Rbi Thesis
Rbi Thesis
Rbi Thesis
OF
MANAGEMENT
&
RESEARCH,
INDEX
TOPIC
CERTIFICATE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT PROLOGUE INTRODUCTION TO RBI POLICY RATES & RESERVE RATIOS FUNCTIONS OF RBI RBI ON FOREX RESERVES RBI ON CORPORATE DEBT RESTRUCTURING RBI ON BANKING SECURITISATION GUIDELINES BY RBI EPILOGUE BIBLIOGRAPHY
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CERTIFICATE
I, Nadirshaw K. Dhondy, Advocate Supreme Court, have examined the thesis of Anil S. Anayath, who is enrolled in Mumbai Institute of Management and Research, Wadala, MMS-II, Sem 3 (Finance) at unique Roll No. 1005 for the academic year 2011 - 2012 in the course content - (RBI as watchdog of Indian Economic Scenario)
He has submitted this thesis in part fulfillment of final exams evaluation. He has been rated to receive marks out of .
Signature
Anil S. Anayath
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I sincerely thank Prof. Nadirshaw K. Dhondy for giving me an opportunity to compile this project and also for providing necessary information which helped me in completing this project in a better manner.
I would like to acknowledge and extend my heartfelt gratitude to Hezal Upadhyay (Pursuing L.L.B from Government Law College) for her support and encouragement that has made the completion of this Project possible.
I would also like to thank the library staff of Mumbai Institute of Management and Research for the use of their collections without which this thesis would have been most difficult.
Finally, I would like to thank my family for providing with guidance and support that made me complete this thesis efficiently.
Anil S. Anayath
PROLOGUE
The Reserve
Bank
of
India (RBI)
is
the central
banking institution
of India and controls the monetary policy of the rupee as well as US$300.21 billion (2010) of currency reserves. The institution was established on 1 April 1935 during the British Raj in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 and plays an important part in the development strategy of the government. It is a member bank of the Asian Clearing Union. Central banks are a relatively recent innovation and most central banks, as we know them today, were established around the early twentieth century. The Reserve Bank of India was set up on the basis of the recommendations of the Hilton Young Commission. The Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 (II of 1934) provides the statutory basis of the functioning of the Bank, which commenced operations on April 1, 1935. The Bank began its operations by taking over from the Government the functions so far being performed by the Controller of Currency and from the Imperial Bank of India, the management of Government accounts and public debt. The existing currency offices at Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Rangoon, Karachi, Lahore and Cawnpore (Kanpur) became branches of the Issue Department. Offices of the Banking Department were established in Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Delhi and Rangoon. Burma (Myanmar) seceded from the Indian Union in 1937 but the Reserve Bank continued to act as the Central Bank for Burma till Japanese Occupation of Burma and later upto April, 1947. After the partition of India, the Reserve Bank 5
served as the central bank of Pakistan upto June 1948 when the State Bank of Pakistan commenced operations. The Bank, which was originally set up as a shareholder's bank, was nationalized in 1949. An interesting feature of the Reserve Bank of India was that at its very inception, the Bank was seen as playing a special role in the context of development, especially Agriculture. When India commenced its plan endeavours, the development role of the Bank came into focus, especially in the sixties when the Reserve Bank, in many ways, pioneered the concept and practise of using finance to catalyse development. The Bank was also instrumental in institutional development and helped set up insitutions like the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation of India, the Unit Trust of India, the Industrial Development Bank of India, the National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Discount and Finance House of India etc. to build the financial infrastructure of the country. With liberalisation, the Bank's focus has shifted back to core central banking functions like Monetary Policy, Bank Supervision and Regulation, and Overseeing the Payments System and onto developing the financial markets.
INTRODUCTION
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is the central bank of the country. The Reserve Bank of India was established on April 1, 1935 in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. The Central Office of the Reserve Bank was initially established in Calcutta but was permanently moved to Mumbai in 1937. The Central Office is where the Governor sits and where policies are formulated. Though originally privately owned, since nationalization in 1949, the Reserve Bank is fully owned by the Government of India. It was established in April 1935 with a share capital of Rs. 5 crores on the basis of the recommendations of the Hilton Young Commission. The share capital was divided into shares of Rs. 100 each fully paid which was entirely owned by private shareholders in the begining. The Government held shares of nominal value of Rs. 2,20,000. Reserve Bank of India was nationalised in the year 1949. The general superintendence and direction of the Bank is entrusted to Central Board of Directors of 20 members, the Governor and four Deputy Governors, one Government official from the Ministry of Finance, ten nominated Directors by the Government to give representation to important elements in the economic life of the country, and four nominated Directors by the Central Government to represent the four local Boards with the headquarters at Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and New Delhi. Local Boards consist of five members each Central Government appointed for a term of four years to represent territorial and economic interests and the interests of co-operative and indigenous banks. 7
Preamble
The Preamble of the Reserve Bank of India describes the basic functions of the Reserve Bank as: "...to regulate the issue of Bank Notes and keeping of reserves with a view to securing monetary stability in India and generally to operate the currency and credit system of the country to its advantage."
