Answer: The amount of consideration for all investment by an FVCI has to be received/made through inward remittance from abroad through banking channels or out of funds held in a foreign currency account and/ or a Special Non-Resident Rupee (SNRR) account maintained by the FVCI with an AD bank in India. The foreign currency account and SNRR account shall be used only and exclusively for transactions under the relevant Schedule.

The facility for opting for LSF shall be available up to three years from the due date of reporting/ submission. (Ref: A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No.16 dated September 30, 2022).

Glossary of Important Terms and Commonly Used Market Terminology

Accrued Interest

The accrued interest on a bond is the amount of interest accumulated on a bond since the last coupon payment. The interest has been earned, but because coupons are paid only on coupon dates, the investor has not gained the money yet. In India day count convention for G-Secs is 30/360.

Auction –Multiple price and Uniform Price

In a Multiple Price auction, the successful bidders are required to pay for the allotted quantity of securities at the respective price / yield at which they have bid. On the other hand, in a Uniform Price auction, all the successful bidders are required to pay for the allotted quantity of securities at the same rate, i.e., at the auction cut-off rate, irrespective of the rate quoted by them.

Bid Price/ Yield

The price/yield being offered by a potential buyer for a security.

Big Figure

When the price is quoted as ₹102.35, the portion other than decimals (102) is called the big figure.

Competitive Bid

Competitive bid refers to the bid for the stock at the price stated by a bidder in an auction.

Coupon

The rate of interest paid on a debt security as calculated on the basis of the security’s face value.

Coupon Frequency

Coupon payments are made at regular intervals throughout the life of a debt security and may be quarterly, semi-annual (twice a year) or annual payments.

Discount

When the price of a security is below the par value, it is said to be trading at a discount. The value of the discount is the difference between the FV and the Price. For example, if a security is trading at ₹ 99, the discount is ₹ 1.

Duration (Macaulay Duration)

Duration of a bond is the number of years taken to recover the initial investment of a bond. It is calculated as the weighted average number of years to receive the cash flow wherein the present value of respective cash flows are multiplied with the time to that respective cash flows. The total of such values is divided by the price of the security to arrive at the duration. Refer to Box IV under question 27.

Face Value

Face value is the amount that is to be paid to an investor at the maturity date of the security. Debt securities can be issued at varying face values, however in India they typically have a face value of ₹100. The face value is also known as the repayment amount. This amount is also referred as redemption value, principal value (or simply principal), maturity value or par value.

Floating-Rate Bond

Bonds whose coupon rate is re-set at predefined intervals and is based on a pre-specified market based interest rate.

Gilt/ G-Secs

G-Secs are also known as gilts or gilt edged securities. “G-Sec” means a security created and issued by the Government for the purpose of raising a public loan or for any other purpose as may be notified by the Government in the Official Gazette and having one of the forms mentioned in the G-Secs Act, 2006.

Market Lot

Market lot refers to the standard value of the trades that happen in the market. The standard market lot size in the G-Secs market is ₹ 5 crore in face value terms.

Maturity Date

The date when the principal (face value) is paid back. The final coupon and the face value of a debt security is repaid to the investor on the maturity date. The time to maturity can vary from short term (1 year) to long term (30 years).

Non-Competitive Bid

NCB means the bidder would be able to participate in the auctions of dated G-Secs without having to quote the yield or price in the bid. The allotment to the non-competitive segment will be at the weighted average rate that will emerge in the auction on the basis of competitive bidding. It is an allocating facility wherein a part of total securities are allocated to bidders at a weighted average price of successful competitive bid. (Please also see paragraph no.4.3 under question no.4).

Odd Lot

Transactions of any value other than the standard market lot size of ₹ 5 crore are referred to as odd lot. Generally, the value is less than the ₹ 5 crore with a minimum of ₹10,000/-. Odd lot transactions are generally done by the retail and small participants in the market.

Par value

Par value is nothing but the face value of the security which is ₹ 100 for G-Secs. When the price of a security is equal to face value, the security is said to be trading at par.

Premium

When the price of a security is above the par value, the security is said to be trading at premium. The value of the premium is the difference between the price and the face value. For example, if a security is trading at ₹102, the premium is ₹ 2.

Price

The price quoted is for per ₹ 100 of face value. The price of any financial instrument is equal to the present value of all the future cash flows. The price one pays for a debt security is based on a number of factors. Newly-issued debt securities usually sell at, or close to, their face value. In the secondary market, where already-issued debt securities are bought and sold between investors, the price one pays for a bond is based on a host of variables, including market interest rates, accrued interest, supply and demand, credit quality, maturity date, state of issuance, market events and the size of the transaction.

