Bank of England urges banks to wait out EU pressure over euro clearing, BFSI News, ET BFSI

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Banks should hold their nerve in the face of European Union pressure to shift euro derivatives clearing from London to the bloc, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said on Tuesday.

Since Britain fully left the EU last December, the bloc has asked banks to move euro clearing from London, which accounts for the bulk of activity, to Frankfurt.

So far, banks and their customers have put on a united front against relocating clearing, saying it would bump up costs by splitting markets.

Bailey said banks were waiting rather than shifting euro positions as a June 2022 deadline looms when temporary permission for London clearers to serve EU customers ends.

“The right thing to do is to wait for the moment. The cost of moving and fragmenting are too large,” Bailey told a Bloomberg event.

“While waiting is sensible from the point of view of the banks, it puts the responsibility on the authorities to sort the thing out,” Bailey said.

However, negotiations with the EU at the present time have not been particularly intense, but the BoE was happy to give EU regulators the assurances they need, he said.

“If they want to take a decision to break the system up, then it’s important to consider the risks to financial stability that come with fragmentation.”

Clearers in the United States already have EU permission to serve customers in the bloc.

“We could see some clearing of euro instruments switch to New York from London if this does not get sorted out,” NatWest bank chairman Howard Davies told the same event.



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IDFC’s reverse merger with bank faces hurdles, BFSI News, ET BFSI

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Mumbai: IDFC Ltd, the parent of IDFC Bank, on Tuesday indicated to investors that it faced challenges in pursuing a reverse merger with IDFC First Bank.

According to analyst present in the meeting the management said that the parent company’s holds stake in IDFC Mutual Fund and two ventures one with the Delhi government and one with Karnataka Government would need to be exited and there are challenges in exiting these two firms. Shares of IDFC was down 3%, while shares of IDFC First Bank rose 2% following the analyst meet. Although neither had announced merger plans in the past, the same has often been speculated by analyts. There expectation of the holding company merging into the bank got a boost after the Reserve Bank of India in July clarified that IDFC can exit as the promoter of IDFC First Bank.

The central bank had also allowed small finances banks, which came under a holding company structure to reverse merge with their parent. Following this a couple of SFBs merged with the parent.

For IDFC shareholders the merger with the bank is beneficial considering that there have been reports that the company is selling its mutual fund arm. If post-sale the proceeds are distributed to shareholders it would be very tax inefficient as IDFC would be paying capital gains as well as dividend distribution tax. In the event of a merger the sale proceeds need not be distributed but can be infused into the bank as capital. As the bank’s equity is trading at higher multiples compared to the parent there is an upside for IDFC shareholders if there is a merger. However, IDFC First Bank already has enough capital and may not be able to deploy the fund immediately.

During the call IDFC’s non-executive chairman Vinod Rai said that there were challenges in unwinding the complex corporate structure of IDFC. He also said that the corporation had initiated the process of divesting stake in non-core subsidiaries.

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Yes Bank, 6 others settle case with Sebi; pay Rs 1.65 crore, BFSI News, ET BFSI

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NEW DELHI: Private sector lender Yes Bank and six persons on Tuesday settled with Sebi a case pertaining to alleged selective disclosure of asset quality, after paying Rs 1.65 crore towards settlement amount.

Apart from the bank, the six persons who settled the case are — Ashish Agrawal, Niranjan Banodkar, Sanjay Nambiar, Devamalya Dey, Rajat Monga and Shivanand Shettigar.

The order comes after the entities approached Sebi to settle the proceedings initiated against them “without admitting or denying the findings of fact and conclusions of law”, through a settlement order. In a settlement order on Tuesday, Sebi said,” the instant adjudication proceedings initiated against applicants vide SCN (show cause notice) dated October 26, 2020 are disposed of”.

The regulator conducted an investigation in the affairs of Yes Bank during February 2019 to ascertain the possible violation of provisions of Sebi Act and PFUTP (Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices).

Pursuant to the investigation, Sebi observed certain violations were allegedly committed by the bank and the six persons and issued show cause notice to them in this regard in October 2020.

In the show cause notice, it was alleged that Yes Bank made a selective disclosure on February 13, 2019, highlighting “nil” divergence which had significant positive impact on the price movement and had not disclosed other issues mentioned in the Risk Assessment Report (RAR) as observed by RBI such as lapses and regulatory breaches in various areas of its functioning.

