Union Budget : Is It A Leg Up To Our Economy?
By Saurabh Jain
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley proposed the annual budget for 2018-2019 in the parliament on Feb 1. Though the budget was foreseen to be presented on Feb 28 every year, from the past year it has been announced on the Feb 1 to trap the advantages of early sanctioning of loans and line the tax revenues pursuant to the new measures. This is the fourth last Union budget proposed by the current ruling government before the elections in 2019. Finally, the anticipation for the Annual financial statement has ended. Narendra Modi had given a few hints revealing that it was not going to be much of populist in nature. Meanwhile, the propounded budget upheld a holistic approach on the overall livelihood ignoring the twaddling groups. Highlights on the Union-Budget 2018 The focus has been laid on ‘ease of living’ for the lower-middle class people of the nation. The finance minister announced the largest healthcare scheme to cover 10 crore families with Rs 5 lakhs for each family. The e-NAM network has already been connected to 470 APMC’s out of 585 and the remaining will be connected by March this year. Assurance of lowering the corporate tax has been kept up by trimming it to 25% on companies with turnover of up to 250 cr. Without affecting the comfort of income of the middle class, travel allowance of Rs.40,000 as consolation is allowed as deduction. For the purpose of job creation in rural areas of India, a sum of Rs 14.5 lakh crore is allocated. Rs 1.48 lakh crore is generously set up for renewal and reconstruction of 3600 km rail tracks and 600 railway stations. For the suburban railways, 40,000 cr was announced in the annual statement. Realizing the target of attaining revenue generation through share stake in PSU, the long-term capital gains from equity has been hooked at tax of 10%. Building on 99 smart cities is emphasized along with initiating air connectivity to 56 unattended airports and 31 unattended helipads. Around 55000 cr has been allocated under the MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act). To benefit the small farmers and helping them meet their working capital needs through ‘Kisan Credit Cards, Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) and Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) for financing animal husbandry and fisheries sector. A sum of 10,000 cr is setup for these new bodies. To double the profit and the joy of our farmers Minimum Support Price (MSP) has been declared where the prices of their crops will be 50% more than the cost of their produce, Niti Aayog has been put in place for the same purpose. Amount of 200 cr is proposed for the encouragement of organic farming, organized cultivation, SMEs involved in manufacturing perfumes and essential oils and other related industries. 2600 cr for ground water irrigation under Prime Minister Krishi Sinchai Yojna is allocated for 96 deprived irrigation districts. The Modi’s government has initiated in promoting agro-processing financial institution and has doubled the sum allocated to 14000 cr in the Ministry of Food Processing sector. Krishi Sampada Yojana is used as a tool to draw investments in food processing. Enlarged scope is provided to cover irrigational development projects through the Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF) organised in NABARD. 11 lakh cr is structured as institutional credit for agriculture for this financial year. A special scheme and a few measures to address the air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region is proposed. Under the Saubhagya Yojana, an aim of providing free electricity connections to households a sum of 16000 cr has been put across under the scheme. Under Swachh Bharat Mission, initiative of construction of 2 crore toilets has been taken up. Under the Right to Education Act, around 13 lakh untrained government teachers will be provided trainings to increase the standards as well as the use of digital boards in the classrooms. Concern for the motherhood is displayed by increasing the maternity leaves from 12 weeks to 26 weeks. Free connection of LPG is offered with a target of increasing from 5 cr to 8 cr for poor women. An estimate of 51 lakh houses in rural areas and 37 lakhs in urban areas will be constructed. The ruling government has proposed to cover 5cr rural citizens with 5 lakh wifi hotspots to provide access to internet. 9975 cr has been allocated for National Social Assistance Programme benefiting the widows, orphaned children, and poor Socio-Economic Caste. Prime Minister’s Research Fellows (PMRF) scheme aims in facilitating 1000 B-tech students to do Ph.D in IIT’s and IISc expecting to take part in the teaching of higher educational institutions. Funds will be allocated upto 5750 cr for the National Rural Livelihood Mission in current financial year Special attention has been proffered to the senior citizens and pensioners permitting complete dispensation of tax deducted at source on interest collecting of up to Rs 50,000 on post office savings and bank fixed deposits, while expanding tax discount on annual medical insurance premium of up to Rs 50,000 and broadening the extent of tax exemption to Rs 100,000 on healthcare for senior residents. To promote and expand tourism in our nation and for medical emergencies the financial minister has proposed to construct a tunnel under Sela Pass. To magnify the tourists’ experience from the Archaeological Survey of India,100 Adarsh monuments will be upgraded. Initiating from the missions, 482 cities and 144 cities have got credit rating and investment grade rating respectively. To bridge the working capital gap of the enormous MSME’s, 3794 cr is allocated for the credit support of this sector. For the smooth cash flow of the MSME’s, online loan facilities will be revamped. Corporate and public banks on TReDS (Trade Electronic Receivable Discounting System) are to be linked to GSTN. Non-performing assets and stressed accounts will be addressed and measures will be taken to reduce the tax burden. Additional measures will be taken for the effective functioning of Venture Capital Funds and the Angel Investors. Further pushing to the Corporate access bond markets, RBI has circulated guidelines for SEBI to accommodate ¼ th funding needs from bond markets to the corporates. Every individual enterprise will be provided with Unique ID 5G Testbed at IIT, Chennai is going to be inaugurated by the Department of Telecom. Measures are taken to liberalise FDI (Foreign Direct Investments) To link all the stakeholders, National Logistics Portal will be developed as a single online market platform by the Department of Commerce. Including 2 insurance companies 14 CPSEs will be listed on stock exchanges Stirring the economy further, public sector insurance firms namely National Insurance Company Ltd., United India Assurance Company Limited and Oriental India Insurance Company Limited has been merged and listed . Raising disinvestments by 10% from the previous year it is kept moderate at 80,000 cr. Cryptocurrency is given some importance,despite not considering it as a legal tender the government has reacted proactively towards blockchain technology The holding period of LTCG is reduced from three to two years. Exchange fund trade on stock exchanges DIPAM devising offers including debt ETF The Bank recapitalization program has aimed at lending an addition credit of 5 lakh cr to the public sector banks. A policy will be formulated where gold is developed as an asset class, measures for consumer-friendly exchange of gold. Outward Direct Investment (ODI) policy will be revamped for integrated investments. In the presence of the concerned ministers, government will formulate policies, practices for the prices, proper usage of forwards and options market, magnification of warehouse and other strategies related to imports and exports. The much anticipated union budget of 2018-2019 clearly stated that money was doled out to streamline social security, rural areas, infrastructure to benefit the Indian economy. Predominantly focus is to address the rural agrarian crisis in a holistic way. The proposal was put across amidst the opposing groups as the estimated budget was beyond targets.Currently, India is a 2.5 trillion dollar economy ranking as the seventh largest economy in the world. At the moment, the pressing concern is whether the proposed Union Budget will successfully enable India to rank up as the fifth largest economy in the world. This still remains to be the unanswered question in the minds of the citizens.
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Union Budget : Is It A Leg Up To Our Economy?
News Article
Saurabh Jain
Feb 08, 2018
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley proposed the annual budget for 2018-2019 in the parliament on Feb 1. Though the budget was foreseen to be presented on Feb 28 every year, from the past year it has been announced on the Feb 1 to trap the advantages...
Continue reading Is “Gift Gujarat” Going To Be India’s New Best Friend?
By Kranthi Tilak Reddy
To grease the wheels in the global economic marathon, strategies such as GIFT Gujarat has been brought into existence. It is said to be developing into a platform to showcase India’s competitiveness at a global altitude transforming it into a financial zone. GIFT City is the first IFSC (International Financial Services Centre) of its kind in India. What is GIFT Gujarat? `GIFT (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City) is a government plan aiming to provide a high-quality infrastructure to attain a fin-tec developed region, for which it has acquired a land of 359 hectares. This particular land is situated between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar located in Gujarat. The government of Gujarat is working towards the hitch with an estimated cost of 1300 billion INR for the entire project. The area under construction includes plans of incorporating world-class infrastructure like telecoms, broadband, roads, buildings, district cooling etc. The Government of Gujarat has partnered with Infrastructure Leasing (IL) and Financial Services (FS) as a 50-50 joint venture with Ajay Pandey as the MD and CEO, to develop the central business district as a India’s first Global Financial Hub, giving effect to the financial and technological firms to relocate their operations in Gujarat. “GIFT GUJARAT” A MASTER PLAN: The plan was laid out by our Prime minister Narendra Modi, to build best infrastructures to attract FDI inflows and motivate people to set up offices. The proposed plan is said to boost the economy with employment opportunities on a large scale aiming to generate one million jobs by 2025 in the financial as well as technology sectors. An IFSC is favoured with certain tax benefits and an institution for rapid resolution of disputes. The City is in line and deals with the Reserve Bank of India, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), Securities Exchange Board Of India (SEBI) and a few other financial institutions. SEBI is envisaged to strengthen commodity derivatives tradings limited to non-agricultural commodities and predominantly entice additional foreign portfolio investments. SEBI has stated to settle cash in foreign currency only on determined price on the overseas exchanges.Currency, commodities and equity segments conforming with the SEBI rules are anticipated to get listed on the new exchanges paving way for the introduction of new products. Is It a Real Gift? Gift City Gujarat progress : An IFSC is favoured with certain tax benefits where infrastructure is said to be deficient or exorbitant. GIFT has been successful in creating more than 8,000 jobs and is anticipated to leap +50% yearly aiming at one million jobs including 500,000 direct employment. Bank of Baroda with more than 1500 employees is the largest employer in this business region. It is expected to make use of 62 million square feet of space for its operational purposes. The smart city is intended to be a centre for setting prices on trading instruments like currencies, commodities etc globally. There are about 11 important domestic banks like HDFC, SBI, KOTAK MAHINDRA etc that have already started operations in this region. Their financial transactions have estimated to crossed 8 billion dollars. The GFCI report lists top 15 centers which are predicted to be remarkable in the upcoming years. GIFT has positioned in the tenth place in the latest edition of Emerging Global Financial Centres (GFCI). The business area is planned to be composed of special economic zone (SEZ), grand hotels, integrated townships, sophisticated educational zone, technology parks, stock exchanges and other advanced institutions. Two 29-floor commercial towers are already constructed leading the way for further upgrowth. There are about 100 capital market players and eight insurance companies who have commenced their base in GIFT. On the grounds of reduced taxes for SEZ’s, overseas currency loans are easily accessible to the abroad Indian companies and other foreign entities. The IRDAI has issued regulations permitting to set up offices in IFSC GIFT for Indian as well as offshore insurers which were restricted earlier, with a bonus of exemption from GST for export of services. The trading will be done for 16 hours and is made adjustable depending on the market demand, covering Singapore market and closing with London. DRAWBACKS OF GIFT: After the implementations are being made, education has not been streamlined and is getting expensive especially for engineering and medical fields. The land is just 12 kms away from Ahmedabad airport, which imposes a few restrictions on the height of the buildings and structures around this area to keep the flight’s path clear. There has also been deliberation on structuring and renewing design of development to fill in the gap of new requirements and the plans. Short-term capital gains taxes on transactions are to be removed to compete with international exchanges operating in IFSCs like Singapore and Dubai. This is because firms without a physical setup in the city making investments in securities, have to pay capital gain taxes. Although there were several discussions on starting an IFSC in Mumbai, currently it is a formidable thought for India. China is the only nation with two international finance centres which were developed with a span of eight years. In a short duration of two years, it has caught the eye of the investors and set to unwind the potential of the country. If the plan is executed in an effective manner and is uninterrupted, it could be cast as a base for syndication of loans for foreign currency and other global activities.