Primary Dealers

In order to accomplish the objective of meeting the Government borrowing needs as cheaply and efficiently as possible, a group of highly qualified financial firms/ banks are appointed to play the role of specialist intermediaries in the G-Sec market between the issuer on the one hand and the market on the other. Such entities are generally called Primary dealers or market makers. In return of a set of obligations, such as making continuous bids and offer price in the marketable G-Secs or submitting reasonable bids in the auctions, these firms receive a set of privileges in the primary/ secondary market.

Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system

RTGS system is a funds transfer mechanism for transfer of money from one bank to another on a “real time” and on “gross” basis. This is the fastest possible money transfer system through the banking channel. Settlement in “real time” means payment transaction is not subjected to any waiting period. The transactions are settled as soon as they are processed. “Gross settlement” means the transaction is settled on one to one basis without bunching with any other transaction. Considering that money transfer takes place in the books of the Reserve Bank of India, the payment is taken as final and irrevocable.

Repo Rate

Repo rate is the return earned on a repo transaction expressed as an annual interest rate.

Repo/Reverse Repo

Repo means an instrument for borrowing funds by selling securities of the Central Government or a State Government or of such securities of a local authority as may be specified in this behalf by the Central Government or foreign securities, with an agreement to repurchase the said securities on a mutually agreed future date at an agreed price which includes interest for the fund borrowed.

Reverse Repo means an instrument for lending funds by purchasing securities of the Central Government or a State Government or of such securities of a local authority as may be specified in this behalf by the Central Government or foreign securities, with an agreement to resell the said securities on a mutually agreed future date at an agreed price which includes interest for the fund lent.

Residual Maturity

The remaining period until maturity date of a security is its residual maturity. For example, a security issued for an original term to maturity of 10 years, after 2 years, will have a residual maturity of 8 years.

Secondary Market

The market in which outstanding securities are traded. This market is different from the primary or initial market when securities are sold for the first time. Secondary market refers to the buying and selling that goes on after the initial public sale of the security.

Tap Sale

Under Tap sale, a certain amount of securities is created and made available for sale, generally with a minimum price, and is sold to the market as bids are made. These securities may be sold over a period of day or even weeks; and authorities may retain the flexibility to increase the (minimum) price if demand proves to be strong or to cut it if demand weakens. Tap and continuous sale are very similar, except that with Tap sale the debt manager tends to take a more pro-active role in determining the availability and indicative price for tap sales. Continuous sale are essentially at the initiative of the market.

Treasury Bills

Debt obligations of the Government that have maturities of one year or less are normally called Treasury Bills or T-Bills. Treasury Bills are short-term obligations of the Treasury/ Government. They are instruments issued at a discount to the face value and form an integral part of the money market.

Underwriting

The arrangement by which investment bankers undertake to acquire any unsubscribed portion of a primary issuance of a security.

Weighted Average Price/ Yield

It is the weighted average mean of the price/ yield where weight being the amount used at that price/ yield. The allotment to the non-competitive segment will be at the weighted average price/yield that will emerge in the auction on the basis of competitive bidding.

Yield

The annual percentage rate of return earned on a security. Yield is a function of a security’s purchase price and coupon interest rate. Yield fluctuates according to numerous factors including global markets and the economy.

Yield to Maturity (YTM)

Yield to maturity is the total return one would expect to receive if the security is being held until maturity. Yield to maturity is essentially the discount rate at which the present value of future payments (investment income and return of principal) equals the price of the security.

Yield Curve

The graphical relationship between yield and maturity among bonds of different maturities and the same credit quality. This curve shows the term structure of interest rates. It also enables investors to compare debt securities with different maturities and coupons.

The unquoted Government securities are to be valued at their carrying cost. The term `carrying cost has been defined in the Non-Banking Financial Companies Prudential Norms (Reserve Bank) Directions, 1998 to mean the net book value of the asset and interest accrued thereon but not received.

The excess markup, i.e., the price charged at the time of placing the bid, minus the actual allotment price, will be refunded to your linked bank account within two business days from the date of auction.

No.

The Reserve Bank publishes the list of NBFCs that hold a valid Certificate of Registration for accepting deposits on its website (www.rbi.org.in) under Regulation → Non-Banking → NBFCs. Members of the public are advised to check the list before placing deposits with NBFCs.

