RBI/2017-18/194
A.P (DIR Series) Circular No.30

June 07, 2018

To

All Category – I Authorised Dealer Banks

Madam/Sir

Foreign Investment in India -Reporting in Single Master Form

As announced in the First Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Review dated April 5, 2018, Reserve Bank, with the objective of integrating the extant reporting structures of various types of foreign investment in India, will introduce a Single Master Form (SMF). The SMF would be filed online.

2. SMF would provide a facility for reporting total foreign investment in an Indian entity {as defined in Foreign Exchange Management (Transfer or issue of security by a person resident outside India) Regulations 2017, dated November 7, 2017}, as also investment by persons resident outside India in an Investment Vehicle.

3. Prior to the implementation of the SMF, Reserve Bank would provide an interface to the Indian entities, to input the data on total foreign investment in a specified format. The interface will be available on RBI website https://firms.rbi.org.in from June 28, 2018 to July 12, 2018. Indian entities not complying with this pre-requisite will not be able to receive foreign investment (including indirect foreign investment) and will be non-compliant with Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 and regulations made thereunder.

4. The entities may be in readiness with the requirements to be provided in the Entity Master at Annex 1. The format of the SMF is at Annex 2. The final form, when hosted, will be available in the Master Direction-Reporting under FEMA, 1999.

5. AD Category-I banks may bring the contents of this circular to the notice of their customers / constituents concerned.

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

Yours faithfully,

(Shekhar Bhatnagar)
Chief General Manager in Charge