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Is “Gift Gujarat” Going To Be India’s New Best Friend?
To grease the wheels in the global economic marathon, strategies such as GIFT Gujarat has been brought into existence. It is said to be developing into a platform to showcase India’s competitive...
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An Overview of Foreign Direct Investments
By Kranthi Tilak Reddy
We all are aware how indispensable Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) are to boost economic growth on a large scale. Moreover, the foreign capital flowing into any country is also one of the powerful sources for economic development of India as this money is used to establish tangible assets in company. Meaning of FDI: Foreign direct investment is a broad term where an investor from a different country invests money in a business of another country to take economic advantage of expansion, wages, cheap skill set etc. This can be done either by setting up a business with an infrastructure for operations or by the way of purchasing business assets in other countries by the Multinational Corporations (MNCs). FDI example: SAIC Motor Corporation is planning to enter India’s automobile market and begin operations in 2019 by setting up a fully-owned car manufacturing facility in India. Types of Foreign Direct investments: Horizontal FDI is where entities carrying on similar activities combine. Vertical FDI is where companies performing different types and stages of manufacturing combine to produce the final product. Conglomerate FDI is the most different one where investments are made in unrelated business, it is challenging as it involves working in a new industry and fresh markets. What are the advantages of FDI? There are a plethora of advantages that a growing economy like India can derive from FDIs. Few of the predominant benefits of FDI are listed here. Source of capital: They act as a source of external capital to the Indian companies, especially growing startups which in turn is beneficial in deriving more revenue. Employment opportunities: Once the infrastructure is set up, the business requires local labour, equipment etc leading to the creation of new jobs. Tax generation: Activities in the factory are exposed to taxes which generate income to the government. The return can be used to build roads, educational institutions and for other domestic economic activities. Globally exposed: Indian domestic companies are accessed to foreign markets and are globally recognised. Technology transfer: Best in practices with economic concepts and technological know-how of the host country as it involves establishing and functioning of a firm. What are the disadvantages of FDI? Like any other investment, FDI also has its own disadvantages. Some of them are discussed below: Profits of small domestic business and supply chains might get affected adversely. Huge MNCs try to monopolise and take over highly profitable companies. Might slightly affect the exchange rates of the currency. Extensive use of precious resources leading to decreased use for domestic purposes. What are Greenfield and Brownfield Investments in FDI? MNCs investing in abroad companies are often referred to as Greenfield investments and when these entities are involved in other acquisitions and merge with foreign firms, they are also known as Brownfield investments. Both of these investments are helpful in driving financial and economic development indirectly. Greenfield investments are said to have a relatively higher impact on a country’s economy as it aids in capital accumulation. Whereas, Brownfield investments positively contribute to the transfer of knowledge and influence technology. 
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An Overview of Foreign Direct Investments
We all are aware how indispensable Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) are to boost economic growth on a large scale. Moreover, the foreign capital flowing into any country is also one of the powerful so...
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Overseas Direct Investments
By Kranthi Tilak Reddy
Introduction: Overseas market gives opportunities to Indian entities to expand and diversify their business abroad by making full utilization of the capacity through an “overseas direct investment” . To put it in simple words, it is an investment done outside India. In recent times, India is making a positive approach towards this pre-eminent step that has seized the global marketplace. Meaning of Overseas Direct Investment: When an organisation invests money abroad by starting a business or either capitalising them, it is known as “Overseas Direct Investments”. This business strategy creates branding for an entity as well as helps the Indian entrepreneurs to get global exposure. Overseas Direct Investments can include making investments in Joint Ventures or a Wholly Owned Subsidiary abroad, purchase of shares or private placement in foreign entities etc, but portfolio investments are not included here. Eg: The third largest software service company in India, Wipro will be acquiring US-based cloud services firm Appirio by spending US$ 500 million. Governing body: The Reserve Bank of India is the governing body of the Overseas Direct Investment activities. They draw up the guidelines and look if such investments are in compliance with them. Through the Master Circulars from RBI along with FEMA Act.co the cross-border transactions are regulated and are amended from time to time. http://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/Fema.aspx. The two different ways an Indian party can involve in ODI are Automatic route and Approval route: Automatic route: If the Indian parties are exposed to Automatic route while involving in overseas direct investments, they do not necessarily require any prior approval from the Reserve Bank of India. An Indian party making overseas direct investments whether in a joint venture (JV) or a wholly owned subsidiary (WOS) needs to approach an Authorised Dealer Category-1 bank with application Form ODI and with other documents for remittances in terms of A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No.62 dated April 13, 2016. After a particular Unique Identification Number is provided instantaneously, subsequent investments can be made in the same JV and WOS. Approval route: Under the Approval route, if the Indian party proposal does not cover the conditions under the “automatic route”, then it requires a prior approval from the Reserve Bank of India. This requires an Authorized Dealer Category-1 bank to submit a specific application in Form ODI along with other prescribed documents. Currency restrictions: To make investments in Pakistan, it is permissible only under the approval route. Any investments in Bhutan are permitted to be made in Indian rupees and in convertible currencies, but in Nepal, it can be done only in Indian Rupees. Advantages of ODI: This development has inclined benefits towards drawing better technological know-how to Indian companies. It provides a platform to expand business opportunities across the globe. This facility allows the Indian companies to get direct access to more demanding and extensive markets. Domestic companies can achieve a widespread customer base in the global arena. Recent developments in ODI: Considering the above advantages, the Indian government is rigorously making efforts to combine the domestic economy with the global economy. In accordance with the RBI reports, Indian overseas direct investments in equity, loan and guaranteed issue in the month of Aug 2017 rose up to US$ 1.33 billion as against US$ 1.76 billion in July 2017. Lately, the UK reported that India stood at the third place as a source of foreign investments for them. From April 1, 2017, to June 30, 2017, the highest Overseas Direct Investments by India was made in the United States of America, Singapore and Mauritius with 1,341 USD millions (34%), 657 USD millions (17%) and 554 USD millions (14%) respectively. Also, refer RBI master circulars for more information: https://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/BS_ViewMasCirculardetails.aspx?id=8100 For other information get in touch with www.savedesk.co
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Overseas Direct Investments
Introduction:
Overseas market gives opportunities to Indian entities to expand and diversify their business abroad by making full utilization of the capacity through an “overseas direct inves...
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Significance Of Libor (London Interbank Offered Rate)
By Kranthi Tilak Reddy
History of Libor: Rooted from the early 1980s, LIBOR has an active part in the modern financial markets. In 1986, Libor was officially launched by the “British Bankers”, with top three currencies - dollar, yen and the pound sterling. Before the takeover by IBA (ICE Benchmark Administration) it was known as BBA libor until Feb 1, 2014. SIGNIFICANCE OF LIBOR: The libor rates have a vast spread significance and as it is not just limited to London or Europe. They have more than sixty nations as volunteered members possessing an international scope. This is primarily due to the lowest borrowing rates presented among all the other financial institutions. The FOREX market is probably unthinkable without libor and its implications in global currency trade. Also familiar as ICE libor or benchmark rate offered by the London interbank, it is predominantly used in Forex markets to serve the purpose of calculating interest rates on various loans across the world. WHAT IS LIBOR? “LIBOR” or Intercontinental Exchange London Inter bank Offered Rate is a reference benchmark rate charged by the banks for short-term debt instruments which includes government and corporate bonds, derivatives such as currency and interest swaps etc.The rates offered are considered as the base price by banks to calculate interest rates. Libor is used as base price+marginal interest cost that help companies to hedge interest rates exposures. HOW DOES LIBOR FUNCTION? It is structured to work in a way where a group of major banks is asked to quote the rate at which they could borrow funds from other banks before 11:00 AM each morning (Greenwich Mean Time). About 35 libor rates are posted each business day and the lowest interest rates are compiled for loans with 7 different maturities for 5 major currencies. Libor can range from overnight to twelve months, but the most quoted is the 3 month USD rate. Basically, libor is calculated on a method called “trimmed arithmetic mean” wherein the extreme values are included.This can be expressed as “LIBOR+X bps”, wherein bps stands for ‘basis point’ and ‘X’ is the premium charged over and above the libor rate by the lender to the borrower. The publication of benchmark such as libor is beneficial for the bank customers to judge whether a loan rate is competitive in the market. Libor is not prefixed but is based on a questionnaire where selective banks estimate the borrowing rates. LIBOR decides rates on five major currencies 1)CHF(Swiss Franc) 2)EUR(Euro) 3)GBP(Pound Sterling) 4)JPY (Japanese Yen) 5)USD(US Dollar). Most of the credit agencies, banks and other financial institutions all over the world look up to libor rates to set up their own interest rates. Presently, there are contracts worth more than trillions of dollars which are spread across different maturities to benchmark libor. Other rates are fixed on top of libor. Though it has encountered a number of controversies, its daily borrowing rates continue to be at the top to calculate base for interest rates.
