conditions that the fresh ECB is raised at a lower all-in-cost and the outstanding maturity of the original ECB is maintained. The existing provisions for prepayment and refinancing will continue, as hitherto. 3. As announced in para 4 (v) of the Press Release 2008:2009/697 dated November 15, 2008, Reserve Bank has been considering proposals, under the approval route, from Indian companies for buyback of their FCCBs, provided the buyback is financed out of their foreign currency resources held in India or abroad and / or out of fresh external commercial borrowing (ECB) raised in conformity with the current ECB norms. 4. As announced in para 12 of the Press Release 2008-2009/842 dated December 6, 2008, the existing policy on the premature buyback of FCCBs has been reviewed and it has been decided to liberalise the procedure and consider applications for buyback of FCCBs by Indian companies, both under the automatic and approval routes, as detailed hereunder: A. Automatic Route: The designated AD Category - I banks may allow Indian companies to prematurely buyback FCCBs, subject to compliance with the terms and conditions set out hereunder : i) the buyback value of the FCCB shall be at a minimum discount of 15 per cent on the book value; ii) the funds used for the buyback shall be out of existing foreign currency funds held either in India (including funds held in EEFC account) or abroad and / or out of fresh ECB raised in conformity with the current ECB norms; and iii) where the fresh ECB is co-terminus with the outstanding maturity of the original FCCB and is for less than three years, the all-in-cost ceiling should not exceed 6 months Libor plus 200 bps, as applicable to short term borrowings. In other cases, the all-in-cost for the relevant maturity of the ECB, as laid down in A. P. (DIR Series) No.26 dated October 22, 2008 shall apply. B. Approval Route: The Reserve Bank will consider proposals from Indian companies for buyback of FCCBs under the approval route, subject to compliance with the following conditions: i) the buyback value of the FCCB shall be at a minimum discount of 25 per cent on the book value; ii) the funds used for the buyback shall be out of internal accruals, to be evidenced by Statutory Auditor and designated AD Category - I bank's certificate; and iii) the total amount of buyback shall not exceed USD 50 million of the redemption value, per company. Applications complying with the above conditions may be submitted, together with the supporting documents, through the designated AD Category - I bank, to the Chief General Manager-in-Charge, Reserve Bank of India, Foreign Exchange Department, ECB Division, Central Office, 11th Floor, Central Office Building, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, Mumbai-400 001, for necessary approval. 5. General Conditions In addition to the conditions set out above, the following additional conditions shall be applicable for the proposals both under the automatic and approval routes: (i) The FCCB should have been issued in compliance with the extant guidelines. (ii) The FCCB should have been registered with the Reserve Bank; the LRN number obtained and ECB 2 returns submitted up to date. (iii) No proceedings for contravention of FEMA are pending against the company. (iv) The right for buyback is vested with the issuer of FCCBs. However, the actual buyback is subject to the consent of the bond holders. (v) The FCCBs bought back / repurchased from the holders must be cancelled and should not be re-issued or re-sold. (vi) The buyback will not have any effect on the bond holders not opting for the buyback or on the non-participating bond holders of companies opting for the buyback. (vii) The Indian company shall open an escrow account with the branch or subsidiary of an Indian bank overseas or an international bank for buying back the FCCBs to ensure that the funds are used only for the buyback. 6. The existing requirement of submission of ECB 2 return will continue as hitherto. Further, on completion of the buyback, a report giving details of buyback, such as, the outstanding amount of FCCBs, book value of FCCBs bought back, rate at which FCCBs bought back, amount involved, and source/s of funds may be submitted, through the designated AD Category - I bank, to the Chief General Manager-in-Charge, Reserve Bank of India, Foreign Exchange Department, ECB Division, Central Office, 11th Floor, Central Office Building, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, Mumbai-400 001. 7. This facility will come into force with immediate effect and the entire procedure of buyback should be completed by March 31, 2009. 8. AD Category - I banks may bring the contents of this circular to the notice of their constituents and customers concerned. 9. The directions contained in this circular have been issued under sections 10(4) and 11 (1) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (42 of 1999) and is without prejudice to permissions / approvals, if any, required under any other law. Yours faithfully, (Salim Gangadharan) Chief General Manager-in-Charge

