31 Jan
Banking Awareness

BANKING AND OTHER NEWS- January

SEBI reconstituted Market Data Advisory Committee Chaired by S Sahoo

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) reconstituted 20 members Market Data Advisory Committee (MDAC) to recommend policy measures in areas like securities market data access and privacy.The MDAC will be chaired by S.Sahoo.

  • S Sahoo is a Professor at National Law University, Delhi & former chairperson, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI).
  • The previous committee was headed by Madhabi Puri Buch, ex-whole-time member of SEBI.

SEBI Amended Settlement Proceedings; cuts Timeline for Filing Settlement Applications to 60 Days

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) amended the SEBI (Settlement Proceedings) Regulations, 2018, called the SEBI (Settlement Proceedings) (Amendment) Regulations, 2022 and has reduced the timeline for filing settlement applications to just 60 days from the current 180 days to make the system more efficient.

  • All payments under the settlement regulations will be accepted only through a dedicated payment gateway. To give this effect, the SEBI has amended Settlement Proceedings norms.
  • SEBI has amended SEBI (Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPI)) Regulations, 2019 called SEBI (FPI) (Amendment) Regulations, 2022 and stated that it could provide an exemption from strict enforcement of the regulations in other cases.

NSE Received SEBI’s nod to Launch Derivatives on Nifty Midcap Select Index

National Stock Exchange (NSE) has received approval from Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to launch derivatives on Nifty Midcap Select Index. The index will be available for trading from 24 January, 2022.Nifty Midcap Select Index intends to track the performance of a focused portfolio of 25 stocks within the Nifty Midcap 150 index.

CDSL Venture Ltd Receives SEBI Approval to Set up Accreditation Agency

Central Depository Services Limited (CDSL) Ventures Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of CDSL has received approval from Securities and Exchange Board of India’s (SEBI) for setting up Accreditation Agency for a period of 3 years with effect from 1st February 2022 for accreditation of eligible Investors.‘Accredited Investors’ (AIs) may avail flexibility in minimum investment amount (lower ticket

size) or concessions from specific regulatory requirements applicable to investment products with certain conditions for specific products or services.

SIDBI sanctions financial assistance of ₹650 crore to AUSFB and JSFB

Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) sanctioned financial assistance of around ₹650 crore to AU Small Finance Bank (AUSFB) and Jana Small Finance Bank (JSFB). The Small Finance Banks will use this assistance to support small-sized non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and micro finance institutions (MFIs) and micro entrepreneurs.

The headquarters of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) is Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

Pencilton Launches India’s 1st Debit Card with NCMC for Teens: PencilCard

Pencilton, a teen-focused fintech company in partnership with Transcorp has launched PencilCard, India’s 1st debit card with National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) for teens. PencilCard is an NCMC – compliant RuPay debit card specially designed for the teenager which will serve as an all-in-one card (debit card, metrocard & bus card) for multiple needs for both online & offline payments.

SBI lists $300 million via Taiwan’s Formosa Bonds on India INX

State Bank of India (SBI) listed its 1st USD 300 million Formosa bonds on India International Exchange IFSC (India INX). SBI became the first Indian entity to raise money through Formosa Bond.Through the issuance, India INX became the first Exchange in IFSC (International Financial Services Centre) to list Formosa Bonds issued by SBI.

  • The headquarters of State Bank of India (SBI) is Mumbai, Maharashtra.

SBICPSL, Paytm join hands for Card Tokenization to Protect Cardholders’ Data

SBI (State Bank of India) Cards and Payment Services Limited (SBICPSL) has collaborated with Paytm to enable their cardholders to tokenize their cards on devices and make payments through Paytm.

Currently, only cards issued in the Indian Territory are enabled on Paytm network but this partnership enables SBI Cardholders to transact through Paytm network in international locations.The card tokenization facility is available only on Android NFC (near field communication) devices.

Paisabazaar.com and Axis Bank Launches Pre-Qualified Program for Personal Loans

On 30th December 2021 Paisabazaar.com, the digital marketplace for consumer credit partnered with Axis Bank to launch a pre-qualified program for unsecured loans on its platform.The pre-qualified program involves deep technology and analytics collaboration with banks and non-bank financiers, enabling customers to view customized and pre-qualified lending offers.

