The BNPMIPL and the BRBNMPL ink factory are significant milestones achieved in the efforts towards ‘Make in India’ programme and indigenisation of production of new bank notes. Being the sole authority to issue bank notes, it is obligatory on the RBI to ensure adequate and timely supply of clean notes in the system to cater to this ever-increasing demand. FASTag is a device that employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for making toll payments directly while the vehicle is in motion.
- One of the fundamental questions that arise is how supervision is different from regulation.
- When the Fed lowers the discount rate that banks pay on short-term loans, it also increases liquidity.
- The DSIM, RBI is actively engaged with other international bodies such as the IMF, G20, BIS and FSB in strengthening our financial statistics and adopting international best practice.
- Hundis were used as remittance instruments (to transfer funds from one place to another), as credit instruments (to borrow money [IOUs]) and for trade transactions (as bills of exchange).
An effective, consistent and predictable enforcement framework is a sine qua non for a credible banking/financial regulatory and supervisory framework. Enforcement action has a deterrent effect in terms of money and reputation for the RE and the demonstration effect of an enforcement action has been well documented. Studies have suggested that enforcement action leads to better behaviour not only in case of sanctioned banks but also modifies the behaviour of non-sanctioned banks favourably. Enforcement can be formal, ex post in the form of obtaining compliance as part of the supervisory process or imposing penalty on the banks/ individuals; or, informal, ex ante in terms of clarifications/cautionary advices issued by the regulator. A balanced approach to enforcement involves elements of both, with persisting / recurring non-compliance attracting exemplary action. Currently, the laws enabling RBI to undertake enforcement action empower it to impose monetary penalty only on the regulated entities and not on the individuals in-charge of the entities or responsible for the violations.
Central bank operations
The system ensures complete anonymity among participants as counterparty information is not available to any of the system participants either pre or post trade, thus facilitating transparency without impeding fair pricing. The anonymity offered by the system enables large ticket execution without distorting market sentiment and/or price equilibrium which would normally be prevalent in a bilateral market. IRD transactions can be settled bilaterally or through any clearing arrangement approved by the RBI.
Open Market Operations
Recently, the RBI has conducted special OMOs involving simultaneous sale and purchase of Government securities, also known as ‘Operation Twist’. These operations are liquidity neutral at the inception and can be used to have a desired impact on the long-term and short-term interest rates without altering the liquidity conditions. In terms of Article 246 of the Constitution of India, the legislative powers of the Union and the State are given in three Lists, viz., the Union List the State List and the Concurrent List respectively of Schedule VII to the Constitution. The entry relating to incorporation, regulation and winding-up of Cooperative Societies fall in State List33 whereas the entry relating to banking fall in the Union List34.
A member could propose a change in the par value of its currency only if it had a ‘fundamental disequilibrium’ in its balance of payments. Though the IMF peg was gold, in reality, countries pegged their currencies to the US dollar, which in itself was pegged to gold. The dollar became the medium of intervention in the foreign exchange market and countries started holding their reserves in terms of dollar alongwith gold.
Example: The Federal Reserve
With the emergence of a fractional reserve system, this reserve backing (gold, currency assets, etc.) came down to a fraction of total currency put in circulation. Market risk for a multi-currency portfolio represents the potential change in valuations that result from movements in financial market prices, for example, changes in interest rates, foreign exchange rates, equity prices and commodity prices. The major sources of market risk for central banks are currency risk, interest rate risk and movement in gold prices. Gains/losses on valuation of FCA and gold due to movements in the exchange rates and/or price of gold are booked under a balance sheet head named the Currency and Gold Revaluation Account (CGRA).
Post-independence, barring a few short periods, India has experienced deficit in the current account, which has been financed through inflows in the capital account. The excess inflows in the capital account, over and above required for financing the current account deficit accrue to the forex reserves. The level of forex reserves also changes on account of valuation changes in the forex assets and income accrued from deployment of the forex assets held by the RBI. The objective of the policy is to ensure greater compliance with statutes and regulations/directions issued by the Reserve Bank thereunder, within the overarching principle of ensuring financial stability, public interest and consumer protection. Scheduled UCBs have been permitted access to Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) and Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) of RBI.