[FEMA]StandbyLetterOfCredit/BankGuarantee-OverseasCommodityDerivativeContractUPTO 1 year

RBI/2008-09/277
A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No.35
10th November 2008

Remittance related to Commodity Derivative Contract
Issuance of Standby Letter of Credit / Bank Guarantee

Attention of Authorised Dealer Category - I (AD Category-I) banks is invited to Regulation 8 of Notification No.FEMA.25/2000-RB dated May 3, 2000 viz. Foreign Exchange Management (Foreign exchange derivative contracts) Regulations, 2000, as amended from time to time, regarding remittance of foreign exchange related to commodity derivative contract undertaken in accordance with the regulations.

2. The Reserve Bank has been receiving requests from banks for issuance of bank guarantee / standby letter of credit, in lieu of making a direct remittance towards payment obligations arising out of commodity derivative transactions entered into by customers with overseas counterparties. With a view to providing greater flexibility to resident entities who have such payment obligations related to commodity derivative contracts, it has been decided that AD Category-I banks may issue guarantees / standby letters of credit to cover these specific payment obligations subject to the conditions / guidelines given in the Annex to this Circular.

3. AD Category-I banks may issue guarantees / standby letters of credit only where the remittance is covered under the delegated authority or under the specific approval granted for overseas commodity hedging by the Reserve Bank.

4. The issuing bank shall have a Board approved policy on the nature and extent of exposures that the bank can take for such transactions and should be part of the credit exposure on the customers. The exposure should also be assigned risk weights, for capital adequacy purposes as per the extant provisions.

As per the Guideline,
1. It is to be issued for the specific purpose of payment of margin money [not exceeding the margin payments made to the specific counterparty during the previous FY] in respect of approved commodity hedging activities of the company.

2. After marking a lien & for a period UPTO 1 year & compliance of guidelines for overseas commodity hedging.

3. Broker's month-end reports duly confirmed / countersigned by corporate's financial controller have to be submitted and verified by the bank to ensure that all off-shore positions are / were backed by physical exposures.

[FEMA]NRE accounts - credit proceeds of account payee cheques

Foreign Exchange Management (Deposit) Regulations, 2000 Credit to Non Resident (External) Rupee Accounts - Clarification

RBI/2008-09/276
A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No.34

November 10, 2008

To

All Category - I Authorised Dealer Banks and Authorised Banks

Madam / Sir,

Foreign Exchange Management (Deposit) Regulations, 2000
Credit to Non Resident (External) Rupee Accounts - Clarification

Attention of Authorised Dealer Category - I (AD Category-I) banks and Authorised Banks is invited to A.P.(DIR Series) Circular No.45 dated May 30, 2008 on the captioned subject. In this connection, it is clarified that AD Category-I banks and authorised banks may credit proceeds of account payee cheques also in addition to demand drafts / bankers' cheques, issued against encashment of foreign currency to the NRE account of the NRI account holder where the instruments issued to the NRE account holder are supported by encashment certificate issued by AD Category-I / Category-II.

[FEMA]Allocation of FII Investments - irrespective of Debt or Equity

Dear All,

Allocation of FII Investment between debt and equity

As you aware of that as per extent Schedule of the Foreign Exchange Management (Transfer or Issue of any Foreign Secuity) Regulations, 2004, in terms of which Foreign Institutional Investors are allowed to purchase, on repatriation basis, dated Government securities/treasury bills, listed non-convertible debentures/bonds, commercial papers issued by an Indian company and units of domestic mutual funds and Security Receipts issued by Asset Reconstruction Companies either directly from the issuer of such securities or through a registered stock broker on a recognized stock exchange in India, subject to:

1. The FII shall restrict allocation of its total investment between equity and debt instruments (including dated Government Securities and Treasury Bills in the Indian capital market) in the ratio of 70:30

2. If the FII desires to invest up to 100 per cent in dated Government Securities including Treasury Bills, non-convertible debentures/bonds issued by an Indian company, it shall form a 100 per cent debt fund and get such fund registered with SEBI; and

3. The total holding by a single FII in each tranche of scheme of Security Receipts shall not exceed 10 per cent of the issue and the total holdings of all FIIs put together shall not exceed 49 per cent of the paid up value of each tranche of scheme of Security Receipts issued by the Asset Reconstruction Companies.

In order to accord flexibility to the FIIs to allocate their investments across equity and debt instruments, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) , vide its Circular No IMD/FII & C/33/2007 dated October 16, 2008 has dispensed with the conditions provided in Regulation 15 (2) of the SEBI FII Regulations pertaining to restrictions of 70: 30 ratio of investments in equity and debt, respectively. Accordingly, it has been decided, to dispense with the existing provisions under FEMA Regulations vide AP DIR Circular No.25 dated 17^th October 2008. However, the stipulations made in point no 3 above in respect of FII holdings in security receipts issued by Asset Reconstruction Companies shall continue.

So, now there is no restriction for investment by FII with regard to allocation of product like equity, debt etc w.e.f 17th Oct 2008.

--
Thanks & Regards
Alagar
CSchennai
Karvy - Merchant Banking
Contact: 919790906827

[FEMA-ECB] Infrastructure sector upto USD 500 million & 7 years for USD > 100 million

RBI/2008-09/ 190 A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 16 dated September 22, 2008

Erstwhile ECB Limits

The all-in-cost ceilings for ECBs are modified as follows:

Average Maturity Period	All-in-Cost ceilings over 6 Months LIBOR*
	Existing	Revised
Three years and up to five years	200 bps	200 bps
More than five years and up to seven years	350 bps	350 bps
More than seven years [mandatory for USD in EXCESS of 100 million] Borrowers in the infrastructure sector can avail ECB UPTO 500 million per financial year under Approval Route	350 bps	450 bps
* for the respective currency of borrowing or applicable benchmark

The amendments to the ECB guidelines will come into force with immediate effect.

At present, borrowers in the infrastructure sector are allowed to avail ECB up to USD 100 million per financial year for Rupee expenditure for permissible end-uses under the Approval Route. Considering the huge funding requirements of the sector, particularly for meeting Rupee expenditure, the existing limit of USD 100 million has been raised to USD 500 million per financial year for the borrowers in the infrastructure sector for Rupee expenditure under the Approval Route. ECBs in excess of USD 100 million for Rupee expenditure should have a minimum average maturity period of 7 years.

All other aspects of the ECB policy such as USD 500 million limit per borrower per financial year under the Automatic Route, eligible borrower, recognised lender, end-use of foreign currency expenditure for import of capital goods and overseas investments, average maturity period, prepayment, refinancing of existing ECB and reporting arrangements remain unchanged. The existing limit of USD 50 million for Rupee expenditure under the Approval Route for borrowers other than those in the infrastructure sector also remains unchanged.

[FEMA] NO Bank Guarantee - Advance Remittance - Import of Services UPTO USD 5lakhs

Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 – Advance Remittances for Import of Services

As per extant regulations, AD Category – I banks are required to obtain a guarantee from a bank of international repute situated outside India or a guarantee from an AD Category – I bank in India, if such a guarantee is issued against the counter guarantee of a bank of international repute situated outside India for advance remittances exceeding USD 100,000 or its equivalent for import of services into India.

Vide AP (DIR) Circular No.15 dated 8th Sept 2008, with a view to liberalizing the procedure further, it has been decided to raise the limit of USD 100,000 for advance remittance for all admissible current account transactions for import of services without bank guarantee to USD 500,000 or its equivalent.  AD Category – I banks may frame their own guidelines to deal with such cases as per the policy approved by the bank's Board of Directors. 