SBI, ICICI and HDFC Bank continue to be Domestic Systemically Important Banks

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that SBI (State Bank of India), ICICI (Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India) and HDFC (Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited) banks will continue to be identified as Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs).

Therefore, they will have to maintain additional Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital ratios in the same manner prescribed in 2020.

SBI General Insurance launches ‘#BahaneChhodoTaxBachao’ Campaign on Tax Saving

SBI (State Bank of India) General Insurance Company Ltd launched a campaign titled ‘#BahaneChhodoTaxBachao’ to increase awareness around the need to buy health insurance to save tax.It will also highlight the other benefits of opting for health insurance.The campaign is in a quirky Vox Pop format featuring anchor Rudraksh Singh aka Rudy.

AIIB Invests USD 150 million in Development of Data Centres Serving Asia

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a multilateral development bank has committed USD 150 million to invest in the development of data centres that mostly serve emerging Asia through the Keppel Data Centre Fund II (KDCF II), a closed-end private equity vehicle managed by Alpha Investment Partners Limited (Alpha).

  • This project is being AIIB’s 1st data centre project. India is a key founding member of AIIB. The headquarters of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is Beijing, China.

Airtel Payments Bank & Park+ partner on FASTag-based Parking Solutions

Airtel Payments Bank and Park+ have collaborated to offer FASTag-based smart parking solutions to marquee commercial and residential properties across India.This partnership will utilize the reach of Airtel Payments Bank to digitise the parking ecosystem using FASTag associated with the vehicle.

Park+ is backed by Sequoia Capital and Matrix Partners, and is engaged in automating parking spaces through FASTag.

RBL Bank Collaborates with Google for Improving Customer Experience

RBL Bank and Google announced a strategic collaboration to improve the bank’s customer experience strategy through the digital platform, Abacus 2.0. This collaboration will enable better customer data management and analytics.

  • Aim – To provide a one-stop solution to its existing and new customers, to effortlessly deliver different product offerings.
  • The headquarters of RBL Bank is Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Axis Bank Collaborates with MinkasuPay for Biometric-Based Banking Payments

Axis Bank has partnered with MinkasuPay to offer a biometric authentication solution for net banking payments in merchant apps using Fingerprint or Face ID, without the need for usernames, passwords, and One-Time Passwords (OTPs).This Solution will reduce the time of payment from 50-60 seconds to just 2-3 seconds and also increase the transaction success rate.

LazyPay Partners with SBM Bank India to Launch LazyCard for Easy Credit

On 11th January 2022 LazyPay, a Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) solution by PayU Finance, announced its partnership with SBM Bank India to launch LazyCard, a prepaid payment instrument backed by a credit line that works on the Visa payment network.

  • Objective – To empower financially underserved Indians with easy access to credit as their card has limited credit options.
  • The headquarters of SBM Bank is Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Axis Bank Issues 1st LC on Govt-backed Platform SLDE

Axis Bank issued industry’s 1st letter of credit (LC) on the Secured Logistics Document Exchange (SLDE), a government-backed blockchain-enabled platform (launched in July 2021). The deal, which was executed digitally on the SLDE platform, involved ArcelorMittal Nippon and Lalit Pipes & Pipes Limited (LPPL) (Axis bank’s client). The bank released an LC on behalf of LPPL.

UCO Bank Launched RuPay Select Contactless Debit Card in partnership with NPCI

UCO Bank (formerly United Commercial Bank Ltd) in partnership with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched the ‘UCO Bank RuPay Select Contactless Debit Card’ with a host of benefits for its premium/HNI (High Networth Individuals) customers.This launch was made on the occasion of the 79th Inauguration Day of the bank i.e. January 6, 2022.

  • The card offers an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) withdrawal limit of Rs 50000 along with a purchase of up to Rs 2 lakh at POS (Point of Sale) or E-Commerce.

Canara Bank Partners with Lendingkart to Offer Loans Online for MSMEs

Fintech company Lendingkart announced a co-lending partnership with Canara Bank to provide low- cost business loans of up to Rs. 10 lakh to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).The aim of the partnership is to broaden the support provided to the MSME borrowers for enhancing financial inclusion under the Reserve Bank India’s (RBIs) Priority Sector initiative.