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Significance Of Libor (London Interbank Offered Rate)
History of Libor:
Rooted from the early 1980s, LIBOR has an active part in the modern financial markets. In 1986, Libor was officially launched by the “British Bankers”, with top three ...
Continue reading
Export Credit : Fundamentals, Risks Involved And Ways To Mitigate Them
By Kranthi Tilak Reddy
Companies that uphold exporting have to be skillful with their approach as they embrace huge risks. These companies have to follow the requirements and have to be committed to their export operations. If you are intending to extend your export credit, here is a watch over on how export credit agencies work, risks covered by exporters and ways to mitigate them. EXPORT CREDIT AGENCIES: Export credit agencies (ECA) can be referred as intermediaries mediating between a nation’s government and the exporters. There are about 85 export credit agencies approximately around the world. ECAs comprise of financial institutions supporting international export activities by funding domiciliary companies. These agencies are also known as investment insurance agencies, could be private or quasi-governmental institutions. ECAs promote international trade in the form of crediting insurance and guarantee arrangements or both, often referred as “pure cover” which depends on the directions provided to ECA. Shifting risks by the virtue of premiums from the corporations, they tend to encourage foreign trade by promoting investments in areas where corporations fail. These agencies often involve in a few risks that are sustained by the supporting country’s government. Large risks, other than any normal transactions, will be inspected by a committee of government or authorised officials. ECA adopts three methods to funds- Direct funding- This is the basic structure where the loan is customized for the purchase of goods and services in the arranging country. Financial intermediary- This involves a financial intermediary that lends to the importing entity. Interest rate Equalization- A commercial money monger grants loans less than the market rates. Later, he is secured with the difference amount between the market rate and the commercial rate. Export credit agencies limit their risks by not funding to risky countries. In case of non-compliance with the provisions described in the policy, claims on the losses of uncovered portions may be refused. “By using ECAs, exporters can sell on more liberal terms than cash in advance policies, and still have a high degree of certainty that they will get paid.” -World’s Export Credit Agencies”,written by- William A. Delphos provides this insight, RISKS INVOLVED IN EXPORT BUSINESS AND WAYS TO MITIGATE THEM: The most common risk of all is the payment risk. This can occur when the customer dodges payments for operational reasons. The best way to secure this risk is by a well-written contract. It cannot be recovered with credit insurance. Even after the beneficiary satisfying the terms and conditions, there can be risks of defaults on payments by the issuing bank. Hence, the exporter is issued with confirmation of Letter of Credit that assures his payments. Bad debts disturb profitability and can adversely affect the payments in international trade. Therefore, to mitigate this, it is always expected to keep alternatives like confirmation of LC, credit insurance or debt purchase (factoring without recourse of forfeiting). The banks would have formerly advanced the funds in the debt purchase transaction, where it is without recourse. Here, the banks or the financial institutions take the risk of nonpayment. The exporter has to be very sure dealing with creditworthiness of the foreign buyer, predominantly because international business covers large distances and unusual environments. If the creditworthiness is unknown, there are high risks of non-payments or fraud involved. To soften the process, you can aid from a few commercial firms in assisting on credit-checking and secure payment methods such as an irrevocable documentary credit. In the course of shipment, there can be theft, damage or non-arrival of goods. It is very important for the exporter to understand the transportation and logistic risks in particular the “contract of carriage”. It is always better to request pre-shipment inspection to secure both importers and exporters interest. There can be chances of rejecting the arrived shipment and non-payment due to poor quality. The exporter should be aware of the legal formalities of the contract as international laws and regulation change frequently and are enforced differently from the exporter’s country. The exporter’s interest can be secured by covering all legal and political risks. International business embraces two different currencies, changes in exchange rates has negative impacts on both the factors and one of the factors will derive benefit ultimately. To overcome this, it is optimum to quote in one’s very own currency and hedge through the purchase of “forward exchange rate” contracts. There can be a few countries with constraints upon their foreign currency reserves while they are advanced towards more open markets. In such cases, there can be non-payment to the exporter due to non-sufficient foreign exchange for payments by the Reserve or Central bank of the importing country. If the banks are not solvent, then they can not meet their financial commitments. In such cases, transactions pertaining to cash against LC and guarantees may not be honored, which can contribute to outstandings. Loss might be faced by the exporter if there are any occurrences of natural disaster or unexpected terrorist actions destroying export market for a company. These are some of the unforeseen risks that exporters should be aware of. In any international contract, it is necessary to ensure that the force majeure clause is included
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Export Credit : Fundamentals, Risks Involved And Ways To Mitigate Them
Companies that uphold exporting have to be skillful with their approach as they embrace huge risks. These companies have to follow the requirements and have to be committed to their export operations....
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Bitcoins To Face Regulatory Axe: SEBI
By Piuesh Daga
SEBI, known as the market watchdog is preparing to take actions on illegal 'initial coin offers' where there are promises made to get high returns through their public investments on Bitcoins and other virtual currencies without the presence of any regulatory regime.The top officials say that Bitcoins or any such crypto currencies are not approved by the RBI or any other such agencies, though they are offered on few exchanges with no rules in this regard. Moreover, SEBI is not really keen to take action as a regulator for such 'trading'.SEBI, is not allowed to make unlawful promises to the gullible investors as there are fraudulent instances where they are not actually minting any such virtual currencies. The top officials say that they require very complex algorithms, to mint these cryptocurrencies. “The 'coin offerings' made in India are nothing but fraudulent Ponzi or pyramid schemes, including some offering secondary trading in Bitcoins or other established virtual currencies, while many others are plain frauds without any such currency actually being in play” they added.RBI has clearly made disapproval, while the tax authorities gave out collected information on lakhs of companies including HNIs that have traded here from the recently conducted searches at different exchanges. This has put the government bodies and the regulators in a state of dilemma, as to whether to impose tax or not. Here, imposing taxes would drive to giving legal status to such currencies resulting in huge risks like terrorist financing, money laundering and other similar activities. The RBI has warned Indians since 2013 when the first surge of Bitcoins in India. Now, significantly the risks have multiplied along with the growth of such virtual currencies and a rapid growth in Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs).
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Bitcoins To Face Regulatory Axe: SEBI
SEBI, known as the market watchdog is preparing to take actions on illegal 'initial coin offers' where there are promises made to get high returns through their public investments on Bitcoin...
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Mechanism of Buyer’s Credit Rollover
By Saravana Bhaskar
Rollover Buyer’s credit is an extension of the tenure on Buyer’s credit availed by importers in India.This enables importers to extend the credit to 1 year for Non-capital goods and up to 5 years on capital goods.However, most of the banks in India restrict the total tenure to 3 years from the date of shipment.The funding for rollover Buyer’s credit is arranged on the basis of the payment guarantee (LoU) issued by importers banks to overseas financial institutions. While availing fresh buyer’s credit, the client has the option of choosing the tenure. It is, however, restrictedto the maximum of working capital gap identified.The client can choose to go for fresh Buyer's credit for the maximum tenure allowed, wherein the importers get an option to choose on LIBOR reset at 3M/6M or 12 M. Likewise, interest settlement will be made depending on the reset chosen by the importer. In this case, the margins are fixed for the tenure of Buyer's credit availed. When can Buyer’s Credit Rollovers happen? ● To leverage on lowest interest rate and extend the credit to maximum tenure i.e., Operating cycle or 1 year in case of raw material import and 3 years in case of Capital goods imports. ● Unfavourable Foreign exchange to settle Buyer’s credit on the due date which may influence for rollover ● Insufficient working capital on the due date. Refer RBI Circular as appended: https://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=10023&Mode=0 What is the Process to followed to avail Buyer’s Credit Rollover from the Existing Bank? ● Importer will approach SaveDesk for availing Rollover quotes at least 2 days in advance from Due date which ensures timely settlement ● Either before or on the due date, the local bank will issue a ‘Letter of Undertaking’ and make an interest payment of the already existing buyer’s credit. ● On the required date, the overseas buyer’s credit will approve the rollover of existing buyer’s credit and confirm the local importer’s bank with MT799, which includes the new due date with interest along with the fresh maturity. If you have to opt for a rollover from other banks, one of the predominant reasons could be better pricing. Though it has better pricing, one should also consider other charges like swift charges, intermediary bank charges etc before opting for rollover from another financial institution. What is the Process to be followed to avail Buyer’s Credit Rollover from other financial institutions? ● Firstly, the importers should get a fresh quote issued by the new buyer’s credit arranging bank. ● To avoid any delay charges, it is always better to send the ‘Letter of Undertaking’ with a value date at least 1 day prior to the due date of the already existing buyer’s credit. ● The local banks make the payment along with interest using A2 Form, once the funds are received at the existing buyer’s credit bank. What are the other key factors to consider? 1. As per the RBI guidelines and norms, buyer’s credit for non-capital goods is not allowed beyond their operating cycle. 2. The prime factor to consider is the cost factor. Every time you opt for buyer’s credit rollover, LIBOR will keep changing and even the Margin might change. Moreover charges like LOU charges (the nationalised banks can charge a fixed amount as commitment charge and other usance charges, due to which there are chances of increased overall cost) 3. The bank arranging Buyer’s credit can charge for delayed payment if any, this can be factored at the time of determining the value date for rollover transaction. There are banks that also charge an additional $50 to $100 other than interest cost for the rollover of the existing buyer’s credit. Important Documents required: 1. LOU format and Swift address. 2. Fresh offer letter 3. Form A2 4. Form 15CA and Form 15CB (when interest payments are being made to the overseas financial institution) There is nothing as such prescribed by RBI on interest payment in the rollover buyer’s credit amount. Therefore, most of the importers banks that issue LOU do not allow interest payment, but sometimes it can depend on the bank’s internal policies.Keynote: Just remember that, if the buyer’s credit does not get rolled over, it would get converted into term loan resulting in payment of a higher rate of interest to the importer.jpg)
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Mechanism of Buyer’s Credit Rollover
Rollover Buyer’s credit is an extension of the tenure on Buyer’s credit availed by importers in India.This enables importers to extend the credit to 1 year for Non-capital goods and up to 5 year...
