Ans. Individuals can avail of foreign exchange facility for the following purposes within the LRS limit of USD 2,50,000 on financial year basis:

1. Private visits to any country (except Nepal and Bhutan)

2. Gift or donation

3. Going abroad for employment

4. Emigration

5. Maintenance of close relatives abroad

6. Travel for business, or attending a conference or specialised training or for meeting expenses for meeting medical expenses, or check-up abroad, or for accompanying as attendant to a patient going abroad for medical treatment/ check-up

7. Expenses in connection with medical treatment abroad

8. Studies abroad

9. Any other current account transaction which is not covered under the definition of current account in FEMA 1999.

The AD bank may undertake the remittance transaction without RBI’s permission for all residual current account transactions which are not prohibited/ restricted transactions under Schedule I, II or III of FEM (CAT) Rules, 2000, as amended or are defined in FEMA 1999. It is for the AD to satisfy themselves about the genuineness of the transaction, as hitherto.

Ans: Following is the step-wise flow of NEFT transaction.

Step-1: An individual / firm / corporate willing to transfer funds through NEFT can use the internet / mobile banking facility offered by his / her bank for initiating online funds transfer request. The remitter has to provide details of beneficiary such as, name of the beneficiary, name of the bank branch where the beneficiary has an account, IFSC of the beneficiary bank branch, account type and account number, etc. for addition of the beneficiary to his / her internet / mobile banking module. Upon successful beneficiary addition, the remitter can initiate online NEFT funds transfer by authorising debit to his / her account. Alternatively, the remitter can also visit his / her bank branch for initiating NEFT funds transfer through branch / off-line mode. The customer has to fill-in the beneficiary details in NEFT application form available at the bank branch and authorise the branch to debit to his / her account to the extent of the amount requested in NEFT application form.

Step-2: The originating bank prepares a message and sends the message to its pooling centre, also called the NEFT Service Centre.

Step-3: The pooling centre forwards the message to the NEFT Processing Centre, operated by the RBI, to be included for the next available batch.

Step-4: The Processing Centre sorts the funds transfer transactions beneficiary bank-wise and prepares accounting entries to receive funds from the originating banks (debit) and give the funds to the beneficiary banks (credit). Thereafter, bank-wise remittance messages are forwarded to the beneficiary banks through their pooling centre (NEFT Service Centre).

Step-5: The beneficiary banks receive the inward remittance messages from the Processing Centre and pass on the credit to the beneficiary customers’ accounts.

Ans: Only those LSPs which have an interface with the borrowers would need to appoint a nodal Grievance Redressal Officer. However, it may be reiterated that the RE shall remain responsible for ensuring resolution of complaints arising out of actions of all LSPs engaged by them.

Ans: It is clarified that treatment advised in the relevant clause (revised clause 77A) for investment by a transferor in SRs backed by stressed loans transferred by it are applicable to all SR investments outstanding as on the date of issuance of the MD. However, lenders other than specified at clause 3(a) & (e) shall be guided by the proviso added to the clause 77A.

Ans: IIBs classified under AFS and HFT may be valued at clean price quoted in the market at the time of acquisition. At the time of subsequent mark to market, the clean price quoted in the market as available from trades/quotes or clean price provided by FIMMDA may be treated as market value. Once this market value has been determined, the standard accounting procedures as applicable to HFT/AFS may be applied.

Ans. When a person is made aware of the contravention of the provisions of FEMA, 1999 by the Reserve Bank or any other statutory authority or the auditors or by any other means, she/he may apply for compounding. One can also make an application for compounding, suo mo-to, on becoming aware of the contravention.

(a) Agency banks are requested to seek guidance from respective Pension Sanctioning Authorities regarding the process to be followed for recovery of excess pension paid to the pensioners, if any.

(b) Where excess pension payment has arisen on account of mistakes committed by the bank, the amount paid in excess should be refunded to the Government in lump-sum immediately after detection of the same and without waiting for recovery of any amount from the pensioners.

