Online NBFC Registration and License from RBI

Muds Management
7 min readAug 4, 2022

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https://muds.co.in/

NBFC Registration Process Outline

A company that gets involved in financial dealings like secured and unsecured loans, investment vehicles, marketplace lending, financial information services, or any other business objectives as described by section 45-IA of the RBI Act of 1934 and the Companies Act of 2013 is referred to as an NBFC (Non-Banking Financial Company). An NBFC participates in a range of financial operations, although it lacks a full banking license. A corporation must get a Certificate of Registration (COR) from the RBI before beginning lending or investing. The RBI streamlined the NBFC Regulation, making the application procedure simpler.

RBI Registered NBFC Types

The following are examples of personal loans, business loans, auto loans, gold loans, asset financing, hiring-out, hiring-buying, insurance, currency exchange, peer-to-peer lending, hedge funds, and other NBFC services: Loans for individuals, businesses, vehicles, gold, financing for assets, hiring-out purchases of shares, stocks, and bonds, and insurance.

The RBI has established two distinct departments for the effective management and smooth functioning of NBFCs. Two departments that oversee and regulate non-banking institutions are the Department of Non-Banking Regulation and the Department of Non-Banking Supervision. These two departments are both under the control of the CGM (Chief General Manager Level Executive of the RBI).

NBFCs Role and Function in India

The RBI has established the following specific responsibilities for the NBFC:

  1. One illustration is infrastructure development.
  2. Help in the wealth generation process.
  3. The number of employed persons will rise significantly.
  4. To offer individuals who are struggling financially aid.
  5. Supports the growth of the economy.
  6. A large financial contribution to the state.
  7. NBFCs offer long-term auditing and specialized funding.
  8. Promotes the expansion of the financial markets.

NBFC Registration Process Advantages in India

The following are some benefits of the NBFC registration process in India:

  • Saving both time and money.

An NBFC may be established more quickly than a small bank. An NBFC can be established without considerable financial resources, time, or money. All that is needed is the guidance of an excellent NBFC consultant with experience to secure NBFC Registration in India.

  • Repaying loans is easy.

NBFCs operate systematically and offer customized loan packages with reasonable payback terms. Because they may quickly and within the agreed-upon time frame return the loan amount, borrowers will find it to be a handy approach.

  • Regulations for the Payment and Settlements Systems, 2008

The same covers every problem, such as requesting authority to start a payment system, receiving that authorization, payment instructions, payment standards to be upheld in the payment system, timely submission of the necessary paperwork and financial data, and so on.

  • Economic Progress

Businesses and individuals are looking for a simple and trusted source of credit to meet their financial demands. NBFCs offer affordable and safe loan services to an underserved market for demands relating to credit for both personal and business purposes. Consequently, NBFCs have helped the nation’s economy by granting financial freedom to MSMEs, independent professions, and individuals.

What distinguishes an NBFC from a bank?

NBFCs and banks both do financial business. However, there is some distinction between the various:

  1. Regulation: While banks are governed by the Banking Regulation Act of 1949, NBFCs are governed by the Indian Companies Act of 2013.
  2. Demand Deposits: Banks can receive customer deposits, but NBFCs cannot.
  3. Drawing a Cheque: NBFCs cannot independently issue or draw checks, although banks are allowed to do so.
  4. Deposit Insurance Facility: Bankers have access to the deposit insurance programme, while NBFC depositors do not.

Types of NBFC

The following categories are used to categorize NBFCs (types of NBFC):

  • Investment Credit Company (ICC): The ICC is a single license accepted in India for all forms of money. Before February 2019, there were three distinct licenses available: Loan Company, Asset Finance Company, and Investment Company. The license holder can now partake in a variety of wholesale, retail loans and investment operations after combining into a single license known as ICC. A 120-day wait time is anticipated for the NBFC ICC License.
  • Microfinance Institutions (MFIs): Homes with annual incomes under $120,000 in rural regions and under $160,000 in urban and semi-urban areas are eligible for loans from NBFC-MFIs. The aforementioned eligible assets must make up around 85% of the financial assets of MFIs. The minimum net owned funds by MFIs cannot exceed INR 5 crores. The process of obtaining the NBFC CIC License might take 200 days.
  • NBFC-Factors: Factoring should not make up less than 50% of total revenue because it is the main business, accounting for at least 50% of all assets.
  • Peer to Peer Lending (NBFC) (P2P): P2P lending intermediaries offer an online platform with highly secure credit and risk assessment, artificial intelligence-based platforms that automatically publish the loan requirement along with the borrower’s profile and risk rating on the platform, and fintech-driven platforms that automatically assess the applicant’s risk and determine the applicant’s credit risk. Through the peer-to-peer lending sector, borrowers may get loans from others willing to lend their money at an agreed-upon interest rate. Up to 180 working days may pass before the RBI grants in-principle approval for a P2P Lending License. The applicant is required to finish the Mandatory CISA Audit after receiving In-Principal Approval.
  • Account Aggregators for NBFCs: The newest NBFC category is this one. NBFC Account Aggregators act as “consent brokers,” i.e., they facilitate data transfer between financial institutions with the user’s agreement. They facilitate data exchange across multiple financial sector organizations. The work of account aggregators includes gathering financial information from several accounts on a single platform, including bank accounts, investment accounts, corporate accounts, consumer accounts, and other relevant financial accounts. Additionally, NBFC-AA needs two crores in net-owned funds.
  • Infrastructure Finance Company (IFC): At least 75% of an infrastructure finance business’s assets are allocated to infrastructure loans. The NBFC License application process might take up to 240 days. Additionally, it must target a minimum credit rating of “A” or similar with a CRAR of 15% and maintain a minimum Net Owned Funds of $300 million.
  • Core Investments Companies (CIC): These NBFCs must adhere to the following standards since they buy shares and securities:
  • 90 per cent of its assets are held in group companies as stock, preferred shares, debt, or loans;
  • Not carrying out any financial activity save what is specified in paragraph (a);
  • It might take up to 180 days to get the NBFC License from RBI.

