India – AKP Banking & Finance Digest- September 26, 2022.

1. INDIA

1.1. RBI announces rate of interest on Government of India Floating Rate Bond 2033

RBI has announced the rate of interest on Government of India Floating Rate Bond 2033 (“GOI FRB 2033”) which shall be applicable for the half year i.e., September 22, 2022 to March 21, 2023. The rate of interest has been kept at 7.42 % per annum

1.2. RBI cancels the license of The Laxmi Co-operative Bank Limited, Solapur, Maharashtra

RBI has cancelled the licence of “The Laxmi Co-operative Bank Limited, Solapur, Maharashtra because of the following reasons –

1. The bank does not have adequate capital and earning prospects. As such, it does not comply with the provisions of Section 11(1) and Section 22 (3) (d) read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
2. The bank has failed to comply with the requirements of Sections 22(3) (a), 22 (3) (b), 22(3)(c), 22(3) (d) and 22(3)(e) read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949;
3. The continuance of the bank is prejudicial to the interests of its depositors;
4. The bank with its present financial position would be unable to pay its present depositors in full; and
5. Public interest would be adversely affected if the bank is allowed to carry on its banking business any further.

Consequently, the bank ceases to carry on banking business, with effect from the close of business on September 22, 2022.

1.3. RBI reviews performance of Central Bank of India under Prompt Corrective Action Framework

The Board of Financial Supervision (“Board”) under RBI has reviewed the performance of the Central Bank of India under the Prompt Corrective Action Framework (PCAF). As per the assessment conducted by the Board, the Central Bank of India is not in breach of the PCA parameters and therefore, is taken outside of the PCA restrictions, subject to some conditions and continuous monitoring.

1.4. RBI launches multi-lingual audio notifications feature for 11 additional languages in MANI

RBI had launched a mobile application known as Mobile Aided Note Identifier (MANI) to help visually impaired individuals to identify denomination of Indian Bank notes on January 01, 2020. The app has launched facilities for identifying the denomination of banknotes through audio notifications in multiple languages including Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu along with Hindi and English which was released earlier.

1.5. Action against Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Ltd., under Section 45L(1)(b) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934

RBI has directed Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Ltd. (“MMFSL”), Mumbai, to immediately cease carrying out any recovery or repossession activity through outsourcing arrangements, till further orders. However, the said NBFC may continue to carry out recovery or repossession activities, through its own employees.

1.6. RBI issued directions to Rupee Co-operative Bank Ltd., Pune, Maharashtra

RBI has extended the directions issued to Rupee Co-operative Bank Ltd., Pune, Maharashtra from September 22, 2022 to October 22, 2022.

2. Bangladesh

2.1. BB grants Payment System Operator license to Service Hub Limited

In accordance with the Bangladesh Payment and Settlement Systems Regulations 2014 issued under section 7(a)(e) of Bangladesh Bank Order, 1972, the Bangladesh Bank has granted a payment service operator (PSO) license to Service Hub Limited. Service Hub Limited shall be permitted to operate as payment service operator (PSO) within Bangladesh under the name of PayStation.

2.2 BB releases policy on green bond for banks and financial institutions

The Bangladesh Bank has released a circular to formulate policy on green bond financing with the aim of facilitating green-focused sustainable investments of banks and FIs. The policy seeks to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through sustainable investment in infrastructure sectors such as energy, transport etc. The policy document is annexed to the circular.

3. Nepal

3.1. NRB releases Draft of Nepal Rastra Bank Final Lender Facility Regulations

The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has released the draft of Nepal Rastra Bank Final Lender Facility Regulations for the purpose of receiving feedback from the stakeholders. NRB has requested the stakeholders for suggestions and comments within a period of 15 days from the release of circular.

Disclaimer

The note is prepared for knowledge dissemination and does not constitute legal, financial or commercial advice. AK & Partners or its associates are not responsible for any action taken based on its contents.