Particulars	Non-Resident (External) Rupee Account Scheme [NRE Account]		Foreign Currency (Non-Resident) Account (Banks) Scheme [FCNR (B) Account]	Non-Resident Ordinary Rupee Account Scheme [NRO Account]
(1)	(2)		(3)	(4)
Who can open an account	NRIs and PIOs Individual/entities of Pakistan and Bangladesh shall requires prior approval of the Reserve Bank of India			Any person resident outside India for putting through bonafide transactions in rupees. Individuals/ entities of Pakistan nationality/ origin and entities of Bangladesh origin require the prior approval of the Reserve Bank of India. A Citizen of Bangladesh/Pakistan belonging to minority communities in those countries i.e. Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians residing in India and who has been granted LTV or whose application for LTV is under consideration, can open only one NRO account with an AD bank subject to the conditions mentioned in Notification No. FEMA 5(R)/2016-RB dated April 01, 2016, as updated from time to time. Post Offices in India may maintain savings bank accounts in the names of persons resident outside India and allow operations on these accounts subject to the same terms and conditions as are applicable to NRO accounts maintained with an authorised dealer/ authorised bank.
Joint account	May be held jointly in the names of two or more NRIs/ PIOs. NRIs/ PIOs can hold jointly with a resident relative on ‘former or survivor’ basis (relative as defined in Companies Act, 2013). The resident relative can operate the account as a Power of Attorney holder during the life time of the NRI/ PIO account holder.			May be held jointly in the names of two or more NRIs/ PIOs. May be held jointly with residents on ‘former or survivor’ basis.
Currency	Indian Rupees		Any permitted currency i.e. a foreign currency which is freely convertible	Indian Rupees
Type of Account	Savings, Current, Recurring, Fixed Deposit		Term Deposit only	Savings, Current, Recurring, Fixed Deposit
Period for fixed deposits	From one to three years, However, banks are allowed to accept NRE deposits above three years from their Asset-Liability point of view		For terms not less than 1 year and not more than 5 years	As applicable to resident accounts.
Permissible Credits	Credits permitted to this account are inward remittance from outside India, interest accruing on the account, interest on investment, transfer from other NRE/ FCNR(B) accounts, maturity proceeds of investments (if such investments were made from this account or through inward remittance). Current income like rent, dividend, pension, interest etc. will be construed as a permissible credit to the NRE account. Care: Only those credits which have not lost repatriable character			Inward remittances from outside India, legitimate dues in India and transfers from other NRO accounts are permissible credits to NRO account. Rupee gift/ loan made by a resident to a NRI/ PIO relative within the limits prescribed under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme may be credited to the latter’s NRO account.
Permissible Debits	Permissible debits are local disbursements, remittance outside India, transfer to other NRE/ FCNR(B) accounts and investments in India.			The account can be debited for the purpose of local payments, transfers to other NRO accounts or remittance of current income abroad. Apart from these, balances in the NRO account cannot be repatriated abroad except by NRIs and PIOs up to USD 1 million, subject to conditions specified in Foreign Exchange Management (Remittance of Assets) Regulations, 2016. Funds can be transferred to NRE account within this USD 1 Million facility.
Repatriablity	Repatriable			Not repatriable except for all current income. Balances in an NRO account of NRIs/ PIOs are remittable up to USD 1 (one) million per financial year (April-March) along with their other eligible assets.
Taxabilty	Income earned in the accounts is exempt from income tax and balances exempt from wealth tax			Taxable
Loans in India	AD can sanction loans in India to the account holder/ third parties without any limit, subject to usual margin requirements. These loans cannot be repatriated outside India and can be used in India only for the purposes specified in the regulations. In case of loans sanctioned to a third party, there should be no direct or indirect foreign exchange consideration for the non-resident depositor agreeing to pledge his deposits to enable the resident individual/ firm/ company to obtain such facilities. In case of the loan sanctioned to the account holder, it can be repaid either by adjusting the deposits or through inward remittances from outside India through banking channels or out of balances held in the NRO account of the account holder. The facility for premature withdrawal of deposits will not be available where loans against such deposits are availed of. The term “loan” shall include all types of fund based/ non-fund based facilities.			Loans against the deposits can be granted in India to the account holder or third party subject to usual norms and margin requirement. The loan amount cannot be used for relending, carrying on agricultural/ plantation activities or investment in real estate. The term “loan” shall include all types of fund based/ non-fund based facilities.
Loans outside India	Authorised Dealers may allow their branches/ correspondents outside India to grant loans to or in favour of non-resident depositor or to third parties at the request of depositor for bona fide purpose against the security of funds held in the NRE/ FCNR (B) accounts in India, subject to usual margin requirements. The term “loan” shall include all types of fund based/ non-fund based facilities			Not permitted
Rate of Interest	As per guidelines issued by the Department of Regulation
Operations by Power of Attorney in favour of a resident	Operations in the account in terms of Power of Attorney is restricted to withdrawals for permissible local payments or remittance to the account holder himself through normal banking channels.			Operations in the account in terms of Power of Attorney is restricted to withdrawals for permissible local payments in rupees, remittance of current income to the account holder outside India or remittance to the account holder himself through normal banking channels. While making remittances, the limits and conditions of repatriability will apply.
Change in residential status from Non-resident to resident	NRE accounts should be designated as resident accounts or the funds held in these accounts may be transferred to the RFC accounts, at the option of the account holder, immediately upon the return of the account holder to India for taking up employment or on change in the residential status.	On change in residential status, FCNR (B) deposits may be allowed to continue till maturity at the contracted rate of interest, if so desired by the account holder. Authorised dealers should convert the FCNR(B) deposits on maturity into resident rupee deposit accounts or RFC account (if the depositor is eligible to open RFC account), at the option of the account holder.		NRO accounts may be designated as resident accounts on the return of the account holder to India for any purpose indicating his intention to stay in India for an uncertain period. Likewise, when a resident Indian becomes a person resident outside India, his existing resident account should be designated as NRO account.

Ans. A “Walk-in Customer” means a person who does not have an account-based relationship with the RE, but undertakes transactions with the RE.

Ans: e₹ wallet is a digital wallet that can be opened on one’s mobile phone/device. e₹ wallet stores the Digital Rupee, similar to the physical wallet/purse that stores the physical currency. e₹ wallets are being currently provided by banks and non-banks, which are part of the retail CBDC pilot.

Ans: Whenever there is a reset of interest rates for an entire class of borrowers in a particular loan category, say home loan, due to increase in the reference benchmark; the RE shall provide the following options to the borrowers:

1. Either enhancement in EMI or elongation of number of EMIs, keeping the EMI unchanged or a combination of both options;

2. Switch to fixed interest rate for the remaining portion of the loan; and

3. To prepay, either in part or in full, at any point during the residual tenor of the loan.

Ans. No. In terms of paragraph 9.1.6 of these Directions, children (including minor) are not eligible for additional interest admissible to deceased member of the bank’s staff.

Ans.: The respondent companies/LLPs/proprietorship firms can submit their responses on or before July 15 of every year.

