Feb ' 25 Flashcards
(61 cards)
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced the alignment of regulations governing the private placement of non-convertible debentures (NCDs) by housing finance companies (HFCs) with those applicable to non-banking financial companies (NBFCs)
This change replaces the existing framework under Chapter XI of the Master Direction – Non-Banking Financial Company – Housing Finance Company (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2021 with new guidelines in line with Paragraph 58 of the Master Direction – NBFC– Scale Based Regulation) Directions, 2023.
- This means that HFCs will follow the similar rules and guidelines as NFBCs when issuing NCDs.
- The RBI also mentioned that existing guidelines specific to HFCs regarding NCD issuance were repealed.
- The updated guidelines will take effect on January 29, 2025, and will apply to all new private placements of NCDs issued by HFCs with maturities exceeding one year.
NBFC- Scale Based Regulation:
i. Under NBFC regulations for the private placement of NCDs, companies are required to formulate a board approved policy for resource planning, outlining the planning horizon and the frequency of private placements.
ii. The minimum subscription per investor shall be _____. The private placement of NCDs will be classified into two segments:
- NCDs with a maximum subscription of less than Rs.1 crore per investor. NCDs with a minimum subscription of Rs.1 crore and above per investor.
iii. Additionally, for NCDs with a maximum subscription of less than Rs.1 crore per investor, the total number of subscribers shall be limited to 200 per financial year (FY), and these subscriptions must be fully secured
Rs. 20,000
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has implemented New Rules for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions, effective from _____. This regulation mandates that all UPI transaction Identifications (IDs) containing special characters (@, #, $, %, and others) will be declined and must use only the alphanumeric characters.
- This directive aims to enforce compliance with UPI technical specifications implemented back in March 2024.
February 1, 2025
i. The move follows an earlier NPCI Operating circular (OC 193) issued in March 2024, requiring UPI participants to generate transaction IDs using only alphanumeric characters for technical standardization.
ii. All banks, payment service providers, and third-party applications (apps) are required to update their systems prior to the enforcement date.
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released its latest Annual Report of the Ombudsman Scheme, 2023-24. As per the report, RBI resolved 95% (i.e. 2.84 lakh) complaints received under the Reserve Bank-Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RB-IOS) between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024 and achieved a disposable rate of _____.
- Under the RB-IOS, 2021 act, the complaints are handled by 24 Offices of the RBI Ombudsman (ORBIOs) and the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre (CRPC).
- During F.Y.2023-24 The report revealed that a total of 9,34,355 complaints were received by the ORBIOs and CRPC as compared to 7,03,544 complaints during F.Y.2022-23, representing an increase of 32.81 per cent.
95.10%
Annual Report of the Ombudsman Scheme
i. Out of these 9,34,355 complaints, 2,93,924 complaints (31.46 per cent) were received at ORBIOs and 6,40,431 complaints (68.54 per cent) were received at the CRPC.
- As per the report, _____of the total complaints received at the ORBIOs, came through digital modes including the online Complaint Management System (CMS) portal, and Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS).
ii. The report informed that ORBIO has resolved 57.07% of maintainable complaints through mutual settlement, conciliation, or mediation, while 40.78% were dismissed due to absence of any service deficiency.
iii. CRPC witnessed a sharp increase in complaints, receiving 7,66,957 complaints (including assigned to ORBIOs/ Consumer Education and Protection Cell (CEPCs)), which was 30.10 per cent higher as compared to the previous year.
- While, 6,31,876 complaints were dismissed as non-complaints or non-maintainable complaints and 1,26,607 complaints were assigned to ORBIOs/CEPCs for further redress.
The report observed a significant increase in complaints from individuals, senior citizens in both FY23 and FY24. Notably, the complaints from this group have increased by 24.09%, from 2.07 lakh (in FY23) to 2.57 lakh (in FY24).
Office of Reserve Bank of India Ombudsman
88.77%
Annual Report of the Ombudsman Scheme
RBI received maximum complaints in the “Loans and Advances” category , with 85, 281 complaints reported in FY24, accounting 29.01% of total complaints. This represents a sharp increase of 42.70% compared to last year.
