Reserve Bank of India rationalizes the Overseas Direct Investments by Indian Party/Companies

March 28, 2012:

Reserve Bank of India has decided to rationalize various provisions / regulations in respect of the Overseas Direct Investments by Indian Party:

1. Creation of charge on immovable / movable property and other financial assets

It has been decided that proposals from the Indian party for creation of charge in the form of pledge / mortgage / hypothecation on the immovable / movable property and other financial assets of the Indian Party and their group companies may be considered by the Reserve Bank under the approval route within the overall limit fixed (presently 400%) for financial commitment subject to submission of a ‘No Objection’ by the Indian Party and their Group companies from their Indian lenders.



2. Reckoning bank guarantee issued on behalf of JV / WOS for computation of Financial Commitment

It has been decided that the bank guarantee issued by a resident bank on behalf of an overseas JV / WOS of the Indian party, which is backed by a counter guarantee / collateral by the Indian party, shall be reckoned for computation of the financial commitment of the Indian Party and reported accordingly.

3. Issuance of personal guarantee by the direct / indirect individual promoters of the Indian Party

It has been decided that issuance of personal guarantee by the promoters of the Indian Party as presently allowed under the General Permission shall also be extended to the indirect resident individual promoters of the Indian Party with same stipulations as in the case of personal guarantee by the direct promoters.

4. Financial Commitment without equity contribution to JV / WOS

Keeping in view the business requirement of the Indian party, particularly the legal requirement of the host country, it has now been decided that the proposals from the Indian party for undertaking financial commitment without equity contribution in JV / WOS may be considered by the Reserve Bank under the approval route. AD banks may forward the proposals from their constituents after ensuring that the laws of the host country permit incorporation of a company without equity participation by the Indian party.



5. Submission of Annual Performance Report

Where the law of the host country does not mandatorily require auditing of the books of accounts of JV / WOS, the Annual Performance Report (APR) may be submitted by the Indian party based on the un-audited annual accounts of the JV / WOS provided:

The Statutory Auditors of the Indian party certifies that ‘The un-audited annual accounts of the JV / WOS reflect the true and fair picture of the affairs of the JV / WOS’ and
That the un-audited annual accounts of the JV / WOS has been adopted and ratified by the Board of the Indian party.

6. Compulsorily Convertible Preference Shares (CCPS)

Keeping in view the nature of the Compulsorily Convertible Preference Shares (CCPS), it has been decided that Compulsorily Convertible Preference Shares shall be treated at par with equity shares and the Indian party is allowed to undertake financial commitment based on the exposure to JV by way of CCPS.

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