RB-IOS, 2021 covers all commercial banks, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), Payment System Participants, most Primary (Urban) Cooperative Banks, and Credit Information Companies. The REs covered under the RB-IOS, 2021 are listed under Question 11.

Ans: The requirement of ensuring compliance to the Principles of Natural Justice is applicable to all Persons / Entities and its Promoters / Whole-time and Executive Directors classified as fraud by the REs. In other words, this requirement is applicable in all cases of fraud classification which may have civil consequences (i.e. penal measures, caution listing) as observed in the Judgement of the Hon’ble Supreme Court dated March 27, 2023 (Civil Appeal No. 7300 of 2022 in the matter of State Bank of India & Ors. Vs. Rajesh Agarwal & Ors.).

Ans. For a customer, using a WLA is just like using an ATM of any bank.

In terms of the Master Directions - Reserve Bank of India (Priority Sector Lending – Targets and Classification) Directions, 2025 dated March 24, 2025, all bank loans to MSMEs shall qualify for classification under priority sector lending (PSL). The definition of MSMEs shall be as given in the Master Direction - Lending to MSME Sector FIDD.MSME & NFS.12/06.02.31/2017-18 dated July 24, 2017 as updated from time to time. For PSL classification purposes, banks shall be guided by the classification recorded in the Udyam Registration Certificate (URC)/ Udyam Assist Certificate (UAC).

Further, RBI has, from time to time, issued a number of instructions / guidelines to banks relating to lending to the MSME Sector. The Master Direction FIDD.MSME & NFS.12/06.02.31/2017-18 dated July 24, 2017 incorporates the updated instructions / guidelines on the subject. The instructions issued by RBI, to banks, on various matters are available on our website www.rbi.org.in.

The material terms and conditions may be defined, if not already done, as per the credit policy of the bank and they may vary from one category of loan to another, and also, from lender to lender based on their own assessment.

Response: The scheme envisages the following types of deposits –

Sr. No.	Type of Deposit	Duration	Minimum Lock-in Period	Applicable Interest Rate	Periodicity of Interest Payment
i.	Short Term Bank Deposit (STBD)	1-3 years	As determined by banks	As determined by banks	As determined by banks
ii.	Medium Term Government Deposit (MTGD)	5-7 years	3 years	2.25% p.a.	Simple Interest annually or cumulative interest at time of maturity compounded annually.
iii.	Long Term Government Deposit (LTGD)	12-15 years	5 years	2.50% p.a.	Simple Interest annually or cumulative interest at time of maturity compounded annually.

 

It may be noted that consequent to Government of India’s press release ID 2115009 dated March 25, 2025, mobilization of MTGD and LTGD, including renewal of existing deposits, has been discontinued with effect from March 26, 2025.

Answer: Some of the foreign currency accounts that can be opened by resident individuals with an Authorised Dealer bank in India, along with their features are given below:

Particulars	Exchange Earners Foreign Currency (EEFC) Account	Resident Foreign Currency (Domestic) [RFC(D)] Account	Resident Foreign Currency (RFC) Account
Who can open the account	Exchange Earners	Individuals	Individuals
Joint account	Jointly with eligible persons; or With resident relative(s) on former or survivor’ basis. Relative as defined under Companies Act, 2013 (viz. members of HUF, spouse, parents, step-parents, son, step-son, daughter-in-law, daughter, son-in-law, brother/sister, step-brother/ step-sister) Relative joint account holder cannot operate the account during the life time of the account holder	Jointly with any person eligible to open the	Same as EEFC
Type of Account	Current only	Current only	Current/ savings/ term deposits
Interest	Non-interest earning	Non-interest earning	De-regulated (As decided by the AD bank)
Permitted Credits	1) 100% of foreign exchange received on account of export transactions. 2) advance remittance received by an exporter towards export of goods or services 3) Repayment of loans given to foreign importers 4) Disinvestment proceeds on conversion of ADR/ GDR 5) professional earnings like director’s/ consultancy/ lecture fees, honorarium and similar other earnings received by a professional by rendering services in his individual capacity 6) Interest earned on the funds held in the account 7) Re-credit of unutilised foreign currency earlier withdrawn from the account 8) Payments received in foreign exchange by an Indian startup arising out of sales/ export made by the startup or its overseas subsidiaries	1) Foreign exchange received as payment/ service/ gift/ honorarium while on visit abroad or from a non-resident who is on a visit to India 2) Unspent amount of foreign exchange acquired from AD for travel abroad 3) Gift from close relative 4) Earning through export of goods/ services, royalty 5) Disinvestment proceed on conversion of shares into ADR/ GDR 6) foreign exchange received as earnings of LIC claims/ maturity/ surrendered value settled in forex from an Indian insurance company	1) Foreign exchange received by him as superannuation/ other monetary benefits from overseas employer 2) Foreign exchange realised on conversion of the assets referred to in Sec 6(4) of FEMA 3) Gift/ inheritance received from a person referred to in Sec 6(4) of FEMA 4) Foreign exchange acquired before the July 8, 1947 or any income arising on it held outside India with RBI permission 6) Foreign exchange received as earnings of LIC claims/ maturity/ surrendered value settled in forex from an Indian insurance company 7) Balances in NRE/ FCNR (B) accounts on change in residential status
Permitted Debits	1) Any permissible current or capital account transaction 2) Cost of goods purchased 3) Customs duty 4) Trade related loans and advances	Can be used for any permissible current/ capital account transactions.	No restrictions on utilisation in/ outside India.

