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  Sebi on Friday said it has proposed to tighten the norms to appoint independent third-party reviewers or certifiers for green debt securities to align them with requirements for other ESG-linked bonds.In a draft circular, Sebi said that the current norms for green bonds, introduced in February 2023, lack detailed requirements around reviewer independence, conflict of interest mitigation, and disclosure standards that are now in place for other ESG-linked securities under a June 2025 circular.The regulator's latest proposal seeks public comments on a revised framework that would bring parity by incorporating comprehensive criteria for third-party certifiers of green bonds on non-convertible securities.Under the proposed norms, issuers of green debt securities will need to appoint reviewers who are independent of their management, directors, and key managerial personnel. These reviewers will be remunerated in a way that prevents any conflicts of interest and possess relevant expert...

  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is expected to announce a 25 basis points (bps) repo rate cut in the upcoming Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting scheduled from August 4 to 6, according to a report by the State Bank of India (SBI).The report said a frontloaded rate cut in August could bring an "early Diwali" by boosting credit growth, especially as the festive season in FY26 is also frontloaded. It added that past data show a clear trend, any repo rate cut ahead of Diwali results in higher credit growth during the festive period.It stated, "We expect RBI to continue frontloading with a 25 bps cut in August policy."Citing an example, the report noted that a 25 bps repo rate cut in August 2017 led to an incremental credit growth of Rs 1,956 billion by the end of Diwali, with almost 30 per cent of this in personal loans.It added that Diwali, being one of the biggest festivals in India, sees higher consumer spending, and a low-interest rate environment before Diwa...