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Business News/ News / India/  Slew of reforms in offing for debt schemes: Tyagi
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Slew of reforms in offing for debt schemes: Tyagi

Industry must ensure that the schemes launched are true to label, says Sebi chairman
  • Steps include a so-called backstop facility, minimum investment in liquid assets, says Tyagi
  • Sebi chief Ajay Tyagi. (Photo: Aniruddha Chowdhury/Mint)Premium
    Sebi chief Ajay Tyagi. (Photo: Aniruddha Chowdhury/Mint)

    MUMBAI : The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is working on a slew of reforms to ensure liquidity in debt mutual funds and help them manage redemption pressure. The steps include a so-called backstop facility, minimum investment in liquid assets and additional transaction cost for redemptions in schemes that have illiquid papers, said Sebi chairman Ajay Tyagi.

    The industry has managed the covid-19 crisis well, despite being hit by a couple of rough patches, Tyagi said ahead of the 25th Annual General Meeting of mutual fund industry body, Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi). In March and April, the underlying bond market had become illiquid and only super-rated papers and g-secs were finding buyers. Schemes that took credit risks and invested in lower-rated paper struggled to manage redemption pressures and illiquidity stress.

    Sebi, along with the industry, managed the rough patches through some structural and interim measures. For long-term growth of the industry and protecting investor interest, prudential risk management is the only alternative, Tyagi said.

    The Sebi chairman said the industry should ensure that the schemes launched are true to label. “Improper categorization will only hurt and confuse the investor," he said. This comes in the wake of Sebi coming out with a circular on 11 September mandating multi-cap funds to allocate at least 25% of their portfolios in large-, mid- and small-caps each by February 2021. The order had created apprehension within a section of the industry that it could have a destabilizing effect on the market and lead to a huge amount of money flowing into small- and mid-cap companies in six months.

    “We are not asking mutual funds to invest in these companies but just asking them to be true to label. Amfi has given us a couple of suggestions to help them implement the circular. We are considering them," said Tyagi. Sebi is working to introduce steps such as skin-in-the-game of asset management companies in debt schemes, an additional transaction in schemes that are facing excessive redemptions to ensure liquidity for open-ended debt schemes and develop the corporate bond market beyond super-rated papers. Sebi has referred some of the issues to an expert committee, said Tyagi. In May, Sebi had allowed certain category of debt funds to invest an additional 15% in liquid assets to meet the temporary covid-19-related redemption stress.

    The expert panel under the Mutual Fund Advisory Committee (MFAC) will suggest whether all categories of open-ended debt schemes should invest a minimum percentage of their assets in liquid securities on a continuous basis, Mint had reported on 15 July.

    At present, only liquid funds invest in liquid assets such as g-secs and treasury bills. Other categories of debt funds, such as PSU bond funds, credit risk funds, and income funds, are not mandated to invest in liquid paper. “In the interim, MFAC has suggested a minimum holding in liquid assets. A circular would soon be issued," said Tyagi.

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    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Jayshree P Upadhyay
    Jayshree heads a team of reporters focussing on legal, regulatory, investigative stories. She has worked for over a decade, reporting on financial scams, legal stories and the intersection of corporate and regulatory issues. She is based in Mumbai and has previously worked with Business Standard, Mint, The Morning Context and Bloomberg TV India.
    Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
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    Published: 22 Sep 2020, 01:11 PM IST
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