It was alleged that announcement made by Yes Bank to exchanges were “incomplete as only selective disclosures highlighting nil divergence in bank’s asset classification and provision from RBI norms were disclosed as per the RAR of RBI.”

“However, other lapses and regulatory breaches in various areas as identified in the RAR were not disclosed,” the order noted.

The announcement resulted in misleading the investors as the price of the scrip increased by around 30 per cent and volume of trading the scrip also increased substantially the next trading day i.e. February 14, 2019.

It was alleged that the bank and six persons, who were involved in the decision making process to make the information public, have violated the provisions of PFUTP norms.

The six persons were either a member of the Reputational Risk Management Committee (RRMC) or part of the decision making process in relation to the disclosures made on February 13, 2019. Pending adjudication proceedings, the applicants proposed to settle the proceedings initiated against them and filed settlement applications.

Thereafter, Sebi’s committee recommended that the case may be settled upon payment of Rs 1.65 crore by applicants on jointly and several liability basis and accordingly they remitted the amount. Consequently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) settled the case.



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Yes Bank, 6 others settle case with Sebi; pay Rs 1.65 crore, BFSI News, ET BFSI

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NEW DELHI: Private sector lender Yes Bank and six persons on Tuesday settled with Sebi a case pertaining to alleged selective disclosure of asset quality, after paying Rs 1.65 crore towards settlement amount.

Apart from the bank, the six persons who settled the case are — Ashish Agrawal, Niranjan Banodkar, Sanjay Nambiar, Devamalya Dey, Rajat Monga and Shivanand Shettigar.

The order comes after the entities approached Sebi to settle the proceedings initiated against them “without admitting or denying the findings of fact and conclusions of law”, through a settlement order. In a settlement order on Tuesday, Sebi said,” the instant adjudication proceedings initiated against applicants vide SCN (show cause notice) dated October 26, 2020 are disposed of”.

The regulator conducted an investigation in the affairs of Yes Bank during February 2019 to ascertain the possible violation of provisions of Sebi Act and PFUTP (Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices).

Pursuant to the investigation, Sebi observed certain violations were allegedly committed by the bank and the six persons and issued show cause notice to them in this regard in October 2020.

In the show cause notice, it was alleged that Yes Bank made a selective disclosure on February 13, 2019, highlighting “nil” divergence which had significant positive impact on the price movement and had not disclosed other issues mentioned in the Risk Assessment Report (RAR) as observed by RBI such as lapses and regulatory breaches in various areas of its functioning.

It was alleged that announcement made by Yes Bank to exchanges were “incomplete as only selective disclosures highlighting nil divergence in bank’s asset classification and provision from RBI norms were disclosed as per the RAR of RBI.”

“However, other lapses and regulatory breaches in various areas as identified in the RAR were not disclosed,” the order noted.

The announcement resulted in misleading the investors as the price of the scrip increased by around 30 per cent and volume of trading the scrip also increased substantially the next trading day i.e. February 14, 2019.

It was alleged that the bank and six persons, who were involved in the decision making process to make the information public, have violated the provisions of PFUTP norms.

The six persons were either a member of the Reputational Risk Management Committee (RRMC) or part of the decision making process in relation to the disclosures made on February 13, 2019. Pending adjudication proceedings, the applicants proposed to settle the proceedings initiated against them and filed settlement applications.

Thereafter, Sebi’s committee recommended that the case may be settled upon payment of Rs 1.65 crore by applicants on jointly and several liability basis and accordingly they remitted the amount. Consequently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) settled the case.



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Belfrics to relaunch its cryptocurrency exchange in India, BFSI News, ET BFSI

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Belfrics, a Malaysia based blockchain technology firm, is restarting its cryptocurrency exchange in India from October 2021 in a new avatar. The company is going to focus on phygital model and opening 200 centres across India. All these centres will be based on a franchise basis. The company is planning to invest $10 million for cryptocurrency exchange and $5 million for its blockchain (a total of around Rs100 crore) in the Indian market.

“With regards to the spending in India, as of now we have allocated $3 million for the exchange and once the regulatory scenario clears up, we will be increasing this to $10 million,” Praveen Kumar, CEO & Founder, Belfrics Group, said.

Belfrics also runs a cryptocurrency exchange on its proprietary platform.

