Search: NCE

August 2026

• 14Aug

  InsolvencyIBBI discussion paper of 14 August 2026 proposed guidance for insolvency professionals on fraudulent or malicious initiation of CIRP under section 65; comments closed 24 August

  Draft — comments closed 24 AugComments invited

  IBBI’s discussion paper dated 14 August 2026 placed a draft circular for comments: nine illustrative indicators that should alert an insolvency professional to fraudulent or malicious initiation of CIRP, and an application to the Adjudicating Authority under section 60(5) read with section 65 where the professional forms that opinion. It was a proposal; the comment period ended on 24 August 2026.

• 14Aug

  SEBISEBI proposes fully digital KYC for NRIs, OCIs and foreign nationals located outside India in FATF-compliant countries; comment window closed on 4 September 2026

  Digital KYC from abroad: draftComments invited

  A SEBI consultation paper issued on 14 August 2026 proposes to let intermediaries on-board individual persons resident outside India digitally without insisting on physical presence in India, if the client is located in a FATF-compliant country. KYC records of such clients would be treated as portable, and video in-person verification would be subject to concurrent audit. Comments were due by 4 September 2026; the window has closed.

• 14Aug

  SEBIInvITs: SEBI allows add-back of debt-funded major maintenance expense of road projects in Net Distributable Cash Flows, with unitholder approval

  Major maintenance add-backRule change

  SEBI has changed the framework for computing Net Distributable Cash Flows of InvITs. Payments towards major maintenance expense of road projects, to the extent funded by external borrowing, can be added back at the HoldCo/SPV level and at the Trust level. The add-back needs unitholder approval with at least 60% of votes cast, a statutory auditor’s certificate and specified disclosures.

• 14Aug

  SEBIOnline Bond Platform Providers may now offer 54EC / section 85 capital-gains bonds and IFSCA-regulated products; compliance officer rule changed

  54EC bonds on bond platformsRelief

  SEBI has widened what Online Bond Platform Providers can offer. From 14 August 2026 they may offer bonds issued under section 54EC of the Income Tax Act, 1961 or section 85 of the Income-tax Act, 2025, and products regulated by IFSCA, each with labelling and disclaimer conditions. The compliance officer is now to be appointed as per the Stock Brokers Regulations, 2026 in place of a Company Secretary.

• 13Aug

  Startup & MSMEMSMED (Amendment) Act, 2026: 90-day mediation and award timelines, 75% pre-deposit to challenge awards, CPSEs to settle MSME invoices on TReDS — commencement yet to be notified

  MSMED Act amended: No. 16 of 2026Action needed

  The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Act, 2026 (No. 16 of 2026) received the President’s assent on 13 August 2026. It sets time limits for delayed-payment disputes, lets awards be recovered as arrears of land revenue, requires Central PSEs to settle MSME invoices through TReDS and replaces penal provisions with graded penalties. It comes into force on dates the Central Government notifies.

• 13Aug

  Company LawNCLT sets a uniform order for cause lists: IBC admissions and resolution plans first, no “revised” lists after publication

  Listed in 3 working daysRule change

  Administrative instructions issued for all Benches prescribe the sequence in which matters are listed, carry forward unheard supplementary matters to the next working day, and require a registered matter to be listed ordinarily within three working days.

• 12Aug

  Foreign TradeIndia and SACU sign Terms of Reference for a Preferential Trade Agreement

  India–SACU

  The negotiations with the Southern African Customs Union will cover eight chapters including market access for goods and rules of origin. No tariff changes yet — only a final agreement will do that.

• 12Aug

  FEMA & RBIRBI proposes one set of rules on loan interest rates for all lenders, covering fixed and floating loans

  Fixed + floatingComments invited

  The draft Interest Rates on Loans and Advances Directions, 2026 would harmonise the framework for banks, NBFCs, AIFIs, RRBs and co-operative banks. Comments closed on 11 September 2026.

• 12Aug

  Company LawNCLT e-Certified Copy: how to apply, the 7-day payment window, and why each copy can be used for one filing only

  One copy, one filingRule change

  NCLT’s Standard Operating Procedure for e-Certified Copies sets out the route on the e-Filing portal: one application per copy, payment within 7 days of approval, and a digitally signed Facing Sheet with QR code. Once a copy is authenticated by a court or tribunal it cannot be used again; a fresh copy has to be applied for.

• 12Aug

  Foreign TradeDraft SOP for reporting inward remittances routed through NBFC Factors, for eBRC self-certification: DGFT Trade Notice 20/2026-27 invites comments

  Comments within 30 daysComments invited

  DGFT has circulated a draft Standard Operating Procedure on how Inward Remittance Messages (IRMs) are to be reported when export proceeds come through NBFC Factors. Factors would tag their SWIFT messages so that AD-I banks do not create IRMs for factoring proceeds; exporters would see factor-linked IRMs on the DGFT portal to self-certify eBRCs. Comments are invited within 30 days.