The Bank was constituted for the need of following: To regulate the issue of banknotes To maintain reserves with a view to securing monetary stability and To operate the credit and currency system of the country to its advantage.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is the central banking institution of India and controls the monetary policy of the rupee as well as US$300.21 billion (2010) of currency reserves. The institution was established on 1 April 1935 during the British Raj in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 and plays an important part in the development strategy of the government. It is a member bank of the Asian Clearing Union. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is the apex financial institution of the countrys financial system entrusted with the task of control, supervision, promotion, development and planning. RBI is the queen bee of the Indian financial system which influences the commercial banks management in more than one way. The RBI influences the management of commercial banks through its various policies, directions and regulations. Its role in bank management is quite unique. In fact, the RBI performs the four basic functions of management, 8
viz., planning, organising, directing and controlling in laying a strong foundation for the functioning of commercial banks.
RBI logo The selection of the Bank's common seal to be used as the emblem of the Bank on currency notes, cheques and publications, was an issue that had to be taken up at an early stage of the Bank's formation. The Government's general ideas on the seal were as follows: 1. The seal should emphasize the Governmental status of the Bank, but not too closely; 2. It should have something Indian in the design; 3. It should be simple, artistic and heraldically correct; and 4. The design should be such that it could be used without substantial alteration for letter heading, etc.
For this purpose, various seals, medals and coins were examined. The East India Company Double Mohur, with the sketch of the Lion and Palm Tree, was found most suitable; however, it was decided to replace the lion by the tiger, the latter being regarded as the more characteristic animal of India! 9
To meet the immediate requirements in connection with the stamping of the Bank's share certificates, the work was entrusted to a Madras firm. The Board, at its meeting on February 23, 1935, approved the design of the seal but desired improvement of the animal's appearance. Unfortunately it was not possible to make any major changes at that stage. But the Deputy Governor Sir James Taylor, did not rest content with this. He took keen interest in getting fresh sketches prepared by the Government of India Mint and the Security Printing Press, Nasik. As a basis for good design, he arranged for a photograph to be taken of the statue of the tiger on the entrance gate at Belvedere, Calcutta. Something or the other went wrong with the sketches so that Sir James, writing in September I938, was led to remark: ......'s tree is all right but his tiger looks too like some species of dog, and I am afraid that a design of a dog and a tree would arouse derision among the irreverent. .....'s tiger is distinctly good but the tree has spoiled it. The stem is too long and the branches too spidery, but I should have thought that by putting a firm line under the feet of his tiger and making his tree stronger and lower we could get quite a good result from his design. Later, with further efforts, it was possible to have better proofs prepared by the Security Printing Press, Nasik. However, it was eventually decided not to make any change in the existing seal of the Bank, and the new sketches came to be used as an emblem for the Bank's currency notes, letter-heads, cheques and publications issued by the Bank.
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History
19351950 The central bank was founded in 1935 to respond to economic troubles after the first world war. The Reserve Bank of India was set up on the recommendations of the Hilton-Young Commission. The commission submitted its report in the year 1926, though the bank was not set up for another nine years. The Preamble of the Reserve Bank of India describes the basic functions of the Reserve Bank as to regulate the issue of bank notes, to keep reserves with a view to securing monetary stability in India and generally to operate the currency and credit system in the best interests of the country. The Central Office of the Reserve Bank was initially established in Kolkata, Bengal, but was permanently moved to Mumbai in 1937. The Reserve Bank continued to act as the central bank for Myanmar till Japanese occupation of Burma and later up to April 1947, though Burma seceded from the Indian Union in 1937. After partition, the Reserve Bank served as the central bank for Pakistan until June 1948 when the State Bank of Pakistan commenced operations. Though originally set up as a shareholders bank, the RBI has been fully owned by the Government of India since its nationalization in 1949. 19501960 Between 1950 and 1960, the Indian government developed a centrally planned economic policy and focused on the agricultural sector. The administration nationalized commercial banks and established, based on the Banking Companies Act, 1949 (later called Banking Regulation Act) a central bank regulation as part of the RBI. Furthermore, the central bank was ordered to support the economic plan with loans.