India operations

Belfrics had started its operations in India in 2015 when the cryptocurrency segment was very new. Later when RBI issued a notification instructing banks not to favour cryptocurrency transactions, Belfrics put a pause button on its crypto business in 2018.

“Though we halted our cryptocurrency business, our blockchain is doing well in India. Our blockchain business is very active,” Kumar said.

Belfrics was recently acquired by Life Clips, a global software solution company, which has operations in Malaysia, Singapore, India, Kenya, Tanzania and other countries.

In its Indian version, Belfrics is also planning to add many other products.

“On the cryptocurrency exchange along with basic services we will also add five other products which are globally very popluar. Such as staking reward, derivative products, lending and borrowing, custody solutions and crypto payments card and loyalty programmes,” Kumar said.

Focus on India’s crypto market

Since the Supreme Court has set aside the RBI’s ruling on cryptocurrency, there is an exponential rise in the segments. More blockchain startups are entering the space.

“We hope sooner or later regulators will look at this segment, with this hope we are reactivating our plans,” Kumar added.

Currently, India has crypto exchanges but most of them are in the online zone. Belfrics is planning to open 22 centres all over the country.

More than one crore people have invested in cryptocurrency in India and the response towards crypto is.

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European banks book 20 billion euros, or 14% of their profits, in tax havens annually, BFSI News, ET BFSI

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Europe’s biggest banks are booking an average of 20 billion euros ($23.7 billion) in tax havens every year, which is about 14% of their profits, according to a report by report from the EU Tax Observatory.

The report looked into the activities of 36 systemic European banks, headquartered in 11 countries across Europe, that have been subject to mandatory country-by-country reporting on their actions since 2015.

The tax havens looked into include Bahamas, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Macao, Malta, Mauritius, Panama and Qatar.

About 25% of the banks’ profits were booked in countries where the effective tax rate was lower than 15%.

“Bank profitability in tax havens is abnormally high: 238,000 euros per employee, as opposed to around 65,000 euros in non-haven countries,” the authors added. “This suggests that the profits booked in tax havens are primarily shifted out of other countries where service production occurs.”

The profits

HSBC booked a mean 58% of its pre-tax profits in tax havens between 2014 and 2020, according to the study, making it the lender funneling the largest percentage of profits into the EUTO’s list of tax havens.

Standard Chartered booked an average of around a third of its pre-tax profits in tax havens, according to the report, while Deutsche Bank, Nord LB and RBS all booked, on average, more than 20% of their pre-tax profits in tax havens between 2014 and 2020.

Bankia BFA, Erste, Nykredit Realkredit, Swedbank and Banco Sabadell booked none of their profits in tax havens during the seven-year sample period.

Curbs needed

Taxes have become a sensitive issue, with cash-strapped governments plugging holes in the economy due to COVID seeking to agree on a common rate for taxing Big Tech, in particular.

Country-by-country reporting to shed light on the inner workings of banks has failed to change behaviour despite the rise of tax issues on the public agenda, the report said.

“More ambitious initiatives — such as a global minimum tax with a 25% rate — may be necessary to curb the use of tax havens by the banking sector.”



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UPI to be linked to Singapore’s PayNow by July 2022

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The platform has seen over 4.9 million registrations, as on January 3, according to the Association of Banks in Singapore.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday said it is working on a project with the Monetary Authority of Singapore to link the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) with the city-state’s fast payments system PayNow. The linkage is targeted to be operational by July 2022.

The linkage will enable users of each payment system to make instant, low-cost fund transfers on a reciprocal basis without getting on board the other system, the Indian central bank said.

“The UPI-PayNow linkage is a significant milestone in the development of infrastructure for cross-border payments between India and Singapore, and closely aligns with the G20’s financial inclusion priorities of driving faster, cheaper and more transparent cross-border payments,” the RBI said.

The linkage builds upon the earlier efforts of NPCI International (NIPL) and Network for Electronic Transfers (NETS) to foster cross-border interoperability of payments using cards and QR codes between India and Singapore. The linkage will further anchor trade, travel and remittance flows between the two countries, the RBI said.

The initiative is also in line with the RBI’s vision of reviewing corridors and charges for inbound cross-border remittances outlined in the Payment Systems Vision Document 2019-21. In that document, released in May 2019, the RBI had observed that the cost of remitting funds is increasingly becoming a key element influencing the size of remittances.