The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises vide Office Memorandum No. 5/2(2)/2021-E/P & G/Policy dated July 02, 2021 decided to include Retail and Wholesale trade as MSMEs for the limited purpose of Priority Sector Lending and they would be allowed to be registered on Udyam Registration Portal. Detailed guidelines are available in our circular FIDD.MSME & NFS.BC.No.13/06.02.31/2021-22 dated July 07, 2021.

Holders of 'Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account' will not be eligible for opening any other savings bank account in that bank. If a customer has any other existing savings bank account in that bank, he / she will be required to close it within 30 days from the date of opening a 'Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account'.

For the borrowers eligible for resolution under the circular dated August 6, 2020 on Resolution Framework for COVID-19-related Stress, the circular dated August 6, 2020 will be applicable if a resolution process under the circular is invoked. For all other borrowers, the extant instructions as otherwise applicable shall still be in force. However, if any entity is otherwise eligible to be resolved under the Resolution Framework, only Resolution Framework can be used for resolving the stress arising out of the pandemic.

Ans. A holder of a PPI is an individual who obtains / purchases the PPI from the PPI issuer. However, in case of a gift PPI, any other intended / targeted beneficiary, though not being the purchaser, can also be a holder.

Ans. NEFT is an electronic fund transfer system in which the transactions received up to a particular time are processed in batches. Contrary to this, in RTGS, the transactions are processed continuously on a transaction by transaction basis throughout the day.

The Department / Office selected by the applicant, while submitting his/her application through ATS, will receive the application.

Ans. Such a company shall have to submit to RBI, a letter of its intention either to become a Factor or to unwind the business totally, and a road map to this effect. The company would be granted CoR as NBFC-Factor only after it complies with the twin criteria of financial assets and income. If the company does not comply within the period as specified by the Bank, it would have to unwind the factoring business.

The potential users of the NDS-OM Web Module are GAHs permitted by RBI to access the NDS OM Web Based Module. So far, GAHs have only the indirect access through CSGL route for placing their order/bid feed into NDS-OM. Now in addition to the indirect access, permitted GAHs can directly deal on the NDS-OM Web system, subject to controls set by PM. The access to the GAH to the NDS-OM Web Based Module is granted on a request made on his behalf by its Primary Member.

Answer: Unless otherwise specifically stated in the features of the account, a foreign currency account maintained by a person resident in India with an authorized dealer in India can be opened, held and maintained in the form of current or savings or term deposit account in cases where the account holder is an individual, and in the form of current account or term deposit account in all other cases. The account can be held singly or jointly in the name of person eligible to open, hold and maintain such account.

No bank can refuse to accept outstation cheques deposited for collection or refuse to offer its products to customers.

Ans. Not permanently resident means a person resident in India for employment of a specified duration (irrespective of length) or for a specific job duration which does not exceed three years.

Ans Step-1: The remitter fills in the EFT Application form giving the particulars of the beneficiary (city, bank, branch, beneficiary’s name, account type and account number) and authorises the branch to remit a specified amount to the beneficiary by raising a debit to the remitter’s account. Step-2: The remitting branch prepares a schedule and sends the duplicate of the EFT application form to its Service branch for EFT data preparation. If the branch is equipped with a computer system, data preparation can be done at the branch level in the specified format. Step-3: The Service branch prepares the EFT data file by using a software package supplied by RBI and transmits the same to the local RBI (National Clearing Cell) to be included for the settlement. Step-4: The RBI at the remitting centre consolidates the files received from all banks, sorts the transactions city-wise and prepares vouchers for debiting the remitting banks on Day-1 itself. City-wise files are transmitted to the RBI offices at the respective destination centres. Step-5: RBI at the destination centre receives the files from the originating centres, consolidates them and sorts them bank-wise. Thereafter, bank-wise remittance data files are transmitted to banks on Day 1 itself. Bank-wise vouchers are prepared for crediting the receiving banks’ accounts the same day or next day. Step-6: On Day 1/2 morning the receiving banks at the destination centres process the remittance files transmitted by RBI and forward credit reports to the destination branches for crediting the beneficiaries’ accounts.

Ans. All transactions to be settled through the ACU will be handled by AD Category-I banks in the same manner as other normal foreign exchange transactions, through correspondent arrangements.

The DICGC while registering the banks as insured banks furnishes them with printed leaflets for display giving information relating to the protection afforded by the Corporation to the depositors of the insured banks. In case of doubt, depositor should make specific enquiry from the branch official in this regard.

Authorized dealers can release foreign exchange up to USD 25,000 for a business trip to any country other than Nepal and Bhutan. Release of foreign exchange exceeding USD 25,000 for a travel abroad (other than Nepal and Bhutan) for business purposes, irrespective of period of stay, requires prior permission from Reserve Bank. Visits in connection with attending of an international conference, seminar, specialised training, study tour, apprentice training, etc., are treated as business visits. Visit abroad for medical treatment and/or check up also falls within this category.

Ans: Indian Financial System Code (IFSC) is an alpha-numeric code that uniquely identifies a bank-branch participating in the NEFT system. It is a 11-digit code with the first 4 alpha characters representing the bank, and the last 6 characters representing the branch. The 5th character is 0 (zero). IFSC is used by the NEFT system to identify the originating / destination banks / branches and also to route the messages appropriately to the concerned banks / branches.

The applicant has to be a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956/ Companies Act 2013/ Registration of Companies (Sikkim) Act, 1961, having a minimum Net Owned Funds (NOF) of INR 25 lakh to apply for a single-branch FFMC licence and INR 50 lakh to apply for a multiple-branch FFMC licence.