 

Where the amount of advance exceeds USD 500,000 or its equivalent, a guarantee from a bank of international repute situated outside India, or a guarantee from an AD Category – I bank in India, if such a guarantee is issued against the counter-guarantee of a bank of international repute situated outside India, should be obtained from the overseas beneficiary.

 

AD Category – I banks should also follow-up to ensure that the beneficiary of the advance remittance fulfils his obligation under the contract or agreement with the remitter in India, failing which, the amount should be repatriated to India.

No Share Certificate to RBI - Overseas Investment - only Certificate with Form ODI

RBI/2008-09/155 A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 14 dated September 05,  2008

 

Old Provision

It has been decided that, henceforth, Share Certificates or any other document which is given as an EVIDENCE of Investment in the foreign entity, to the Indian Party should NOT to be submitted to the Reserve Bank, within six months, or such further period as Reserve Bank may permit, from the date of effecting remittance or the date on which the amount to be capitalised became due to the Indian Party or the date on which the amount due was allowed to be capitalised.

 

New Provision

The share certificates or any other document as evidence of investment where share certificates are not issued shall, henceforth, be submitted to and retained by the designated AD Category – I bank, who would be required to monitor the receipt of such documents and satisfy themselves about the bonafides of the documents so received.

A CERTIFICATE to this effect should be submitted by the designated AD Category – I bank to the Reserve Bank along with the APR (Part III of Form ODI) as annexed to AP (Dir Series) Circular No 68 dated June 1, 2007. 

Direct Receipt of Import Bills / Documents - limit increased to USD 3 lakhs

RBI/2008-09/149 A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 13 dated September 01, 2008

AD Category – I banks may make remittances for imports, where the import bills / documents have been received DIRECTLY by the importer from the overseas supplier AND the VALUE of import bill does not exceed USD 300,000 [erstwhile limit was USD 100,000], subject to the following conditions :

(i) The import would be subject to the prevailing Foreign Trade Policy (FTP).
(ii) The transactions are based on their commercial judgment and they are satisfied about the bonafides of the transactions.
(iii) The importer is a customer of AD Category – I bank and the customer's account is fully compliant with extant Know Your Client - KYC / AML guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank.
(iv) AD Category - I banks should do the due diligence exercise and should be fully satisfied about the financial standing / status and track record of the importer customer.
(v) It is customary in that trade to receive import documents directly from the overseas exporter.
(vi) In case the AD Category – I bank has suspicious about the genuineness of the transaction, it should be reported through the Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) to FIU_IND (Financial Intelligence Unit in India).

[FEMA]import of Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium and Silver, Credit <= 90 days

It has been decided that Suppliers’ and Buyers’ credit, including the usance period of Letters of Credit opened for import of Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium and Silver should not exceed 90 days from the date of shipment. The revised directions will come into force with immediate effect.

AD Category – I banks should ensure that due diligence is undertaken and Know-Your-Customer (KYC) norms and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) guidelines, issued by the Reserve Bank are adhered to while undertaking import of these metals. Further, any large or abnormal increase in the volume of business should be closely examined to ensure that the transactions are bonafide and are not intended for interest / currency arbitrage. All other instructions relating to import of these metals shall continue.

RBI/2008-09/147A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 12 dated 28th August 2008

[FEMA] Advance Remittance USD 50lakhs Without Bank Guarantee/Standby Letter of Credit

RBI/2008-09/134 A. P. (DIR Seris) Circular No. 09 dated August 21, 2008

Advance Remittance for Import of Goods - Liberalisation

In cases where the importer (other than a Public Sector Company or a Department / Undertaking of the Government of India / State Government) is unable to obtain bank guarantee from overseas suppliers and the AD Category – I bank is satisfied about the track record and bonafides of the importer, the requirement of the bank guarantee / standby letter of credit may not be insisted upon for advance remittance up to USD 1,000,000 or its equivalent. AD Category – I banks may frame their own internal guidelines to deal with such cases as per a suitable policy framed by the bank's Board of Directors [cf A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No.15 dated September 17, 2003].