  • The loans will be originated and sanctioned through the digital platform ‘Lendingkart 2gthr’

using ‘zero touch’ technology.

Federal Bank, Equirus Wealth Jointly Launches USD Offshore Fund

Federal Bank and Equirus Wealth in collaboration with SCUBE Capital, a global fund management company based out of Singapore, have launched a ‘US dollar offshore fund’ for their customers. Only the customers of Federal Bank (both NRI (Non-Resident Indian) and Resident) could invest in the fund. It offers a portfolio return (internal rate of return (IRR)) guidance of ~ USD 6.50 percent per annum with a fund tenor of 3 years from the date of fund closure with an option to extend by one year.

  • The Headquarters of Federal Bank is Aluva,Kerala.

Ujjivan SFB launches Platina Fixed Deposit scheme

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (SFB) launched ‘Platina Fixed Deposit’ (FD), offering interest of 15 basis points (bps) higher than the regular term deposit rates provided by Ujjivan SFB.The Platina FD is a non- callable deposit, where partial & premature withdrawal is not applicable.While the interest amount can be received on monthly, quarterly or at the end of the maturity period.

The Headquarters of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (USFB) is Bangalore, Karnataka.

CUB & GOQii Launches CUB Easy Pay Fitness Watch Debit Card

City Union Bank (CUB), the oldest Private Sector Bank in India, in association with smart-tech-enabled preventive healthcare platform GOQii has launched CUB Easy Pay Debit Card in a Fitness Watch, a wearable & contactless RuPay On-The-Go payment solution, powered by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).On 24th January 2022, V.R.Venkatachalam, chancellor of Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research received the 1st watch in Chennai.

The headquarters of City Union Bank (CUB) Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu.

Government Approves PMC Bank Amalgamation Plan with USFBL

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced the Government of India’s approval for the amalgamation of the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank (PMC Bank) with Unity Small Finance Bank limited (USFBL), the 12th SFB of India.

The amalgamation came into force from 25th January 2022 and on the same day all the branches of the PMC Bank were allowed to function as the branches of USFBL.

  • RBI has also notified a Scheme for the amalgamation, which envisages takeover of the assets and liabilities of PMC Bank, including deposits, by the USFBL.

SPMCIL sets up New Bank Note Printing Lines at CNP, Nashik & BNP, Dewas

The Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL) has set up new Bank Note Printing Lines at Currency Note Press (CNP), Nashik in Maharashtra; and Bank Note Press (BNP), Dewas in Madhya Pradesh as a part of its modernization initiatives. The bank note printing line at CNP Nashik was virtually inaugurated by Meera Swarup, Special Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Finance.

31 Jan
Banking Awareness

Banking & Finance News- January

IRDAI – to Set up Hubs on Motor, Property Insurances and Sets Norms for Surety Cover

Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has decided to set up two hubs, one on motor insurance at ‘Institute of Insurance and Risk Management (IIRM), the other on property insurance at ‘National Insurance Academy (NIA)’ to promote loss prevention measures in the general insurance industry. IRDAI also decided to form an advisory committee under the chairmanship of the NIA director to create a repository of past risk inspection reports and develop standard survey/inspection report formats.

  • In exercise of the powers conferred under section 14 (2) (i) of IRDA Act, 1999, IRDAI has issued the following guidelines to regulate and develop Surety Insurance business named ‘IRDAI (Surety Insurance Contracts) Guidelines, 2022’.

LIC, GIC, New India Assurance Continue to be Identified as D-SIIs for 2021-22: IRDAI

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC) and New India Assurance continued to be identified by Insurance Regulator and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) as Domestic Systemically Important Insurers (D-SIIs) for 2021-22.

  • They were also consequently subject to enhanced regulatory supervision and IRDAI has asked the three insurers to raise the level of corporate governance, identify all relevant risks and promote a sound risk management culture.

LIC Inaugurated “Digi Zone” To Enhance its Digital Footprint

Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India has inaugurated “Digi Zone”, at Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai, Maharashtra, as part of its effort to enhance its digital footprint. LIC’s Digi Zone can be used by the customers to purchase policies online, pay the premium and avail of other services.

