Investment in NBFCs from FATF non-compliant jurisdictions
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) periodically identifies jurisdictions with weak measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing (AML/CFT) in its following publications: i) High-Risk Jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action, and ii) Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring. A jurisdiction, whose name does not appear in the two aforementioned lists, shall be referred to as a FATF compliant jurisdiction. Investments in NBFCs from FATF non-compliant jurisdictions shall not be treated at par with that from the compliant jurisdictions.
2. Investors in existing NBFCs holding their investments prior to the classification of the source or intermediate jurisdiction/s as FATF non-compliant, may continue with the investments or bring in additional investments as per extant regulations so as to support continuity of business in India.
3. New investors from or through non-compliant FATF jurisdictions, whether in existing NBFCs or in companies seeking Certification of Registration (COR), should not be allowed to directly or indirectly acquire ‘significant influence’ in the investee, as defined in the applicable accounting standards. In other words, fresh investors (directly or indirectly) from such jurisdictions in aggregate should be less than the threshold of 20 per cent of the voting power (including potential1 voting power) of the NBFC.
4. These instructions are applicable with immediate effect.