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19601969 As a result of bank crashes, the reserve bank was requested to establish and monitor a deposit insurance system. It should restore the trust in the national bank system and was initialized on 7 December 1961. The Indian government founded funds to promote the economy and used the slogan Developing Banking. The Government of India restructured the national bank market and nationalized a lot of institutes. As a result, the RBI had to play the central part of control and support of this public banking sector. 19691985 Between 1969 and 1980, the Indian government nationalized 6 more commercial banks, following 14 major commercial banks being nationalized in 1969(As mentioned in RBI website). The regulation of the economy and especially the financial sector was reinforced by the Government of India in the 1970s and 1980s. The central bank became the central player and increased its policies for a lot of tasks like interests, reserve ratio and visible deposits. The measures aimed at better economic development and had a huge effect on the company policy of the institutes. The banks lent money in selected sectors, like agribusiness and small trade companies. The branch was forced to establish two new offices in the country for every newly established office in a town. The oil crises in 1973 resulted in increasing inflation, and the RBI restricted monetary policy to reduce the effects. 19851991 A lot of committees analysed the Indian economy between 1985 and 1991. Their results had an effect on the RBI. The Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction, the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research and the Security & Exchange Board of India investigated the national economy as a whole, and the security and exchange board proposed better methods for more 15
effective markets and the protection of investor interests. The Indian financial market was a leading example for so-called "financial repression" (Mackinnon and Shaw). The Discount and Finance House of India began its operations on the monetary market in April 1988; the National Housing Bank, founded in July 1988, was forced to invest in the property market and a new financial law improved the versatility of direct deposit by more security measures and liberalisation. 19912000 The national economy came down in July 1991 and the Indian rupee was devalued. The currency lost 18% relative to the US dollar, and the Narasimham Committee advised restructuring the financial sector by a temporal reduced reserve ratio as well as the statutory liquidity ratio. New guidelines were published in 1993 to establish a private banking sector. This turning point should reinforce the market and was often called neo-liberal. The central bank deregulated bank interests and some sectors of the financial market like the trust and property markets. This first phase was a success and the central government forced a diversity liberalisation to diversify owner structures in 1998. The National Stock Exchange of India took the trade on in June 1994 and the RBI allowed nationalized banks in July to interact with the capital market to reinforce their capital base. The central bank founded a subsidiary companythe Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Limitedin February 1995 to produce banknotes. Since 2000 The Foreign Exchange Management Act from 1999 came into force in June 2000. It should improve the foreign exchange market, international investments in India and transactions. The RBI promoted the development of the financial market in the last years, allowed online banking in 2001 and established a new payment system in 2004 - 2005 (National Electronic Fund Transfer). The Security 16
Printing & Minting Corporation of India Ltd., a merger of nine institutions, was founded in 2006 and produces banknotes and coins. The national economy's growth rate came down to 5.8% in the last quarter of 2008 - 2009 and the central bank promotes the economic development.
dichotomy of functions and division of responsibility for control of currency and credit and the divergent policies in this respect must be ended by setting-up of a central bank called the Reserve Bank of India which would regulate the financial policy and develop banking facilities throughout the country. Hence, the Bank was established with this primary object in view. Another objective of the Reserve Bank has been to remain free from political influence and be in successful operation for maintaining financial stability and credit. The fundamental object of the Reserve Bank of India is to discharge purely central banking functions in the Indian money market, i.e., to act as the note- issuing authority, bankers bank and banker to government, and to promote the growth of the economy within the framework of the general economic policy of the Government, consistent with the need of maintenance of price stability.
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A significant object of the Reserve -Bank of India has also been to assist the planned process of development of the Indian economy. Besides the traditional central banking functions, with the launching of the five-year plans in the country, the Reserve Bank of India has been moving ahead in performing a host of developmental and promotional functions, which are normally beyond the purview of a traditional Central Bank.
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Structure
The Central Board of Directors is the main committee of the central bank. The Government of India appoints the directors for a four-year term. The Board consists of a governor, four deputy governors, four directors to represent the regional boards, and ten other directors from various fields. 19
Governors
The central bank till now was governed by 21 governors. The 22nd, Current Governor of Reserve Bank of India is Dr Subbarao Supportive bodies
The Reserve Bank of India has four regional representations: North in New Delhi, South in Chennai, East in Kolkata and West in Mumbai. The representations are formed by five members, appointed for four years by the central government and serve - beside the advice of the Central Board of Directors - as a forum for regional banks and to deal with delegated tasks from the central board. The institution has 22 regional offices. The Board of Financial Supervision (BFS), formed in November 1994, serves as a CCBD committee to control the financial institutions. It has four members, appointed for two years, and takes measures to strength the role of statutory auditors in the financial sector, external monitoring and internal controlling systems. The Tarapore committee was set up by the Reserve Bank of India under the chairmanship of former RBI deputy governor S S Tarapore to "lay the road map" to capital account convertibility. The five-member committee recommended a three-year time frame for complete convertibility by 1999-2000. On 1 July 2006, in an attempt to enhance the quality of customer service and strengthen the grievance redressal mechanism, the Reserve Bank of India constituted a new department Customer Service Department (CSD).