• 11Aug

  SEBIMunicipal bonds: SEBI sets face value at ₹1 lakh or ₹10,000 for private placements, adds a two-step escrow for pooled finance vehicles and gives more time for financial results

  Face value ₹1 lakh or ₹10,000Relief

  Following the July 2026 amendment to the municipal debt securities regulations, SEBI has specified operational norms by a circular of 11 August 2026. Privately placed municipal debt securities are to have a face value of ₹1 lakh or ₹10,000; pooled finance vehicles get a two-step escrow mechanism and a list of credit enhancement options; municipalities get 60 days for half-yearly and 90 days for annual results.

• 11Aug

  Foreign TradeDGFT advisory asks exporters, banks and ECGC to exercise heightened vigilance with two Thimphu-based firms: Trade Notice 19/2026-27 under para 8.07(d) of FTP 2023

  Advisory: 2 Bhutanese firmsClarified

  DGFT has issued a precautionary advisory under para 8.07(d) of the Foreign Trade Policy 2023 against two Bhutanese entities — M/s Legoy Powersports and M/s Druk A-Z Store, both of Thimphu — after a complaint could not be resolved for want of response. EPCs, Regional Authorities, ECGC and AD banks are advised to exercise enhanced caution and due diligence.

• 10Aug

  FSSAIFSSAI asks importers and customs brokers to declare the “NFG” qualifier in ICEGATE for non-food-grade items, so the Bill of Entry is not routed to FSSAI

  Declare “NFG” in ICEGATEClarified

  FSSAI says a large number of Bills of Entry for non-food-grade items — especially goods with both food and non-food use under the same HSN code — are being routed to it for clearance. By a public notice dated 10 August 2026, it advises importers and customs brokers to declare the qualifier “NFG” while filing Bills of Entry under Single Window, so that the SWIFT system routes the entry correctly.

• 10Aug

  FEMA & RBIIFSCA to all regulated entities: hold a valid SEZ Letter of Approval and IFSCA registration at all times, or face penalty, suspension or cancellation

  LoA renewal: 2 months beforeAction needed

  IFSCA has directed every regulated entity in the IFSC to hold a valid and subsisting Letter of Approval under the SEZ Act, 2005 and the applicable IFSCA registration, licence or authorisation at all times, and not to do business without them. It notes that some entities are operating without these. The circular supersedes the direction of 3 April 2025.

• 7Aug

  Foreign TradeDPIIT-recognised start-ups can now list on DGFT’s “Source from India” with only an active IEC

  Start-up BadgeNew facility

  Trade Notice 16 dated 6 August 2026 opens the Trade Connect buyer-discovery service to start-ups, with a special onboarding route for those yet to meet the export performance criteria.

• 7Aug

  Trademark & IPPatent Office frames guidelines on AI in patent examination: AI may assist, the Examiner or Controller stays fully responsible

  AI assists, officer decidesNew facility

  The Office of the CGPDTM has published Guidelines for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Patent Examination Procedures. They list 12 typical uses with risks and safeguards, six prohibited uses — including feeding unpublished applications into public AI tools — and provide for an AI Governance Committee.

• 7Aug

  SEBISEBI to carry out about one-third as many inspections of brokers, DPs, IAs and RAs in FY 2026-27; repetitive annual inspections of compliant entities discontinued

  Inspections cut to one-thirdNew facility

  SEBI has adopted an enhanced approach to inspecting market intermediaries from FY 2026-27. Its targeted number of inspections of stock brokers, DPs, IAs and RAs is rationalised to approximately one-third of the previous year. Repetitive annual comprehensive inspections of compliant entities, especially QSBs, are being discontinued, and entities are shortlisted quarterly on risk parameters.

• 7Aug

  FEMA & RBIRBI draft proposes to rewrite banks’ leverage ratio chapter on the Basel 2017 standard from 1 April 2027; text puts the minimum at 4% for D-SIBs and 3.5% for other banks

  Leverage ratio: draft rewriteComments invited

  RBI released a draft on 7 August 2026 to amend Chapter VII (Leverage Ratio framework) of its capital adequacy Directions for commercial banks, to align with the Basel Committee’s ‘Leverage Ratio 2017 Standard’. The draft sets out how the exposure measure is to be built from on-balance sheet, derivative, SFT and off-balance sheet exposures, and proposes 1 April 2027 as the date of effect. Comments were invited till 28 August 2026; the window has closed.

• 7Aug

  CustomsTelevision sets: compliance with IS 18112:2022 under the Compulsory Registration Order deferred to 26 January 2027 — CBIC Instruction 14/2026-Customs

  Now 26 January 2027Extended

  CBIC has told Customs officers that MeitY, by Notification S.O. 4182(E), has extended the date for compliance with IS 18112:2022 for television sets under the Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021. The requirement, due from 26 July 2026, now applies from 26 January 2027.

• 6Aug

  FEMA & RBIRBI issues final Directions on loan recovery and recovery agents; in force from 1 January 2027

  1 January 2027Rule change

  The Amendment Directions cover fair treatment of borrowers, conduct of employees and recovery agents, and technology-based recovery on financed mobile devices — for banks, NBFCs and HFCs.