India's RBI bars authorised dealers from INR forex derivatives with related parties
Authorised dealers' FX desks cannot enter INR derivative contracts with related parties
Change
India's Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has ordered that authorised dealers must not enter into any foreign-exchange derivative contract involving the Indian rupee (INR) with related parties, effective immediately, except for cancellation and rollover of existing contracts and for back-to-back transactions with non-related non-resident users under the Master Direction; 'related parties' follows Indian Accounting Standard (Ind AS) 24 or International Accounting Standard (IAS) 24.
Why it matters
The RBI has withdrawn A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 03 dated April 01, 2026. These directions are issued under Sections 10(4), 11(1) and 11(2) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999, and apply with immediate effect.
Implications
- — Authorised dealers' foreign-exchange desks must immediately stop entering into new INR foreign-exchange derivative contracts with related parties — failure to comply risks regulatory action under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999.
- — Compliance teams at authorised dealer banks must immediately update counterparty-screening and related-party approval controls to block trades with related parties — continuing to process such trades exposes the bank to non-compliance findings and enforcement under FEMA.
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Source
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