Ans. A resident of India, who has gone out of India on a temporary visit may bring into India at the time of his return from any place outside India (other than Nepal and Bhutan), currency notes of Government of India and Reserve Bank of India notes up to an amount not exceeding Rs.25,000. A person may bring into India from Nepal or Bhutan, currency notes of Government of India and Reserve Bank of India notes, in denomination not exceeding Rs.100. Any person resident outside India, not being a citizen of Pakistan and Bangladesh and also not a traveller coming from and going to Pakistan and Bangladesh, and visiting India may bring into India currency notes of Government of India and Reserve Bank of India notes up to an amount not exceeding Rs.25,000 while entering only through an airport.

ECS Credit payments can be initiated by any institution (called ECS Credit User) which needs to make bulk or repetitive payments to a number of beneficiaries. The institutional User has to first register with an ECS Centre. The User has to also obtain the consent of beneficiaries (i.e., the recipients of salary, pension, dividend, interest etc.) and get their bank account particulars prior to participation in the ECS Credit scheme. ECS Credit payments can be put through by the ECS User only through his / her bank (known as the Sponsor bank). ECS Credits are afforded to the beneficiary account holders (known as destination account holders) through the beneficiary account holders’ bank (known as the destination bank). The beneficiary account holders are required to give mandates to the user institutions to enable them to afford credit to their bank accounts through the ECS Credit mechanism.

All Scheduled Commercial Banks, Regional Rural Banks and Scheduled Primary Co-operative Banks are covered under the Scheme.

Differential rates of interest can be paid onsingle depositof Rs.15 lakhs and above and not on the aggregate of individual deposits where such total exceeds Rs.15 lakhs.

Non-competitive bids will be allowed upto 5 percent of the notified amount in the specified auctions of dated securities.

Yes. But ADs (banks) should ensure that the funds to be repatriated outside India were either received from abroad or are of repatriable in nature or are permissible in terms of RBI notification No.FEMA.13/2000 dated 3rd May 2000.

Authorised dealers are free to decide the documentation, as also any other information (including declaration), required by them, to satisfy themselves, before effecting the remittance. They should, however, call for the following documents viz. A certificate from a Chartered Accountant certifying that the applicant exporter satisfies the criteria of having export earning of at least Rs.10 lakhs, during each of the preceding two years, The C.A. certificate as at (a) above is not necessary, in case the export earnings prescribed (i.e. minimum Rs.10 lakhs in each of the previous two years), have been realised through the same authorised dealer, through whom the remittance is sought to be made. A Chartered Accountant’s certificate should also be obtained, certifying that the remittance represents advertisement charges incurred by the advertiser towards telecast in foreign countries and not in India alone. The certificate will have to be obtained for each remittance. Authorised dealers should, before allowing the remittances, obtain from the remitter an undertaking and a C.A. certificate in the format as prescribed in the CBDT circular No.10/2002 dated October 9, 2002. [c.f. A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No.56 dated November 26, 2002).

Banks have been allowed to convert the balance in the account at the time of departure of the tourists into foreign currency provided the account has been maintained for a period not exceeding six months and the account has not been credited with any local funds, other than interest accrued thereon.

These guidelines have been notified by Reserve Bank of India in its Notification FEMA No.19 dated 3^rd May 2000 as amended from time to time which can be accessed at the Reserve Bank’s website fema.rbi.org.in.

In connection with private visits abroad, viz., for tourism purposes, etc., foreign exchange up to US$10,000, in any one calendar year may be obtained from an authorised dealer. The ceiling of US$10,000 is applicable in aggregate and foreign exchange may be obtained for one or more than one visits provided the aggregate foreign exchange availed of in one calendar year does not exceed the prescribed ceiling of US$10,000 {The facility was earlier called B.T.Q or F.T.S.}. This US$10,000 (BTQ) can be availed of by a person alongwith foreign exchange for travel abroad for any purpose, including for employment or immigration or studies. However, no foreign exchange is available for visit to Nepal and/or Bhutan for any purpose.

• The consumer price index (CPI) reflects the inflation people at large face and therefore, globally CPI or Retail Price Index (RPI) is used for inflation target by the Central Banks as well as for providing inflation protection in IIBs.

• In India, all India CPI is being released since January 2011 and it will take some time in stabilizing. Monetary policy has also been continuing to target WPI for its price stability objective. In view of above, it has been decided to consider WPI for inflation protection in IIBs.

1. The regulatory reporting under FETERS (R Return) will be undertaken by the Bank maintaining SNRR A/c.

2. Any credit / debit to / from an SNRR account from / to an offshore account of the non-resident entity holding the SNRR account will be reported under AD bank transfer.

3. Any credit / debit to / from an SNRR account from / to a domestic (Indian) party will be reported basis underlying transaction (import, export, Trade Credit, services, ECB, etc).

Please note that bank holding SNRR account shall follow the reporting procedure as applicable to other INR Vostro accounts held by it. Please also refer to A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 25 March 20, 2019 on Compilation of R-Returns: Reporting under FETERS.

The receipted challans in case of cash tender are generally handed over to the remitter immediately across the counter. In case of payments made by cheque/DD, the receipted challan is issued only on realization of the instruments based on the clearing cycle of the local Clearing House. In all such cases, a paper token is issued to the depositor indicating the date on which the receipted challan will be ready for delivery. The receipted challan will have to be collected within a specified number of days from the date of delivery, as indicated on the paper token, by surrendering the paper token.

A short term borrowing means borrowing of tenor up to but less than one year.

Eligible investors cannot participate directly. They have to necessarily come through an aggregator or facilitator.

Ans : “Sponsorship” means an equity participation by the NBFC between 30 to 49% of the IDF.