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List of Governors
Sir Osborne Smith Sir James Taylor Sir C D Deshmukh Sir Benegal Rama Rau K G Ambegaonkar H V R Iengar P C Bhattacharya L K Jha B N Adarkar S Jagannathan N C Sen Gupta K R Puri M Narasimham Dr. I G Patel Dr. Manmohan Singh A Ghosh R N Malhotra S Venkitaramanan Dr. C Rangarajan Dr. Bimal Jalan Dr. Y V Reddy Dr. D. Subbarao
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For simplification, the functions of the Reserve Bank are classified into the traditional functions, the development functions and supervisory functions.
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b. Banker to other Banks: The RBI being an apex monitory institution has obligatory powers to guide, help and direct other commercial banks in the country. The RBI can control the volumes of banks reserves and allow other banks to create credit in that proportion. Every commercial bank has to maintain a part of their reserves with its parent's viz. the RBI. Similarly in need or in urgency these banks approach the RBI for fund. Thus it is called as the lender of the last resort. c. Banker to the Government: The RBI being the apex monitory body has to work as an agent of the central and state governments. It performs various banking function such as to accept deposits, taxes and make payments on behalf of the government. It works as a representative of the government even at the international level. It maintains government accounts, provides financial advice to the government. It manages government public debts and maintains foreign exchange reserves on behalf of the government. It provides overdraft facility to the government when it faces financial crunch. d. Exchange Rate Management: It is an essential function of the RBI. In order to maintain stability in the external value of rupee, it has to prepare domestic policies in that direction. Also it needs to prepare and implement the foreign exchange rate policy which will help in attaining the exchange rate stability. In order to maintain the exchange rate stability it has to bring demand and supply of the foreign currency (U.S Dollar) close to each other.
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e. Credit Control Function: Commercial bank in the country creates credit according to the demand in the economy. But if this credit creation is unchecked or unregulated then it leads the economy into inflationary cycles. On the other credit creation is below the required limit then it harms the growth of the economy. As a central bank of the nation the RBI has to look for growth with price stability. Thus it regulates the credit creation capacity of commercial banks by using various credit control tools. f. Supervisory Function: The RBI has been endowed with vast powers for supervising the banking system in the country. It has powers to issue license for setting up new banks, to open new braches, to decide minimum reserves, to inspect functioning of commercial banks in India and abroad, and to guide and direct the commercial banks in India. It can have periodical inspections an audit of the commercial banks in India.
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The financial system comprises the financial institutions, financial markets and financial instruments. The sound and efficient financial system is a precondition of the rapid economic development of the nation. The RBI has encouraged establishment of main banking and non-banking institutions to cater to the credit requirements of diverse sectors of the economy. b. Development of Agriculture : In an agrarian economy like ours, the RBI has to provide special attention for the credit need of agriculture and allied activities. It has successfully rendered service in this direction by increasing the flow of credit to this sector. It has earlier the Agriculture Refinance and Development Corporation (ARDC) to look after the credit, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs). c. Provision of Industrial Finance : Rapid industrial growth is the key to faster economic development. In this regard, the adequate and timely availability of credit to small, medium and large industry is very significant. In this regard the RBI has always been instrumental in setting up special financial institutions such as ICICI Ltd. IDBI, SIDBI and EXIM BANK etc. d. Provisions of Training : The RBI has always tried to provide essential training to the staff of the banking industry. The RBI has set up the bankers' training colleges at several places. National Institute of Bank Management i.e NIBM, Bankers Staff College i.e BSC and College of Agriculture Banking i.e CAB are few to mention.
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e. Collection of Data : Being the apex monetary authority of the country, the RBI collects process and disseminates statistical data on several topics. It includes interest rate, inflation, savings and investments etc. This data proves to be quite useful for researchers and policy makers. f. Publication of the Reports : The Reserve Bank has its separate publication division. This division collects and publishes data on several sectors of the economy. The reports and bulletins are regularly published by the RBI. It includes RBI weekly reports, RBI Annual Report, Report on Trend and Progress of Commercial Banks India., etc. This information is made available to the public also at cheaper rates. g. Promotion of Banking Habits : As an apex organization, the RBI always tries to promote the banking habits in the country. It institutionalizes savings and takes measures for an expansion of the banking network. It has set up many institutions such as the Deposit Insurance Corporation-1962, UTI-1964, IDBI1964, NABARD-1982, NHB-1988, etc. These organizations develop and promote banking habits among the people. During economic reforms it has taken many initiatives for encouraging and promoting banking in India. h. Promotion of Export through Refinance :
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The RBI always tries to encourage the facilities for providing finance for foreign trade especially exports from India. The Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank India) and the Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (ECGC) are supported by refinancing their lending for export purpose.
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d. Implementation of the Deposit Insurance Scheme : The RBI has set up the Deposit Insurance Guarantee Corporation in order to protect the deposits of small depositors. All bank deposits below Rs. One lakh are insured with this corporation. The RBI work to implement the Deposit Insurance Scheme in case of a bank failure.
however does not mean no change in the general price level but to control the inflation. The credit policy aims at increasing finance for the agriculture and industrial activities. When credit policy is implemented, the role of other commercial banks is very important. Commercial banks flow of credit to different sectors of the economy depends on the actual cost of credit and arability of funds in the economy.
