– Vinod Kothari, finserv@vinodkothari.com
Banking regulation is slated to get into a group-wide regulatory framework, embroiling group entities of banks. According to a draft of the proposed regulation circulated on 4th October, 2024,[1] (“Draft Proposal”) NBFCs in the bank group, engaged in lending or housing finance shall be treated as Upper Layer entities, and additionally, shall be subject to the restrictions on lending as applicable to banks. The proposed regulations also provide that there shall be no overlap between the business carried by the bank[2], and that by bank group entities, which, literally, would mean that lending and asset finance business cannot be done by banking group companies, and if the bank has a housing finance subsidiary, housing finance can be done only by the housing finance entity.
Once the draft circular, expected to force banks to do a major group rejig, is finalised, banks will have 2 years time to comply with it. The restrictions are proposed to be put by way of amendments to the 2016 Master Direction- Reserve Bank of India (Financial Services provided by Banks) Directions, 2016[3] (‘Master Directions’).
The following are some of the major proposals:
- Certain activities can be carried only by subsidiaries, and not by banks departmentally
These include activities listed under paragraphs 13, 14(a), 14(b), 15, 16, 17 and 22 in Chapter – III of the Master Directions viz. mutual fund business, insurance business, pension fund management, investment advisory services, portfolio management services and broking services or other such risk-sharing activities that require ring-fencing. While out of the list aforesaid, mutual fund business and Insurance business with risk participation, pension fund management investment advisory services, portfolio management service, broking services for commodity derivatives segment were there in the 2016 Directions as well, the new inclusion seems to be “risk sharing activities that require ring-fencing”. This expression will obviously require explanation. Formation of a limited liability entity is sometimes recommended for the reason of ring-fencing, that is, ensuring that the business liabilities do not go beyond the investment made by the shareholder. Hence, if the activity carried by the bank is something that is in the nature of risk absorption or risk participation, the same can be done only through separate entities.
- No overlap in permitted businesses
The most challenging requirement would be to ensure that in case of multiple regulated entities in the same banking group, only one entity within the group shall be allowed to engage in a specific type of permissible business. There should not be any overlap between loan products extended by the bank and its group entities. Hence, in case the group has an HFC extending housing loans, the same shall not be extended by the banking entity.
- Bank lending restrictions apply to group entities as well
There are numerous restrictions on lending by banks[4], including lending to connected entities, directors’ interested entities, senior officers, etc. To the extent these are not currently applicable to NBFCs and HFCs, these restrictions will now apply to such entities in the banking group.
Further, the Draft Proposal also provides that group entities shall not be deployed for regulatory arbitrage – they cannot do what is not permitted for the bank.
- Bar on investment in Category III AIFs
Banks shall not invest in Cat III AIFs. In case of a bank’s group entities, if the entity is a sponsor of an AIF, it can only hold the minimum investment required as a sponsor [Rs. 1 crore]. Note that earlier in December 2023, the RBI has given a shocker, to curb round tripping of money, prohibiting banks and NBFCs to make investment in such AIFs, which in turn have an investment in borrowers of banks/NBFCs[5]. Further, prior approval from RBI’s Department of Regulations shall be required before investing 20% or more in the equity capital of any financial services company/ Category I or II AIF either individually or collectively by the bank group
- The statutory cap of 30% of investee’s capital to include investments by group companies
It is an important provision of the Banking Regulation Act [Section 19(2)] that restricts a bank from holding more than 30% of the equity capital of an investee. This cap shall now include shares held by group companies as well. In existing practice, NBFCs/lending entities in the group are deployed for holding shares or pledges of more than 30%. In fact, one of the proposed changes speaks about shares held indirectly through “trustee companies” as well, raising a question whether shares held by mutual funds and AIFs will also be aggregated. The answer should be negative, as MF and AIF investments cannot be said to be investments held indirectly by the bank, unless the AIF is majority controlled by the bank.
- Capital management to be group-wide
The banking group shall have a group-wide capital management policy, enumerating risks and providing economic capital. Understandably, ICAAP will also have to be monitored on a group-wide basis.
Our comments
Veteran bankers are not surprised by the RBI’s move, though, with expected losses, changes in LCR requirements and lot more in the offing, this seems too much over too short a time. In fact, when the non-operating financial holding company (NOFHC) model was recommended in 2013 by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, it was laid there that “(T)he general principle is that no financial services entity held by the NOFHC would be allowed to engage in any activity that a bank is permitted to undertake departmentally”. The idea of ring fencing of diverse activities was inspired by the need for controlling contagion, alleviation of regulatory arbitrage, etc. The RBI’s Internal Committee named P K Mohanty Working Group also made similar recommendations.
The proposed changes are clearly aimed at curbing any possibility of regulatory arbitrage. Currently, most foreign banks in India have non-banking finance companies; several Indian banks also have NBFCs which are quite large in size and do things which the bank does. In some cases, such as lending against shares, given the NBFC lending norms being more liberal, NBFCs are used for loans against shares, particularly for funding equity investments by group holding companies. Further, NBFCs are not subject to the statutory limit of 30% of the investee company’s capital, by way of ownership, pledge or mortgage. This liberty will no longer be available.
As regards housing finance entities forming part of banking groups, unless the RBI provides a carve out, there will be need to do major corporate restructuring. There are large home loan portfolios both within banks, as also in bank group HFCs. The bank will either need to spin off the housing finance business, or to consider stake sale in HFCs to bring them out of the “group company” definition.
In short, once the proposed changes are finally coded, the banking sector in the country is headed for some very far reaching restructuring changes.
[1] https://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/Content/PDFs/DRAFTCIRCULAR0410202419AC7BEE698D41F4BF221D39468A9E59.PDF
[2] There is a list of permissible activities that can be undertaken by the bank, laid down in Master Direction- Reserve Bank of India (Financial Services provided by Banks) Directions, 2016 (Updated as on August 10, 2021)
[3] 25MD2605164EDAA7B1E214468EBE2D7CC406CA6648.PDF (rbi.org.in)
[4] Prescribed under Master Circular- Loans and Advances – Statutory and Other Restrictions 95MND246C0F34D0041F6831205AB5D695422.PDF (rbi.org.in)
[5] https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=12572&Mode=0
Other related resources:
- RBI bars lenders’ investments in AIFs investing in their borrowers