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Cross Border Digital Trade: Pressure On India
By Piuesh Daga
After days of submitting documents by India, opposing discussions on cross-border digital trade, Europe, Australia, Canada among others have put up the ante and have suggested negotiations on the aspects of trade e-commerce at World Trade Organisations (WTO). About 15 countries have explicitly requested for a mandate to make negotiations on the terms and to work on rules for disciplines in trade e-commerce in a meeting held on Tuesday.“More pressure is being built as these countries have talked about a mandate to negotiate and not merely discuss disciplines in e-commerce,” mentioned a person who was aware of the developments.Even though India has its e-commerce developing, it might not sound prudent to start the talks, as many countries cannot understand the implications of negotiating binding rules and hence there was opposition on any discussions on the matter. However, this development will require a “valiant effort by India” to withstand pressure to make negotiations at the ministerial level from December 10 to 13 in Buenos Aires.There has been a proposal by the advocates of the paper to establish a working party to manage and conduct preparations to carry out the negotiations on trade-related aspects of electronic commerce. According to the experts, this can be done only when the WTO is ready to adopt a new discipline."These countries are short-circuiting the norms to make a working party first," said Biswajit Dhar, professor-Centre for Economic Studies and Planning at Jawaharlal Nehru University.There are four WTO bodies held responsible to carry out the programme that has been adopted in 1998 that talks about privacy protection, customs duties, transparency, competition and rules of origin, among other issues.SaveDesk View: There is a need for the government to pay attention to the potential of cross-border e-commerce trade, as the international trade involves digital documentations made available online. It is a better choice to stay involved in the trade negotiations as they aid in improving the competitive advantage in trade in goods and services.
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Cross Border Digital Trade: Pressure On India
After days of submitting documents by India, opposing discussions on cross-border digital trade, Europe, Australia, Canada among others have put up the ante and have suggested negotiations on the aspe...
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India’s Transition Into Digital Trade
By Kranthi Tilak Reddy
In a world of rapid technology adoption, a whole lot has been digitised. Meanwhile, it is also essential to shape the future of digital economy. Being empowered by the new forms of digital commerce is the latest economic imperative. It diminishes barriers and creates growth opportunities. The Fourth Industrial Revolution project deploys public-private alliance to implement digital trade, as the international trade has always relied on paperwork. Even for most of the regulatory activities associated with trade apart from the financial and commercial documents, there has been put significant emphasis on paper-based reporting. The initiative of Digital India has been taken primarily to reduce the dependence on paper for international trade, and to streamline both governance and monitoring of trade transactions. This e-trade initiative covers these key objectives: Electronic filing to customs authorities and airports/seaports, etc of import and export documents by the imports and exporters. Electronic delivery of services provided to exporters, importers and customs agents by the airports, seaports and customs. Electronic payment of charges like custom duties, licence fees etc. The Digital trade policy framework by the Fourth Industrial Revolution project includes: Direct and shape the policies related to digitization of trade and cross-border data that flows nationally, regionally and globally and other e-commerce trade activities. Offering insights, supporting and building capacity for policy-makers to comprehend cross-border data flows and to deal with the swift technological changes in digital trade. Promoting practical solutions and generating global thought leadership to advance inclusive growth and to sustain improvement in digital trade. To model the trajectory of the advanced technologies and discover tangible economic and social impacts by designing and implementing Fourth Industrial Revolution pilot projects. A kickstart was made towards this with e-BRC and ICEGATE, which was expanded to include more trade activities in the EXIM process. For the fact that the export data was made available in the electronic form in DGFT’s, EDI system, but the realisation data was available only in the physical form, the initiative of the primary driver e-BRC was taken. Moreover, the exporters, in order to claim benefits used to submit this physical ‘realisation data’, which was difficult to be integrated into the EDI system as it was prone to errors or causing delays. For any exporter, managing and retaining the BRC documents was definitely a big task because the documents were of great importance and any loss or damage had its own consequences. For the task to be much simpler, the e-BRC launched all the data in electronic form, making it available in the system. Now it has access to be downloaded, printed or even stored in the electronic media, providing coherent integration of realisation data with shipment data, thereby streamlining settlement process and the export benefit reconciliation. ADDITIONAL STEPS: EDPMS- In April 2014, RBI implemented Export Data Processing & Monitoring System (EDPMS) to integrate the data flow between stakeholders in the export process which plugged a major gap in reporting and reduced paperwork. IDPMS- Later on, in Oct 2016, there was a similar system implemented for import transactions named IDPMS Import Data Processing & Monitoring System. It worked similar to EDPMS but for imports, there were other implementations and changes made in accordance with FEMA and provided stringent monitoring of import settlements. Imports proofs are available electronically: With all the required shipment data and the exports and imports settlement data made available in the electronic form, it is also essential to make other regulatory documents like Shipping bill make Bill of Entry available online. Subsequently, the Reserve Bank of India has directed the banks not to insist on a hard copy evidence of import documents from Dec 01, 2016 and make settlements of transactions by using the data available in IDPMS to match off remittances with imports, as it has issued directions vide A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 27 dated Jan 12, 2017). Therefore, the importers will now have details such as the port code and BoE date to his AD in order along with BoE number (issued by customs at the time of clearance of goods) to make settlements of an advanced payments or to settle the import with outward remittances. The AD will do the necessary processing by extracting the details of the Bill of Entry from the system. The bank is also burdened with issuing a printed acknowledgement to the importer to keep in conformity with the Circular and provide it as an evidence or to list any unsettled portion of remittance/import. With all this processing, Bill of Entry, the crucial regulatory document gets digitized to simplify and ease the trouble caused for a lot of importers. Get your Shipping Bills Digitally: It is made clear that the physical Shipping Bill is of no major use now, stated by: Customs Circular of Nov 23, 2016. Now, going fully digital for Shipping Bills and Bill of Entry will systemize document handling and reporting activities to a very large extent. The only exception is provided to the non-EDI ports, this area is left out and focus is required to ensure there are no gaps. Minor issues to be resolved: Presently, there is access to EDPMS and IDPMS platforms provided to multiple stakeholders in the international trade ecosystem, viz., RBI, DGFT, Customs authorities, and Authorised Dealers. But on the other hand, for the exporters & the importers dealing in very large quantities, the biggest stakeholders are not accessible to these systems. It would be helpful to the exporters and importers if access is provided to view the data pertaining to them in these systems. Few cases are found where there is no update available on EDPMS even after the submission of realisation details for export bills to banks by the exporters. Meanwhile, there are no facilities for the exporters to verify independently if all the details are captured correctly by the bankers. This assumes more prominence now, considering that a Shipping Bill that remains unsettled for about two years could be automatically caution-listed. This would definitely end up with the exporters paying the prices for bottlenecks at the AD banks There can be similar situations found for imports as well. An access where the importers and exporters are allowed to download and view data relating to his/her IE code would aid in sorting such issues. This would also pave the way to leverage the benefits of these systems to the possible extent. For exporters especially, this should help them have a consolidated view of all Shipping Bills in their names which provide information with reference to the status (settled/unsettled/partially settled). Importers should also be able to view the BoEs raised by them, other outstanding bills if any, and the advance payments done on bills. If these issues are addressed, there will be significant contributors. Future of digital trade: Laying the foundation of digitally enabled trade is what India is looking forward to. Since the process is much more simplified, there is no need for the importers to undergo the trauma of the physical processes. All the activities can digitally aid to improve the productivity of businesses, and raise levels of innovation and competitiveness which leads to increased opportunities for international trade.
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India’s Transition Into Digital Trade
In a world of rapid technology adoption, a whole lot has been digitised. Meanwhile, it is also essential to shape the future of digital economy. Being empowered by the new forms of digital commerce is...