The swap cost of 3.5 per cent will be compounded semi-annually for the tenor of the swap.

No, the transactions covered under the PCG scheme adhering to the prescriptions as per Government of India notification dated August 10, 2019 and the clarifications provided herein will be deemed to have met true sale criteria and the originating NBFC/HFC would not be required to maintain any capital after the transfer of the pooled assets to the purchasing PSBs except in the cases where the originating NBFC/HFC provides credit enhancement.

In terms of the Specified Banknotes (Cessation of liabilities) Act 2017, a facility for exchange of SBNs is made available for the resident and non-resident Indian citizens (Indian passport required) who could not avail the facility from November 10 to December 30, 2016 on account of their absence from India during the aforementioned period. The facility was open for residents from January 2, 2017 to March 31, 2017 and for NRIs it will be till June 30, 2017 at five Reserve Bank offices at Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, and Nagpur.

The facility can be availed only in individual capacity and only on one occasion during the period. No third party tender is permissible under the facility.

This facility will not be available for Indian citizens resident in Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The details of the facility including terms/ conditions and modalities thereof are available in our circular DCM (Plg) No 2170/10.27.00/2016-17 dated December 31, 2016.

Link to tender form for Resident Indians and NRIs (holding Indian passport) available here.

Yes, ECB and Trade Credit raised from overseas branches of Indian banks will count towards ASCL.

Response

Holders of 'Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account' will not be eligible for opening any other savings account in that bank. If a customer has any other existing savings account in that bank, he / she will be required to close it within 30 days from the date of opening a 'Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account'.

For cross border transaction data, consisting of a foreign component and a domestic component, a copy of the domestic component may also be stored abroad, if required.

Ans. No. The facility is made available at merchant establishments designated by the acquirer banks (i.e. the banks that deploy the PoS terminals) after a process of due diligence. The designated merchant establishments have to clearly indicate / display the availability of this facility along with the charges, if any, payable by the customer.

100% foreign exchange earnings can be credited to the EEFC account subject to the condition that the sum total of the accruals in the account during a calendar month should be converted into Rupees on or before the last day of the succeeding calendar month after adjusting for utilization of the balances for approved purposes or forward commitments.

A Nostro account is a bank account established in a foreign country usually in the currency of that country for the purpose of carrying out transactions there. For example most commercial banks maintain US dollar accounts with their correspondent banks in USA in order to facilitate settlement of interbank and customer transactions in US dollar.

Ans. The Board for Regulation and Supervision of Payment and Settlement Systems Regulation, 2008 deals with the constitution of the Board for Regulation and Supervision of Payment and Settlement Systems (BPSS), a Committee of the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India. It also deals with the composition of the BPSS, its powers and functions, exercising of powers on behalf of BPSS, meetings of the BPSS and quorum, the constitution of Sub-Committees/Advisory Committees by BPSS, etc. The BPSS exercises the powers on behalf of the Reserve Bank, for regulation and supervision of the payment and settlement systems under the PSS Act, 2007.

The Payment and Settlement Systems Regulations, 2008 covers matters like form of application for authorization for commencing/ carrying on a payment system and grant of authorization, payment instructions and determination of standards of payment systems, furnishing of returns/documents/other information, furnishing of accounts and balance sheets by system provider etc.

No specific approach has been recommended for achieving ADF due to the reason that various banks are at different levels of IT and Process maturity. However, the Approach Paper on ADF clearly articulates the common end state for achieving the objectives of ADF.

Application and amount for the deposit (in the form of Bond Ledger Account) shall be received by any banking company, other than Co-operative Banks, to which the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (10 of 1949) applies (Authorised Banks).

Ans: Investible funds refer to capital infused in the business and surplus generated out of business of NBFC-P2P. It does not include funds of lenders and borrowers that flow through the escrow accounts. Customers’ funds lent/borrowed by using the platform cannot be utilised by the platform.

As per Clause 8 of the Scheme, the NBFC Ombudsman can receive and consider any complaint on the following grounds:non-payment or inordinate delay in the payment of interest on deposits;non-adherence to the Reserve Bank directives, if any, applicable to rate of interest on deposits;non-repayment or inordinate delay in the repayment of deposits;non-presentation or inordinate delay in the presentation of post-dated cheques provided by the customer;failure to convey in writing, the amount of loan sanctioned along with terms and conditions including annualised rate of interest and method of application thereof;failure or refusal to provide sanction letter/ terms and conditions of sanction in vernacular language or a language as understood by the borrower;failure or refusal to provide adequate notice on proposed changes being made in sanctioned terms and conditions in vernacular language as understood by the borrower;failure or inordinate delay in releasing the securities/ documents to the borrower on repayment of all dues;levying of charges without adequate prior notice to the borrower/customer;failure to provide legally enforceable built-in repossession clause in the contract/ loan agreement;failure to ensure transparency in the contract/ loan agreement regarding (i) notice period before taking possession of security; (ii) circumstances under which the notice period can be waived; (iii) the procedure for taking possession of the security; (iv) provision of final chance to be given to the borrower for repayment of loan before the sale/ auction of the security; (v) the procedure for giving repossession to the borrower and (vi) the procedure for sale/ auction of the security;non-observance of directions issued by Reserve Bank to the NBFCs;non-adherence to any of the other provisions of Reserve Bank Guidelines on Fair Practices Code for NBFCs.The Ombudsman may also deal with such other matter as may be specified by the Reserve Bank from time to time.