Answer: The sale/ maturity proceeds (net of taxes) of the securities may be remitted outside India or credited to the foreign currency account or a Special Non-resident Rupee Account of the FVCI.

The liquid assets securities can be lodged with one bank branch only and at one place only. However, the company has the discretion now to keep such securities with a bank branch either at the place of its registered office or at another place of its choice after taking prior approval of the concerned Regional Office of RBI.

Yes. LSF is applicable for non-submission of each Form ECB 2, including Nil returns.

A banks total exposure, including both fund based and non-fund based, to capital market in all forms covering its direct investment in equity shares, convertible bonds and debentures and units of equity oriented mutual funds; Advances against shared to individuals for investment in equity shares (including IPOs), bonds and debentures, units of equity-oriented mutual funds and secured and unsecured advances to stockbrokers and guarantees issued on behalf of stockbrokers and market makers should not exceed 5% of its total outstanding advances as on March 31 of the previous year (including Commercial Paper). Within the above ceiling, bank’s direct investment should not exceed 20 per cent of its networth. For computing the ceiling on exposure to capital market, the bank’s direct investment in shares will be calculated at cost price of the shares

No. However, if you want to use a different bank account, you can replace the linked bank account through the Retail Direct portal.

NBFCs can accept deposits from NRIs subject to compliance with Foreign Exchange Management (Deposit) Regulations 2016 (as amended from time to time) and also subject to the condition that the rate of interest on these deposits shall not exceed the rate specified by the Reserve Bank for such deposits with scheduled commercial banks.

Banknotes returned from circulation are received at the Issue Offices of the Reserve Bank of India. The Reserve Bank of India, inter alia, uses highly sophisticated Currency Verification & Processing Systems (CVPS) machines and Shredding and Briquetting Systems (SBS) machines to verify these notes for genuineness, arithmetical accuracy and segregation of notes into fit for reissue and destruction of soiled (unfit) notes.

Answer: Investment Vehicle is an entity registered and regulated under relevant regulations framed by SEBI or any other authority designated for the purpose. For the purpose of Schedule 8 of FEMA 20(R), an Investment Vehicle is a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) governed by the SEBI (REITs) Regulations, 2014, an Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIt) governed by the SEBI (InvIts) Regulations, 2014 and an Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) governed by the SEBI (AIFs) Regulations, 2012. It does not include a Venture Capital Fund registered under the erstwhile SEBI (Venture Capital Funds) Regulations, 1996.

A. The securities held on behalf of and NBFC, in a bank’s Constituents’ SGL Account can be reckoned towards compliance of requirements of Section 45IB. The securities are required to be deposited with one bank branch and at one place only for the purpose of adequate control. Hence, if an NBFC holds securities with its designated bank branch in its Constituents’ SGL Account, it would be necessary for the company to lodge its physical securities also with the same bank branch.

Yes. Extant norms permit both ECB principal and interest to be converted into equity subject to applicable conditions as given under Paragraph 7.4 of the Master Direction No. 5 on ‘External Commercial Borrowings, Trade Credits and Structured Obligations dated March 26, 2019.

No. Banks are prohibited from making any short sales of shares.

No. The Scheme is designed to facilitate only Non-competitive participation (i.e., bids without choosing your own price) by individuals. However, if one desires to place a competitive bid, he/she may contact a Bank/Primary Dealer/any other authorized institution.

No. Co-operative Credit Societies cannot accept deposits from general public. They can accept deposits only from their members within the limit specified in their bye laws. It may be noted that Co-operative Credit Societies do not fall under the regulatory purview of the Reserve Bank and fall under the purview of Registrar of Cooperative Societies.

All Bank notes including Mahatma Gandhi (New) series notes with writing or colour/ oil stains on them continue to be legal tender, provided they are decipherable. Such notes can be deposited or exchanged in any bank branch.

However, a claim in respect of bank notes which carries any extrinsic words or visible representations intended to convey or capable of conveying any message of a political or religious character or furthering the interest of any person or entity will be rejected as per Reserve Bank of India (Note Refund) Rules, 2009 [As amended by Reserve Bank of India (Note Refund) Amendment Rules, 2018].

Most of the companies are unitary entities. They function from the place of their Registered Office. Some of the large sized companies as also some others may intend to keep the securities at metropolitan centres for operational advantages. The place where the securities are held could be outside the jurisdiction of the concerned Regional Office of RBI because the jurisdictional areas are decided on the basis of place of location of the Registered Office of the companies. In such cases, it is imperative for the Regional Offices to know the place where the securities are being kept.