- It is followed by Mobile and Net Banking with 57,242 complaints (accounting 19.48% of total complaints), and saw a significant increase of 32.61% compared to previous year.
- Also, complaints related to ‘Opening and Operating Deposit Accounts’ increased by 34.45% (from the last year) to 46,358, representing 15.77% of total complaints.
- Complaints related to ‘Credit Cards’ increased by 23.95% (from the last year) to 42,329, accounting for 14.40% of total complaints.
- ATM and Debit cards complaints fell _____, making it the only category with a decline.
ii. ORBIOs received maximum complaints against Banks during FY24, accounting 82.28% of total complaints (2.42 lakh), followed by Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) with 42,699 complaints (accounting 14.53% of total complaints).
It further mentioned that within the banking sector, Public Sector Banks (PSBs) accounted for 38.32%, followed by Private Sector Banks (34.39%), Payment Banks (3.08%), Small Finance Banks (SFBs) (1.35%), among others.
15.7%
State-wise Contributions:
i. ORBIOs (Office of the Reserve Bank of India Ombudsman) received maximum complaints from top 5 States/ Union Territories (UTs) based on per lakh accounts (deposit and credit) are: UT Chandigarh, the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Uttarakhand.
ii. Top 5 states/UTs reported lowest complaints during FY24: Mizoram, Nagaland, UT Ladakh, Manipur, and UT Lakshadweep.
Key Observations:
i. The RBI highlighted instances of unfair interest charging practices by lenders during its onsite examination of banks for the FY24 ending on March 31, 2024.
- It found that Banks are charging interest prematurely, from the date of loan sanction or loan agreement execution rather than the actual date of disbursement.
ii. It noted that in cases where loans were disbursed through Cheque, interest was charged from the ____, even if the customer received the cheque days later.
cheque date
i. As per the report, 82 appeals were received by the Appellate Authority against the decisions of the RBI Ombudsman during FY24, of which 72 appeals were received from the complainants and 10 appeals were received from the Regulated Entities (REs).
ii. The report mentioned that the Consumer Education and Protection Department has outlined the certain goals for FY25 (from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025) under RBI’s medium-strategy framework (Utkarsh 2.0) and other short term goals. These goals aim to enhance consumer protection and improve grievance redress mechanisms.
About RB-IOS, 2021:
i. It was introduced in November 2021 by integrating 3 erstwhile Ombudsman schemes i.e. Banking Ombudsman Scheme, 2006; Ombudsman Scheme for Non-Banking Financial Companies (OSNBFC), 2018, and Ombudsman Scheme for Digital Transactions (OSDT), 2019.
ii. The Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RB-IOS), 2021 provides an Alternate Grievance Redress (AGR) mechanism for expeditious and cost-free grievance redressal of customer complaints that have not been satisfactorily redressed by the Regulated Entities (REs) or where the complainants have not been replied to within a period of _____ by the REs.
30 days
RBI released the list of NBFCs in the Upper Layer (UL) segment under the _____ for NBFCs for the year 2024-25. It has retained Tata Sons Private Limited (TSPL) in the NBFC UL list despite its request to de-register as a NBFC, is under examination.
- The list comprises 15 companies that include Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) Housing Finance Limited (HFL), Bajaj Finance Limited (BHL), and Shriram Finance Limited (SFL), among others.
Scale Based Regulation (SBR)
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has tightened norms for imposing monetary penalties and compounding offences under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act (PSS Act, 2007). The new norms aim to consolidate and rationalize enforcement actions by the RBI.
- The new framework which has been introduced for payment system operators and banks that outlined various contraventions and penalties such as: operation of a payment system without authorization, disclosure of information, which is prohibited, and failure to pay the penalty imposed by the RBI within the stipulated time period, among others
i. RBI has been empowered under Section 30 of the PSS Act, to impose a penalty not exceeding Rs 10 lakh or twice the amount involved in such contravention or default where such amount is quantifiable, whichever is more.