Now, it has been decided to enhance the limit of USD 1,000,000 mentioned above to USD 5,000,000 or its equivalent, with immediate effect.

Find full detail in http://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/notification/PDFs/86458.pdf

[FEMA] USD 10lakhs per Export Shipment, Despatch Shipping Documents to Export Destination

RBI/2008-09/127 A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 06 dated August 13, 2008

Attention of Authorised Dealer Category – I (AD Category - I) banks is invited to the paragraph C .7 of A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No.12 dated September 9, 2000, in terms of which AD Category – I banks/exporters have been allowed, in certain cases, to dispatch shipping documents direct to the consignee. All other cases of dispatch of shipping documents by the exporter direct to the consignee are considered by the Reserve Bank on a case to case basis.

With view to further liberalise the facilities available to the exporters and to simplify the procedure, it has been decided to allow AD Category - I banks, to regularize cases of dispatch of shipping documents by the exporter direct to the consignee or his agent resident in the country of the final destination of goods, up to USD 1 million or its equivalent, per export shipment, subject to the following conditions:

a) The export proceeds have been realized in full.

b) The exporter is a regular customer of AD Category - I bank for a period of at least six months.

c) The exporter's account with the AD Category – I bank is fully compliant with Reserve Bank's extant KYC / AML guidelines.

d) The AD Category – I bank is satisfied about the bonafides of the transaction.

In case of doubt, the AD Category – I bank may consider filing Special Transaction Report (STR) with FIU_IND (Financial Intelligence Unit in India).

The directions for Status Holder Exporters and Units in Special Economic Zones issued vide A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 35 dated April 1, 2002 and A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 10 dated August 14, 2002, respectively, shall remain unchanged.

[FEMA] Project Offices - an additional Foreign Currency Account in India

Dear All,

 

Project Offices — Foreign Currency Accounts in India

As per Foreign Exchange Management (Establishment in India of Branch or Office or other Place of Business) Regulations, 2000, notified vide Notification No. FEMA 22/2000-RB dated May 3, 2000, Foreign Exchange Management (Remittance of Assets) Regulations, 2000, notified vide Notification No. FEMA 13/2000-RB dated May 3, 2000, as amended from time to time and A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 44 dated May 17, 2005, foreign companies having Project Offices in India are permitted to open only one foreign currency account for each project, subject to the terms and conditions as mentioned in A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 44 dated May 17, 2005. With a view to avoid currency exposures, many foreign companies have been approaching the Reserve Bank for permission to open more than one foreign currency account, usually in their home currency and another in US Dollar.

 

It has, therefore, been decided to liberalise the procedure and allow AD Category – I banks to open an additional foreign currency account for each Project Office (established under the general/specific approval of Reserve Bank) subject to the same terms and conditions as applicable to the existing foreign currency account provided that both the foreign currency accounts are maintained with the same AD Category – I bank. The other conditions mentioned in the abovementioned circular shall continue.

The above instructions shall come into force with immediate effect.

Source: A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 02 dated 31st July 2008

 

Thanks & Regards
Alagar
Investment Banking
Karvy Investor Services Limited
Chennai
Moble: 919884731993/ 919790906827

EEFC Current Accounts, no more interests because of no Interest Rate from 1.11.08

Yes,

 

RBI has reviewed & will withdraw the facility of, Interest on Exchange Earners' Foreign Currency (EEFC) accounts, to the extent of outstanding balances of USD 1 million per exporter from 1st November 2008, which will be existing till 31st October 2008, as said.

 

Till 31.10.2008 - EEFC A/C - Interest will be credited for Actual Balance OR USD 1 million per Exporter, whichever is less.

From 01.11.2008 - EEFC A/C - only be permitted to be opened and maintained in the form of Non-Interest bearing Current Accounts.

 

Do read the Notification in RBI/2008-09/118 A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 04 dated 4th August 2008