Government Retains the Interest Rate of Small Savings Schemes for Q4 of FY22

Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs (Budget Division), has maintained the status quo and retained the Interest Rate of Small Savings Scheme unchanged for the 4th Quarter (Q4) for the Financial Year 2021-22 (FY22) (i.e. from January 2022 to March 2022) same as Q3 FY22, due to the rising cases of COVID-19 variant Omicron and elevated level of inflation.

The interest rates on various small savings instruments such as Public Provident Fund (PPF), National Savings Certificate (NSC), term deposits in post offices, etc remain unchanged from Q2 FY21 (around 7 quarters). Click here for Interest Rates on Small Savings Instruments for Q4 FY22.

Fullerton India and One97 Communications tie up to Provide Lending Products

Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) Fullerton India and One97 Communications, parent company of Paytm, have joined hands to provide lending products to merchant partners and consumers.Under this partnership, Paytm Postpaid/buy-now-pay-later or innovative merchant loan products will be offered to consumers on the Paytm platform while utilising Fullerton’s risk assessment capabilities, and understanding of the segment.

India offers USD 500mn LOC to Sri Lanka for Purchase of Petroleum Products

Indian Government offered a USD 500 million Line of Credit (LOC) to help Sri Lanka for purchase of petroleum products as it is struggling with fuel and energy crisis.This support is extended through a letter by Union Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, Prof. Gamini Lakshman Peiris.

  • Recently, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) also extended over US$ 900 million loan to Sri Lanka utilized that are being utilized by the latter to build up its depleted foreign reserves and for food imports.

Nippon India MF launches India’s first Auto Exchange Traded Fund

In January 2022, Nippon Life India Asset Management Limited (NAM India), the asset manager of Nippon India Mutual Fund (NIMF) launched a New Fund Offer (NFO) for Nippon India Nifty Auto Exchange Traded Fund (ETF). It is India’s First Auto sector ETF.

  • The scheme will provide exposure to top 15 companies of auto sectors such as automobiles 4 wheelers, automobiles 2 & 3 wheelers, auto ancillaries, and tyres.

NBBL Launches UPMS to Simplify Recurring Bill Payments

NPCI Bharat BillPay Limited (NBBL), the wholly-owned subsidiary of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), launched a Unified Presentment Management System (UPMS), which will enable users to set up standing instructions on their recurring bill payments across all modes of digital payments.

The bills will be automatically fetched from the billers and presented to customers for their action, in terms of auto-debit and bill payment management.

Reliance Jio Introduces UPI Autopay in Collaboration with NPCI

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Reliance Jio collaborated to announce the introduction of Unified Payment Interface (UPI) Autopay for the telecom industry.Through this collaboration, Reliance Jio has become the 1st telecom company to launch a UPI autopay facility for both prepaid and postpaid subscribers.

  • Jio customers can now autopay for their tariff plans on the MyJio app and avail touch-free auto- recharge and bill payments facility.

NPCI sets standardized limits for cash withdrawals and mini statements on AePS transactions In order to make Aadhaar enabled Payments Systems (AePS) more standardized, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has introduced limits for cash withdrawals and mini statements which needs to implement by the acquiring banks by January 15, 2022. As per the guidelines, the acquiring banks will have to implement a maximum limit of five approved cash withdrawal transactions per customer per terminal per day.

SJVN Got Category I Licence for Inter State Power Trading

Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) got the Category I licence for inter-state trading in electricity in India, which was granted by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC). SJVN has a portfolio of more than 16,000 megawatt (MW), out of which 2,016.5 MW is under operation.

An entity or person applying for a Category `I` trading licence should have net worth of Rs 50 crore and should have maintained minimum current ratio and liquidity ratio of 1:1.

NBFC Shrinithi Capital Raises Rs 300 Crores Co-Lending Facility

Shrinithi Capital Private (Pvt) Limited (Ltd), a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) which primarily focuses on commercial vehicle & two-wheeler loans, tied-up with IndoStar Capital Finance Ltd to focus on co-lending facilities.

  • Shrinithi Capital Pvt Ltd has raised Rs. 300 crores as co- lending facility from IndoStar Capital Finance Ltd.

