RBI considering major rejig of ARC industry norms in FY26, sources say

Proposals embody wider asset sourcing, broader SR investor base, and new capital-raising norms for ARCs.
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The Reserve Financial institution of India is contemplating a serious overhaul within the rules of asset reconstruction corporations (ARCs) in present fiscal, which embody buying belongings from extra establishments, increasing the set of consumers who can put money into safety receipts (SRs) and capital elevating by ARCs, sources mentioned.

With corporates veering in direction of non-bank sources of funding similar to various funding funds and mutual funds, asset reconstruction corporations (ARCs) need the scope of their actions expanded to incorporate acquisition of careworn monetary belongings from these monetary intermediaries.

Presently, ARCs can purchase fund and non-fund based mostly monetary belongings solely from banks and monetary establishments.

“The character of debt is altering. Corporations are more and more elevating funds from non-bank avenues. Mutual funds, particularly, are gaining wider adoption. On this view, the RBI is prone to permit ARCs to accumulate careworn monetary belongings from all regulated entities, together with AIFs, FPIs, AMCs making funding on behalf of MFs and from retail traders in FY26,” a supply mentioned.

The RBI didn’t reply to businessline queries until press time.

RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, in his August bi-monthly financial coverage assertion, mentioned whereas the move of non-food financial institution credit score throughout FY25 decreased by about ₹3.4 lakh crore to virtually ₹18 lakh crore, the move from non-bank sources greater than made up for this lower. The whole move of sources from non-banks (together with home and international sources) elevated by ₹4.3 lakh crore to ₹16.8 lakh crore in FY25.

“Banks are focusing extra on retail lending. Useful resource elevating by company is regularly shifting to varied AIFs and mutual funds. The entire non-public credit score panorama is evolving quick. Loads of useful resource mobilisation is going on by means of the bond market, the place the traders are largely mutual funds, insurance coverage corporations. Because the credit score panorama is altering, from ARC’s perspective, the stress asset panorama will even change,” mentioned the chief of an ARC.

Certified consumers

The listing of eligible certified consumers who can make investments and commerce in SRs issued by ARCs is prone to be expanded to incorporate excessive web value people (HNIs) with minimal funding of ₹1 crore, corporates with over ₹10 crore web value, trusts, household workplaces, pension funds and distressed asset funds.

That is topic to defaulting promoters not getting access to secured belongings by means of SRs, and corporates being disallowed from investing in SRs issued by ARCs which are associated events. This transfer is aimed toward enhancing the liquidity of SR market by the use of itemizing and buying and selling of SRs.

Recent capital

To help ARCs elevate recent capital, the RBI might permit traders to choose as much as 20 per cent stake in an ARC with out prior regulatory approval, from 10 per cent presently, as recommended by the RBI appointed Sudarshan Sen committee in 2021.

Dues acquired by ARCs rose by 17 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) to ₹1.71 lakh crore in FY25, excluding one-time SASF dues acquisition of ₹4.22 lakh crore. ARCs issued SRs amounting to ₹37,511 crore in FY25, 13 per cent increased than FY24. SR redemptions rose by 30 per cent to ₹43,256 crore in FY25, whereas web SR excellent fell 4 per cent on-year to ₹5,745 crore in FY25.