Main functions
1. Monetary authority The Reserve Bank of India is the main monetary authority of the country and beside that the central bank acts as the bank of the national and state governments. It formulates, implements and monitors the monetary policy as well as it has to ensure an adequate flow of credit to productive sectors. Objectives are maintaining price stability and ensuring adequate flow of credit to productive sectors. The national economy depends on the public sector and the central bank promotes an expansive monetary policy to push the private sector since the financial market reforms of the 1990s. The institution is also the regulator and supervisor of the financial system and prescribes broad parameters of banking operations within which the country's banking and financial system functions. Objectives are to maintain public confidence in the system, protect depositors' interest and provide costeffective banking services to the public. The Banking Ombudsman Scheme has been formulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for effective addressing of complaints by bank customers. The RBI controls the monetary supply, monitors economic indicators like the gross domestic product and has to decide the design of the rupee banknotes as well as coins.
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As per Indian Coinage Act : Rupee (coin 1 & above) can be used to pay/settle for any sum Paise 50 can be used to pay/settle any sum not exceeding ten rupees In case of smaller coins below 50 paise, any sum not exceeding one rupee.
2. Manager of exchange control The central bank manages to reach the goals of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999. Objective: to facilitate external trade and payment and promote orderly development and maintenance of foreign exchange market in India. 3. Issuer of currency The bank issues and exchanges or destroys currency and coins not fit for circulation. The objectives are giving the public adequate supply of currency of good quality and to provide loans to commercial banks to maintain or improve the GDP. The basic objectives of RBI are to issue bank notes, to maintain the currency and credit system of the country to utilize it in its best advantage, and to maintain the reserves. RBI maintains the economic structure of the country so that it can achieve the objective of price stability as well as economic development, because both objectives are diverse in themselves.
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Issue
RBI can issue currency notes as much as the country requires, provided it has to make a security deposit of Rs. 200 crores, out of which Rs. 115 crores must be in gold and Rs. 85 crores must be FOREX Reserves. This principle of currency notes issue is known as the 'Minimum Reserve System'. 5. Developmental role The central bank has to perform a wide range of promotional functions to support national objectives and industries. The RBI faces a lot of intersectoral and local inflation-related problems. Some of this problems are results of the dominant part of the public sector. 6. Related functions The RBI is also a banker to the government and performs merchant banking function for the central and the state governments. It also acts as their banker. The National Housing Bank (NHB) was established in 1988 to promote private real estate acquisition. The institution maintains banking accounts of all scheduled banks, too. There is now an international consensus about the need to focus the tasks of a central bank upon central banking. RBI is far out of touch with such a principle, owing to the sprawling mandate described above. The recent financial turmoil world-over, has however, vindicated the Reserve Bank's role in maintaining financial stability in India.
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7. Bank Issue Under Section 22 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, the bank has the sole sight to issue bank notes of all denominations. The notice issued by the Reserve bank has the following advantages: It brings uniformity to note issue. It is easier to control credit when there is a single agency of note issue. It keeps the public faith in the paper currency alive. It helps in the stabilization of the internal and external value of the currency and Credit can be regulated according to the needs of the business. The system of note issue as it exists today is known as the minimum reserve system. The currency notes issued by the Bank arid legal tender everywhere in India without any limit. At present, the Bank issues notes in the following denominations: Rs. 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 100, and 500. The responsibility of the Bank is not only to put currency into, or withdraw it from, the circulation but also to exchange notes and coins of one denomination into those of other denominations as demanded by the public. All affairs of the Bank relating to note issue are conducted through its Issue Department.
8. Banker, Agent and Financial Advisor to the State As a banker agent and financial advisor to the State, the Reserve Bank performs the following functions: It keeps the banking accounts of the government.
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It advances short-term loans to the government and raises loans from the public. It purchases and sells through bills and currencies on behalf to the government. It receives and makes payment on behalf of the government. It manages public debt and It advises the government on economic matters like deficit financing price stability, management of public debts. etc.
9. Banker to the Banks: It acts as a guardian for the commercial banks. Commercial banks are required to keep a certain proportion of cash reserves with the Reserve bank. In lieu of this, the Reserve bank provide them various facilities like advancing loans, underwriting securities etc. The RBI controls the volume of reserves of commercial banks and thereby determines the deposits/credit creating ability of the banks. The banks hold a part or all of their reserves with the RBI. Similarly, in times of their needs, the banks borrow funds from the RBI. It is, therefore, called the bank of last resort or the lender of last resort. 10. As Banker to Banks, the Reserve Bank focuses on Enabling smooth, swift and seamless clearing and settlement of interbank obligations. Providing an efficient means of funds transfer for banks. Enabling banks to maintain their accounts with the Reserve Bank for statutory reserve requirements and maintenance of transaction balances. Acting as a lender of last resort.