Yes Mutual Fund Renamed as White Oak Capital Mutual Fund

Yes Asset Management has been renamed as the White Oak Capital Asset Management with effect from 12th January 2022. In line with this, Yes Mutual Fund has been renamed as White Oak Capital Mutual Fund.In November 2021, the White Oak Capital group announced the completion of the transaction to acquire the mutual fund business of Yes Bank.

Torus Kling Blockchain launches Bitcoin and Ethereum Futures ETF, India’s first crypto backed futures ETF at GIFT City

The Torus Kling Blockchain IFSC, an equal joint venture between Cosmea Financial Holdings and Kling Trading India signed a MoU with India INX to launch the first Bitcoin and Ethereum Futures exchange traded funds (ETFs) in India.

These funds will become India’s first crypto backed futures outside of the United States (US).

  • Torus Kling Blockchain is targeting $ 1 billion Assets Under Management (AUM) in the first two years from customers participating in blockchain backed products through ETFs and Discount certificates.
  • Under the agreement, Torus Kling Blockchain IFSC also launched Metaverse US-listed large-cap discount certificates.

Marwadi Financial Services partnered with NSDL Payments Bank to offer 3-in-1 Savings Account to Customers

Marwadi Financial Services has joined hands with NSDL Payments Bank to offer 3-in-1 savings bank account with features of savings, demat (Dematerialised Account) and trading accounts to boost its customer experience. This partnership will also allow NSDL Payments Bank to access Marwadi’s clients and expand its customer base.

  • NSDL Payments Bank is a subsidiary of NSDL (National Securities Depository Limited), the first nd the largest depository in India.Marwadi Financial Services is a Rajkot, Gujarat based financial service group dealing in equities/commodities/currencies broking and portfolio management services.

Indifi, GPay tie-up to offer Instant Digital Credit to Small Merchants

Indifi Technologies has joined hands with Alphabet’s UPI (Unified Payments Interface)-based payment app, Google Pay (GPay), to offer instant loans to eligible small merchants on the GPay platform.The loans will be in the range of Rs 2.5 to Rs 3 lakh.

  • The reason behind this partnership is to serve small Indian businesses that are facing problems in running seamless operations due to lack of access to formal credit.

IIFL Securities Partners with Alphaniti for Stock Market Investors

Alphaniti, a Fintech company, partnered with IIFL Securities to allow investors to invest and trade in stock offerings.

The aim of the partnership is to allow direct investments by offering high-quality products at affordable costs through big data, deep domain expertise and technology for both India and the US markets across multiple asset classes.

Paytm Money Launches Intelligent Messenger ‘Pops’ to invest and track markets

Paytm Money, a wholly owned subsidiary of the digital finance platform ‘Paytm’, has launched India’s first intelligent messenger named ‘’Pop’’ to provide instant updates to track users’ investments in the stock market. “Pop” provides specific information related to their stock, portfolio analysis, market news, and important market movements all in one place and easily available to its users.

Snapdeal, BOB Financial & NPCI Launches Contactless RuPay Credit Card

E-commerce platform Snapdeal has partnered with Bank of Baroda (BOB) Financial Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of BoB, and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to launch a co-branded contactless RuPay credit card.

  • Aim – To popularise the adoption and usage of credit cards among the online buyers from India’s smaller cities and towns.

MobiKwik & Bharat BillPay launch ClickPay Services for Bill Payments

MobiKwik, a mobile wallet Fintech company, partnered with NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd. (NBBL) to launch ‘ClickPay’ service to its customers. With this, the customers of MobiKwik can pay recurring online bills, such as mobile, gas, water, electricity, DTH, insurance and loan EMIs using their mobile phone.

  • ClickPay is a two-factor authentication payment feature wherein the billers generate a unique payment link within the bill-pay message and allow customers to make payments directly on the payment page.

NSE Remains World’s Largest Derivatives Market for 3rd Straight Year; NSE Indices launches Nifty India Defence Index

National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has emerged as the world’s largest derivatives exchange for the third consecutive year in 2021 in terms of the number of contracts traded, based on the statistics maintained by the Futures Industry Association (FIA).As per the statistics maintained by the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) for 2021, the NSE exchange was ranked 4th by the number of trades in cash equities.

