New facility
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September 2026
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FEMA & RBIExim Bank’s ₹4,850 crore line of credit to Maldives: at least 75% of contract value to be supplied from India, no agency commission — A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 22
₹4,850 crore LoC to MaldivesNew facilityRBI has notified the terms of the Government of India supported Line of Credit of ₹4,850 crore extended by Exim Bank to the Government of Maldives for developmental projects. The agreement is effective from 27 August 2026. Goods, works and services worth at least 75% of the contract price must be supplied from India, and no agency commission is payable on exports under the LoC.
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Foreign TradeIndia–New Zealand FTA enters into force on 20 October 2026; zero duty on all Indian exports from day one
20 October 2026New facilityEvery tariff line covering India’s exports to New Zealand becomes duty-exempt on entry into force. Dairy, sugar and edible oils stay excluded from India’s concessions.
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SEBINPS Swasthya operational guidelines issued: pension account with a mandatory super top-up health cover, ₹1,000 minimum investment, withdrawals paid straight to hospitals
NPS Swasthya: ₹1,000 + premiumNew facilityPFRDA has issued the Operational Guidelines for NPS Swasthya, 2026. The scheme pairs an NPS Swasthya investment account with a mandatory super top-up health insurance policy. Minimum initial contribution is the first-year premium plus ₹200 annual maintenance charge plus ₹1,000 investment. Partial withdrawals for healthcare, up to 25% of own contributions, are paid directly to the hospital.
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CustomsICD Dhanakya, Jaipur added as a point of entry for food imports; list now has 172 points — CBIC Instruction 16/2026-Customs
172 food import entry pointsNew facilityFSSAI, by a notification dated 15 September 2026, has notified authorised officers at ICD Dhanakya, Jaipur (port code INDNK6) in addition to the 171 points of entry already specified for food imports. CBIC has circulated the updated list of 172 points of entry and their authorised officers through Instruction No. 16/2026-Customs.
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SEBISEBI extends Samuhik Prativedan Manch common reporting platform to clearing members who are also stock brokers; first phase proposed from 30 September 2026
14 reports, one platformNew facilitySEBI, in consultation with Clearing Corporations, is extending the Samuhik Prativedan Manch — the common reporting platform for stock brokers — to members of Clearing Corporations who are also stock brokers. The first phase, proposed from 30 September 2026, covers 14 compliance reports, about 60% of their reporting requirements. Around 1066 clearing members stand to benefit.
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Trademark & IPGI applications can be filed and tracked online from 15 September 2026; IP India issues draft step-by-step filing guidelines
GI e-filing from 15 SeptNew facilityThe Office of the CGPDTM has issued Draft Guidelines for Filing a Geographical Indication (GI) Application, Version 1.0, September 2026. A new GI e-filing service, with online tracking, is available from 15 September 2026. Forms GI-1A to GI-1D are used and the fee is ₹1,000 for each class of goods.
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Income TaxIncome-tax data sharing under section 258: CBDT to give Yes/No income flags to Andhra Pradesh for welfare schemes and to the Petroleum Ministry
Yes / No / Not Available flagsNew facilityCBDT has issued two orders under section 258(1) of the Income-tax Act, 2025 naming the Director General of Income-tax (Systems), Delhi as the authority to share information. Andhra Pradesh will get a flag on whether a person crosses an agreed income threshold, to identify welfare-scheme beneficiaries. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas will get flags on five questions, in an order that replaces one of 17 June 2025.
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Foreign TradeIndia and MERCOSUR sign First Additional Protocol to the PTA: electronic Certificates of Origin to have the same legal validity as paper ones
India–MERCOSUR: e-CoO acceptedNew facilityIndia and MERCOSUR have signed the First Additional Protocol to their Preferential Trade Agreement. It amends Article 16 of Annex III (Rules of Origin) so that Certificates of Origin issued in electronic format have the same legal validity as paper ones. The Protocol enters into force only after both sides complete their internal procedures and notify each other.
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FEMA & RBIRBI recognises Unified Fintech Forum as a Self-Regulatory Organisation for FinTech
SRO-FTNew facilityRBI examined the application of UFF against its SRO-FT Framework. FinTech Association for Consumer Empowerment (FACE) was recognised as the first SRO-FT in August 2024.
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SEBISEBI launches “Demat 2.0” pilot for tokenised corporate bonds; three issuers raise ₹1,025 crore, funds leg settled in RBI’s wholesale e₹
Demat 2.0: ₹1,025 crore raisedNew facilitySEBI has announced the launch of “Demat 2.0”, a pilot in which corporate bonds are created as digital tokens on a distributed ledger owned by the depositories and settled against RBI’s wholesale CBDC (e₹). REC, L&T and IIFL have issued tokenised bonds aggregating ₹1,025 crore. Credit rating, debenture trustee, listing and disclosure requirements continue to apply in full.
