Search: CRO

August 2026

• 30Aug

  LicencesLegal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026 notified: IST to be the common time reference; Rules take effect 180 days after Gazette publication

  IST Rules: 180 days to alignRule change

  The Department of Consumer Affairs notified the Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026 on 27 August 2026. The Rules provide for Indian Standard Time as the common time reference across the country for legal, administrative, commercial and other official purposes, and come into force 180 days from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.

• 21Aug

  Startup & MSME₹62,500 crore Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme notified for FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31: incentives of 2.25%–5% for manufacturers, 5% plus 3% for Indian brands

  MPMS: ₹62,500 crore, 5 yearsNew facility

  The Ministry of Electronics and IT has notified the Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme with an outlay of ₹62,500 crore for FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31. Target Segment 1 gives manufacturers an incentive of 2.25% to 5%; Target Segment 2 gives Indian brands 5% plus 3% for Indian design and R&D. Up to 1.5% more is available for domestic sourcing of key components.

• 21Aug

  FEMA & RBI29 FDI investments worth ₹4,895.65 crore reported under the revised land-border-country rule

  ₹4,895.65 croreRelief

  Since Press Note 2 of 2026, investors with non-controlling land-bordering-country ownership of up to 10% can use the automatic route after reporting to the Government.

• 21Aug

  GSTDGGI finds 27 undeclared pouch-packing machines in UP pan masala unit; evasion of about ₹185 crore

  ₹185 crore

  Searches at six premises in Chitrakoot and Banda led to seizure of 15.5 lakh pouches. Since the capacity-based levy began on 1 February 2026, DGGI has booked 27 cases with evasion of ₹668 crore.

• 20Aug

  SEBI87.7% of individual traders in equity derivatives lost money in FY26; net losses about ₹91,685 crore: SEBI studies

  87.7% of F&O traders lost money

  Two SEBI studies on individual traders in the equity derivatives segment show active traders fell about 20% to 78.6 lakh in FY26, while 87.7% of them still incurred losses. Aggregate net losses were about ₹91,685 crore and the average loss per trader about ₹1.17 lakh. Around 92% of the losses arose from options trading.

• 16Aug

  CustomsDRI uncovers misuse of SAFTA in areca nut imports; duty loss put above ₹2,500 crore

  ₹2,500 crore

  South-East Asian areca nuts were declared as Bangladesh origin to claim full duty exemption under SAFTA. Nine persons are arrested and a Customs Broker’s licence is suspended.

• 15Aug

  Income TaxForeign assets disclosure scheme: CBDT FAQs explain who can declare, the 30% tax plus equal amount, the ₹1 lakh fee and payment through Challan ITNS 289

  30% tax + equal amountClarified

  CBDT’s FAQs on the Foreign Assets of Small Taxpayers Disclosure Scheme, 2026 explain that even a person who is now non-resident can declare, that undisclosed foreign assets and income up to ₹1 crore cost 30% tax plus an equal amount, and that foreign assets up to ₹5 crore already taxed but not reported cost a flat ₹1 lakh. Payment is through Challan No. ITNS 289.

• 13Aug

  Startup & MSMEMSMED (Amendment) Act, 2026: 90-day mediation and award timelines, 75% pre-deposit to challenge awards, CPSEs to settle MSME invoices on TReDS — commencement yet to be notified

  MSMED Act amended: No. 16 of 2026Action needed

  The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Act, 2026 (No. 16 of 2026) received the President’s assent on 13 August 2026. It sets time limits for delayed-payment disputes, lets awards be recovered as arrears of land revenue, requires Central PSEs to settle MSME invoices through TReDS and replaces penal provisions with graded penalties. It comes into force on dates the Central Government notifies.

• 13Aug

  SEBIAnchor investors sold only 3.2% of their allotment right after the 30-day lock-in and about half within a year: SEBI study of 242 mainboard IPOs

  242 IPOs: 3.2% exit at T+30

  A study by officers of SEBI’s Department of Economic and Policy Analysis covers anchor investor exits in 242 mainboard IPOs listed between April 2022 and October 2025. On a weighted basis anchors sold 3.2% immediately after the first unlock, around 8% by day 60 and about 17.3% past the 90-day unlock. Exits were much higher in issues up to ₹250 crore, and FPIs sold more than mutual funds.