Indipaisa Partners with Hitachi Payment to Develop Fintech Platform for MSMEs

Hitachi Payment Services partnered with Indipaisa to develop a new Fintech platform for India’s 63 million Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).The objective of the partnership is to offer a high- quality digital platform for fintech services at affordable prices for the Indian MSME market.

  • The partnership helps in financial inclusion for the marginalised MSMEs with technological know-how, centralised infrastructure and expansive network.

Max Life, Policybazaar Partners to Offer Insurance Cover for Homemakers

Max Life Insurance Company Limited (Max Life) has partnered with Policybazaar.com to offer its ‘Max Life Smart Secure Plus Plan’ on Policybazaar platform as an independent Insurance cover to homemakers. At present homemakers in India are allowed for term insurance cover only as an add-on to their earning spouse’s cover.

FAARMS, RGICL Partners to Offer Insurance to Farmers

FAARMS, the Agri-tech start-up, partners with Reliance General Insurance Company Ltd. (RGICL) and introduced customized digital insurance solutions for the rural population especially the farmers. The partnership will enable the farmers and any individual from rural areas to easily access and choose from a range of health and cattle insurance on the FAARMS app through their smartphones.

31 Jan
Banking Awareness

1. Banking News With RBI- January

RBI Approves Fino Payments Bank for Cross Border Remittances

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved Fino Payments Bank for commencing international remittance business under the Money Transfer Service Scheme (MTSS). The approval will enable the customers of Fino Payments Bank to receive money sent from foreign countries. The money remitted by family members abroad can be directly withdrawn at the nearest micro-ATM or Aadhaar-Enabled Payment Services (AEPS) enabled Fino Bank’s neighbourhood merchant point.

  • The headquarters of Fino Payments Bank – Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra.

RBI Releases Framework for Small-value Offline Digital Payments

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a framework for facilitating small-value digital payments in offline mode using cards, wallets, mobile devices, etc, to push digital transactions in rural and semi-urban areas.The upper limit of an offline payment transaction was fixed at Rs 200, with a total limit on a payment instrument be at Rs 2,000 at any point in time.

  • Note – Offline digital payment is a transaction that does not require internet or telecom connectivity to take effect.

RBI granted Scheduled Payment Bank Status to Airtel Payments Bank

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) granted a Scheduled Payment Bank status to Airtel Payments Bank by including it into the Second Schedule to the RBI Act, 1934. With this inclusion, it becomes the 4th payment bank to get this status. This status will help Airtel Payments Bank to explore new central and state government business opportunities, including participation in government-issued Request for Proposals (RFP), and primary auctions, along with participation in government-operated welfare schemes.

RBI Introduces Market Making Scheme to Promote PDs to Trade in RD Scheme                           

To provide liquidity in the secondary market, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has introduced the market-making scheme to promote retail participation in Government Securities (G-Secs) by providing prices/quotes to Retail Direct Gilt Account Holders (RDGAHs) enabling them to buy/sell securities under the RBI Retail Direct (RBI-RD) Scheme.

  • Under the scheme, RBI allowed the Primary Dealers (PDs) to be present on the Negotiated Dealing System- Order Matching (NDS-OM) Platform (odd-lot and Request for Quotes (RFQ) segments) throughout market hours and respond to buy/sell requests from RDGAHs.

RBI Cancels Authorisation Certificates of Two Payment System Operators

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cancelled the Certificate of Authorisation (CoA) of two Payment System Operators (PSOs) – Muthoot Vehicle & Asset Finance, and Eko India Financial Services for non- compliance with regulatory requirements.The CoA was cancelled by RBI on 31st December 2021, in the exercise of the powers conferred on it under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.

RBI Releases Eligibility Criteria for Entities to Become ‘specified Users’ of CICs

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the eligibility criteria for entities to be categorised as ‘Specified User’ of Credit Information Companies (CICs). The eligible criteria are issued under clause (j) of Regulation 3 of the CICs (Amendment) Regulations, 2021.In November 2021, RBI notified CICs (Amendment) Regulations, 2021 to amend the CICs Regulations, 2006.

  • A ‘specified user’ should be a company incorporated in India or a Statutory Corporation established in India.