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It is the responsibility of the Reserve bank to stabilize the external value of the national currency. The Reserve Bank keeps golds and foreign currencies as reserves against note issue and also meets adverse balance of payments with other counties. It also manages foreign currency in accordance with the controls imposed by the government. As far as the external sector is concerned, the task of the RBI has the following dimensions: To administer the foreign Exchange Control; To choose ,the exchange rate system and fix or manages the exchange rate between the rupee and other currencies; To manage exchange reserves; To interact or negotiate with the monetary authorities of the Sterling Area, Asian Clearing Union, and other countries, and with International financial institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank. The RBI is the custodian of the countrys foreign exchange reserves, id it is vested with the responsibility of managing the investment and utilization of the reserves in the most advantageous manner. The RBI achieves this through buying and selling of foreign exchange market, from and to schedule banks, which, are the authorized dealers in the Indian, foreign exchange market. The Bank manages the investment of reserves in gold counts abroad and the shares and securities issued by foreign governments and international banks or financial institutions. 12. Lender of the Last Resort At one time, it was supposed to be the most important function of the Reserve Bank. When Commercial banks fail to meet obligations of their depositors the Reserve Bank comes to their rescue as the lender of the last resort, the Reserve 35
Bank assumes the responsibility of meeting directly or indirectly all legitimate demands for accommodation by the Commercial Banks under emergency conditions. 13. Banks of Central Clearance, Settlement and Transfer The commercial banks are not required to settle the payments of their mutual transactions in cash, It is easier to effect clearance and settlement of claims among them by making entries in their accounts maintained with the Reserve Bank, The Reserve Bank also provides the facility for transfer to money free of charge to member banks. 14. Controller of Credit In modern times credit control is considered as the most crucial and important functional of a Reserve Bank. The Reserve Bank regulates and controls the volume and direction of credit by using quantitative and qualitative controls. Quantitative controls include the bank rate policy, the open market operations, and the variable reserve ratio. Qualitative or selective credit control, on the other hand includes rationing of credit, margin requirements, direct action, moral suasion publicity, etc. Besides the above mentioned traditional functions, the Reserve Bank also performs some promotional and supervisory functions. The Reserve Bank promotes the development of agriculture and industry promotes rural credit, etc. The Reserve Bank also acts as an agent for the international institutions as I.M.F., I.B.R.D., etc. 15. Supervisory Functions In addition to its traditional central banking functions, the Reserve Bank has certain non- monetary functions of the nature of supervision of banks and promotion of sound banking in India. The supervisory functions of the RBI have helped a great deal in improving the methods of their operation. The
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Reserve Bank Act, 1934, and Banking Regulation Act, 1949 have given the RBI wide powers of: Supervision and control over commercial and cooperative banks, relating to licensing and establishments. Branch expansion. Liquidity of their assets. Management and methods of working, amalgamation reconstruction and liquidations. The RBI is authorized to carry out periodical inspections off the banks and to call for returns and necessary information from them.
Promotional Role
A striking feature of the Reserve Bank of India Act was that it made agricultural credit the Banks special responsibility. This reflected the realisation that the countrys central bank should make special efforts to develop, under its direction and guidance, a system of institutional credit for a major sector of the economy, namely, agriculture, which then accounted for more than 50 per cent of the national income. However, major advances in agricultural finance materialised only after Indias independence. Over the years, the Reserve Bank has helped to evolve a suitable institutional infrastructure for providing credit in rural areas. Another important function of the Bank is the regulation of banking. All the scheduled banks are required to keep with the Reserve Bank a consolidated 3 per cent of their total deposits, and the Reserve Bank has power to increase this percentage up to 15. These banks must have capital and reserves of not less than Rs.5 lakhs. The accumulation of these balances with the Reserve Bank places it in a position to use them freely in emergencies to support the scheduled banks themselves in times of need as the lender of last resort. To a certain 37
extent, it is also possible for the Reserve Bank to influence the credit policy of scheduled banks by means of an open market operations policy, that is, by the purchase and sale of securities or bills in the market. The Reserve bank has another instrument of control in the form of the bank rate, which it publishes from time to time. Further, the Bank has been given the following special powers to control banking companies under the Banking Companies Act, 1949: The power to issue licenses to banks operating in India. The power to have supervision and inspection of banks. The power to control the opening of new branches. The power to examine and sanction schemes of arrangement and amalgamation. The power to recommend the liquidation of weak banking companies. The power to receive and scrutinize prescribed returns, and to call for any other information relating to the banking business. The power to caution or prohibit banking companies generally or any banking company in particular from entering into any particular transaction or transactions. The power to control the lending policy of, and advances by banking companies or any particular bank in the public interest and to give directions as to the purpose for which advances mayor may not be made, the margins to be maintained in respect of secured advances and the interest to be charged on advances.
