Briefing Room

Effective August 01, 2026, open market buyback through stock exchanges of up to 15% of a company’s paid-up capital and free reserves has been reintroduced. The framework now requires (i) completion within 66 working days; (ii) freezing of promoter and associate holdings at ISIN level; and (iii) appointment of a merchant banker on an optional basis.

SEBI’s Green-Channel: AIF Rollout Upon Document Acknowledgement (GARUDA) framework, now permits (i) launch of Regular Schemes post 10 working days instead of 30 days; and (ii) launch of accredited investor-only funds and angel funds immediately upon registration without appointing merchant banker.

Ministry of Finance has amended FEMA (Non-Debt Instruments) Rules, 2019 to permit up to 100% FDI in inventory-based e-commerce entities engaged exclusively in exporting goods manufactured in India, extending liberalisation to business-to-consumer exports.

RBI rejected Tata Sons Private Limited’s application for voluntary surrender of its certificate of registration as a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC). As an Upper Layer NBFC under RBI’s scale based regulations, Tata Sons may be required to list in line with RBI’s NBFC governance norms.

Central Government established the Mediation Council of India on August 27, 2026 under the Mediation Act, 2023 to regulate mediation practice, prescribe mediator registration standards, recognise institutions, and promote India as a centre for domestic and international mediation.

Effective January 01, 2027, RBI has introduced requirements for NBFCs to adopt formal loan recovery policies, including security interest enforcement procedures. NBFCs may engage only recovery agents certified by the Indian Institute of Banking and Finance.

Central Government has notified statutory bonus eligibility for all employees earning up to INR 21,000 per month. For persons earning more than INR 7,000 per month, bonus will be calculated on the basis of INR 7,000 or minimum wage, whichever is higher. These changes will be applicable retrospectively from November 21, 2025.

The Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Act, 2026 grants targeted tax concessions, including for dividends from business trusts (REITs and InvITs), income of foreign companies providing services through Indian-owned and operated data centres, and certain foreign companies engaged in diamond and electronics manufacturing.

The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026 restricts State Governments from imposing taxes on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands except as permitted by the Central Government, enhancing certainty and uniformity in taxation of minerals.

In ANI Media Private Limited v. OpenAI OpCo LLC, the Delhi High Court declined to restrain OpenAI from using ANI’s copyrighted content to train ChatGPT, holding prima facie that storage of copyrighted works for AI training may fall within the Copyright Act’s “private or personal use” exception. ANI has filed an appeal.

The Supreme Court of India upheld SEBI’s penalties on Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company for extending maturity of a close-ended fixed maturity plan, holding that compliance with Mutual Funds Regulations, 1996 is mandatory and cannot be waived on grounds of commercial prudence, investor benefit, or no financial loss.

RBI has proposed the Foreign Investment Rules, 2026 to replace the existing inbound foreign investment regime, broadening permissible investment structures, and revising key concepts including equity instruments, FDI, foreign portfolio investment, and foreign-controlled entities.

RBI has proposed prohibiting NBFCs from offering revolving or fund-based credit facilities that do not qualify as term loans, signaling a significant shift in retail and consumer credit regulation.

Ministry of Finance has introduced a Merchant Discount Rate of 0.4% on person-to-merchant UPI transactions exceeding INR 2,000, capped at INR 300 per transaction. Person-to-person UPI transactions remain free of charge.

The Bar Council of India has released the draft Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2026 to expand bar councils’ welfare functions, give statutory recognition to law firms, and restrict foreign lawyers and firms from appearing before any court or authority or person (except before arbitral tribunals in international commercial arbitration).

Effective November 2026, provisions of DPDP Act on (i) consent manager registration (ii) breach reporting, and (iii) inquiry and penal action against such breach by the Data Protection Board will take effect.