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Loans Against Mutual Funds In A Nutshell
By Piuesh Daga
What are mutual funds precisely?A mutual fund is an ideal investment channel where the money is pooled in by the investors to serve the purpose of investing in shares and securities of different companies. A small amount in the form of fee is charged by the professional money managers who manage money on their behalf and invest them in order to reproduce capital gains or incomes. Investors are allowed choose a mutual fund scheme depending on their financial goal.Were you aware that investments that were made on mutual funds either through lump sum investments or a systematic investment plan (SIP) can help you with contingency funds? Anyhow liquidating the mutual funds is not the only available option, but is a better option to opt as banks lend up to 50% of the NAV and comparatively the lending interest rates are lower than for personal loans.1)How about borrowing loans against mutual funds?Yes, when there is a requirement of money on an immediate basis for short tenures like three months to a year. A number of investors opt for borrowings against their mutual funds. This can be done like any other loan by pledging mutual funds to banks or financial institutions as a security and borrowing against them. This would work to be a better option in the close future rather than terminating SIPs (Systematic Investment Plan) or redeeming your units. Depending on the type of mutual fund you own, the required money will be lent by the financial institutions.Here are a few questions on all you need to know about loans against mutual Funds:2)How does loan against mutual fund units actually work?The first step is, you can approach a financial institution or a non-banking financial company (NBFC) and make a request for a loan or an overdraft by pledging your mutual fund units. Later, you can obtain a lien on the units in the name of the bank as it would offer the loan based on the value of units held in your mutual fund account.3)How much would it cost?The loan can be paid back to the financier at the agreed interest rate.Depending on the tenure and the quantum of loan lying somewhere around 10-11% of these mutual funds. You are not permitted to switch the units or sell them when they are under lien. Most of the financial planners recommend on not opting loans against liquid or debt-oriented funds but rather to opt for equity oriented mutual funds as you can get as much as 50% on the Net Asset Value of your mutual funds. The banks also have pre-fixed limits on the maximum and minimum loan you can avail against mutual funds.4)How do we apply for loans?If you hold demat units and get a prior approval, it is much easier as the online portals offer loans swiftly. If the same units are held in physical form, there is a need for an execution of loan agreement with the concerned financier. Further, the financier will put in writing to the mutual fund registrar and request them to mark a lien on the number of pledged units. Typically, the financiers extend loans only about 60-70% of the value of pledged units. In turn, the Registrar will mark lien and draft a letter to Financier with a duplicate copy to the investor accepting the marking of a lien on the Units.5)What is lien for mutual funds?Lien is a typical document that allows the bank by giving the right of ownership, to hold or sell the pledged funds. When a mark of lien is done in the favour of the bank, you are shifting the ownership and giving the right of the fund units you own. 6)Can the lien on the mutual fund units be removed? This can be done if the amount is repaid to the borrower, a request letter can be sent to the fund house for the removal of the lien. Or the financier can make request for partial removal of lien which can happen if the Financiers receive part payments and the removed units are referred as ‘Free’ units.In case there are any defaults by the borrower in making payments, the financier can use the right and enforce the lien.7)What are the basic advantages of loans against mutual funds?The primary benefit is, it provides immediate liquidity against your mutual funds. It is more like an overdraft facility which has a relatively shorter tenure than others and feasible for short-term funds requirements. It facilitates in raising capital swiftly for short-term needs and acts as a monetary tool for those who are finding ways to leverage their otherwise idle mutual fund investment. Most importantly, your financial plan remains intact as you are not selling your mutual funds and even after you pledge them for a loan, your ownership of fund units is not divested.
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Loans Against Mutual Funds In A Nutshell
What are mutual funds precisely?A mutual fund is an ideal investment channel where the money is pooled in by the investors to serve the purpose of investing in shares and securities of different compa...
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Everything You Need to Know about Equipment Loan/Machinery Loan
By Saurabh Jain
Today in the world of fierce competition and ever-changing client’s product requirement, it is necessary to automate, upgrade & improve the efficiency of shop floor with various new types of machinery and equipments. But what’s more imperative is to look into financial viability and various equipment financing options available for equipment loan to upgrade your machines. Obviously, there are various questions which trigger your mind: Are there any Leasing options available? What are the criteria for Banks/NBFC’s to fund equipment loan? How many days would it take to avail machinery loan? What are the benefits of taking loan from Banks v/s NBFC? What are the cheaper financing options available under Suppliers credit? Are there any financing options for Startups? Why Equipment Loan: - Equipment Loan/Machine loans are availed by any business to improve the productivity & the efficiency of your business. Most common types of equipment loans are availed to by Earth Moving equipments, CNC machines, Industrial equipments, Medical Machines, Dental equipments, Cranes, Precision tool cutting equipments etc. These machines can either be purchased or can be leased. Which again paves the way to a question Loans v/s Leases, which one is better. Terms and Conditions for Equipment Loan: At least 20% of the money to be infused by the company to buy the equipment. Minimum 2 years of ITR filed and profitability to be shown in the Balance Sheet. No bad remarks on company or promoter, Court cases, Legal hearing etc. Basic CIBIL criteria to be met Machine purchased to be hypothecated to lender till the repayment of the loan is done. Standard M/c’s are funded by any lender since customized machines won't fetch any buyers in secondary markets in event of default. Usually, amount lent is inclusive of 80% of the total Invoice value which is inclusive of GST. Flexible payment options are available with lenders, with moratorium, without the moratorium etc. Benefits of Equipment Loans: Quickest Loan Sanction: - TAT for all equipment loans is shortest. Usually, if all the desired documents are submitted by client, it doesn’t take more than a week’s time to receive the sanction letter. Depreciation/Tax Benefits: - Biggest advantage of Equipment Loan is calming the depreciation in Balance Sheet. Funding up to 80% of Invoice Value: - Another advantage is you can procure up-to 80% of invoice value (Inclusive of GST) which gives you the flexibility to use more money for the business. Flexible Re-Payment Option: - Many flexible repayment options are available today with the various lenders which gives you the flexibility to choose from deferred payment options, various structured solution to bring down the cost of the project etc. Pre-Requisite for Equipment Loan: Three Years of Business Existence: - To ascertain the business continuity and the performance of the business, Banks/NBFCs usually don’t fund greenfield project unless backed by renowned investors. Good CIBIL Rating: - Credit Information Bureau India Limited in a rating agency which, maintains and rate your credit risk, which lenders use to assess your credit history and determine your eligibility basis your current exposure and track record of the past repayments on loan. Excellent credit history is the prerequisite to determine your loan eligibility. Excellent Business Plan: - End use of funds will be sought for and so will be the projected business from the funded amount, most of the times the money is funded directly to the seller than into company account, unless it’s a reimbursement of equipment already purchased. For all the above terms to be met, we need to have an excellent business plan. Your entire business plan should be finalized in a few paragraphs, giving the crux of the business. Directors Profile/ Company Profile: - All lenders seek company’s profile to have insight about the company’s vision, products line and major clientele’s. Educational background and experience of promoters are sought to make sure about the person behind the business. Cash Flows: - Financial records confirming the money coming in and money spent is asked, before equipment loan is sanctioned. This is predominantly done to check if the money is invested in business and there is no diversion of funds. Ethical financial reporting is what lenders consider while funding small business loan requirement. Equipment Loan Interest rates:- Loans offered by various lending institution depends on their cost of funds , hence loans offered by Pvt Banks, Psu Banks would be cheaper than loans offered by NBFCs. Typical lending cost/ROI offered by Banks would vary between 9.5%-12.5% , which is usually backed by additional security as collateral along with hypothecation of your machinery. ROI offered by NBFCs depends on CIBIL, Credit Rating, Equipment Type. Usual ROI for NBFC starts from 12.75% -15% & is offered without security or collateral free . Machine imported/bought is used as collateral & is hypothecated to lending institution till the time of complete repayment. What is Equipment Leasing: - Finance Lease options allow you to lease (rent) the equipment you wish. Technically, in such arrangement, Lessee pays to the lessor for use of an asset which is owned by the lessor. Basically, borrower or lessee pay the cost of the equipment, interest and charges during the term of the agreement, via regular payments scheduled/EMI’s. Upon the end of EMI’s or Loan tenure, equipment can be either purchased at minimal pricing or returned back to the lessor. Leasing is the best option available as this gives you the flexibility to return the equipment post end of the term also, comes at reduced ROI than Machinery Loan. Other Credit underwriting terms & conditions would remain the same as per equipment loan. Processing Fees for Machinery Loan/Leasing :- Processing Fees for all equipment loans /Leasing typically ranges between 0.5% -1.5% . This is taken post acceptance of sanction letter by borrower. SaveDesk provides access to multiple lenders and bring insight to best interest rates, products offered and structures best suited for your business requirement. Want to know more about Equipment loans Call us on +91-9986641076, or write on advisor@ savedesk.co
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BlogHow Suppliers Credit can put Importers business back to Track?
