Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2005-06/66 · issued 18 Jul 2005 · ~1 min read
Quick answerRBI notifies a USD 2 million Exim Bank line of credit to TIDCORP Philippines for financing eligible Indian exports. LCs must be opened by Dec 10, 2006, and disbursements by June 10, 2007. Authorised dealers must inform exporters.
The rule, in the simplest words
Exim Bank (India's export bank) gave a $2 million loan to TIDCORP (a bank in the Philippines) so Indian companies can sell goods there.
Letters of credit (promises to pay) must be opened by December 10, 2006, and the money must be used by June 10, 2007.
No commission (extra fee) is normally allowed, but up to 5% can be paid for after-sales service, only if RBI (India's central bank) says yes first, and it's taken out of the invoice in the Philippines.
Banks that handle foreign exchange must tell their exporter customers about this loan.
How it plays out — a real example
A forex & trade-finance officer in Indore learns about this $2 million line of credit for the Philippines. She calls her exporter client, Mr. Sharma, who sells machinery, and says, 'You can now sell to buyers in the Philippines using this loan. But remember, any letter of credit must be opened by December 10, 2006, and the shipment money must be used by June 10, 2007. Also, if you want to pay a commission for after-sales service, you need RBI approval first, and it can only be up to 5% of the invoice value, paid in the Philippines.'
What changed
Exim Bank signed a line of credit agreement with TIDCORP (Philippines) on March 7, 2003, amended on Feb 28, 2005, effective June 10, 2005, for USD 2 million. The credit covers capital goods, machinery, consumer durables, and other eligible exports under India's Foreign Trade Policy.
What it means for you
Banks can facilitate export financing under this LOC, with clear deadlines for LC issuance and disbursement. Commission rules are restrictive: no agency commission ordinarily, but up to 5% may be allowed for after-sales service, paid only in Philippines by invoice deduction, with prior RBI approval needed.
What you must do
Inform exporter customers about this USD 2 million LOC to Philippines.
Ensure LCs are opened by Dec 10, 2006, and disbursements by June 10, 2007.
Advise exporters to declare shipments on GR/SDF forms as per extant instructions.
Handle commission requests carefully: only up to 5% for after-sales service, with prior RBI approval and deduction from invoice.
Who it affects
Authorised dealer banks handling export transactions, Indian exporters to Philippines, Exim Bank
❓ Common questions
Regulatory timeline
Stated effective dateeffective June 10, 2005
Decoded by BankPulse2026-06-19 20:24 IST
Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).
What is the total amount of this line of credit?
The line of credit is for an aggregate sum of USD 2 million (US Dollar Two Million only).
What are the key deadlines for this credit?
Letters of credit must be opened by December 10, 2006, and disbursements must be completed by June 10, 2007.
Can exporters pay commission under this LOC?
No agency commission is ordinarily payable. However, for goods requiring after-sales service, commission up to 5% of f.o.b./c&f/c.i.f. value may be allowed with prior RBI approval, paid only in Philippines by invoice deduction.
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2005-06/66
A.P.(DIR Series) Circular No. 02
July 18, 2005
To
All Banks Authorised to Deal in Foreign Exchange
Madam/Sir,
Exim Bank's Line of Credit of USD 2 Million
to Trade and Investment Development Corporation of the Philippines - TIDCORP
(also known as Philippine Export-Import Credit Agency – PhilEXIM)
The Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank)
has concluded an agreement with the Trade and Investment Development Corporation
of the Philippines (TIDCORP) on March 7, 2003 and an Amendatory Credit Line
Agreement dated February 28, 2005 making available to the latter a Line of Credit
(LOC) upto an aggregate sum of USD 2 Million (US Dollar Two Million only). The
credit agreement has become effective on June 10, 2005. The credit is available
for financing capital goods, plant and machinery, consumer durables and any
other items eligible for being exported from India to buyers in Philippines
under the Foreign Trade Policy of the Government of India.
2. The last dates for opening letters of
credit and disbursement of credit are December 10, 2006 and June 10, 2007, respectively.
3. Shipments under the credit will have
to be declared on GR / SDF Forms as per instructions issued from time to time.
4. No agency commission is ordinarily payable
under the above line of credit. However, if necessary, the exporter can use
his own resources for payment of commission in free foreign exchange. Further,
Reserve Bank may, consider, on merit, requests for payment of commission upto
a maximum extent of 5 per cent of the f.o.b. / c & f / c.i.f. value in respect
of goods exported which require after sales service. In such cases, commission
will have to be paid in Philippines only by deduction from the invoice of relevant
shipment and the reimbursable amount by the Exim Bank to the negotiating bank
will be 90 per cent of the f.o.b./ c & f/ c.i.f.
value minus commission paid. Approval for such
payment of commission should be obtained before the relevant shipment is effected.
5. Authorised Dealer Banks may bring the
contents of this circular to the notice of their exporter constituents. Full
details of the Line of Credit are available from the Exim Bank's office or its
website.
6. The direction contained in this circular
has been issued under sections 10(4) and 11(1) of the Foreign Exchange Management
Act (FEMA), 1999 (42 of 1999) and is without prejudice to permissions / approvals,
if any, required under any other law.
Yours faithfully,
Vinay Baijal
Chief General Manager
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2005-06/66 · issued 18 Jul 2005. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
Example: if you are a Compliance officer at a bank this circular applies to (Authorised dealer banks handling export transactions, Indian exporters to Philippines, Exim Bank), your first concrete step on “Exim Bank USD 2 Mn Line of Credit for Philippines” is: “Inform exporter customers about this USD 2 million LOC to Philippines.” (RBI issued this 18 Jul 2005).
Circular: RBI/2005-06/66 -- Exim Bank USD 2 Mn Line of Credit for Philippines
Issued: 18 Jul 2005
Action required: Inform exporter customers about this USD 2 million LOC to Philippines.
Action required: Ensure LCs are opened by Dec 10, 2006, and disbursements by June 10, 2007.
Action required: Advise exporters to declare shipments on GR/SDF forms as per extant instructions.
Action required: Handle commission requests carefully: only up to 5% for after-sales service, with prior RBI approval and deduction from invoice.
Owner: ____________ Target date: ____________
Board/committee approval needed? Y / N
Evidence filed in compliance register on: ____________
Built only from this circular’s own published fields — not legal advice; always confirm against the official RBI source.
💬 Banker Discussion
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=2375&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.