Note: Previously, the RBI was empowered to impose a penalty up to Rs 5 lakh. The amount was increased following the enactment of the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023, which came into force on January 22, 2024.
ii. In cases where such contravention or default is repeating one, a further penalty of maximum Rs 25,000 for every day after the 1st instance, during which the contravention or default continues, can also be imposed.
iii. Section 31 of the PSS Act, 2007 has empowered an officer of RBI duly authorised to compound contraventions, excluding those offences punishable with imprisonment only or with imprisonment and fine.
iv. The authority which has been designated for imposing monetary penalty and compounding contraventions, is required to form a committee comprising 3 Executive Directors (EDs) handled by the Central Office of Enforcement Department (ED).
- The committee is required to include the Regional Director and two senior officials at the Regional Office of ED.
v. The amount of penalty will be determined based on the principles of proportionality, intent and mitigating factors, if any. The compounding amount will be calculated on the same factors as of monetary penalties.
- The compounding amount may be 25% less than the calculated amount of penalties.
- In case of repeated contraventions (within a period of 5 years), the compounding amount may be increased by 50% of the calculated compounding amount, subject to limits prescribed under statutory provisions.
vi. The monetary penalty or compounding amount is required to be paid within 30 days from the date of receipt of penalty or compounding order, as the case may be.
- In the case where the penalty amount is not paid within the stipulated time period, RBI is empowered to initiate appropriate action against the contravener as per section 8 or section 30 (3) or section 33 of the PSS Act, 2007.
vii. The RBI mentioned that only material contraventions will be considered for enforcement action in the form of imposition of monetary penalty or compounding of offences.
In December 2024, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) injected _____ into the banking system to manage the increasing liquidity deficit, following a surplus liquidity of Rs 1.4 lakh crore that lasted more than two months.
The liquidity deficit has arisen due to a negative balance of payments in Q3FY25, totaling USD 23 billion, driven by continued outflows from foreign portfolio investors (FPI) and the RBI’s dollar sales in the market to stabilize the rupee.
Rs 6,956 crore
Mumbai (Maharashtra) based Reserve Bank of India (RBI), conducted a dollar-rupee buy/sell foreign exchange swap (FX swap) auction for USD 5.1 billion. The auction saw a significant oversubscription, with total bids amounted to USD 25.59 billion from 253 participants, exceeding the offered amount by five times.
- This move will infuse rupee liquidity into the banking system and is part of a broader strategy by the central bank to inject approximately ______ into the financial system.
Rs.1.5 trillion
i. The transaction will be reversed on August 4, 2025, when the RBI will sell the USD 5.1 billion, obtained through 28 accepted bids, back to the market at the forward rate (currency exchange spot rate plus 96.71 paise) and take back Rs. 43,784 crores approximately.
ii. In response to the auction’s results, dollar-rupee forward premiums saw a slight dip, with the 1-year implied yield moderating its increase to settle at the last quote of 2.24%.
Note: In an FX swap, the RBI acquires dollars from financial institutions in exchange for rupees, simultaneously boosting rupee liquidity and reducing excess dollar circulation
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released Payment System Report, December 2024, which analysed the trends in payment transactions carried out using different payment systems in the last ____ Calendar Years (CY) up to CY-2024.
- The report has covered key developments in the payment ecosystem and provides in-depth information about Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
- Henceforth, this report will be published on RBI website bi-annually.
5
Payment System Report, December 2024
PSO – Payment System Operators
DCRUI
i. Exponential increase in Digital Payment transactions
ii. Growth of Credit Card and Debit Card
iii. Surge in Retail Digital Payments
iv. The Growth of UPI Payments
v. Increase in DPI
Payment System Report, December 2024
i. Exponential increase in Digital Payment transactions:
As per the report, 222 crore digital transactions valued at _____ were made in CY-2013, it has increased 94 times in volume and more than 3.5 times in value to more than 20,787 transactions valued at Rs 2,758 lakh crore in CY24.
- The report revealed that digital payments in India have increased ____ times in volume and _____ times in value in the last 5 years.
