No longer current — replaced by Master Direction - Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Paper and Non-Convertible Debentures of original or initi
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2004-05/243 · issued 26 Oct 2004 · ~1 min read
Quick answerRBI reduced the minimum maturity of commercial paper from 15 to 7 days, effective October 26, 2004. This gives issuers more flexibility for short-term funding and offers investors access to quality short-term instruments.
What changed
The minimum maturity period for commercial paper was reduced from 15 days to 7 days, effective immediately. Additionally, issuing and paying agents are now required to report CP issuances on the NDS platform by end of day, with the start date to be finalized later.
What it means for you
Banks and lenders can now issue CP for as short as 7 days, enabling finer tuning of short-term liquidity management. Investors get a new avenue for deploying surplus funds in high-quality paper with very short tenors. The move aims to deepen the CP market and improve transparency through NDS reporting.
Historical instruction — do not use for current compliance. This is what was required at the time; it no longer reflects current RBI requirements. If no replacement rule is linked above, that only means none is recorded on our register yet — it does not prove no later applicable rule exists. Confirm on the official RBI source below.
What banks were required to do at the time
Update your CP issuance policies to reflect the new 7-day minimum maturity.
Ensure your IPA team is ready to report CP issuances on NDS by end of day once the start date is announced.
Review your short-term funding strategy to leverage the shorter CP tenors for liquidity management.
Communicate the change to your treasury and risk management teams for operational alignment.
Who it affects
Scheduled banks issuing or investing in CP, Primary dealers, All-India financial institutions, Issuing and paying agents (IPAs)
❓ Common questions
Regulatory timeline
Stated effective dateeffective October 26, 2004
Decoded by BankPulse2026-06-19 21:45 IST
Superseded by — Master Direction - Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Paper and Non-Convertible Debentures of original or initi
Status change: superseded08 Jul 2026, 13:14 IST
Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).
What is the new minimum maturity for CP?
The minimum maturity has been reduced from 15 days to 7 days, effective October 26, 2004.
Do I need to report CP issuances differently now?
Yes, IPAs must report CP issuances on the NDS platform by end of day. The exact start date for this reporting will be announced later.
Does the maximum maturity of one year change?
No, the maximum maturity remains up to one year from the date of issue, as long as it does not exceed the validity of the issuer's credit rating.
📜 This document’s life story (1 recorded event, each backed by RBI’s own words)
Superseded byMaster Direction - Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Paper and Non-Convertible D
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2004-05/243
Ref.No. MPD. 258/07.01.279/2004-05
October 26, 2004
Kartika 4, 1926 (S)
The Chairmen/Chief Executives of
All Scheduled Banks, Primary Dealers
and All-India Financial Institutions
Dear Sirs,
Guidelines for Issue of Commercial Paper
Please refer to paragraph 100 of the Mid-term Review of Annual
Policy Statement for the Year 2004-05 dated October 26, 2004 (copy of the paragraph
enclosed), indicating certain modifications to earlier guidelines relating to
maturity period and reporting of the issuance of commercial paper (CP). The
relevant guidelines are modified as under.
2. In terms of para 5 of the Master Circular No. MPD
251/07.01.279/2004-05 dated July 1, 2004, "CP can be issued for maturities
between a minimum of 15 days and a maximum up to one year from the date of issue".
On review, it has been decided to reduce the minimum maturity period of CP from
15 days to 7 days with immediate effect. This would give an option to issuers
to raise short-term resources through CP as also to investors an avenue to invest
in quality short-term papers.
3. A copy of the Notification MPD. No. 257/07.01.279/2004-05
dated October 26, 2004 , amending the earlier issued notifications, is enclosed.
Yours faithfully,
(Deepak Mohanty)
Adviser-in-Charge
Mid-term Review of the Annual
Policy Statement for the Year 2004-05
Commercial Paper
100. With a view to developing
the commercial paper (CP) market further, a status paper was placed on RBI website
which was discussed with market participants as well as in the Technical Advisory
Committee on money, foreign exchange and government securities markets (TAC).
Taking into account the suggestions and market response, the following measures
are proposed:
In order to provide an option to issuers to
raise short-term resources through CP as also an avenue to investors to invest
in quality short-term papers, the minimum maturity period of CP is reduced
from 15 days to 7 days with immediate effect.
In order to provide transparency and also facilitate
benchmarking of CP issues, issuing and paying agents (IPAs) would report issuance
of CP on the negotiated dealing system (NDS) platform by the end of the day.
The date of commencement of reporting would be finalised in consultation with
market participants.
With a view to moving towards settlement on
T+1 basis, a Group comprising market participants would be constituted to
suggest rationalisation and standardisation in respect of processing, settlement
and documentation of CP issuance.
Monetary Policy Department
Central Office
Mumbai – 400 001
Notification MPD. No. 257/07.01.279/2004-05
Dated October 26, 2004
In exercise of the powers conferred
by Sections 45J, 45K and 45L of Reserve Bank of India Act 1934 (2 of 1934) and
all the powers enabling it in this behalf, the Reserve Bank of India being satisfied
that it is necessary in the public interest to do so, hereby directs that the
"Guidelines for Issue of Commercial Paper (CP)" issued vide Master
Circular No. MPD.251/07.01.279/2004-05
dated July 1, 2004 shall be further amended in the following manner with
effect from October 26, 2004.
Paragraph 5 may be substituted by the following
paragraph
Maturity
CP can be issued for maturities
between a minimum of 7 days and a maximum up to one year from the date of issue.
The maturity date of the CP should not go beyond the date up to which the credit
rating of the issuer is valid.
(Rakesh Mohan)
Deputy Governor
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2004-05/243 · issued 26 Oct 2004. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
Discuss this circular with fellow bankers — reply, upvote what helps, report what doesn’t belong. Be professional; no client data. Views are the commenter’s own, not BankPulse’s.
BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 05 Aug 2026 · status cross-checked against RBI’s official withdrawal register (refreshed weekly). Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=1990&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
Help us keep this accurate
Found an inaccuracy or have an improvement? Tell us. Every report is reviewed by our team before any change is made — nothing goes live unverified.
Public beta — plain-English informational summaries. Always verify against the official RBI source (circular number cited on every page) before making compliance, credit, treasury, audit, or operational decisions. · Join our WhatsApp channel ↗
BANKPULSE · FREE DAILY BRIEF
Get RBI updates for your role
Every important RBI update, decoded in plain English — for your career, exams & financial awareness.
We collect only your email, name and role, used solely to send your brief — never sold or shared. Withdraw anytime via the unsubscribe link in any email. Independent platform, not affiliated with the RBI. Information, not legal advice.
REPORT AN ERROR · BETA
Spotted an error? Earn 500 BankPulse Credits
Help us stay accurate. If your correction is verified true and approved by our founder, you earn 500 BankPulse Credits — redeemable when the platform monetises.
Reviewed by a human before any credit is awarded. We never change the site from crowd input without verification.
WANT A NEW FEATURE · BETA
What would make BankPulse more useful for you?
Tell us what to build next — a tool, a data view, a role page, anything. We read every suggestion.
Thank you — your ideas directly shape what we build.