GIFT City Updates (April 2025)

Every Non-Banking Finance Company ("NBFC") is required to have a Net Owned Fund ("NOF") as prescribed by the Reserve Bank of India ("RBI") from time to time to commence the business of a Non-Banking...

In August 2026, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the draft Reserve Bank of India (Interest Rates on Loans and Advances) Directions, 2026, proposing a comprehensive framework for the way regulated entities determine and apply interest rates on loans. While the Indian banking sector has long operated under a patchwork of institution specific instructions, the draft Directions seek to bring much-needed consistency to interest rate regulation across banks, cooperative banks, regional rural banks (RRBs), all-India financial institutions and NBFCs. If finalised in their present form, the Directions will come into effect from 1 April 2027.

In the world of finance, the term insider trading often evokes images of shady deals and hidden agendas. But what exactly is insider trading? Why is it illegal, and how do laws in India seek to prevent it? Let's dive into this intriguing subject, simplifying the complexities surrounding insider trading laws in India, while exploring the impact of these laws on the financial markets and their role in maintaining fairness.

When a fixed deposit (FD) holder dies without naming a nominee, families often assume the money is stuck or lost in legal complexity. Indian banking rules allow legal heirs to claim such deposits, provided they submit the right documents and follow the due process. Understanding this distinction is crucial, especially as a large number of deposits remain unclaimed each year due to a lack of awareness.

The Reserve Bank of India has introduced sweeping reforms to cross-border trade regulations through the Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026, fundamentally reshaping payment timelines, reporting requirements, and compliance frameworks for businesses engaged in international transactions.

The Reserve Bank of India has introduced a new classification system for Non-Banking Financial Companies, fundamentally changing registration requirements based on public funding access, customer interface, and asset size thresholds. These regulatory changes create distinct compliance pathways for different NBFC categories while introducing new rules for group entities and overseas investments.

In Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited v Trupti Sanjay Mehta and Others, 2026 INSC 943 (Kotak Mahindra), the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India considered whether a bank as defined under Section 2(1)(c) of the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 (SARFAESI Act) could invoke the provisions of the SARFAESI Act to recover a secured debt acquired from an entity which was not covered under the ambit of the SARFAESI Act at the time of disbursement of the loan.

The Maharashtra Stamp (Fourth Amendment) Act, 2026 introduces a new dedicated stamp duty framework for financial and bank guarantees in Schedule I of the Maharashtra Stamp Act, 1958. This amendment establishes differentiated duty rates based on guarantee value and type, addressing long-standing ambiguities in how such instruments were previously taxed under generic security bond provisions. The reform has significant implications for banks, NBFCs, and entities dealing with government contracts, though quest

Starting a business involves several important steps after incorporation, and one of the first operational requirements is to Open Company Bank Account in India. A dedicated business bank account allows a company...

The Debts Recovery Tribunal, also known as DRT, follows certain rules which relate to the time limits mentioned in the Recovery of Debts and Bankruptcy Act, 1993 (RDB Act or the Act). These limits are not merely procedural requirements and instead are factors which influence the right of the borrower or guarantor depending on the stage of recovery proceedings in question.

Chanakya, the ancient Indian strategist and author of the Arthashastra, taught that an opponent is overcome through four means: sama (persuasion), dana (inducement), bheda (division) and danda (force). The contest for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is a modern illustration of all four. Netflix made the first offer and signed a merger agreement with WBD, yet Paramount played each of its cards with care.

AI regulation does not always arrive in the form of a dedicated AI statute. More often, it enters through privacy law. On April 7, 2026, the Japanese Cabinet approved a bill to amend Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information (“APPI”). The Diet passed the amendment on July 10, 2026, and it was promulgated on July 17, 2026 as Act No. 56 of 2026; the amendment is now enacted but not yet in force, with its main provisions taking effect on a date to be fixed by Cabinet order no later than mid-2028.

The Hon’ble Supreme Court, in Parvinder Singh v. Directorate of Enforcement, 2026 SCC OnLine SC 903, has delivered an important judgment concerning the applicability of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (“BNSS”) to proceedings initiated by the Directorate of Enforcement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (“PMLA”).

The Delhi High Court's landmark ruling in Telegram FZ LLC v. Union of India addresses whether Section 69A of the IT Act permits the government to block an entire platform rather than specific content. Following the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak scandal, where fraudulent channels circulated fake exam papers affecting millions of aspirants, the court upheld the Centre's power to impose a platform-wide ban on Telegram, sparking intense debate about the boundaries between examination integrity and digital censorship.

With the rapid expansion of healthcare services and the adoption of advanced medical practices, the volume of biomedical waste being generated has seen a significant rise.

Structuring an acquisition carries real consequences for control, liability, tax treatment, and continuity of a target’s contracts and licenses. The reverse triangular merger (“RTM”), or reverse subsidiary merger, is among the most widely used structures in USA M&A practice for the way it treats the target after closing.

As the world evolves, every economy is now making progress towards becoming a technology-driven economy and there is an ongoing debate to bring specific changes to the competition law for a technology-driven economy. The prevailing view, however, is that the existing Competition Act, 2002 (Competition Act) already reaches several technology-based claims, and major jurisdictions have stretched their competition statutes to cover platform conduct rather than wait for bespoke digital-market legislation.

On 20 May 2025, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) issued revised Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), providing essential clarifications to the updated merger control framework...

The Supreme Court examined the validity of Haryana Government's 2014 notifications that sought to regularize ad hoc employees, addressing the critical question of whether regularization without public advertisement violates principles of fair employment. The judgment distinguishes between employees appointed against sanctioned posts with proper qualifications versus those regularized arbitrarily based on length of service alone.

On 8 May 2025 the Reserve Bank of India issued the Reserve Bank of India (Digital Lending) Directions, 2025, a single rule-book that repeals and folds into itself every...