Yes. The part conversion of ECB into equity will be freely permitted only when the part amount remaining as ECB complies with all the applicable ECB norms.

Answer: Investment made by an Investment Vehicle into an Indian company or an LLP will be indirect foreign investment for the investee company or the LLP, as the case may be, if either the Sponsor or the Manager or the Investment Manager (i) is not owned and not controlled by resident Indian citizens or (ii) is owned or controlled by persons resident outside India.

The bills covering payment of electricity charges, customs duty, hire purchase/ lease rental installments, sale of securities and other types of financial accommodation should not be discounted by banks.

No fee will be charged for opening and maintaining the Retail Direct Gilt (RDG) account with RBI. No fee will be charged by RBI at the time of submission of bids in primary auctions. However, applicable payment gateway charges will have to be borne by the investor while funding his/her purchases.

No. These societies are formed for salaried employees and hence they can accept deposit only from their own members and not from general public. It may be noted that Salary Earners’ Societies do not fall under the regulatory purview of the Reserve Bank and fall under the purview of Registrar of Cooperative Societies.

A suspected forged note, counterfeit note or fake note is any note which does not possess the characteristics of genuine Indian currency note.

Answer: An Alternative Investment Fund (Category III) with foreign investment can make portfolio investment in only those securities or instruments in which an FPI is allowed to invest under the Act, rules or regulations made thereunder.IV. Reporting Delays

The NBFCs accepting public deposits shall furnish to RBI Certificate from the Auditors regarding solvency of the company in repayment of the deposits as and when the claims arise; Balance Sheet and the Auditors’ Reports submitted to the Board of Directors as also to the Shareholders of the company; Statutory Annual Return on deposits in the First Schedule; Quarterly Return on liquid assets; Half-yearly Return on prudential norms; and a copy of the Credit Rating once a year alongwith one of the Half-yearly Returns on prudential norms as at (v) above.

No.

There is no prohibition on banks’ placing of funds with non-banking non-financial companies under their Public Deposit Schemes. However, investment in the Public Deposit Scheme of such companies should be classified by banks as loans/ advances in their balance sheet and returns submitted under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 and the Reserve Bank of India Act 1934.

Securities will be credited in your Retail Direct account on the settlement date, which is typically one working day after the trade date/auction date.

Yes, nomination facility is available to the depositors of NBFCs. The Rules for nomination facility are provided for in Section 45QB of the RBI Act, 1934. NBFCs have been advised to adopt the Banking Companies (Nomination) Rules, 1985 made under Section 45ZA of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. Accordingly, depositor/s of NBFCs are permitted to nominate a person to whom the NBFC can return the deposit in the event of the death of the depositor/s. NBFCs are advised to accept nominations made by the depositors in the form similar to one specified under the said rules, viz., Form DA 1 for the purpose of nomination, and Form DA2 and DA3 for cancellation of nomination and change of nomination respectively.

A forged note can be identified on the basis of the security features which are present in a genuine Indian currency note. These features are easily identifiable by seeing, touching and tilting the note. The information regarding security features present in the Indian banknotes is available on the website www.rbi.org.in>>Currency Management>>paisaboltahai at https://website.rbi.org.in/web/rbi/rbi-kehta-hai/know-your-banknotes

Answer: For the transactions undertaken on or after November 7, 2017, in case of reporting delays, the person/ entity responsible for filing the reports as provided in Part IV of the Master Direction on Reporting shall be liable for payment of Late Submission Fee (LSF). The payment of LSF is an additional option for regularising reporting delays without undergoing the compounding procedure.

The NBFCs except RNBCs not accepting/holding public deposits are not required to submit to RBI their Statutory Returns in the First Schedule or the Balance Sheet or the Quarterly Liquid Asset Return or the Half-yearly Prudential Norm Return. However, all the NBFCs (other than those exempted - see answer to question No. 1) are required to be Registered with RBI and and also make sure that they continue to be eligible to remain Registered. RBI has powers to cause Inspection of the Books of any company and call for any other information about its business activities. For this purpose, the NBFCs are required to furnish the information in respect of any change in the composition of their Board of Directors, address of the company and its Directors and the name/s of its Auditors.