Ans. The BO /PO of a foreign entity, excluding an LO, are permitted to acquire property for their own use and to carry out permitted/incidental activities but not for leasing or renting out the property. However, entities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iran, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Hong Kong and Macau require prior approval of the Reserve Bank to acquire immovable property in India for a BO/PO. BOs/LOs/POs have general permission to carry out permitted/ incidental activities from leased property subject to lease period not exceeding five years.

• Yes, fixed rate of 1.5% would act as a floor, which means that 1.5% per annum interest rate is guaranteed if there is deflation.

• For example, if inflation rate is (-) 5%, then interest rate should be (-) 3.5% by simple calculation. But in such case, negative inflation will not be recognised and investors would get fixed rate of 1.5% (please see example 2 at 23).

Ans. Banks have been providing the services to non-banks for their payment and settlement needs.

Ans. Loans backed by hypothecation of any security shall not be treated as microfinance loans.

Yes. But ADs (banks) should ensure that the funds to be repatriated outside India were either received from abroad or are of repatriable in nature or are permissible in terms of RBI notification No.FEMA.13/2000 dated 3rd May 2000.

The provisions relating to process of selection / removal / qualification, etc. would be fully applicable to foreign banks operating under the branch model (FBOBM). However, in respect of FBOBM, any reference to the Board in terms of para 2.5 of the aforesaid circular detailing the selection process would be treated as equivalent to the Regional or Head Office Compliance. Further, in terms of para 2.7 on detailing the reporting line, any reference to the Board/ACB would be treated as equivalent to Regional or Head Office Compliance in case of FBOBM.

Ans. No, LEI is not required for customer transactions where both remitter and beneficiary are individuals. For transactions, where either or both parties are non-individual/s, LEI will be required.

As per Clause 8 of the Scheme, the Ombudsman for Digital Transactions shall receive and consider complaints on deficiency in services against System Participants defined in the Scheme on any of the following grounds:

4.(1) Prepaid Payment Instruments: Non-adherence to the instructions of Reserve Bank by System Participants about Prepaid Payment Instruments¹ on any of the following:

1. Failure in crediting merchant's account within reasonable time;

2. Failure to load funds within reasonable time in wallets / cards;

3. Unauthorized electronic fund transfer;

4. Non-Transfer / Refusal to transfer/ failure to transfer within reasonable time, the balance in the Prepaid Payment Instruments to the holder’s ‘own’ bank account or back to source at the time of closure, expiry of validity period etc., of the Prepaid Payment Instrument;

5. Failure to refund within reasonable time / refusal to refund in case of unsuccessful / returned / rejected / cancelled / transactions;

6. Non-credit / delay in crediting the account of the Prepaid Payment Instrument holder as per the terms and conditions of the promotions offer(s) from time to time, if any;

7. Non-adherence to any other instruction of the Reserve Bank on Prepaid Payment Instruments.

Ans. Corporates, Government Departments, PSUs and any other entity can participate as buyers in TReDS.

For the borrowers eligible for resolution under the circular dated August 6, 2020 on Resolution Framework for COVID-19-related Stress, the circular dated August 6, 2020 will be applicable if a resolution process under the circular is invoked. For all other borrowers, the extant instructions as otherwise applicable shall still be in force. However, if any entity is otherwise eligible to be resolved under the Resolution Framework, only Resolution Framework can be used for resolving the stress arising out of the pandemic.

Response: In addition to financial transactions, any process initiated by the cardholder such as generation of statement, change of PIN, change in transaction controls, etc., shall be considered for treating a card as ‘used’. However, any calls made to the customer care centre, for reasons other than those cited above, shall not be considered towards usage of a card.

ANS: Yes. The banks are required to transfer the entire amount, including the accrued interest, as on the date of transfer to the DEA Fund.

ANS: A user is required to register on the portal by providing his/her name and mobile number. (The user manual available on the portal (https://udgam.rbi.org.in/unclaimed-deposits/#/login) elucidates the detailed process of registration and use of the portal).
(a) Individuals: For searching unclaimed deposits in individual category, a user has to provide inputs such as name of the account holder, name of the bank (one or more banks can be selected) and any one or more of the five inputs viz., Permanent Account Number (PAN), Driving License Number, Voter ID Number, Passport Number and Date of Birth of the account holder.
(b) Non-Individuals: For searching unclaimed deposits in non-individual category, a user has to provide inputs such as name of the entity, name of the bank (one or more banks can be selected) and any one or more of the four inputs viz., Name of the authorised signatory, PAN, Corporate Identification Number (CIN) and Date of Incorporation.
Even if none of the above-mentioned information is available, the user can type the address of the account holder or the entity (as the case may be), in place of these inputs mentioned above for undertaking the search.

The G S Act and the G S Regulations came into force with effect from December 1, 2007. The G S Act applies to Government securities created and issued by the Central Government or a State Government, whether before or after the commencement of this Act. The G S Act will apply to all Government securities created and issued even prior to December 1, 2007.

It is not necessary that individual alongwith his related parties have shareholding in the NOFHC. However, if any individual belonging to the Promoter Group chooses to become a promoter of the NOFHC, he along with his relatives (as defined in Section 6 of the Companies Act 1956) and along with entities in which he and / or his relatives hold not less than 50 per cent of the voting equity shares can hold voting equity shares not exceeding 10 per cent of the total voting equity shares of the NOFHC. [para 2 ( C ) (ii) (a) of the guidelines]

Persons resident in India as defined under Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 are eligible to invest in SGB. Eligible investors include individuals, HUFs, trusts, universities and charitable institutions. Individual investors with subsequent change in residential status from resident to non-resident may continue to hold SGB till early redemption/maturity.