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Policy rates, Reserve ratios, lending, and deposit rates as on 26 July, 2011 Bank Rate 6.0% Repo Rate 8% Reverse Repo Rate 7% Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) 6.0% Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) 24.0% Base Rate 9.50%/10.25% Savings Bank Rate 4% Deposit Rate 8.50%9.25%
Bank Rate:
RBI lends to the commercial banks through its discount window to help the banks meet depositors demands and reserve requirements. The interest rate the RBI charges the banks for this purpose is called bank rate. If the RBI wants to increase the liquidity and money supply in the market, it will decrease the bank rate and if it wants to reduce the liquidity and money
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supply in the system, it will increase the bank rate. As of 5 May, 2011 the bank rate was 6%.
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Minimum margins for lending against specific securities. Ceiling on the amounts of credit for certain purposes. Discriminatory rate of interest charged on certain types of advances.
Direct credit controls in India are of three types: Part of the interest rate structure i.e. on small savings and provident funds, are administratively set. Banks are mandatorily required to keep 24% of their deposits in the form of government securities. Banks are required to lend to the priority sectors to the extent of 40% of their advances.
the report is a compilation of quantitative information with regard to external reserves, such as, level of foreign exchange reserves, sources of accretion to foreign exchange reserves, external liabilities vis--vis foreign exchange reserves, prepayment/repayment of external debt, Financial Transaction Plan (FTP) of IMF, adequacy of reserves, etc.
Adequacy of reserves
Adequacy of reserves has emerged as an important parameter in gauging its ability to absorb external shocks. With the changing profile of capital flows, the traditional approach of assessing reserve adequacy in terms of import cover has been broadened to include a number of parameters which take into account the size, composition and risk profiles of various types of capital flows as well as the types of external shocks to which the economy is vulnerable. The High Level Committee on Balance of Payments, which was chaired by Dr. C. Rangarajan, erstwhile Governor of Reserve Bank of India, had suggested that, while determining the adequacy of reserves, due attention should be paid to payment obligations, in addition to the traditional measure of import cover of 3 to 4 months. In 1997, the Report of Committee on Capital Account Convertibility under the chairmanship of Shri S.S.Tarapore suggested four alternative measures of adequacy of reserves which, in addition to trade- based indicators, also included money-based and debt-based indicators. Similar views have been held by the Committee on Fuller Capital Account Convertibility (Chairman: Shri S.S.Tarapore, July 2006). In the recent period, assessment of reserve adequacy has been influenced by the introduction of new measures. One such measure requires that the usable foreign exchange reserves should exceed scheduled amortisation of foreign currency debts (assuming no rollovers) during the following year. The other one is based on a Liquidity at Risk rule that takes into 42
account the foreseeable risks that a country could face. This approach requires that a countrys foreign exchange liquidity position could be calculated under a range of possible outcomes for relevant financial variables, such as, exchange rates, commodity prices, credit spreads etc. Reserve Bank of India has done exercises based on intuition and risk models in order to estimate Liquidity at Risk (LAR) of the reserves. The traditional trade-based indicator of reserve adequacy, viz, import cover of reserves, which fell to a low of 3 weeks of imports at end-December 1990, rose to 11.5 months of imports at end-March 2002 and increased further to 14.2 months of imports or about five years of debt servicing at end-March 2003. At end-March 2004, the import cover of reserves was 16.9 months, which came down to 14.3 months as at end-March 2005 and further to 11.6 months as at end- March 2006. The import cover for reserves was 12.4 months at end-March 2007. The ratio of short-term debt to foreign exchange reserves declined from 146.5 per cent at end-March 1991 to 5.3 per cent as at end-March 2005, but increased slightly to 5.7 per cent as at end-March 2006 and further to 6.0 per cent at end-March 2007. The ratio of volatile capital flows (defined to include cumulative portfolio inflows and short-term debt) to reserves declined from 146.6 per cent as at end-March 1991 to 35.2 per cent as at endMarch 2004. However, this ratio increased moderately to 36.9 per cent as at endMarch 2005 and further to 43.4 per cent as at end-March 2006 and decreased to 38.2 per cent as at end March 2007.
was deposited with other central banks, BIS & IMF and US$ 46.8 billion was in the form of deposits with foreign commercial banks.
