Finance Ministry relaxes overseas borrowing norms

23 Aug 2012 Evaluate

In a move to allow easier cheap dollar funding, Finance Ministry has decided to further ease the norms for raising external commercial borrowing (ECBs) by domestic firms, particularly those in the realty sector. The high-level committee on ECBs, which met on Wednesday, although kept the overall window for ECBs unchanged at the current $40 billion, it allowed for the first time cash-starved micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) to access such funds. The committee has allowed MSMEs to indirectly access such funds through Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), besides easing the refinancing norms for infrastructure and manufacturing firms. As per the new norms, the companies could now borrow up to 75% of the forex earnings of the last three years, against the earlier cap of 50%. In addition, special purpose vehicles (SPVs) of these companies incorporated over a year ago will also be eligible to tap this route to raise resources at a lower cost.

Further, the committee also has permitted eligible non-resident entities (NREs) to provide credit enhancement to the issue of rupee bonds by all Indian companies. FII’s have now been permitted to invest up to $5 billion in these bonds, which stays well within the overall corporate bond limit of $45 billion. The minimum maturity period of such bonds has been reduced to three years from the present seven years maturity period.

The rule relaxation is in backdrop of finance ministry's drive to prop up manufacturing activity and boost infrastructure construction, which are termed as engine of growth for the Indian economy. However, the finance ministry will finalize upon these liberalized norms for these borrowings in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

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