International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) and IFSC
International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA)
Framework for setting up and operating International Trade Finance Services platform (ITFS) for providing trade finance services at International Financial Services Centres.
The IFSCA has issued a framework for setting up and operating International Trade Finance Services Platform for providing Trade Finance Services at International Financial Services Centres.
The framework will enable Exporters and Importers to avail various types of trade finance facilities at competitive terms, for their international trade transactions through a dedicated electronic platform viz, ITFS.
This will help in their ability to convert their trade receivables into liquid funds and to obtain short term funding.
This framework will provide an opportunity to the participants to avail trade finance facilities for trade transactions such as Export Invoice Trade Financing, Reverse Trade Financing, Bill discounting under Letter of Credit, Supply Chain Finance for Exporters, Export Credit (Packing Credit), Insurance/Credit Guarantee, Factoring and any other eligible product, on the ITFS platform.
Functions:
The authority will regulate financial products such as securities, deposits or contracts of insurance, financial services, and financial institutions which have been previously approved by any appropriate regulator such as Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) etc., in an IFSC.
This will also regulate any other financial products, financial services, or financial institutions in an IFSC, which may be notified by the central government.
It may also recommend to the central government any other financial products, financial services, or financial institutions, which may be permitted in an IFSC.
Constituents:
The International Financial Services Centres Authority will consist of nine members, appointed by the central government.
They will include chairperson of the authority, a member each from the RBI, SEBI, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA); and two members from the Ministry of Finance. In addition, two other members will be appointed on the recommendation of a Selection Committee.
Term: All members of the IFSC Authority will have a term of three years, subject to reappointment.
Expectations:
Unification under one authority: The banking, capital markets and insurance sectors in IFSC which are regulated by multiple regulators - the RBI, SEBI, and IRDAI will be unified under the IFSC authority.
The single window regulatory institution would accelerate the development of India's first IFSC at GIFT City, Gandhinagar.
Both national and international institutions dealing with international financial services would utilise the IFSC platform for inbound and outbound investments with improved ease of doing business, thereby making GIFT IFSC a global financial hub.
International Financial Services Centre:
An IFSC enables bringing back the financial services and transactions that are currently carried out in offshore financial centres by Indian corporate entities and overseas branches/subsidiaries of Financial Institutions (such as banks, insurance companies, etc.) to India.
It offers a business and regulatory environment that is comparable to other leading international financial centres in the world like London and Singapore.
IFSCs are intended to provide Indian corporates with easier access to global financial markets, and to complement and promote further development of financial markets in India.
The first IFSC in India has been set up at the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) in Gandhinagar.