RBI Increased Banks’ LCR maintenance on Funds Received from Non-Financial Small Business Customers to Rs 7.5 Crore

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has increased the threshold limit for Banks to maintain the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) on deposits and other ‘extension of funds’ received from non-financial small business customers from Rs 5 crore to Rs 7.5 crore.

  • Objective: To better align RBI’s guidelines with the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) standard and enable banks to manage liquidity risk more effectively.

RBI Sets up Separate Department for Fintech

In January 2022, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) sets up a separate internal department for fintech (Financial technology) by subsuming the fintech division of DPSS (department of payment and settlement systems), Central Office (CO). to facilitate innovation, and help identify, address challenges and opportunities in the fintech sector.

  • Ajay Kumar Choudhary, who was recently promoted as the Executive Director of RBI was appointed as head of the department.

The department will be administratively attached to the centralised administrative division (CAD) of RBI.

RBI extends its Directions for Sri Guru Raghavendra Sahakara Bank till May 10, 2022

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the validity of its directions by 4 months for Sri Guru Raghavendra Sahakara Bank Niyamitha, Bengaluru (Karnataka) i.e., till May 10, 2022 from January 11, 2022.The directions have been issued under Section 35A read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation (BR) Act, 1949.

RBI brought the bank under Directions in the interest of depositor protection on January 2, 2020, the validity of which was extended from time to time.

RBI Releases Annual Report of Ombudsman Schemes, 2020-21; Complaints rose by 22.27% in 2021

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the Annual Report of the Ombudsman Schemes for 2020-21, which has been prepared for the 9-month period, i.e., July 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021, in alignment with the change in the Financial Year of RBI from ‘July – June’ to ‘April – March’ with effect from July 1, 2020.The Annual Report covers the activities under the Banking Ombudsman Scheme, 2006 (BOS), the Ombudsman Scheme for Non-Banking Financial Companies, 2018 (OSNBFC) and the Ombudsman Scheme for Digital Transactions, 2019 (OSDT).

RBI Released RBI-DPI for September 2021; Digital Payments Grew by 39.64%

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the RBI – Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI) for September 2021, as per the index the digital payments increased by 39.64 percent to 304.06 as against 217.74 in September 2020. It is the index launched by RBI in January 2021 with March 2018 as the base period (ie. DPI score for March 2018 is set at 100) to identify the extent of digitisation of payments across the country. The index will be released semi-annually with a lag of 4 months.

It is the index launched by RBI in January 2021 with March 2018 as the base period (ie. DPI score for March 2018 is set at 100) to identify the extent of digitisation of payments across the country. The index will be released semi-annually with a lag of 4 months.

Existing NBFC-ICCs with asset size of Rs 1,000cr & above allowed undertaking Factoring Business: RBI

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued the following regulations after exercising its powers conferred under the Factoring Regulation Act, 2011.

  • Registration of Factors (Reserve Bank) Regulations, 2022.
  • Registration of Assignment of Receivables (Reserve Bank) Regulations, 2022.

It permits all existing non-deposit taking Non-Banking Finance Company-Investment and Credit Companies (NBFC-ICCs) with asset size of Rs 1,000 crore and above to undertake factoring business, subject to certain conditions.

RBI holds Overnight VRRR Auction as GST outflow from Banks tightens Liquidity

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) conducted an Overnight variable rate reverse repo (VRRR) auction for Rs 50,000 crore under liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) to infuse liquidity, instead of its usual fixed-rate overnight reverse repo window, as Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection tightened liquidity this week.

  • This auction was to stabilize overnight Call Money Market (CMM) rates which have been hardening due to outflows from banks on account of GST payments.
  • The weighted average call money rate also touched 4.3587% showing liquidity stress. This is the first VRRR auction since March 2021.

RBI conducts Overnight VRR auction of worth Rs. 75,000 crore

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) offered overnight liquidity to the banking system of India with Rs.75,000 crore against banks bid of around Rs 1.37 lakh crore through variable rate repo (VRR) auction under Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) and 25th January 2022 will be the date of reversal.

  • The auction will be conducted on Core Banking Solutions (CBS) (e-Kuber) platform with Rs.1 crore as minimum bid amount for the auction and the allotment would be in multiples of Rs.1 crore.

