RBI Permission not
Required for Opening Non Interest Bearing Escrow Accounts in INR in India
Subject:
Opening of Escrow Accounts for FDI transactions
[Ref:
RBI/2010-11/ 498 - A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 58 dated 2 May 2011]
Attention of the Authorised
Dealer Category – I (AD Category - I) banks is invited to the Foreign Exchange
Management (Transfer or Issue of Security by a Person Resident Outside India)
Regulations, 2000, notified vide Notification No. FEMA.
20/2000-RB dated May 3, 2000, as amended from time to time, and A.P. (DIR
Series) Circular No. 62 dated May 24, 2007, permitting AD Category –
I banks to open Escrow account and Special account on behalf of non-resident corporates for acquisition/transfer of shares/ convertible
debentures of an Indian company through open offers/ delisting/ exit offers,
subject to compliance with the relevant SEBI [Substantial Acquisition of Shares
and Takeovers (SAST)] Regulations, 1997 and other applicable SEBI regulations. In
all other cases of opening/maintaining of Escrow accounts for FDI related
transactions, prior approval from the Reserve Bank is necessary.
2. It is observed that the Escrow mechanism
facilitates FDI transactions in cases where parties to the share purchase
agreement desire to complete the due diligence process before they finalize the
agreement for the same and accordingly, there is a time lag between payment of
purchase consideration and the receipt of the shares. To provide operational
flexibility and ease the procedure for such transactions, it has been decided
to permit AD Category – I banks to open and maintain, without prior approval of
the Reserve Bank, non-interest bearing Escrow accounts in Indian Rupees in
India on behalf of residents and/or non-residents, towards payment of share
purchase consideration and / or provide Escrow facilities for keeping
securities to facilitate FDI transactions subject to the terms and conditions
as given in Annex. It has also been decided to permit SEBI authorised
Depository Participants, to open and maintain, without prior approval of the
Reserve Bank, Escrow accounts for securities subject to the terms and
conditions as given in Annex. In both cases, the Escrow agent shall necessarily
be an AD Category- I bank or SEBI authorised
Depository Participant (in case of securities’ accounts). These facilities will
be applicable for both issue of fresh shares to the non- residents as well as
transfer of shares from / to the non- residents.
3. Necessary amendments to Notification No. FEMA
5/2000-RB dated May 3, 2000 [Foreign Exchange Management (Deposit) Regulations,
2000] are being notified separately.
4. AD Category – I banks may bring the contents of
this circular to the notice of their constituents and customers concerned.
5. The directions contained in this circular have
been issued under sections 10(4) and 11(1) of the Foreign Exchange Management
Act, 1999 (42 of 1999) and are without prejudice to permissions / approvals, if
any, required under any other law.
[Annex to
A.P.(DIR Series) Circular No. 58 dated May 02, 2011]
1. The Escrow account in INR would be maintained
only with an AD Category – I bank in India. The Escrow account may be opened
jointly and severally. Further, securities kept / linked with such Escrow
accounts may be linked with demat account maintained
with SEBI authorised Depository Participants.
2. The account shall be non-interest bearing.
3. No fund or non-fund based facilities would be
permitted against the balances in the Escrow account.
4. Permitted credits:
i) Receipt of foreign inward remittance as
consideration towards issue or transfer of shares through normal banking
channels; or
ii) Receipt
of rupee consideration through the normal banking channels from India by the
resident acquirers of shares who proposes to acquire them from non-resident
holders by way of transfer.
5. Permitted debits:
i) Remittance of consideration for issue of
shares or transfer of shares directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiary
(issuer in India or transferor of shares in India or abroad); or
ii) Remittance
of consideration for refund to the initial remitter of funds in case of failure
/ non-materialization of the FDI transaction for which the Escrow account was opened.
6. The underlying FDI transaction for which the
Escrow account is opened should be compliant with extant FEMA provisions.
Further, for the purposes of FDI reporting, date of transfer of funds into the
bank account of the issuer or transferor of shares, shall be the relevant date
of remittance.
7. Where the transaction is governed by SEBI
guidelines/regulations, operation of the Escrow accounts shall also be in
accordance with the relevant SEBI regulations.
8. Balance in the Escrow account, if any, may be
repatriated at the then prevailing exchange rate (i.e., the exchange rate risk
will be borne by the person resident outside India acquiring the shares), after
all the formalities in respect of the said acquisition are completed. In cases,
where proposed acquisition/ transfer does not materialise,
the AD Category – I bank may allow repatriation/ refund of the entire amount
lying to the credit of the Escrow account on being satisfied with the bonafides of such remittances.
9. The Escrow account shall remain operational for
a maximum period of six months only and the account shall be closed immediately
after completing the requirements as outlined above or on completion of six
months from the date of opening of such account, whichever is earlier. In case
the Escrow account is required to be maintained beyond six months, specific
permission from the Reserve Bank has to be sought.
10. Requirement of compliance with KYC guidelines
issued by the Reserve Bank /SEBI shall rest with the AD Category – I bank/ SEBI
authorised Depository Participants.
11. The terms of the Escrow account shall be laid
down strictly in the Escrow agreement, Share purchase agreement, conditions of
issue of shares, etc.