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RBI cancels registration certificates of 135 NBFCs

Banks can lend directly to REITs & InvITs

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Wednesday allowed banks to lend directly to Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). It capped overall bank exposure to a REIT or Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT), with its underlying SPVs and holding companies, at 49% of its asset value .The new framework requires that at least 80% of a REIT's underlying assets generate positive cash flows from operations for a minimum of one year for it to be eligible for bank funding.Also read: RBI cancels registration certificates of 135 NBFCsSimilarly, banks can lend only to listed InvITs with at least 80% of assets invested in completed, revenue-generating infrastructure projects that have generated positive cash flows for at least one year. The RBI said that a bank will be permitted to lend to REITs which are registered with and regulated by Sebi. The central bank said the overall exposure of all banks to a borrowing REIT, together with its underlying SPVs and holding companies, should not exceed 49% of the value of the REIT's assets. RBI has prescribed an identical ceiling for InvITs.Banks will also be required to ensure that overall leverage of the borrowing REIT or I/IT remains within the prudential ceiling prescribed by Sebi, or a lower limit fixed by their boards.The RBI directed banks to frame board-approved policies covering appraisal mechanisms, underwriting norms, debt service coverage ratio benchmarks, exposure limits and monitoring frameworks before extending such loans. For REITs, projects should have a completion or occupancy certificate, while InvIT projects should have commenced commercial operations.Also read: RBI offers concessional swaps for PSUs, NRI deposits to drive forex inflowsThe central bank also prohibited bullet and balloon repayment structures for loans extended to REITs and InvITs, saying repayment schedules should not result in a disproportionate concentration of principal repayments towards the end of the tenure. The restriction will not apply to investments in bonds, debentures and commercial paper. Also, RBI mandated that bank financing should be secured through charges on underlying assets, assignment of cash flows and receivables. The rules will come into effect from October 1, 2026 or earlier adopted by a bank in entirety.

India takes big moves to attract foreign investments in bonds: How will this impact stock market?

As India sees incessant FII selloff so far this year, the government and RBI announced a slew of measures to ease foreign investments in government securities, with analysts suggesting that these may provide some short-term support for Dalal Street.India scrapped the long-term capital gains tax on investments by foreign institutional investors (FIIs) in government securities through an ordinance issued on Friday. The government has now exempted FIIs from tax on any interest income from government securities, as well as capital gains arising from their sale, exchange or transfer, according to an official gazette. Separately, while announcing the outcome of the MPC meeting, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra also unveiled a series of measures to boost FPI investments, including expanding the Fully Accessible Route (FAR) to cover new issuances of 15-, 30- and 40-year government bonds.Limits on investments by NRIs and OCIs in equity instruments without Sebi registration are being raised, allowing them to invest larger amounts without regulatory registration. The facility is also proposed to be extended to all Persons Resident Outside India (PROIs), bringing them on par with NRIs and OCIs. This came as the RBI kept the repo rate unchanged at 5.25%What does this mean for Indian stock market?The proposal to increase investment limits for NRIs and OCIs in listed equity instruments without Sebi registration, and to extend the same facility to all individual Persons Resident Outside India (PROIs), is a significant step toward broadening participation in Indian capital markets, which is expected to improve market depth, liquidity and long-term capital inflows, said Arun Poddar, CEO of Choice International.He highlighted that equally important is the removal of capital gains tax on government securities investments for foreign investors. “This move strengthens the attractiveness of India's bond market and could encourage greater foreign participation in government debt. At a time of heightened global volatility, these measures reinforce investor confidence, support capital inflows, and reaffirm India's commitment to building deeper, more globally integrated financial markets, with the policy rate expected to remain low for an extended period,” he said.The government's move to exempt Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) from capital gains tax on any interest earned from government securities is “highly positive” for the capital markets, said Sumit Singhania, Head of Research at Bajaj Broking. “This fiscal cushion arrives at a crucial time, offering a strong shield to domestic markets as the RBI chief warned of volatile forex markets driven by shifting global sentiments,” he added.The policy is distinctly positive for bond markets and well-capitalized Banks and NBFCs, which benefit from targeted hedging subsidies and systemic stability, according to Archit Doshi, Senior Vice President at PL (Prabhudas Lilladher) AMC. “Conversely, one should be underweight rate-sensitive sectors, which remain highly vulnerable to margin compression, higher inflation expectations, and the threat of the RBI reaching its tightening tipping point,” he said.Rajeev Radhakrishnan, CFA, CIO of Fixed Income at SBI Mutual Fund, also said that the announcements aimed at enabling more dollar inflows are more significant in the near term, even though the overall policy stance has been broadly in line with expectations. “The concessional swap facility should help stabilise short end market rates and the foreign exchange market in the near term,” he said.For equities and debt markets, the measures to attract FII inflows are supportive of liquidity and inflows, while for the rupee, they signal a clear intent to anchor expectations and reduce volatility amid global oil shocks and sustained foreign selling pressure, said Ajit Mishra, Senior VP of Research at Religare Broking.Sachin Bajaj, Chief Investment Officer at Axis Max Life Insurance, also said that the initiatives are expected to support capital inflows, deepen domestic bond markets, and provide support to the Indian rupee over the short to medium term.RBI’s hawkish tone and the Indian stock marketWhile the measures taken to attract FII inflows in the debt market will likely provide short-term support for Dalal Street, analysts advised caution over the RBI’s hawkish policy stance. While the RBI maintained its policy repo rate as per expectations, the tone was much more cautious than in previous meetings.Sachin Bajaj highlighted that the policy emphasised preserving macroeconomic stability amid the prevailing global macroeconomic environment. “We believe there are significant risks to inflation in the coming months due to the pass-through of higher commodity prices to consumers and elevated food prices resulting from a below-normal monsoon. Going forward, there is a risk of an upward revision in inflation projections, and given the evolving global backdrop, we believe the RBI is likely to maintain a prudent, data-dependent approach. Future policy actions will be contingent on evolving growth-inflation dynamics and global developments,” he added.Also read: Explained: Sebi's Rs 15.15 lakh crore revenue inflation allegations against Rajesh ExportsWhile hawkish rhetoric without an accompanying rate hike provides a temporary respite for equity markets, it does not constitute an unequivocal endorsement of investment, particularly in highly rate-sensitive sectors such as real estate, automotive, and consumer discretionary goods, said Vipul Bhowar, Senior Director, Head of Equities at Waterfield Advisors.“Should inflation necessitate a rate increase later this year, these sectors are likely to experience pressure on both margins and demand. For investors, the current strategy emphasises capital preservation by focusing on high-quality equities with strong pricing power. This cautious approach is designed to navigate the prevailing geopolitical uncertainties until conditions stabilise,” the analyst added.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

