

Mint Explainer: Can Sebi’s GIFT City pivot fix India’s weak appetite for foreign debt?
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) plans to let online bond platform providers (OBPPs) offer products from Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), but early signals suggest platforms may move cautiously.In a consultation paper issued on Tuesday, the markets regulator recommended changes aimed at easing business conditions for OBPPs while widening the range of products they can offer. Mint explains what these changes are and whether OBPPs are likely to tap the opportunity.Sebi has proposed allowing OBPPs to offer products regulated by the International Financial Services Centre Authority (IFSCA), such as overseas debt investments, that aren’t easily accessible to most Indian investors using digital platforms.
The move is expected to widen the current scope of OBPPs, which are largely restricted to listed debt securities, government securities and similar domestic instruments.The proposal also seeks to align OBPP operations with those of stockbrokers, subject to compliance with foreign exchange rules, including overseas investment limits under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS). OBPPs will need to detail how investors can resolve complaints with products regulated by authorities other than Sebi.
In FY25, resident Indians remitted a total of $2.34 billion overseas under the LRS, according to data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).The proposal stems from a request by the IFSCA, which asked Sebi to permit OBPPs to offer debt securities listed overseas through a regulated framework within the International Financial Services Centre.Currently, Sebi-registered stockbrokers can operate in GIFT City by registering as broker-dealers with the IFSCA. However,
. Read on livemint.com