(b) Requirement of support of 60% of creditors by number in addition to the support of 75% of creditors by value with a view to make the decision making more equitable (c) Discretion to the core group in dealing with wilful defaulters in certain cases other than cases involving frauds or diversion of funds with malafide intentions. (d) Linking the restoration of asset classification prevailing on the date of reference to the CDR Cell to implementation of the CDR package within four months from the date of approval of the package. (e) Restricting the regulatory concession in asset classification and provisioning to the first restructuring where the package also has to meet norms relating to turn-around period and minimum sacrifice and funds infusion by promoters. (f) Convergence in the methodology for computation of economic sacrifice among banks and FIs (g) Limiting RBIs role to providing broad guidelines for CDR mechanism (h) Enhancing disclosures in the balance sheet for providing greater transparency (i) Pro-rata sharing of additional finance requirement by both term lenders and working capital lenders (j) Allowing OTS as a part of the CDR mechanism to make the exit option more flexible and (k) Regulatory treatment of non-SLR instruments acquired while funding interest or in lieu of outstanding principal and valuation of such instruments.
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RBI on Banking
Though the RBI, as part of its monetary management mandate, had, from the very beginning, been vested with the powers, under the RBI Act, 1934, to regulate the volume and cost of bank credit in the economy through the instruments of general credit control, it was not until 1949 that a comprehensive enactment, applicable only to the banking sector, came into existence. The Banking Regulation Act from March 1966. The Act vested in the Reserve Bank the responsibility relating to licensing of banks, branch expansion, and liquidity of their assets, management and methods of working, amalgamation, reconstruction and liquidation. Important changes in several provisions of the Act were made from time to time, designed to enlarge or amplify the responsibilities of the RBI or to impart flexibility to the relative provisions, commensurate with the imperatives of the banking sector developments.
branch- network needs, including branch relocations, mergers, conversions and closures as well as setting up of the ATMs, over a one-year time horizon, in tune with their own business strategy, and then approach the RBI for consolidated annual authorisations accordingly.
adequacy, income recognition and asset classification, etc., are, by and large, the same as for the Indian banks. Other prudential norms such as those for the exposure limits, investment valuation, etc., are the same as those applicable to the Indian banks. Unlike some of the countries where overall exposure limits have been placed on the foreign-country related business, India has not placed any restriction on the kind of business that can be routed through the branches of foreign banks. This has been advantageous to the foreign bank branches as the entire home-country business is generally routed through these branches. Substantial FII business is also handled exclusively by the foreign banks. In fact, some Indian banks contend that certain amount of positive discrimination exists in favour of foreign banks by way of lower Priority Sector lending requirement at 32 per cent of the adjusted net bank credit as against a level of 40 per cent required for the Indian banks. Unlike in the case of Indian banks, the sub-ceiling in respect of agricultural advances is also not applicable to foreign banks whereas export credit granted by the foreign banks can be reckoned towards priority sector lending obligation, which is not permitted for the Indian banks. Notably, in terms of our WTO commitment, licences for new foreign banks may be denied when the share of foreign banks assets in India, including both on- as well as off-balance-sheet items, in the total assets (including both on- and off-balance-sheet items) of the banking system exceeds 15 per cent. However, we have autonomously not invoked this limitation so far to deny licences to the new foreign banks even though the actual share of foreign banks in the total assets of the banking system, including both on- and off-balance-sheet items (on Notional Principal basis), has been far above the limit. This share of foreign banks stood at 49 per cent, as at end-January 2007, as mentioned in the Indias Trade Policy Review, 2007
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EPILOGUE
In the immediate future, the Reserve Banks priority is to ensure that adequate rupee and forex liquidity are maintained in domestic markets to prevent excessive volatility in interest rates and exchange rates. Rupee liquidity is being provided through the Repo window of the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF). As of now, the banking system does not face any liquidity pressures as evident from the low level of dependence on liquidity injections under the LAF. In any case the banking system currently has an adequate stock of Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) securities, which are eligible for Repo transactions. Further, the capacity of the LAF to inject liquidity has recently been augmented by the introduction of the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF), which allows banks to draw down SLR securities up to a further one per cent of their Net Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL) in order to meet liquidity requirements. This will help stabilize the call rate within the LAF corridor, which is currently 7-9 per cent. As regards forex liquidity, in anticipation of financial market turbulence related to the US debt ceiling impasse, the Reserve Bank made an assessment of the ability of the forex reserve portfolio to meet potential forex requirements in the event of significant capital outflows. This exercise indicated that there were sufficient liquid reserves to meet the demand for forex even in stress scenarios. The Reserve Bank is closely monitoring all key indicators and will continuously assess the impact of global developments on Rupee and forex liquidity and macroeconomic stability. 50
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Web
http://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/Publications/PDFs/RBIAM_230609.pdf Press Trust of India (12 November 2010). "Indias forex reserves up $2.19 bn to $300 bn". Mumbai: New Delhi Television Limited. Retrieved 20 November 2010 http://www.rbi.org.in/Commonman/English/History/Scripts/anecdote3 .aspx http://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/PressRelease/PDFs/69367.pdf
Books Alpana Killawala: History of the RBI Summary RBI Annual report RBI Monthly Bulletins & Press Releases The Reserve Bank of India: functions and working
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