What are the RBI Pre-Requisites for Obtaining an NBFC License

If all of the following requirements are satisfied after applying NBFC registration process, RBI will assess the file and issue an NBFC license:

  1. An NBFCs capacity to pay back its loans to investors as well as the business plan of the organization must benefit society as a whole.
  2. NBFC operations must not jeopardize the interests of the general public.
  3. Ability to Inject Enough Capital
  4. The Potential for Earnings of the Proposed Business
  5. It is necessary to conduct operations to benefit the entire population.
  6. The Board must make decisions that are best for the general public or depositors.
  7. The issuance of an NBFC license will advance the economy of the nation.
  8. The prospective NBFC needs to follow RBI guidelines.

Penalties Rules — If RBI Registered NBFC Regulations are not followed.

The following are the Penal Provisions in Case of Non-Compliance with RBI Regulations:

  • 1 to 5 years in jail and a fine of Rs. 1 to 5 lakhs are the penalties for operating an NBFC company without registration of NBFC from the RBI.
  • Noncompliance with RBI guidelines will land you three years in prison.
  • Refusal to offer supporting evidence or answer inquiries. A punishment of up to Rs. 100 per day after the first infraction if noncompliance persists, with a maximum fine of Rs. 2000 for each offence.

The NBFC market in India is sizable. Let’s learn more.

A rapidly expanding sector of the economy is the nonbank financial sector (NBFC). Non-banking financial firms (NBFCs) are being incorporated at an unprecedented rate, becoming increasingly important to the development of the financial system. The availability of specialized loan products, customer-friendly lending rules, quicker loan processing, cutting-edge technology, and digital reach are the main causes of this. Even though India has a large number of banks, many regions are still unexplored and lack access to banking services, which has raised the demand for NBFC loans and, as a result, the number of NBFC registrations.

The banking and banking-related services sector has seen tremendous growth for Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs). Although they function similarly to banks, NBFCs do not offer all of the services that banks do. NBFCs can freely lend money to final spenders by directly or indirectly raising funds from the general public. Despite the subpar growth rate, we think the NBFC sector will expand because financial institutions use better technology.

Cases of NBFC license cancellation in NBFCs

RBI may revoke NBFC licenses for the following reasons:

  • Your NBFC license could be cancelled if you lack sufficient financial background.
  • The directors’ and shareholders’ professional backgrounds are inadequate.
  • The business plan is inadequate.
  • Money that was gained illegally.
  • The experts that assist NBFCs lack expertise.
  • The environment in which NBFC activities are conducted is uninspiring.

Necessary Provisions upon the receipt of an RBI NBFC License

The types of NBFC compliances that must be correctly adhered to for further actions after obtaining registration of NBFC, but before beginning, a company are listed below.

For the following, the NBFC must apply:

  • You must register with the four credit rating organizations CIBIL, ICRA, Equifax, and Experian.
  • KYC is in the middle.
  • Signing up with CERSAI.
  • Signing up with FIU-IND.
  • Adoption of the Fair Practice Code has occurred.
  • National Registration for E-Government.
  • Adoption of information technology and anti-money-laundering regulations.
  • Financial Information Submission by Information Utilities.

NBFC Compliance: Annual Guidelines

Following the registrations mentioned above of NBFCs, NBFCs must annually follow the following guidelines:

  • Annual returns must be filed with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
  • The Registrar of Companies must meet two legislative requirements: annual return filing and financial statement filing (ROC).
  • Two types of tax returns that must be filed are income tax returns and GST filings.

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Muds Management

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