Recent developments in the financial sector have witnessed a sea-change in the nature of legal risks faced by banks and financial institutions. Regulators, banks and financial institutions, as well as their legal advisors (both in-house and external) are required to constantly keep pace with the change. In that context, a recent speech by Shyamala Gopinath, Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of...
FDI Guidelines to Apply to LLPs
Several posts here have discussed the introduction of the concept of Limited Liability Partnerships (“LLPs”) in India, and its treatment under the Indian legal regime. In another interesting development, the Government is now planning to bring LLPs into the scope of the FDI regime, in order the streamline the establishment of cross-border LLPs. LLPs are structurally more similar to corporate...
FDI from Cayman Islands: Recent Changes
In an article titled “Investing in India: How Recent Developments in the Cayman Islands Facilitate Inbound Investment”, Chetan Nagendra examines two recent events: Cayman Islands’ acceptance as a full member of IOSCO and its recognition in the ‘white list’ of jurisdictions that have substantially implemented the OECD tax standard. He notes that these events are likely to see a further flow of...
FDI in the Small Scale Sector
Historically, there have been limited options for small-scale undertakings in India to obtain FDI. For instance, FDI was limited to 24%. FDI beyond this limit was permissible only if the unit deregistered itself as a small-scale unit. This policy has been relaxed by way of Press Note 6 of 2009, which permits micro and small enterprises to obtain FDI subject to the normal sectoral caps. Where an...
Electoral Verdict to Spur Reforms
With the return of the Congress government to power and with Dr. Manmohan Singh set to continue as Prime Minister, corporate India is likely to witness a series of reforms in the near future. Unlike the previous stint where the Government was hamstrung by coalition politics (but nevertheless achieving a record rate of economic growth), the reforms are likely to be bolder this time around as it...
FDI: Compulsorily Convertible Debentures
It is quite common for foreign investors to take up convertible instruments in Indian companies. These instruments are issued as either preference shares or debentures to begin with and are convertible into equity shares of the Indian company at a later date. The conversion may occur in one of two ways: either at the option of the investor, or compulsorily (without any option whatsoever). Such...
Precision Remains Elusive with Investment Law
I wrote the following column in the Business Standard on February 23, 2009: In a bold move, the government has opened up foreign investment in an unprecedented manner. The move legitimizes many a structure that would have hitherto been keeping even their authors shy. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has taken a policy decision that any Indian company in which foreign ownership is not...
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