COMPLIANCE AND REGULATORY
RBI Brings Exports, Imports and Merchanting Trade Under Single FEMA Framework
The Reserve Bank of India has notified a new set of foreign exchange rules that bring exports, imports, and merchanting trade transactions under a single regulatory framework for the first time.The Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026 replace the 2015 rules, which were limited to exports of goods and services.The regulations were notified on January 13, 2026, under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999. They will come into force on October...
RBI Tweaks Reference Date For Fortnightly Reporting By Scheduled Banks
The Reserve Bank of India has tweaked the cut-off date for fortnightly reporting by scheduled banks, without changing the reporting frequency itself. The change has been brought by the notification of the Reserve Bank of India Scheduled Banks' (Amendment) Regulations, 2025.Banks, which were already filing returns on a fortnightly basis, will now report their statement of position as on the last day of the fortnight, instead of the earlier practice of reporting figures as on a Friday. The change...
What Is MF-Lite? SEBI Introduces New Mutual Fund Category Under 2026 Regulations
In a sweeping overhaul of the mutual fund regulatory regime, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has notified the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 2026, which introduces Mutual Fund-Lite (MF-Lite) as a separate category of mutual funds. Notified on 14 January, the regulations have repealed the nearly three-decade-old SEBI (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 1996 and are scheduled to come into force with effect from 1 April 2026. Under the new regime,...
RBI Issues New Internal Ombudsman Rules For Credit Bureaus, NBFCs And Prepaid Payment Companies
The Reserve Bank of India has rolled out a fresh set of rules that make it mandatory for several financial sector players to appoint an internal ombudsman, a senior, independent official who will review certain customer complaints before they are finally rejected. Through three separate notifications issued on January 14, 2026, the RBI notified the Internal Ombudsman Directions for Credit Information Companies, eligible Non-Banking Financial Companies, and large non-bank Prepaid Payment...
SAT Mumbai: Termination of SPA in Financial Notes is 'No Disclosure' Under SEBI Regulations
The Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) held that termination of a Share Purchase Agreement, when camouflaged in the notes appended to financial results and not disclosed in the main minutes of the board meeting, amounts to no disclosure at all under the SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015.Tanzania Bottling Company (TBC) has successfully challenged SEBI's dismissal of its complaint against Varun Beverages Limited (VBL), alleging that a 'camouflaged' disclosure regarding a terminated deal led to a...
CBIC Revises Tariff Values For Gold, Silver, Edible Oils And Brass Scrap
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has updated tariff values for edible oils, brass scrap, gold, silver and areca nuts. By a notification issued on 15 January 2026, the CBIC notified revised tariff values effective from 16 January 2026, fixing the tariff value of gold at USD 1,483 per 10 grams and silver at USD 2,950 per kilogram. The CBIC has also notified that there is no change in the tariff value of areca nuts falling under tariff item 080280. Further, revised tariff...
New Tariff Values Set For Imported Gold And Silver
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) issued a notification on 13 January 2026, updating the tariff values for several imported commodities. These changes, which were made under the powers of the Customs Act, 1962, officially came into effect on 14 January 2026.According to the sources, the tariff value for gold has been set at US $1485 per 10 grams. Silver is now valued at US $2724 per kilogram.The notification also clarifies that for many other essential imports, there has...
SEBI Limits Technical Glitch Reporting Norms To Stockbrokers With Over 10,000 Clients
SEBI has revised its technical glitch reporting framework, limiting its applicability to larger stockbrokers and easing compliance for smaller firms. In a circular issued on January 9, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Board of India said the rules apply when failures in electronic trading systems, such as login problems, order placement issues, or app outages, last for five minutes or more during market hours and disrupt trading. The revised framework will apply only to stockbrokers with...
CBIC Extends Anti-Dumping Duty On Normal Butanol Imports Till July 12, 2026
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) on Thursday extended the Anti-Dumping Duty (ADD) on imports of normal butanol, or N-butyl alcohol, up to 12th July 2026. Normal Butanol is a widely used industrial alcohol and chemical intermediate.The anti-dumping duty was originally imposed on imports of Normal Butanol or N-Butyl Alcohol originating in or exported from the European Union, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, and the United States of America by way of a dated April 12,...
Hotels Can Now File Specified Premises Opt-In Online On GST Portal: GSTN
The Goods and Services Tax Network has enabled online filing of opt-in declarations for hotel accommodation service providers to declare their properties as “specified premises” on the GST Portal. This shifts the process from manual filing before jurisdictional officers to an electronic system on the portal. The facility follows Notification No. 05/2025 Central Tax (Rate) and is available from January 1, 2026. “Specified premises” is a classification used to determine the GST treatment of...
CBIC Extends Anti-Dumping Duty On Flexible Slabstock Polyol Imports From Saudi Arabia And UAE
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has extended the levy of anti-dumping duty on imports of Flexible Slabstock Polyol originating in or exported from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates up to June 17, 2026, pending completion of sunset review proceedings.The subject goods, namely “Flexible Slabstock Polyol of molecular weight 3000–4000,” fall under tariff sub-heading 3907 29 of the First Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act, 1975.A flexible slabstock polyol is a key...