Skip to main content

RBI releases 'alert list' of 34 entities barred from forex trades

 After receiving repeated enquiries on the authorisation status of certain electronic trading platforms for foreign exchange transactions, the Reserve Bank of India has released a list of entities that are not authorised to undertake such trades. The list, which will be referred to as an ‘alert list’, is not exhaustive and is based on the latest information available to the RBI at the time, the central bank said on Wednesday. The list includes entities that are neither authorised to deal in foreign exchange under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 nor to operate electronic trading platforms for forex transactions. The central bank’s list has a total of 34 entities. Some of the entities listed are Alpari, AnyFX, Ava Trade, Binomo, e Toro, Exness, Expert Option, FBS, FinFxPro and Forex.com. OctaFX, one of the entities which has been listed, is an official sponsor of the Delhi Capitals team in the Indian Premier League cricket tournament, reports said. Websites of some of these platforms show offers for foreign exchange transactions using several cross-currency pairs. Some websites also offer 50 per cent increases in deposits.

 

“An entity not appearing in the alert list should not be assumed to be authorised by the RBI. The authorisation status of any person/ETP can be ascertained from the list of authorised persons and authorised ETPs, which are already made available in the RBI website,” the central bank said. The RBI had in February cautioned the public to refrain from undertaking foreign exchange transactions on unauthorised electronic trading platforms or remit and deposit money for the same. The RBI’s communication had come amid numerous reports of individuals being swindled by fraudulent platforms. The banking regulator reiterated on Wednesday that resident Indians can undertake foreign exchange transactions only with authorised entities and in accordance with the terms of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999. “While permitted forex transactions can be executed electronically, they should be undertaken only on ETPs authorised for the purpose by the RBI or on recognised stock exchanges, namely, National Stock Exchange of India Ltd, BSE Ltd and Metropolitan Stock Exchange of India Ltd,” the RBI said. The central bank warned that individuals undertaking foreign exchange transactions for reasons other than those permitted under the Act or via unauthorised platforms would be liable to face legal action.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Household debt up, but India still lags emerging-market economies: RBI

  Although household debt in India is rising, driven by increased borrowing from the financial sector, it remains lower than in other emerging-market economies (EMEs), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in its Financial Stability Report. It added that non-housing retail loans, largely taken for consumption, accounted for 55 per cent of total household debt.As of December 2024, India’s household debt-to-gross domestic product ratio stood at 41.9 per cent. “...Non-housing retail loans, which are mostly used for consumption purposes, formed 54.9 per cent of total household debt as of March 2025 and 25.7 per cent of disposable income as of March 2024. Moreover, the share of these loans has been growing consistently over the years, and their growth has outpaced that of both housing loans and agriculture and business loans,” the RBI said in its report.Housing loans, by contrast, made up 29 per cent of household debt, and their growth has remained steady. However, disaggregated data sho...

External spillovers likely to hit India's financial system: RBI report

  While India’s growth remains insulated from global headwinds mainly due to buoyant domestic demand, the domestic financial system could, however, be impacted by external spillovers, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in its half yearly Financial Stability Report published on Monday.Furthermore, the rising global trade disputes and intensifying geopolitical hostilities could negatively impact the domestic growth outlook and reduce the demand for bank credit, which has decelerated sharply. “Moreover, it could also lead to increased risk aversion among investors and further corrections in domestic equity markets, which despite the recent correction, remain at the high end of their historical range,” the report said.It noted that there is some build-up of stress, primarily in financial markets, on account of global spillovers, which is reflected in the marginal rise in the financial system stress indicator, an indicator of the stress level in the financial system, compared to its p...

Retail inflation cools to a six-year low of 2.82% in May on moderating food prices

  New Delhi: Retail inflation in India cooled to its lowest level in over six years in May, helped by a sharp moderation in food prices, according to provisional government data released Thursday.Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation eased to 2.82% year-on-year, down from 3.16% in April and 4.8% in May last year, data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) showed. This marks the fourth consecutive month of sub-4% inflation, the longest such streak in at least five years.The data comes just days after the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee cut the repo rate by 50 basis points to 5.5%, its third straight cut and a cumulative reduction of 100 basis points since the easing cycle began in February. The move signals a possible pivot from inflation control to supporting growth.Food inflation came in at just 0.99% in May, down from 1.78% in April and a sharp decline from 8.69% a year ago.A Mint poll of 15 economists had projected CPI ...