- Also, this reflects a 5-year Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 45.9% and 10.2% in terms of digital payments volume and value respectively
Rs 772 lakh crore
6.7 ; 1.6
Payment System Report, December 2024
ii. Growth of Credit Card and Debit Card: The report showed that the number of credit cards in circulation has more than doubled in the last 5 years, from 5.53 credit cards in circulation in December 2019 to nearly _____ at the end of December 2024.
- In contrast to credit cards, the number of debit cards in circulation has remained relatively stable, with a slight increase from 80.53 crore (in December 2019) to slightly more than 99.09 crore (December 2024).
iii. Surge in Retail Digital Payments: The report showed that the retail digital payments in India has surged from 162 crore transactions in Financial Year 2012-13 (FY13) to 16, _____ transactions in FY24, reflecting a nearly 100-fold increase over 12 years.
iv. The Growth of UPI Payments: UPI has emerged as the significant contributor to growth of digital payments in India. The contribution of UPI to digital payments volume increased from 34% in CY-2019 to ____ in CY-2024, with a remarkable CAGR of 74% over 5 years.
- The volume of UPI transactions increased from 375 crore in CY-2018 to 17,221 crore in CY-2024 and the total value of transactions increased from 5.86 lakh crore in CY-2018 to Rs 246.83 lakh crore in CY-2024.
- This reflects 5 year CAGR of 89.3% and 86.5% in terms of volume and value, respectively.
v. Increase in DPI: As per the report, the Digital Payment Index (DPI), a key indicator which measures the growth of payment systems, has increased by more than 4 times in the last 6 years, from a base of 100 (in March 2018) to _____ (in March 2024)
10.80 crore ;
416 crore ;
83% ;
445.50
Payment System Report, December 2024
i. The report highlighted that the RBI has been working towards enhancing cross-border payments by linking UPI with Fast Payment Systems (FPS) of other countries.
- In February 2023, the FPS of India (UPI) and Singapore (PayNow) were linked together.
ii. India joined Project ____, facilitating multilateral linkage of FPS of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries i.e. Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. An agreement to this effect was signed on June 30, 2024.
iii. Payments to merchants using Indian UPI applications via Quick Response (QR) codes has been enabled in various countries like: Bhutan, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Nexus
- The Project was conceptualized by Singapore-based Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub, to develop ‘Nexus’ as a multilateral network connecting domestic Instant Payment System (IPS) networks of participating countries
Jaipur (Rajasthan) based _____, India’s 1st Reserve Bank of India (RBI) registered Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) Factor partnered with Government e-Marketplace (GeM), an initiative of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I), along with Bengaluru (Karnataka) based Perfios Software Solutions Private Limited and Mumbai (Maharashtra) based Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) developed GeM Sahay 2.0.
121 Finance Private Limited
- GeM Sahay 2.0 aims to enhance financial inclusion by making the platform more accessible and effective for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) while ensuring a seamless experience for lenders.
i. 121 Finance played a key role in the pilot phase of GeM Sahay, setting a benchmark for digital lending with its real-time, tech-driven financing, making the platform more accessible and effective for MSMEs.
ii. 121 Finance, India’s largest independently owned NBFC-Factor, specializes in providing solutions for B2B trade credit challenges faced by MSMEs.
iii. This collaboration designs specialized loan products with small ticket sizes, serving as key partners in the Open Credit Enablement Network (OCEN) framework.
iv. The OCEN framework highlights how digital platforms can transform lending in India. Its scalability and flexibility will support more projects, fostering MSME growth and financial inclusion.
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launched a Regulatory Sandbox (RS) to test the “On Tap” application facility under the theme of _____
- Chennai (Tamil Nadu, TN) based Exto India Technologies Private Limited was selected to participate in the ‘Test Phase’ of this initiative.
‘Retail Payments’.
i. The company tested an offline digital payment solution integrating Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) with private biometric authorization, enabling offline card-to-card and card-to-phone transactions.
ii. The key features of the innovation include the use of cryptography in distributed ledgers, on-card biometric authentication, and time-limited balances, to prevent issues like double spending.
iii. The product after testing was found acceptable under the RS and may be adopted by Regulated Entities, subject to compliance with applicable regulatory requirements.