“High cost of remittance made through formal channels may drive customers to informal channels, which are less secure and prone to misuse,” it had said in the document, adding that it would examine the role that payment services providers can play to ensure friction-free remittances at lower cost.

UPI is India’s mobile-based payment system that facilitates customers to make round-the-clock payments instantly and directly from their bank accounts using a virtual payment address (VPA) created by the customer. In August, UPI clocked over 3.5 billion transactions worth Rs 6.39 lakh crore.

PayNow is the fast payment system of Singapore which enables peer-to-peer funds transfer service, available to retail customers through participating banks and non-bank financial institutions in Singapore. It enables users to send and receive instant funds from one bank or e-wallet account to another in Singapore by using just their mobile number, Singapore NRIC/FIN or VPA. The platform has seen over 4.9 million registrations, as on January 3, according to the Association of Banks in Singapore.

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Reserve Bank of India – Tenders

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Please refer to the tender notice published on the Bank’s website www.rbi.org.in on August 13, 2021 inviting quotations from eligible vendors for the Application for Empanelment of Contractors for Civil, Electrical, Other Works, Architects and Structural Consultants etc. wherein last date of submission of applications was specified as 4:00 PM on September 13, 2021.

Extension of Time:

It is advised that the time for submission of applications has been extended to 04:00 PM on September 21, 2021. All other terms and conditions mentioned in the above tender Document remains unchanged.

Regional Director
Nagpur

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Union Bank of India inks first $1.50b sustainability-linked overseas loan

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Union Bank of India (UBI) on Tuesday said it has syndicated a “sustainability-linked loan” facility aggregating $1.50 billion for a Singapore-based global trading corporate.

The syndicated loan is of three years tenor and the coupon rate is LIBOR (London Inter-Bank Offered Rate) plus 155 basis points.

The public sector bank, in a statement, said the facility includes three Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) relating to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, responsible sourcing of metals and growing renewable power portfolio.

Key performance indicators

Under this structure, the interest rate paid by the borrower on the credit facilities will decrease or increase based on the group’s progress on the KPIs, it added.

The sustainability-linked KPIs will have to be tested annually and verified by a third-party expert.

UBI said sustainability-linked financing demonstrates its commitment towards environmental and responsible lending, reducing its carbon footprint, and diversifying its asset base towards renewable energy.

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IDFC losing investor confidence over delay in value unlocking

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Investors’ patience with IDFC’s drawn out restructuring exercise seems to be wearing thin, going by their feedback to its Board and management at a pre-annual general meeting conference call.

While one investor wanted IDFC to immediately divest its stake in its asset management company (AMC), failing which he said he will reach out to other investors’ to seek a change in management, another investor, referring to the performance of the stock, alleged value destruction for shareholders.

Vinod Rai, Non-Executive Chairman, IDFC, explained that it has taken the company the last three-four years to try and simplify the entire corporate structure and it has managed to remove all the other entities, except the Bank, AMC and the Foundation. “Now, what we are grappling with today is the IDFC Foundation. It has two joint ventures under it — one is with the Government of Delhi and another is with the Government of Karnataka.”

Also read: To remain on IDFC board, Vinod Rai gives up independent director’s post

In his statement to the shareholders in the latest annual report, Rai observed that in pursuit of creating maximum value for shareholders, over the last few years the Board has been focused on cleaning up the corporate structure of the IDFC Group while awaiting the expiry of the 5-year lock in period for the Group as promoter of IDFC FIRST Bank.

The Reserve Bank of India vide their letter dated July 20, 2021, has clarified that after expiry of the ‘lock in’ period of 5 years, IDFC can exit as promoter of IDFC FIRST Bank.

Rai, who was the Comptroller and Auditor General of India between 2008 and 2013, emphasised that IDFC has engaged a security advisor in October 2020 for disinvestment of non-core activities and for drawing up a strategy, roadmap ahead, etc. The single term of reference for the advisor was maximisation of shareholder value, he added.

In the report, IDFC Chairman noted that alienation of the investments by IDFC Foundation and detachment of Foundation are a prerequisite for the optimum restructuring of IDFC for creating maximum value for shareholders.

IDFC management has been making full efforts in this direction but progress on this front has been slow in view of challenging nature of specific conditions that exist in the joint venture agreements, he added.

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