By Saurabh Jain
Suppliers Credit: An importer initiates his business with the intention of accomplishing huge returns for the investments made. To fulfill the demand and needs of a country, the resources within a geographical border might not be sufficient, this space between the demand and supply is viewed as a profitable market in a business perspective by the traders. In the aftermath of the Central bank (RBI) forbidding the issuance of LOU’s for trade transactions, the Importers business was disrupted with the non-availability of immediate fund requirements for their working capital needs. Though a little time-consuming process, Suppliers credit backed by LC which is a similar option to Buyers credit has come to the rescue of small Importers. What is Suppliers Credit? The trade finance facility made available to the Importer to brings the goods into India based on the usance of Letter of Credit(LC) is known as Suppliers Credit. Here, the credit is funded by the overseas financial institutions or the sellers preferably from the seller’s country at a cost close to Libor rates which are cheaper than the local source of funding. How will Suppliers Credit help the Importers? Suppliers credit service can be availed only when it is backed by LC (Letter of Credit) which is an agreement comprising the details of the transactions. Also, the interest rates for the funding process is kept minimal, which is similar to buyers credit services with slightly varied costs. Tenure for Capital and Non-Capital Goods A maximum tenure of 3 years is allowed for all the Capex transactions. A maximum tenure of up to 1 year/ 360 days is permitted for the Non-capex transactions from the date of the shipment. Transactions up to $20 million dollars are allowed, anything beyond the sanctioned limit requires RBI approval. Benefits / Advantages of Suppliers Credit The exporter/suppliers are dealt on sight basis Importer’s business is financed with short-term credit Importers can negotiate and settle for a better deal Financed in foreign currency close to Libor rates A low-cost source of credit significantly cheaper than the local funds Backed by LC guarantee which mitigates the risk to a certain extent Process Flow / Workflow for Availing Suppliers Credit When an Importer requires credit after entering into a contract with the Supplier, he approaches SaveDesk (arranger) to avail Suppliers credit along with the relevant transactions details. SaveDesk, from an overseas financial institution, offers the best deal to the Importer. On acceptance of the offered price, the Importer gets an LC guarantee issued with his bank which is confined to the lending financial counters. Once the goods are shipped, the Supplier submits the necessary documents at his bank. Further, the documents are scrutinized by the lending overseas financial institution. On account of acceptance of documents and repayment as per as the LC terms by the Importer’s bank,the lending bank discounts the bill. The payment is remitted to the respected Supplier based on the LC terms. On the required due date, the Importer makes his payments to his bank which in return is settled to the lending overseas financial institution. Cost / Charges Involved in Suppliers Credit Interest cost i.e. LIBOR LC Advisory charges: which will be charged around 0.1- 0.5% Courier/Postage/Swift charges Corresponding bank charges: (Depends on bank networks) LC confirmation charges: ranges around 0.3% to 1.1% (optional) Indian Bank interest cost Documentation handling charges Negotiation charges A wise businessman takes the market arbitrage and imports goods and materials from other countries by availing low-cost loans (Suppliers credit) that would work out better for him. It can be the import of machinery equipment, raw materials anything from outside to make profits within the domestic boundaries.
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Blog5 Reasons Why Business Houses Import
By Saurabh Jain
All business houses are ceaselessly working towards optimizing their bottom line by extending their sources of supply, while most other companies encounter problems in procuring requirements and multiplying their profits. Have you ever wondered what is the most common thing about these potential profit-making companies? Yes, it is that these business houses invariably source their requirements from foreign markets. It happens to be a strategy in boosting your supply chain management and sourcing goods at a lower cost. Starting an import business has its own set of pros and cons, however here are a few points discussed on the advantages/benefits of importing: Supply in excess to demand: Each country has diversified resources which are rich and excess in supply than their domestic demands. These specialized goods or raw materials are exported across national borders and procured by the importers at right prices to make huge profits locally. As these goods are exclusive and advanced, the goods are paid and brought into the country which is useful for the customers to access new products from other markets. Exploring foreign new market trends with simplified regulations: Every country has its own unique markets tailored to serve its domestic demands. Any individual involved in importing and exporting business is fortunate enough to understand and explore the technical know-how and the effective strategies of other potential markets. Detailed study and analysis of these markets can aid in the innovation of new products and approaches in pushing your products to the target customers, in turn helping you make huge profits in the business. In most of the developed and developing countries, import and export business has become a significant part of their economy. Since the trade happens in global markets the local governments has intervened to simplify the trade process. Often the cross-border importers deal with different markets and their regulations. Hence, the government has taken measures to encourage and mitigate risks for the parties involved. Availability of affordable loans: Borrowing loans are also made easy with low-cost funding rates. They often remove pressure on the cash flow and insure you from unsettled bills of your overseas dealers. Services such as suppliers credit, buyers credit, bank guarantee and documentary LC payments are available to finance your import business. Reduced manufacturing costs: One of the predominant reasons for business houses to import materials offshore is the minimal manufacturing costs. It can be raw materials or advanced machinery equipment imported, they tend to reduce the overall manufacturing cost of a product as they are bought in bulk and plays an important role in cutting down the labour costs as well. Market expertise/arbitrage: Trading globally, dealing with currencies, exploring new markets and their products enhances the profits and the goodwill of your business. It basically helps importers to make smart moves in the market and lead the domestic markets with their potential sales for a longer duration. Optimised profits and Enhanced sales: Importing is one of the best and easy ways to maximize your business profits. The bulk goods imported are usually cost-effective helping in producing higher quality products. Often inventing new and unique products helps in better reach to the customers and also in the expansion of business which inevitably leads to increased profits. If you are on the verge of making your business lead the industry you deal with, importing is one thing you should consider. Be a wise importer, understand how to decide on a viable product that needs to be imported for the best result in your business.
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5 Reasons Why Business Houses Import
BlogOne Stop Portal For All Your Buyers Credit Needs
By Saurabh Jain
India is an import-driven economy, where non-domestic commodities,goods and equipments etc are imported across national borders to make profits indigenously. Meanwhile, liberalisation has paved way for the blue chip companies to access global funds for their working capital requirements. Simultaneously, the practice of availing short term import finance like buyers credit or suppliers credit has gained momentum in the recent times. In the wake of the cross-border trade and its recent developments, the RBI has taken jurisdiction to fill in the gaps of trade credit assessments. What is Buyers Credit? Buyers credit is a short term import business funding facility offered to the Indian importers by the banks or financial institutions outside India. This service was introduced to encourage importers (buyers), which in turn aids them in procuring loans from overseas FI at low-cost borrowing rates which are coupled with Libor rates. Under this, credit is easily available for the import of capital and non-capital goods based on the LOU (Letter Of Undertaking). Why Buyers Credit? Importers taking advantage of buyers credit leverage their business, as the cost of funding by the overseas FI are based on Libor or Euribor rates which are relatively economical than the domiciliary interest rates. What is LIBOR? LIBOR (LONDON INTERBANK OFFERED RATE) is a benchmark rate used internationally to set a range of financial deals. It is predominantly used as base price in calculating interest rates and acts as a measure of trust in the global financial system. Example of Interest Rate Calculation Process for Buyers Credit availed with Libor as the base price: Bank mentions Interest rate on Offer letter usually under below heading 3M L + 20 BPS (Volume along with Specific Tenure will be mentioned) 6M L + 20 BPS (Volume along with Specific Tenure will be mentioned) For instance, if the customer avails Buyers Credit of $100K from FI for 90 days, below interest will be applicable in above two scenarios 1 USD = INR 65 BPS ( Basis Point ) = 0.2% 3 Month Libor = 1.2% 6 Month Libor= 1.4% Case 1 :- a. 3M LIBOR + 60 BPS = 1.8% = 100000*65*1.8*90/360*1/100= 29250 Case 2 :- b. 6M LIBOR + 60 BPS = 2% =100000*65*2/100*90/360= 32500 Thus under same situations customer will pay an additional INR 3250 to avail BC for the same tenure. LIBOR Rate Graph FORMAT OF AUTHENTICATED SWIFT MESSAGE LETTER OF UNDERTAKING (LOU) MT 799 1. LC No. : 2. Name and full address of the Importer / End User : 3. Importer is a Public Sector entity (state Yes or No): 4. Name and full address of the Exporter : 5. Description of Goods Imported: 6. Capital Goods (state Yes or No): 7. Country of Origin of Goods : 8. Shipment from (Port & Country): 9. Shipment to (Port & Country): 10. Name of Shipping Company / Airline: 11. Charter Party BL (state Yes or No): 12. Name of the vessel & IMO No. (if by sea) 13. Date of BL/AWB: 14. Amount of Loan : 15. Date of funding: 16. Tenor required (as per quote) 17. Interest Rate (as per quote) 18. Rollover transaction (state Yes or No): 19. Branch contact person Name, Tel. No. and Email : 20. PAN No. of Applicant 21. CIF No. of Applicant 22. Date of Incorporation of Applicant company 23. External Rating Agency Name 24. External Rating and Date 25. Internal Rating and Date 26. Account Status : Standard / SMA/ NPA / Restructured 27. Whether 10pct of security available for the buyers credit amount: Yes/No Advantages / Benefits of Buyers Credit: Buyers credit foreign funding is based on LIBOR rates which range from 0.3-2% Payments are made on time to the exporter (required due date) Importer gets extended credit time for his import repayments Quick transactions are executed through SWIFT (recognized channel for banking communications) Negotiation of a better deal on account of immediate payments Eases the process of conducting (import) international business Choice of funding currency is proffered to the importer (USD, GBP, EURO, JPY) Payments are transacted as per LC payment terms and conditions Buyers credit can be financed through LC, open account transactions or collections(DP/DA) Buyers credit tenure can be extended through BC rollover facility Some of the checkpoints to consider for before availing Buyers Credit facility: The maximum duration of Buyers Credit Facility for Capital Goods is 3 Yrs The maximum duration of Buyers Credit for Non-Capital Goods is 1 Yr. Maximum credit limit per Buyers Credit transaction is $20 MN. Ceiling Cost of buyer’s credit is 6 Months LIBOR + 350 BPS (L+350 bps) The cost involved in Buyer’s Credit Interest costs: The cost (margin) that is charged above Libor rates is the total cost of finance by the banks, it varies with the funds borrowed. Here, the rates are calculated with libor rates as the base price, which is quoted as (Libor+Margin rates) “3M L+350 bps” where 3M is 3 month, L is libor and bps is basis points. “Basis point” is a unit that is equal to 1/100th of 1%. It can also be put across as 3M L+3.50%. Libor will differ with the tenure. Hedging cost: This is usually the cost charged for hedging transactions against the volatile currency fluctuations in the market, which comes at an additional cost of up to 3%. It is optional for the importer to book for forwards and in a few banks, it is a mandatory process. Currency risk premium: Reckons on the risk perceived on the transactions. Letter of undertaking/letter of credit: It is charged by the existing bank or local bank for the issuance of LOU. It is charged as high as 1.5%. Arrangement fee: The fee paid to the broker/ agent for the service rendered by him in arranging BC quotes. Withholding tax(WHT): This is an additional cost deducted as tax on the interest