Now Reading: Sebi, RBI slash FPI onboarding to five days, work on bond indices
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Sebi, RBI slash FPI onboarding to five days, work on bond indices
The Story in Brief
Sebi and the RBI are collaborating to cut foreign portfolio investor onboarding to five days and to create a framework for exchange-traded bond indices, Sebi chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey said on Wednesday, 30 September. The regulators have tested the five-day turnaround with depositories and custodians, down from a process that could take over a month. Citi became the first designated depository participant to achieve this after launching its eFPI service on 11 September.
Pandey said the RBI has prepared draft guidelines on bond indices and that Sebi is pursuing the matter with the central bank. The regulator has also moved to digital signatures, e-Power of Attorney and a common application portal to reduce paperwork. On exchange self-listing rumours, Pandey said no committee has been formed to examine the issue. The PMS industry's assets under management reached about Rs 9.2 lakh crore by August 2026, from Rs 1.4 lakh crore at the end of FY16.
Update, 1 October 2026: Business Today on 1 October adds that Pandey clarified no committee has been formed to examine exchange self-listing rules. It also confirms the same FPI onboarding and bond index details reported by other outlets on 30 September.
Indian Opinion Analysis
All five sources report the same core announcements from Pandey's 30 September speech, with uniform neutral reporting across the board. Livemint leads with inter-regulatory coordination and bond liquidity, while the Economic Times foregrounds Pandey's statement that regulators cannot force capital flows. Business Today (30 September) and The Hindu Business Line both give equal weight to FPI onboarding, bond indices and the digital push. Business Today (1 October) adds Pandey's denial on self-listing. No source overstates or omits a major point, the coverage is straight wire-style reporting throughout. The key concrete step is the RBI's draft guidelines on bond indices, which Sebi is pursuing for finalisation.
Coverage: 5 sources, 5 neutral
Sources (5): livemint.com (neutral report), economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report), businesstoday.in (neutral report), thehindubusinessline.com (neutral report), businesstoday.in (2) (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 5 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