RBI Imposes Restrictions on Indian Mercantile Cooperative Bank

Reserve Bank of India imposed several restrictions on Indian Mercantile Cooperative Bank Limited, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh including a cap of Rs 1 lakh on withdrawals.RBI issued the directions in the exercise of powers vested in it under sub section (1) of Section 35 A read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act (As Applicable to Cooperative Societies), 1949.

31 Jan
Banking Awareness

AGREEMENTS & MoUs SIGNED AND LOANS ISSUED BY BANKS-JANUARY

LOANS ISSUED BY BANKS

LOANS ISSUED BYRECEIVED BYAMOUNTKEY NOTES
Reserve Bank of IndiaSri LankaUS$ 900 millionReserve Bank of India (RBI) extended over US$ 900 million loan facilities to Sri Lanka, comprising Asian Clearing Union (ACU) settlement of over USD 500 million and currency Swap of USD 400 million.This funding will aid Sri Lanka to overcome forex crisis and shortage of almost all essential commodities due to a shortage of dollars to pay for the imports.It will be utilized to build up its depleted foreign reserves and for food imports.
World BankWest BengalUSD 125 million (around Rs 1,000 crore)To support its effort towards social protection service access to the poor and vulnerable groups.The loan will be sanctioned under the ‘WB Building State Capability for Inclusive Social Protection’ operation which will strengthen the access to social assistance and targeted service for poor and vulnerable groups. The Headquarters of World Bank is Washington, D.C., United States.
RBI & World bank Loan

AGREEMENTS & MoUs SIGNED

BANKSSIGNED WITHKEY NOTES
HDFC Bank and Excelpoint Systems India Pvt. Ltd.STPINEXTAIC STPINEXT Initiatives (STPINEXT), a special purpose vehicle of Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), one with HDFC Bank and the other with Excelpoint Systems India Pvt. Ltd. to enhance the tech startup ecosystem in India. Both HDFC Bank and Excelpoint Systems will support the startups through technical guidance and assistance, mentoring, pitching to investors, funding support, and market connect & access.
Karnataka Vikas Grameena(KVG) Bank (KVGB)Mecwin Technologies(Tech) LtdA Regional Rural Bank (RRB), Karnataka Vikas Grameena(KVG) Bank (KVGB), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bengaluru (Karnataka)-based Mecwin Technologies(Tech) Ltd to introduce farmer-friendly solar-powered pump-sets using bank finance. Solar-powered pump-sets will replace diesel pump- sets resulting in reduced carbon emissions. The headquarters of Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) is Dharwad, Karnataka
Indian BankEdelweiss Financial Services and ECL FinanceEdelweiss Financial Services and ECL Finance signed a co- lending agreement with Indian Bank to expand services under priority sector lending (PSL). The co-lending agreement will help in expanding the portfolio of lending products and will ultimately increase credit access. The Headquarters of Indian Bank is Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)Arthimpact Digital Loans (ARTH)Signed a partnership agreement to provide end-to-end fintech (financial technology) solutions to support self-help groups (SHGs). ARTH will provide credit, payments and insurance solutions support to micro-MSME enterprises.
ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company (AMC)First Trust AdvisorsICICI Prudential Asset Management Company (AMC) signed an agreement with First Trust Advisors, an US-based company to launch a global Fund of Funds (FoF). Under the agreement, the ICICI Prudential AMC will launch a strategic metal & energy equity FoF. It invests in offshore funds of First Trust Advisors.The ICICI Prudential strategic metal & energy equity FoF will open for subscription on January 17 and will close on January 31, 2022.
Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (KMBL)Gujarat International Finance Tec-city – Special Economic Zone (GIFT SEZ) LimitedA wholly-owned subsidiary of GIFT-City, to improve customer’s overall financial services offerings. KMBL and GIFT SEZ will jointly work on promoting the GIFT International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) jurisdiction for Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) structures, holding seminars and knowledge series, ease of doing business along with Global Custody Services. The headquarters of Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (KMBL) is Mumbai, Maharashtra.
NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL)TerraPayNPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), international arm of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with TerraPay, the Netherlands-based global payments infrastructure company.This partnership will allow Indians with an active UPI (Unified Payments Interface) ID to receive real-time, international payments into their bank accounts via TerraPay’s fully regulated, secure, scalable and efficient channel.
MoU Between Banks