AD banks can issue SBLC on behalf of their customers for availing short term trade credit from overseas lenders in foreign currency subject to such SBLCs complying with the provisions contained in Department of Banking Regulation Master Circular No. DBR. No. Dir. BC.11/13.03.00/2015-16 dated July 1, 2015 on “Guarantees and Co-acceptances”, as amended from time to time.

Banks can purchase letter of allotment in respect of PSU bonds subject to the following conditions.

1. The transactions (other than interbank transactions) should be undertaken only through recognized Stock Exchanges and registered brokers.

2. While purchasing the bonds, the bank should ensure that it gets a clear title to the security and the security is tradable in the secondary market.

3. The bank should prescribe its internal guidelines with the approval of the Board for undertaking such transaction.

No. However, the securities purchased will reflect in the holdings statement in your Retail Direct account.

NBFCs that ought to have sought registration from the Reserve Bank but are functioning without doing so are committing a breach of law. Such companies are liable for action as envisaged under the RBI Act, 1934. To identify such entities, the Reserve Bank has multiple sources of information. These include market intelligence, complaints received from affected parties, industry sources, and exception reports submitted by statutory auditors in terms of Master Direction - Non-Banking Financial Companies Auditor’s Report (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2016 (as amended from time to time). Further, the State Level Co-ordination Committees (SLCC) is convened by the Reserve Bank in all the States/UTs on quarterly basis. The SLCC is now chaired by the Chief Secretary/ Administrator of the concerned State/UT and has, as its members, apart from the Reserve Bank, the Regional Directorate of the MCA/ ROC, local unit of SEBI, NHB, Registrar of Chits, ICAI, Economic Intelligence Unit of the State Police and officials from Law and Home Ministries of the State Government. As all the relevant financial sector regulators and enforcement agencies participate in the SLCC, it is possible to quickly share the information and agree on an effective course of action to be taken against entities indulging in unauthorized and suspect businesses involving funds mobilization from public.

Counterfeiting banknotes / using forged or counterfeit banknotes as genuine banknotes / possession of forged or counterfeit banknote / making or possessing instruments or materials for forging or counterfeiting banknotes/making or using documents resembling banknotes are offences under various sections including Sections 178 to 182 the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 and are punishable in the Courts of Law by fine or imprisonment ranging from seven years to life imprisonment or both, depending on the offence.

The Government of India has framed Investigation of High-Quality Counterfeit Indian Currency Offences Rules, 2013 under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967. The Third Schedule of the Act defines High Quality Counterfeit Indian Currency Note. Activity of production, smuggling or circulation of High-Quality Counterfeit Indian Notes has been brought under the ambit of the BNS, 2023.

Answer: The payment of LSF is an additional facility for regularising reporting delays without undergoing the compounding procedure. However, this does not mean that the applicant cannot apply for compounding. Both options are available to the applicant for the transactions undertaken on or after November 7, 2017.

There had been instances when some companies had not paid matured deposits on due dates and such claims have been honoured after some delay. The companies did not pay any interest for the delayed period in the absence of any specific provisions in the Reserve Bank Directions in this regard in the past. A provision has, therefore, been inserted subsequently in the Non-Banking Financial Companies Acceptance of Public Deposits (Reserve Bank) Directions dated 31.1.1998 to the effect that interest is payable to the depositors only in case the company has delayed the repayment of matured deposits, from the date of receipt of such claim by the company or the date of maturity of the deposit whichever is later, till the date of actual payment. If the depositor has lodged his claim after the date of maturity, the company would be liable to pay interest for the period from the date of claim till the date of repayment. In other words, for the period between the date of maturity and the date of claim it is the discretion of the company to pay interest.

AD banks are required to report all permissions granted by the AD banks/Regional offices of Reserve Bank for settlement of delayed import dues irrespective of the tenures of extension sought.

Shares/ debentures/ bonds accepted by banks as security for loans/ advances should be valued at the prevailing market prices.

The securities will be held in a Gilt account with RBI.

No. Proprietorship and partnership concerns are un-incorporated bodies. Hence, they are prohibited under the RBI Act 1934 from accepting public deposits. Such unincorporated entities, if found accepting public deposits, are liable for penal action under the Act.

Mere possession of a forged note does not attract punishment. Possession of any forged or counterfeit banknotes, knowing or having reason to believe the same to be forged or counterfeit and intending to use the same as genuine or that it may be used as genuine are offences under Section 180 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 and are punishable in the Courts of Law by fine or imprisonment upto seven years or both.

Answer: The reporting requirements are laid down in the Master Direction on Reporting under Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999.