Weak market returns push more investors to pause SIP investments

Mumbai: Two years of challenging equity market returns appear to be prompting a section of retail investors to reassess exposure to the stock market, with industry data showing rising monthly systematic investment plan (SIP) discontinuations and a slowdown in new investor additions.SIP halts continued to outpace new registrations in April, with stoppage ratio at 101%, unchanged from March, according to data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI). This indicates that more SIP accounts were closed than opened during the month.Importantly though, flows through SIPs, the mainstay of domestic investments, have remained resilient.131452535Not a Short-term Game This support has been critical for equities amid overseas investors stampeding out of the Indian markets. Any change in that trend would have led to greater market turmoil.Still, the discontinuation trend has worsened over time, with the 12-month SIP stoppage ratio rising to 94.5% in March 2026, compared with 75.6% in March 2025 and 52% in March 2024.Fresh investor additions slowed in April as well, with 295,000 new investors entering mutual funds, taking the total investor base to 61.7 million. This marks the slowest monthly addition since June 2023.In comparison, the industry added 700,000 and 500,000 new investors in February and March, respectively. The pace has moderated in the past two years, with 7.2 million additions in the 12 months ended March, compared with 9.7 million in the preceding year.The growing SIP stoppages and the drop in fresh investor additions underscore dissatisfaction over lower-than-expected returns from equity schemes."Two years ago, many investors came in after watching incredibly high returns from the small cap space," said Swarup Mohanty, vice chairman and CEO, Mirae Asset Investment Managers. "With high returns not coming their way now, they are disappointed."An SIP in the broad-based Nifty 50 would have lost 2.56% over the last two years, while an investment in the broad Nifty 500 would have fetched 0.83%."Many investors came with high return expectations in short time spans," said Viraj Gandhi, chief executive, Samco Mutual Fund. "As returns over the last two years are low, new investors are slow to come by, while some investors who expected high returns could move to other avenues, which is a natural phenomenon."

Ola Electric opens QIP, sets floor price at Rs 37.74/share

Bengaluru: Electric vehicle maker Ola Electric Mobility on Monday approved the opening of its qualified institutional placement (QIP) and set a floor price of ₹37.74 per equity share for the issue, according to a stock exchange filing.The company's fund raising committee approved the launch of the issue on June 1 and cleared the preliminary placement document for institutional investors. The company may also offer a discount of up to 5% on the floor price in line with Sebi regulations, the filings read.QIP is a way for listed companies to raise money from large institutional investors such as mutual funds, insurance firms, sovereign funds and foreign portfolio investors, without going through a public issue process.The fundraising comes at a time when Ola Electric is navigating slowing sales, market share pressures and continued losses in the electric two-wheeler market. The company on May 14 also announced ₹2,000 crore investment into its wholly-owned subsidiaries focused on electric vehicle and battery manufacturing, as it looks to double down on localisation and vertical integration.Ola reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 500 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 2026, narrowing 42.5% from Rs 870 crore in the year-ago period, aided by lower expenses. In Q3, the company had reported a loss of Rs 487 crore. For the full 2026 financial year, the company posted a consolidated net loss of Rs 1,833 crore compared with Rs 2,276 crore in FY25. Revenue from operations fell sharply to Rs 2,253 crore from Rs 4,514 crore a year ago. Brokerages have also flagged concerns around market share erosion and cash burn. Citi earlier downgraded the stock to and cut its target price, citing persistent challenges to volume growth and rising balance sheet pressures. The company recently reported a recovery in registrations, with May registrations rising to 14,752 units. Ola said the issue price will be determined in consultation with the book running lead managers. “For Q1 FY27, we expect 40,000- 45,000 orders and consolidated revenue of Rs 500-550 crore, nearly double Q4 levels. As volumes recover, we expect the auto business to move towards adjusted operating EBITDA and free cash flow positivity through FY27,” Aggarwal said in its shareholder’s letter. The company’s focus remains on its EV products, particularly electric motorcycles and cell manufacturing, he added. Ola’s shares on Monday closed at Rs 39.53 on BSE, 4.91% lower compared to previous trading session. The QIP announcement was made post market hours.