Reflecting the focus of the Bank, the department has been rechristened as Financial Inclusion and Development Department (FIDD) in 2014. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) implies investment through capital instruments by a person resident outside India in an unlisted Indian company or in 10 percent or more of the post issue paid-up equity capital on a fully diluted basis of a listed Indian company. Fully diluted basis means the total number of shares that would be outstanding if all possible sources of conversion are exercised. Once an investment is made as Foreign Direct Investment, it will be continued to be treated as Foreign Direct Investment even if the investment levels fall below ten percent. In addition to transactions mentioned in Schedule I, drawal of foreign exchange is also prohibited for travel to Nepal or Bhutan or a transaction with a person resident in Nepal or Bhutan. In terms of Sec.50 of RBI Act, 1934, not less than two auditors shall be appointed and their remuneration is fixed by the Central Government.
As part of its role as the central bank, it also promotes savings and banking across the nation. 58 Authorised Dealers are the banks licensed and authorized by RBI to deal in foreign exchange. With a mission to enhance the extant credit information system in India and to strengthen the credit culture in the economy, the RBI is envisaging to develop a Public Credit Registry (PCR), an extensive digital registry of authenticated granular credit information database, central bank of india definition in a phased manner. In essence, PCR will work as a financial information infrastructure providing access to various stakeholders and enrich the existing credit information ecosystem. The Annual Census on Foreign Liabilities and Assets of Indian Companies (FLA) is conducted to facilitate India’s participation in the IMF’s Co-ordinated Direct Investment Survey (CDIS) and Co-ordinated Portfolio Investment Survey (CPIS) as well as for items in BoP and IIP.
Repo is an instrument for borrowing (lending) funds by selling (purchasing) securities with an agreement to repurchase (resell) the securities on a mutually agreed future date at an agreed price which includes interest for the funds borrowed (lent). The transaction is called Repo from the point of view of the borrower of funds (seller of securities) and Reverse Repo from the point of view of the lender of funds (buyer of securities). The Repos undertaken with RBI are categorized as ‘Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF)-Repo’, while the Repos undertaken among the market participants in India are known as ‘Market Repo’.
A web-based Foreign Exchange Transactions Electronic Reporting System (FETERS) collects purpose-wise details of all foreign exchange sale/purchase transactions in the country from Authorised Dealers (ADs), which are used to generate Balance of Payments (BoP) statistics. Total flows and stocks of (a) external commercial borrowings (ECBs) and (b) Non-Residents Deposits [based on Non-resident deposits – Consolidated Single Return (NRD-CSR)] are maintained under dedicated systems and used for compilation of BoP and External Debt Statistics. The goal of PSLCs is to allow market mechanism to drive priority sector lending by leveraging the comparative strength of different banks. PSLCs are denominated in 4 different categories, PSLC-General, PSLC-Agriculture, PSLC-Small & Marginal Farmers and PSLC-Micro Enterprises. The four types of certificates count for achievement under overall and sub-targets of PSL categories. The eligible sellers / buyers are Scheduled Commercial Banks, Regional Rural Banks, Local Area Banks, Small Finance Banks and Urban Co-operative Banks.
The central bank often acts as lender of last resort in order to maintain financial stability. For instance, most commercial banks need short-term loans in order for them to be able to align their assets and liabilities. The objectives of central banks have largely changed over the years, due to disastrous economic events. https://1investing.in/ For example, back in the 1970s, the main goal of central banks was to ensure full employment. Rather than maintain price stability, central banks would pump money into the economy to ensure people were being employed. Previously, all banks were free to print their own notes, resulting in an unorganized economy.
History of the Bank
3.78 The supporters of a unified approach to bank supervision and monetary policy cite reasons such as ‘economies of scale and scope’, the ‘prevalence of financial conglomerates’, ‘competitive neutrality’ and ‘transparency and accountability’. In the context of ‘competitive neutrality’, it is stated that the blurring of boundaries between financial products may imply that financial institutions offering similar products are supervised by different agencies. This may result in those institutions being subject to different regulations and requirements of information and consequently, facing uneven supervisory costs. This differential regulatory treatment and costs would lead to competitive advantages for certain institutions and incentives to engage in supervisory arbitrage. 3.74 Central banks have traditionally supervised commercial banks and other financial institutions. However, since central banks are also regulators and are consequently in a position to influence the behaviour of market participants, supervision conducted by central banks may pose a moral hazard problem.
Market-makers of IRDs in OTC markets have to comply with the ‘suitability and appropriateness’ requirements stipulated by RBI. All OTC transactions including client trades must be reported by Market Makers within stipulated time to the Trade Repository of Clearing Corporation of India Ltd. (CCIL), clearly indicating whether the trade is for hedging or other purposes. Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC) has been introduced in 2014 as part of Framework for Revitalising Distressed Assets in the economy.