paid on the loans borrowed. Rates charged by the overseas lenders are net of taxes; thus it has to be grossed up at the time of calculation of interest. Export credit agency(ECA) guarantee charges: The sum paid to avail the facility of credit insurance or financial guarantee. Other additional charges: A2 payments on maturity, charges for documents 15CA and 15CB on maturity, intermediary bank charges, out-of-pocket charges etc come under this category which cost him additional money. Process Flow / steps involved in Buyers Credit: X Pvt Ltd imports the goods either under Letter of credit(LC) / Documentary credit (DC) , Collections ( DA/DP ) or open account. X Pvt Ltd approaches SaveDesk two days before the due date of the bill to avail buyers credit financing. SaveDesk provides instant cheap quotes to X Pvt LTD from by a foreign lender which generally is (1M/2M/3M Libor + X bps ) Post acceptance of quote ,SaveDesk provides offer letter to X Pvt Ltd. X Pvt Ltd's existing banker marks his import limits and issues LOU (Letter of undertaking) /LOC (letter of comfort ) for certain fee to the foreign lender. The foreign lender credits the importer's bank i.e. ABC Pvt Ltd's existing bankers Nostro account through SWIFT payments. Importer's banks credits the same to the exporters account on the required due date. Importers bank recovers the principal along with the interest amount and remits it to the funding bank/ foreign lender as per the agreements. Buyers Credit Rollover: If the borrowed importer is unable to make payment settlement on the required due date to the bank, the tenure of the buyers credit contract can be extended which is referred as Buyers credit rollover. What are the key factors to consider for the Buyers Credit Rollover? Here, the importer is opting for a fresh buyers credit and hence it includes the issuance of a fresh quote by the arranging bank. The buyer(importer) can make choice of his tenure which is again restricted to his maximum working capital. With the change in Libor the margins might change leading to increase in the overall cost. RBI enables importers to extend credit up to 5 years on Capex transactions and up to 1 year for Non-capex transactions. On the required date, the overseas buyer’s credit will approve the rollover of existing buyer’s credit and confirm the local importer’s bank with MT799, which includes the new due date with interest along with the fresh maturity. Challenges faced by the Indian Importers: Importers often deal with multiple markets and often face agitation with the volatile currency fluctuations in the foreign markets. They were fortunate enough to take advantages of services such as buyers credit that was benefiting them in pooling short-term import finance at competitive interest rates. With the recent fraudulent practices in buyers credit by Nirav Modi (PNB scam), importers are finding it hard to leverage business without buyers credit facility. Few other common problems faced by the importers are: Cost of funds/ interest rates offered by the banks and other financial institutions are higher Banks restricting importers in availing BC from consultants TAT (Turn Around Time) for the offer letter Banks are usually restricted in confirming offer letter only by their concerned overseas branches. There is a standard delay in the process of funding confirmation and the credit being funded to the importer’s nostro account. Way forward post-RBI ban and the other feasible approaches in availing cheap funds: Further, a similar arrangement by the RBI which is in aid currently to the importers is the Suppliers Credit. This is also an import financing facility to simplify the payment and collection process in the import business. This is essentially funded under the Letter of credit (LC) where payments are made immediately after the goods are dispatched. Other funding arrangements are also available such as Bank guarantee and documentary LC payments. Disadvantages of Suppliers Credit: There is an additional cost applicable for LC Payment terms is restricted and can only be extended till the LC validity Suppliers credit is slightly expensive in comparison to the Buyers credit Suppliers credit has no extended tenure for repayment Payments are done on sight basis, hence there is no scope for bridging working capital gap. Benefits of taking SC through SaveDesk: Instant availability of quotes Low-cost borrowing rates Convenient, as the process is executed by SaveDesk Regular updates on the funding process Buyer’s Credit quotes from multiple arrangers across different time zones Avail the other options available and execute your import transactions under forex exposures at minimal cost. Get your import funding process effectively monitored and mitigate risks with SaveDesk. Abbreviations: LIBOR - LONDON INTERBANK OFFERED RATE LC - Letter Of Credit LOU - Letter Of Undertaking BPS - Basis points FI - Financial Institutions DC - Documentary Credit SWIFT - Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication TAT - Turn Around Time
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BlogWhy Suppliers Credit Is Crucial For Importer Business?
By Saurabh Jain
The concept of imports and exports serves the purpose of fulfilling the domestic demands by mutually sharing the resources and commodities between two national borders. To facilitate easy trade finance to the importers of India the government had structured buyers credit funding process. After divulging the PNB biggest buyers credit scam, there has been a surge of prices and stringent practices followed by the RBI which has significantly disrupted the Indian importers. Nevertheless, another similar option is available to the importers to avail trade finance, which is popularly known as Suppliers credit. What is Suppliers Credit? Suppliers credit is a trade credit funded to the importer on basis of Letter Of Credit (LC). Under the LC method of payment, the overseas suppliers or financial institutions preferably from the seller’s country finances the importers at cheaper rates than the local source of funding, which are close to Libor rates. It is beneficial to the seller as he receives payments immediately after the shipment of goods, which in turn helps the importer to negotiate for better prices. Since the issuance of LOU(letter of undertaking) has been banned, the importers are switching to avail suppliers credit facility which also aids in availing cheap interest rates like buyers credit. Why suppliers credit?/Advantages of suppliers credit: The exporter/suppliers are dealt on sight basis Importers can negotiate for better commercial terms. Low-cost source of funds As only imports under LC qualifies for suppliers credit the risk in the process is mitigated. The letter of credit is an assurance issued which includes detailed information of the transaction and is generally restricted to overseas FI counters. Suppliers credit can be availed by the importers on both capital/non capital goods up to USD 20 million per transaction. The payments here are processed through international payment networks known as SWIFT(Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication code). Differences between Buyers Credit and Suppliers Credit: Buyers Credit Suppliers Credit Swift payments through MT799 Swift payments through MT760 Credit is funded to the importers nostro account Portion of the transaction is paid at sight, the rest of it is paid in accordance with the terms and conditions agreed with the seller (drafts, promissory notes etc). Additional clauses or Amendments are not required in LC Negotiation Clause, Reimbursement Clause and Confirmation Clause are covered under this. LC Clauses might need to be included/amended as requested by suppliers credit offering bank Payments were allowed to be made on the due date to the exporters Supplier/exporters are paid at sight With the non-availability of the buyers credit trade facility, the importers were put under inconvenience. Now, the importers are availing suppliers credit which has evolved to be a new revolution in the importers trade finance facility. 
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BlogService Exports from India Scheme (SEIS) for Exporters
By Saurabh Jain
What is SEIS ? In order to promote Exports from India, the government of India has launched Service Exports from India Scheme (SEIS) which is rewarded in the form of duty scrip credit. These Scrips are rewarded for all eligible exports from India, which can be traded against any custom fee-related activity. Why SEIS? As we all know, India is a trade deficit country i.e. our imports are greater than exports, this deficit leads to the artificial demand of dollars in India. Advantages of boost to Exports are as follows- Boost to SMEs and MSMEs Creation of Jobs Stable & strong currency Overall Economic and Infrastructure growth What are the Eligibility Criteria :- For an exporter in India to be eligible for SEIS scheme scrips apart from companies having IEC code, the following foreign exchange criteria should be met- S.No Incorporation Type Minimum Foreign Exchange In FY 1 Partnership Firm/LLP/Company USD 15000 2 Proprietorship Firm USD 10000 Net foreign exchange earnings for the SEIS scheme is calculated as: Net Foreign Exchange = Gross Earnings of Foreign Exchange – Total Expenses or payment or remittances of Foreign Exchange. Uses of Credit Scrip Duty credit scrips can be used for the settlement of Excise Duty Custom Duty Service Tax Settlement of Default of EPCG claims etc Benefits of SEIS Scrips Substantial Reward ( Between 3-5% of Net Exports ) Freely Tradeable Easily Transferable Valid for 18 Months from date of Issue Exports qualified for SEIS Scheme: - More details about export activities qualified for SEIS scrip claims can be found here http://dgft.gov.in/exim/2000/FTP-2017/ftp17-051217.pdf Ineligible Export service for SEIS: - Any Equity or debt participation, receipts of loans, donations etc. not related to rendering of services will not qualify for SEIS Any service which is not mentioned in DFGT circular on SEIS For more details/clarity reach out to Saurabh @ savedesk.co
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BlogDivulging India Biggest Buyers Credit Scam
By Saurabh Jain
Buyers Credit is a short-term loan available to an importer from Foreign Lender’s at low interest rates. There has been breach committed in the issuance of Letter of Undertaking (LOU’s) in the process. This funding facility which has been used fraudulently is leading to problematic situations to the Indian importers. What went wrong –PNB Scam? Two of the Punjab National Banks (Mumbai) employees were issuing Fake LOU details favoring Nirav Modi group of companies, there by giving birth to one of the biggest scam of $1.77Bn in Buyers Credit history in India. Since LOU’s are considered to be most authentic bank to bank communication, lending bank’s too did not bother to do additional due diligence on LOU’s issued by Punjab National Bank. Banks, which are affected? Union Bank Axis Bank Allahabad Bank. Do remember these are all Indian Banks housed in foreign locations, which funded PNB India basis LOU issued. How it was executed? It started with Modi’s diamond firms which approached Punjab National Bank for Buyers credit requirement for the import of diamonds . As per process companies availing buyers credit should have Buyers Credit limits with LOU Issuing bank, which in this was PNB. Limits should be lien marked for issuance of LOU to lending bank. Where as in this case employees of PNB issued fake LOU’s without performing necessary checks and banking formalities (Obviously to benefit Modi’s firm). Basis these fake LOU’s foreign branches of Indian banks extend loans to PNB India Nostro account & from Nostro these funds were remitted to Exporter. Exporter’s in this case were either kith and kins or close business associated of Nirav Modi or his own companies in different countries. Thus resulting in one of the biggest scam of Buyers Credit history. PNB has reported this case to CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) for further investigations, Meanwhile as a usual practice by all fraudster, Mr. Nirav Modi has also fled from India, Indian officials are still baffled how to ‘Find NiMo’ Impact of PNB Scam on Importers in India Importers in India are facing challenges to avail Buyers Credit post unraveling of Buyers Credit Scam. In spite of multiple foreign lenders available in market, getting a quote and offer letter has become a task. Most of them are either not quoting or are offering rates which are way beyond regular standards. We have tried listing down current issues faced by Importers In India Total No of foreign lenders/Banks offering quotes are reduced Time taken to offer quotes is increased Few of the LOU’s are cancelled in spite of issuance of offer letter Importers negotiation has come down as less no of lenders are available. Most of the banks are asking for B/L & invoice from LOU issuing bank official ID. Cost of funds for client will go up as he will have to use OD facility to make payment Double Whammy for Importers as Currency prices has also shot up by approx. 1.5% in couple of days. PNB bank Customer facing maximum challenges to have their LOU’s funded. This scam has questioned many compliance practices followed by Indian banks & has resulted in lot of discomfort to the Importers . Case is been investigated by CBI officials and will surely lead to redefining entire process of Buyers Credit business in India.
