HomeCirculars › RBI/2008-09/388

Liquidity Support for Large NBFCs via SPV

Deposits / Interest Rates
Withdrawn / supersededStatus reviewed by Vikram Jain. Verify against the official RBI source below.
Issued by RBI: 18 Feb 2009  ·  Withdrawn: w.e.f. 04 Dec 2025  ·  Decoded by BankPulse: 20 Jun 2026, 21:02 IST
⏱ ~2 min read
📄 Official RBI source ↗
Quick answerRBI introduced a government-approved scheme for systemically important non-deposit taking NBFCs (assets ≥ Rs 100 crore) to access temporary liquidity through a Special Purpose Vehicle (IDBI SASF Trust) by selling short-term CPs or NCDs.

What changed

RBI announced a liquidity support framework for NBFCs-ND-SI facing temporary mismatches. Eligible NBFCs can sell investment-grade CPs or NCDs (residual maturity ≤ 3 months) to the SPV. The facility is only for papers issued on or before March 31, 2009, with fresh purchases ending June 30, 2009, and full recovery by September 30, 2009.

What it means for you

This provides a short-term safety valve for large NBFCs to manage liquidity crunches without resorting to distress sales. Banks and lenders should note that this is a time-bound, crisis-era measure, not a permanent window. The strict eligibility criteria (CRAR compliance, two years of net profit, net NPAs ≤ 5%) ensure only financially sound NBFCs benefit.

What you must do

Who it affects

Non-deposit taking systemically important NBFCs with assets ≥ Rs 100 crore, IDBI SASF Trust (SPV), Banks and financial institutions dealing with NBFC liquidity

What instruments can be sold to the SPV and for how long?

Eligible NBFCs can sell commercial papers (CPs) and non-convertible debentures (NCDs) with residual maturity of up to three months and investment-grade rating. The facility is only for papers issued on or before March 31, 2009, and the SPV will stop fresh purchases after June 30, 2009.

Key dataSee the live numbers behind this topic: Repo Rate Timeline, Credit & Deposit Growth — updated from official RBI data.
Key termsPlain-English definitions of terms in this circular — see the full Indian banking glossary. Repo rate · CASA · Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) · Deposit insurance (DICGC)
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AI-drafted · 3-model AI consensus fact-check · under the editorial review of Vikram Jain · decoded & published by BankPulse · 20 Jun 2026, 21:02 IST
Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=4845&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by Vikram Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; never reproduces RBI text verbatim.