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) revealed that its Digital Payments Index (DPI) has increased from 445.5 in March 2024 to _____ as of September 2024, this marks an 11.11% increase Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y).
- This increase in RBI’s DPI was mainly driven by growth in payment infrastructure and payment performance across the country over the period.
465.33
About RBI-DPI:
i. RBI had been publishing the composite RBI-DPI since January 1, 2021, with March 2018 as the base period (DPI score for March 2018 is set at 100). The index monitors the extent of digital payment adoption across India.
ii. The index is based on 5 key parameters: payment enablers (25%); payment infrastructure- Demand-side factor (10%); payment infrastructure - Supply-side factor (15%); payment performance (45%) and consumer centricity (5%).
- Each of these parameters has sub-parameters which, in turn consist of various measurable indicators
the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) introduced a comprehensive framework to regulate algorithmic (algo) trading for retail investors. Under the new framework, retail investors will get SEBI’s ______ facility through the registered brokers, which was previously dominated by institutional players.
- The Brokers’ Industry Standards Forum has been tasked with formulating detailed implementation standards by April 1, 2025, with the new norms set to take effect from August 1, 2025.
Operational Controls:
i. Limits on order frequency or leverage to curb excessive risk-taking.
ii. Requirements for back-testing environments to validate algo strategies before deployment.
iii. Stricter oversight on brokers offering algo platforms, requiring transparency in algorithm operations.
iv. Technical standards compliance, including audit trails, real-time monitoring, and circuit breakers to prevent market manipulation
Direct Market Access (DMA)
Key Highlights of Framework:
i. Broker Authorization: Brokers are required to obtain approval from stock exchanges for each algorithm they offer to retail investors. Any modifications to approved algorithms also necessitate prior exchange consent.
ii. Unique Identifier for Orders: All algo orders must be tagged with a unique identifier provided by the exchange, ensuring a clear audit trail and enhancing transparency.
iii. Retail Investor-Developed Algos: Tech-savvy retail investors who develop their own algorithms must register them with exchanges through their brokers if their trading activity exceeds a specified order-per second threshold. These self-developed algos can be used for personal accounts, including those of immediate family members.
iv. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Stock exchanges are required to establish SOPs for testing, monitoring, and simulating algo trading. This includes implementing a “kill switch” mechanism to disable specific algos in case of irregularities. Exchanges will supervise algo trading, ensuring brokers can differentiate between algo and non-algo orders.
the Government of Kerala approved the ‘Kerala Health System Improvement Programme (KHSP)’ with a loan of Rs 2,424.28 crore (approximately USD 280 million) from the United State of America (USA) based ____
World Bank (WB)
- The aim is to improve living standards and life expectancy, focusing on preventing diseases, accidents, and premature deaths, benefiting economically disadvantaged groups in Kerala
_____ signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vadodara (Gujarat) based Bank of Baroda Limited (BoB) to offer loans for Residential Rooftop Solar Installations.
- This collaboration aims to support the Prime Minister – Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGMBY), an initiative targeting 1 crore households with rooftop solar panels by March 2027.
Mumbai (Maharashtra) based Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL)
i. Under the agreement, customers can avail loans up to Rs.6 lakhs at an interest rate starting at 7% per annum with both fixed and floating rate options.
ii. Homeowners installing systems of up to 3 kilowatt (kW) can access loans up to Rs.2 lakhs without income documentation.
iii. The scheme requires only a 10% margin contribution and flexible repayment tenure of up to 10 years.
- Installations ranging from 3 kW to 10 kW qualify for loans up to Rs.6 lakh with a 20% margin contribution.
Stuttgart (Germany)-based Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with Ropar (Punjab)-based Indian Institute of Technology Ropar (IIT-R) and the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani.
- This strategic collaboration between Fraunhofer and Indian Institutes, aims to leverage Germany and India’s technological strengths.
- It also aims to improve the implementation of best practices to optimize the water-energy-food nexus, to foster sustainable and climate-neutral economy