Ans. The investor who has remitted funds under LRS can retain and reinvest the income earned from his investments made under the Scheme. However, the received/realised/unspent/unused foreign exchange, unless reinvested, shall be repatriated and surrendered to an authorised person within a period of 180 days from the date of such receipt/ realisation/ purchase/ acquisition or date of return to India, as the case may be.

Further, any additional repatriation requirement with respect to investments made under Overseas Investments Rules and Regulations 2022 shall also be adhered to.

Ans: The credit cards can be used for purchase of goods and services at PoS terminals / e-commerce. These cards can be used domestically and internationally (provided they are enabled for such use). Credit cards can also be used to draw cash advances from ATMs, subject to prescribed terms, and conditions.

Banks have been advised to issue only CTS 2010 standard compliant cheques from September 30, 2012. Earlier, there were seprate clearing sessions for non-CTS cheques. However, they were discontinued with effect from December 31, 2018. As of now, non-CTS cheques cannot be presented in CTS. Bank have been advised to withdraw the non-CTS cheques from the customers. However, non-CTS cheques remain to be valid as a negotiable instrument.

Ans: Yes, both movable and immovable secured assets possessed under Section 13 (4) of the SARFAESI Act, 2002, on which the information is already published in the newspapers in terms of Rule 3 (1) or Rule 6 (2) of the Security (Enforcement) Rules of 2002 in case of movable property, and Rule 8 (2) ibid in case of immovable property, shall be displayed on the website of the RE.

The list of banks in India, their UPI handles and platforms for receiving and sending remittances are tabulated as following:

Receiving Remittances			Sending Remittances
Banks	UPI Handles Enabled	Featuring Apps	Banks	Apps / Internet banking
Axis Bank	@axisbank	Axis Pay	ICICI Bank	Internet banking
DBS Bank India	@dbs	DBS Digibank	Indian Bank	Mobile App (IndOASIS)
ICICI Bank	@icici	ICICI iMobile	Indian Overseas Bank	Internet banking
Indian Bank	@indianbank	IndOASIS
Indian Overseas Bank	@iob	BHIM IOB Pay	State Bank of India	Mobile App (BHIM SBI Pay)
State Bank of India	@sbi	BHIM SBI Pay

Yes. Members of the public can continue to use ₹2000 banknotes for their transactions and also receive them in payment. However, they are encouraged to deposit and/or exchange these banknotes on or before September 30, 2023.

Ans: No. Not required.

Ans: No, this is not mandatory. It would, however, be ideal if the beneficiary maintains an account with a bank branch in Nepal to which the credit could be afforded. In Nepal, the INRF Scheme is handled by Nepal SBI Ltd. (NSBL). If the beneficiary does not have a bank account with NSBL or resides in a locality / area in Nepal not serviced by a NSBL bank branch, an arrangement has been entered into by NSBL with a money transfer company in Nepal (called Prabhu Money Transfer) who would make arrangements for delivery of cash (in Nepalese Rupees) to the beneficiary.

Ans. The correspondent bank shall be responsible for the LEI of the non-resident counterpart. However, in this regard it may be guided by the instructions contained in paragraph 2 of the circular.

1. The framework is applicable for green deposits raised by REs on or after June 01, 2023.

2. REs cannot finance green activities/ projects first and raise green deposits thereafter.

Answer: Electronic Trading Platform (ETP) means any electronic system, other than a recognised stock exchange, on which transactions in eligible instruments like securities, money market instruments, foreign exchange instruments, derivatives, etc. are contracted. No entity shall operate an ETP without obtaining prior authorisation of RBI under The Electronic Trading Platforms (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2018. The list of authorised ETPs is available here.

Resident persons operating ETPs without authorisation from RBI, collecting and effecting/remitting payments directly/indirectly outside India shall render themselves liable for penal action under the extant laws and regulations, including the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

The existing SCAs/SAs of the Entity can continue (including as Joint Auditors) only if they fulfill the eligibility criteria and have not completed the stipulated tenure of three years as SCAs/SAs of the Entity. Till the appointment of SCAs/SAs for FY 2021-22, as per the requirements of the Circular and applicable statutory provisions, the SCAs/SAs for FY 2020-21 can continue for the Limited Review for Q1, Q2, etc.

Ans. The card holder can get the card tokenised by initiating a request on the app provided by the token requestor. The token requestor will forward the request to the card network which, with the consent of the card issuer, will issue a token corresponding to the combination of the card, the token requestor, and the device.

Infrastructure Finance Companies can maintain risk weight at 50% for assets covering PPP and post commercial operations date (COD) projects which have completed at least one year of satisfactory commercial operations and which are backed by a buyback guarantee by a designated Project / Statutory authority under a Tripartite Agreement.

Ans: EMI programmes on Credit Card are governed specifically by Para 6(b)(iii)¹ of the ‘Master Direction on Credit Card and Debit Card – Issuance and Conduct, 2022’. Such transactions shall not be covered under the Guidelines on Digital Lending. However other loan products offered on Credit Cards which are not covered/ envisaged under the aforesaid para of the Master Direction shall be governed by the stipulations laid down under the Guidelines on Digital Lending. Further, the Guidelines will also be applicable to all loans offered on Debit Card, including EMI programmes.

Ans: There is no restriction on transfer of loan accounts classified as fraud by lenders, which was the position even before the issue of MD-TLE, except for ARCs. Lenders can transfer such exposures to permitted transferees as per their board approved policies in compliance with Clause 73.

Ans: As to what is market value, please refer to the answer given against Q1 and 3.