• 11Aug

  SEBIMunicipal bonds: SEBI sets face value at ₹1 lakh or ₹10,000 for private placements, adds a two-step escrow for pooled finance vehicles and gives more time for financial results

  Face value ₹1 lakh or ₹10,000Relief

  Following the July 2026 amendment to the municipal debt securities regulations, SEBI has specified operational norms by a circular of 11 August 2026. Privately placed municipal debt securities are to have a face value of ₹1 lakh or ₹10,000; pooled finance vehicles get a two-step escrow mechanism and a list of credit enhancement options; municipalities get 60 days for half-yearly and 90 days for annual results.

• 7Aug

  FEMA & RBIRBI draft CVA framework: banks to compute Credit Valuation Adjustment capital charge under Basel III basic approach from 1 April 2027, with a simpler option for smaller derivative books

  CVA capital charge: draftComments invited

  RBI released draft Directions on 7 August 2026 to replace its 2011 Credit Valuation Adjustment (CVA) framework with the basic approach (BA-CVA) of the final Basel III framework. Banks could choose the full or reduced version; a bank with non-centrally cleared derivatives of up to ₹10 lakh crore notional could instead set its CVA charge at 100% of its counterparty credit risk charge. Proposed date of effect is 1 April 2027; comments closed on 28 August 2026.

• 6Aug

  FEMA & RBIRBI draft for State and Central Co-operative Banks: exposure capped at 20% of Tier-I capital per borrower and 25% per group, new housing loan ceilings proposed from 1 April 2027

  20% single, 25% group capComments invited

  RBI issued two draft Directions on 6 August 2026 for Rural Co-operative Banks (State and Central Co-operative Banks). They propose exposure limits of 20% of Tier-I capital for a single counterparty and 25% for a group, a 15% cap each on real estate exposure and unsecured advances, and housing loan ceilings of ₹60 lakh to ₹3 crore by deposit size — all from 1 April 2027. Comments were due by 28 August 2026; the window has closed.

• 5Aug

  FEMA & RBIRBI proposes to resume licensing of Urban Co-operative Banks ‘on tap’: draft asks for ₹10,000 crore deposits and ₹300 crore net worth from credit societies

  UCB licences: draft rulesComments invited

  RBI published draft guidelines on 5 August 2026 for licensing Urban Co-operative Banks on an ‘on tap’ basis. As proposed, only credit co-operative societies that are at least 10 years old, registered under the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002, with deposits of at least ₹10,000 crore and net worth of at least ₹300 crore could apply. Comments were invited till 5 September 2026; that window has closed.

• 5Aug

  Foreign TradeInventory-based cross-border e-commerce framework made operational; ANF-9A notified for registration of Exporters-on-Record: DGFT Public Notice 25/2026-27

  ANF-9A for Exporter-on-RecordNew facility

  DGFT has inserted paras 9.03 to 9.07 in Chapter 9 of the Handbook of Procedures to operationalise the Inventory-based Cross-border E-Commerce Facilitation Framework, and notified ANF-9A for registration as Exporter-on-Record. The procedures cover inventory records, seller visibility, returns, a yearly compliance certificate and dispute resolution, with immediate effect.

• 5Aug

  Foreign TradeE-commerce exports get an inventory model: DGFT notifies the Exporter-on-Record framework; sellers to be paid within 7 days

  Paid within 7 daysNew facility

  Notification 27/2026-27 adds an Inventory-based Cross-border E-Commerce Facilitation Framework to the Foreign Trade Policy 2023. A registered Exporter-on-Record buys Indian-origin goods from sellers against confirmed export orders, holds them only for export, and passes on the export benefits.

• 3Aug

  FEMA & RBIIFSCA modifies AML, CFT and KYC Guidelines: all FIU reports only on FINgate 2.0, cross-border wire transfer reports named, NRI onboarding list of countries revised

  FIU reports only on FINgate 2.0Rule change

  IFSCA has modified its AML, CFT and KYC Guidelines, 2022. Regulated entities must file all reports online only at FIU-India’s FINgate 2.0 portal; rule 8 of the PML rules is added to clause 10.3; Cross Border Wire Transfer Reports are written into the guidance note; and the list of countries from which an NRI customer’s IP address may emanate is substituted with nine jurisdictions.