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Income TaxDepositories and mutual fund RTAs to report capital-gains data to the Income Tax Department every half year: SFT-2517 and SFT-2518 formats notified
By 31 October and 30 AprilNew facilityThe Directorate of Income Tax (Systems) has notified the format and procedure for two statements of financial transactions under section 508(1) of the Income-tax Act, 2025: SFT-2517 for depositories and SFT-2518 for registrars and share transfer agents of mutual funds. The data, used to pre-fill capital gains in the return, is due half-yearly — by 31 October and 30 April — and must also be given to the account holder.
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Foreign TradeExporters can now connect their ERP to DGFT’s Certificate of Origin system
connect their ERPNew facilityAn Open API on the Trade Connect e-Platform lets an exporter’s own software file Certificate of Origin applications and verify issued certificates, for both preferential and non-preferential certificates.
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Trademark & IPDesign applications: First Examination Reports to be sent only by e-mail from 2 October 2026; postal dispatch ordinarily stops
Design FER: e-mail onlyNew facilityThe Office of the CGPDTM has notified that, from 2 October 2026, First Examination Reports in design applications will ordinarily be communicated only to the e-mail address given in Form-1 under “Address for Service in India”. Physical dispatch by post is ordinarily discontinued from that date.
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Foreign TradeCertificate of Origin can now be filed through an Open API from the exporter’s own ERP: DGFT Trade Notice No. 25/2026-27
CoO Open API releasedNew facilityDGFT has released an Open API facility for Certificates of Origin on the Trade Connect e-Platform. Exporters can connect their ERP, accounting or other software to DGFT’s CoO system to submit applications and verify certificates electronically. The trade notice carries a help manual with the technical steps.
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LabourESIC recovery: C-18 notices on wages above ₹20 lakh need Joint Director’s prior approval; recovery offices to move to district Branch Offices
C-18 above ₹20 lakh: JD approvalNew facilityTwo ESIC Headquarters memoranda change how dues are assessed and recovered. From the memorandum of 7 August 2026, a C-18 notice involving wages or omitted wages above ₹20 lakh needs prior approval of the Joint Director (Revenue). By an Office Memorandum of 3 September 2026, revenue recovery offices are to be decentralised from Regional and Sub-Regional Offices to Branch Offices, preferably one in a district.
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CustomsCustoms opens NAC Portal: classification and valuation decisions, CAAR rulings and audit objections in one searchable place
naccustoms.gov.inNew facilityCircular 41/2026-Customs announces the National Assessment Centre Portal at naccustoms.gov.in, open to importers and Customs Brokers, with keyword search and downloadable documents.
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LabourESIC issues SOP for compounding first-time offences under section 138 of the Code on Social Security: pay within 15 days, composition certificate in 10 days
Pay in 15 days, certificate in 10New facilityESIC Headquarters has circulated a Standard Operating Procedure for compounding of offences under section 138 of the Code on Social Security, 2020 read with rule 54 of the Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026. An electronic compounding notice goes out in Form-XXIV; the employer pays and applies within 15 days; the composition certificate follows within 10 days. The amount is half the maximum fine for fine-only offences and three-fourths where imprisonment up to one year is also provided.
August 2026
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Trademark & IPTrade Marks Registry holds Friday hearings till December 2026 to close oppositions that are settled or to be withdrawn
Opposition drive: FridaysNew facilityThe Trade Marks Registry has begun a Special Disposal Drive for opposition proceedings where parties want to withdraw the application or opposition or have settled. Hearings are on every working Friday from 4 September till December 2026, in hybrid mode, taken up by the filing year of the trade mark application.
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Foreign TradeFree Sale and Commerce Certificates to be issued automatically on the DGFT portal: Trade Notice No. 24/2026-27
Automated FSC on DGFT portalNew facilityDGFT is enabling automated issuance of Free Sale and Commerce Certificates (FSC) on its portal, moving from manual verification by Regional Authorities to a rule-based, system-driven workflow. Applications that need verification may still go to the Regional Authority, and some auto-approved ones may be flagged for review later.
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Foreign TradeBank Guarantee Repository on DGFT portal gets expiry alerts, status tracking and digitally signed notices: Trade Notice No. 23/2026-27
BG expiry alerts: 60 and 45 daysNew facilityDGFT has deployed new features in the Bank Guarantee Repository Module on its portal. Exporters must now indicate whether a BG is a fresh submission or a replacement, and will get system emails 60 days and 45 days before a BG expires. Regional Authorities can issue digitally signed renewal, encashment and return communications through the portal.
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