GIFT City funds ask government to undo RBI’s foreign asset reporting mandate
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.A body representing alternative investment funds (AIFs) at GIFT International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) asked the government to intervene after the RBI mandated in late March that such funds must be treated as ‘resident Indians’ when reporting foreign assets.In a letter dated 10 April, which Mint has seen, the AIF Chief Financial Officers Association flagged a “critical regulatory overlap” triggered by the RBI's mandate for filing foreign liabilities and assets (FLA) returns, saying it conflicts with the specialized status usually granted to funds in the international zone. GIFT IFSC is a specialized regulatory zone within GIFT City that’s treated as a foreign jurisdiction for financial transactions.The association asked the union government to start a dialogue with the central bank and issue a joint clarification circular exempting IFSCA-registered entities from the FLA return rule.
Dharmesh Trivedi, promoter and director of AIF CFO Association, said, "We are expecting a clarification from the DEA (department of economic affairs) on the matter. The stated view of the IFSCA (International Financial Services Centres Authority) being the sole regulator for GIFT IFSC should be re-established, for all activities in and from GIFT IFSC across the world.”There are a total of 314 alternative investment funds in Gift City spanning categories I, II and III, according to IFSCA.
Their combined assets under management (AUM) and growth figures are not publicly available.On 25 March, the RBI clarified in an FAQ that entities operating in GIFT IFSC must file annual FLA returns if they have received foreign investments or hold overseas assets. The FAQs also said that subsidiaries set up in the
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