A. Promoter Group entities, which hold investments in group companies or investments in the normal course of business, are not required to come under the NOFHC. They can hold shares in the NOFHC, provided the conditions stipulated in para 2(C) (ii) & (iii) of the guidelines are met.

A. No. A financial services company of the Promoter Group cannot participate in the voting equity shares of the NOFHC.

If the Promoters/Promoter Group which has a financial services company, listed or otherwise, wishes to set up a bank, the said financial services company must transfer all its regulated financial services business to a separate company/companies and transfer the shareholding in such companies to the NOFHC. After it has transferred the regulated financial services business, it will cease to be a financial services company, and it can set up a NOFHC provided, the public shareholding in it is not less than 51 per cent. [ Paragraph 2(C)(ii) and (iii) of the guidelines]

A non operating holding company that holds investments in unregulated financial sector entities and non financial sector entities will be eligible to hold voting equity shares in the NOFHC. It will be required to be registered as a CIC or NBFC with RBI if it meets the stipulated criteria.

A non operating holding company that holds investments in unregulated financial sector entities and non financial sector entities will be eligible to hold voting equity shares in the NOFHC. It will be required to be registered as a CIC or NBFC with RBI if it meets the stipulated criteria.

A. Activities such as credit cards, primary dealer, leasing, hire purchase, factoring etc., can be conducted by a bank departmentally or through a separate entity or entities outside the bank. If such an activity is to be carried through a separate entity, then it should be carried on by a subsidiary, joint venture or associate of the NOFHC, and not of the bank, unless it is legally required or specifically permitted by RBI. [para 2 (C) (iv) of the guidelines].

A. As per the extant instructions, prior permission of RBI is necessary for the banks to invest in the equity of subsidiaries and financial services entities. Accordingly, banks would require RBI’s approval for setting up subsidiaries / joint ventures / associates for conducting activities permitted to banks under Section 6 of the BR Act, 1949. The general principle in this regard is that para-banking activities, such as credit cards, primary dealer, leasing, hire purchase, factoring etc., can be conducted either inside the bank departmentally or outside the bank through subsidiary/ joint venture /associate. Activities such as insurance, stock broking, asset management, asset reconstruction, venture capital funding and infrastructure financing through Infrastructure Development Fund (IDF) sponsored by the bank can be undertaken only outside the bank. Lending activities must be conducted from inside the bank. However, other regulated financial servicesentities (excluding entities engaged in credit rating and commodity broking) in which the Promoter/Promoter Group has ‘significant influence’ or ‘control’ (as defined in Accounting Standard 23) have to be held under the NOFHC and not under the bank unless it is legally required or specifically permitted by RBI. [para 2 (C) (iv) of the guidelines].

A. In the normal course, a bank held under the NOFHC will not be permitted to have subsidiaries. A subsidiary of the bank can be set up only where it is legally required or specifically permitted by RBI [para 2(C) (vi) of the guidelines]. FDI investments in the subsidiary of the bank or in the financial services entities held under the NOFHC would be as per the DIPP guidelines of Government of India/Notifications issued under FEMA.

A. Setting-up would mean incorporating a new entity or acquiring shares in an existing entity in which the Promoter Group will have ‘significant influence’ or ‘control’ (as defined in Accounting Standard 23) and which carries on regulated financial services business whereby such entities would be required to be a subsidiary, joint venture or associate of the NOFHC. [para 2 (C) (vi) of the guidelines]

A. Normally the bank will not be permitted to set up a subsidiary / joint venture under it. However, a bank may be permitted to set-up a subsidiary / joint venture under it, where it is legally required or specifically permitted by RBI (For example, a banking subsidiary for carrying on the business of banking exclusively outside India). [para 2 (C) (vi) of the guidelines]

A. Promoters/Promoter Groups will not be permitted to set up any new financial services entity within three years from the date of commencement of business of the NOFHC, even if such intention is mentioned in the applications. [para 2 (C) (vi) of the guidelines]

A. Yes. The financial services entities of the Promoter Group which are not regulated by RBI or any other financial sector regulator cannot be brought under the NOFHC structure. [para 2 (C) (iii) of the guidelines]

A. Yes, subject to regulations relating to rights issues. The shareholding of the NOFHC will be a minimum of 40 per cent of the paid up voting equity capital of the bank which shall be locked in for a period of five years from the date of commencement of the business of the bank. The shareholding in excess of 40 per cent of the total paid up voting equity capital should be brought down to 40 per cent within three years from the date of commencement of business of the bank. [para 2 (D) (ii) and (iii) of the guidelines]

A. There could be common directors in the NOFHC and the bank. [para 2(G)(i) of the guidelines]. A director of the NOFHC cannot be considered as independent director of the bank. The common directorship between the NOFHC and other regulated financial services entities would be as per the regulations of the sectoral regulators concerned. [para 2 G (iv) of the guidelines]

A. No. The bank cannot be incorporated without obtaining ‘in-principle approval’ from the Reserve Bank. The bank will be incorporated as a public limited company.

A. No. The bank cannot be incorporated without obtaining ‘in-principle approval’ from the Reserve Bank. In case in-principle approval is given by the Reserve Bank, the bank should be set up within a period of 18 months from the date of in-principle approval. The same may be mentioned in the Form III.

A. This model is not possible for the following reasons:

(i) The NOFHC should be wholly owned by the Promoters/Promoter Group [para 2(A) of the guidelines].

(ii) If as a result of the share swap, any part of the shareholding of the NOFHC is held by the public, which holds shares in the listed NBFC, then the NOFHC cannot be wholly owned by the Promoters/Promoter Group.

A. The requirement is that the NOFHC has to be wholly owned by the Promoters/Promoter Group. Further, at least 51 percent of the voting equity shares of the NOFHC have to be held by companies in the Promoter Group in which public hold not less than 51 percent of the voting equity of those companies. A company in which public holds 51 per cent need not necessarily be listed.[para 2 (C) (i) & (ii) of the guidelines]

A. Yes. A listed CIC in the Promoter Group can have a 100 percent shareholding in the NOFHC, provided the public hold not less than 51 percent of the voting equity shares in the CIC. [para 2 (C) (ii)(b) and 2 C (iii) of the guidelines]

A. A promoter group company where the public holding is greater than 51 per cent can have a 100 percent shareholding in the NOFHC. [para 2 (C) (ii) (a) and (b) of the guidelines]

A. The guidelines require that:

1. all regulated financial services entities of the Promoters/Promoter Group in which the Promoters/Promoter Group has ‘significant influence’ or ‘control’ (as defined in Accounting Standard 23) should be carried on only through entities held by the NOFHC.

2. no entity in which the NOFHC has a shareholding can hold shares in the NOFHC.

Therefore, there cannot be a company involved in the financial sector which is on top of the NOFHC and is a 100 percent promoter of the NOFHC.