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BlogWhat are the current problems being faced by organizations in raising capital?
By Kranthi Tilak Reddy
Raising capital refers to establishing capital from investors or venture capital sources by any firm. When any company wants to be more extensive, it can raise additional capital. Usually, extremely small or small company capitals come from three sources- friends and family, Business Angels and venture capitalists. Medium enterprises most of the times go with debt financing, equity financing and sometimes from the government too. There are many schemes provided by the government for such enterprises which lead to improvising in the economy of India. The methods and processes involved in raising capital for long term and medium term are listed below- A. Issue of shares Equity shares Preference shares B. Issues of debentures C. Loan from Financial Institutions D. Loans from commercial banks E. Public deposits F. Reinvestment of profits The methods and processes involved in raising capital for short term are as follows- Trade credit Factoring Discounting bills of exchange Bank overdraft and cash Above are the most common sources of startup capital for businesses. Every entrepreneur should know the game before being willing to invest their own money and proceed towards implementing business plan. “It’s often said, raising money is not actually a success, it’s not actually a milestone for a company and I think that’s true” - Marc Andreessen We shall now proceed to the discussion of some of the major concerns faced by organizations in raising capital- The current problems being faced by organizations in raising capital One of the biggest challenges of funding is accepting rejection. Usually, the startup entrepreneurs do not end up with a good response. Investors are really not interested in startup or small-scale industries as they see very less potential. The main trouble that small businesses face while approaching for funds is the problem of uncertainty. Usually, small businesses do not have any past record that investors or lenders can analyse to decide whether or not to provide the small business with the required fund needed for expansion. Usually, small and medium firms have to pay a higher rate of interest in banks as compared to big and established firms. Banks and financial institutions ask for personal guarantees also. The stock marketers tend to lay or attach little value to it because they may not have confidence in small business offers. This will make the firm to issue more number of shares which dilute the firm’s earning. It becomes difficult for small businesses to find investors who are willing to invest. Investors are more likely to invest in bigger and more attractive firms. Strategies to resolve the current issues Grants by the government should be given to individuals for a specific project or purpose. There are some conditions which are to be followed for grants to be obtained. Funds from informal network of friends and family members is often ignored as a source of fund for small and medium-sized companies if well harnessed . Venture capitalists provide money to start-ups in the expectation of abnormally high return.
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BlogHow Effective Is Hedging To The Importers And Exporters?
By Piuesh Daga
A smart importer or the exporter opts for hedging to make a sharp-witted move against the currency fluctuations. Basically, it is a cautious initiative to cover yourself from encountering the fear of ‘probability of loss’. Whether an importer or exporter business is always initiated with a motive- “PROFIT”. There are a few strategies that can aid you to limit your risks to a certain extent and realize profits, ‘hedging’ is one of them. What is Hedging in Finance? Hedging is one of the proposed actions to mitigate risks and secure businesses from future uncertainties. The price movements of the currencies are unpredictable as the market forces have varied volatility in the global financial stability. When you want to avoid such exposures, “hedging” comes into the picture. Hedging Meaning: It is a strategy with an objective to save the potential profits by freezing the exchange prices for a fixed future date. It is similar to an insurance. Here, basically, the hedger is fixing the price at a certain level to cover the risk of upward and downward movement of prices. There are various types of hedging namely financial instruments like options, currency future contracts, exchange- traded funds, derivatives, etc. Example of Hedging: An Indian importer imports 10,000 apple products from China for 10,00,000 lakhs, the exchange is performed in international currencies absolutely based on the currency movements.The importer hedges at 64.00 USD in the future contracts to protect his payments from appreciation and depreciations of the dollar values. The tenure of the contract is agreed at 6 months from the date of imports. On the completion of the tenure, the exchange rate of dollar lies at 66.00 USD. Here the importer has hedged himself and paid 6,40,00,000 against 6,60,00,000 and retained the loss of extra pay of 20,00,000 lakhs. How hedging improves your business: Overall protection: Hedging itself acts as a shield against currency fluctuations. Using this strategy you can hedge regardless of the upward or the downward movements. The “hedger” is on a safer side and is risk-free until the payments are settled. Better informed decisions: Drafting strategies such as taking long positions in the forward markets and eliminating risks and uncertainties for the transactions settled in foreign currencies is very much important. It helps you understand the expenses, and in turn aids in increasing your business value. Exact value price for import/export: In the case of importers and exporters, the international transaction predominantly depend on the dollar values. Hence, hedging is pivotal for them to cover from the risk of changing currency values. Otherwise, there are chances of losing profits with the adverse currency movements. Through hedging, the importer/exporter is locking the current value for a particular transaction through currency options or future contracts from London International Financial Future Exchange or Chicago Mercantile Exchange etc.(they also allow final exchange rates than a fixed point). Protect you against currency fluctuations: Currency hedging, in essence, is protecting against volatility of the currency either be with the weakening or strengthening of the dollar rates. Hedging example: Say the contract made on a particular date is US $2,00,000, and the dollar rate on the same day is INR 62.00. The payments are agreed to be made after two months. Assume that on the due date, the dollar rate is INR 60.00. The exporter is receiving INR 12000000 instead of INR 12400000, resulting in a loss of 4,00,000. Currency hedging against the contract is preferable here. Bottomline is saved: This practice is better than the traditional ways, here we can usefully freeze the prices which are mutually decided beforehand. The fear of losing money is minimized. If this strategy is understood and executed properly, it will be of great importance in saving business bottomlines. Better business opportunities: Hedging techniques aid in expanding business opportunities as the actions are planned formerly. With a minimal risk of loss, there are diversified choices for suited scenarios.You are ensured to be protected from the market upswings once you enter the contract. The financial markets are uncontrollable, however, it is always better to hedge your business to narrow down faulty losses. Make a smart choice by opting hedging and anticipate profits against unfavourable financial climates.
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BlogSignificance of LIBOR on Borrowing Cost for Buyers Credit
By Saurabh Jain
As we all know, all importers can borrow cheap funds coupled with LIBOR, but ever wondered, how LIBOR affects the cost of borrowing and what happens to capex transactions LIBOR rates? All the above queries will be answered in this blog. All the foreign currency loans are borrowed either in LIBOR/EBOR; hence any movement in their rates will yield to expensive cost of borrowing in India. Impact of LIBOR on Importers Scenario 1: - If an Indian Importer had availed Buyers Credit of $100K for 180 Days in the Month of September’17, Client will pay 6ML @ 1.51% , This event is before FED meeting held in Dec’17. Scenario 2: - If an Indian Importer wish to avail Buyers Credit of $ 100K for 180days in the Month of Feb’18, Client will pay 6ML @ 2.03% BC availed in month of September’17 is cheaper by 0.53%, for same tenure and same amount Reason for LIBOR rate increase LIBOR is on move since 2016 due to continued rate hikes from US Federal Reserve. In fact, commentary for this year from US FED Chairperson - Janet Yellen is hawkish too and we can expect 3 rate hikes for FY18-19. Fed still continues to attain a balance between responding to positive news on growth and unemployment that fostered a gradual tightening, while at the same time, signalling caution due to the continually weak inflation readings that have confused policy makers. 25 Bps were hiked on 14th Dec’17, following which LIBOR rates were increased Lowest & Highest LIBOR rates reported in Past 30 Yrs. were respectively on- Oct’15 – 0.32% Mar’89 – 11.06% Please find the attached historical LIBOR movement for the past 30 years. How to protect businesses from LIBOR movement If exposed to EUR/CHF currency, move invoicing/dealing in those currencies. For Capex transactions, hedge LIBOR rates on the date of borrowing for entire tenure. Evaluate overall cost of funding with Indian lending rate , i.e. net cost post adding forward premiums. You can always reach out to us for more clarity on above @ www.savedesk.co
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