Sebi sets up panel to unify foreign investment guidelines

The Chandrashekhar committee will simplify and standardise the norms regarding investments into the capital markets by all overseas entities such as foreign institutional investors, foreign venture capital investors (FVCIs), qualified financial/ institutional investors (QFIs) and NRIs, and also to strengthen surveillance over them.

"Why should we have various routes/rules for foreign investors? Why should we have sub-accounts, ODIs, FIIs and QFIs and NRIs and all that?

"In consultation with government, we have decided to combine these various routes which are present today into one single route. And three-four days ago, we set up a committee under former Cabinet secretary K M Chandrashekhar to look into this," Sebi Chairman Upendra Kumar Sinha told reporters here on the sidelines of a capital markets summit organised by the industry body CII.

However, the Sebi chief did not share more details like when the committee will submit its report and who are the other members of the panel.

"QFI inflows have not begun in any meaningful manner. FIIs feel KYC norms are too stringent. Most of the issues have been resolved except for the issue of requirement of PAN (permanent account number for income tax) cards for QFI investments. The government has to tackle that.

"But in consultation with the government, Sebi has set up a committee to bring all foreign investments under a single route," Sinha said.

Earlier, after the October 6 board meeting, Sebi had said, "With a view to rationalise/harmonise different routes for foreign portfolio investments, Sebi will prepare draft guidelines based on the guidance of the working group on foreign investments, for consideration of the government so that uniform guidelines are made for various categories of investors such as FIIs, FVCIs, NRIs, QFIs etc." MORE