As a note of breather for the ailing companies, the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) has notified new foreign direct investment (FDI) rules, where investments by India's private banks, such as ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank that are owned and controlled by non-residents, into other companies under corporate restructuring will not be considered as indirect overseas investment.
With this move, the government hopes to bring more clarity in recasting debt of firms in vulnerable sectors such as aviation, telecom and media. The centre in its notification clarified that any corporate debt restructuring (CDR), or other loan restructuring mechanism, or in trading books, or for acquisition of shares due to defaults in loans, shall not count towards indirect foreign investment. At present, 74 per cent FDI is permitted in private banks.
The new rule will help such banks to restructure loans of companies which are facing problems on account of economic slowdown and are unable to service their debts. However, strategic downstream investment made by these banks in subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates will continue to count towards indirect foreign investment.
MoneyWorks4Me is a SEBI-registered Investment Adviser (IA) dedicated to helping investors build long-term wealth through transparent, research-driven, conflict-free guidance. Founded in 2008, we started our journey as a Research Analyst (RA), providing deep fundamental analysis, intrinsic value insights, and long-term investing frameworks for Indian equities. In 2017, we transitioned to a full-fledged SEBI-registered Investment Adviser, strengthening our commitment to acting as a fiduciary—always putting the investor’s interest first.
To become India’s most trusted, research-powered fiduciary advisory platform—where every investor, regardless of experience, can make calm, confident, and well-reasoned investment decisions.
MoneyWorks4Me ensures this through: