RBI Eases Exposure Norms for Standalone Primary Dealers
No longer current — replaced by Exposure Norms for Standalone Primary Dealers
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2010-11/270 · issued 11 Nov 2010 · ~1 min read
Quick answerRBI has raised exposure limits for standalone Primary Dealers from 15% to 25% of NOF for single borrowers and from 25% to 40% for group borrowers, effective immediately, to support corporate bond market-making.
What changed
The exposure limits for standalone Primary Dealers were increased: single borrower limit went from 15% to 25% of Net Owned Funds (NOF), and group borrower limit from 25% to 40% of NOF. This revision was made to facilitate better market-making in corporate bonds.
What it means for you
Standalone PDs now have greater headroom to lend or invest in single and group borrowers, which should boost their ability to underwrite and trade corporate bonds. Banks that own or deal with PDs may see increased bond market liquidity and counterparty exposure, requiring updated risk assessments.
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 internal exposure monitoring systems for standalone PDs to reflect the new 25% and 40% NOF limits.
Review credit and market risk policies for transactions with standalone PDs, given their expanded borrowing capacity.
Communicate the revised limits to relevant treasury and risk management teams for compliance.
Who it affects
Standalone Primary Dealers, Banks with exposure to standalone PDs, Corporate bond market participants
❓ Common questions
Regulatory timeline
Decoded by BankPulse2026-06-19 03:44 IST
Superseded by — Exposure Norms for Standalone Primary Dealers
RBI’s words: “The present guidelines shall supercede all existing instructions issued to standalone PDs in this regard.”
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2010-11/270
IDMD. PCD.No. 1652/14.03.05/2010-11
November 11, 2010
All Standalone Primary Dealers
Dear Sir,
Exposure Norms: Applicability of Non-Banking Financial (Non-Deposit Accepting or Holding) Companies Prudential Norms (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2007 to standalone Primary Dealers
Please refer to our circular IDMD.PDRD.No.19/03.64.00/2010-11 RBI/2010-11/142 dated July 27,2010 wherein standalone Primary Dealers (PDs) were advised to adhere to the exposure limits prescribed in paragraph 18 of the Notification DNBS.193 DG(VL)-2007 dated February 22 , 2007 updated till June 30, 2010 and issued vide the circular RBI/2010-11/18 DNBS (PD) CC No.178/03.02.001/2010-11 dated July 1, 2010 on Non-Banking Financial (Non-Deposit Accepting or Holding) Companies Prudential Norms (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2007.
2. The matter has since been reviewed in the context of the need to further facilitate market making activities of the standalone PDs in corporate bonds. Accordingly, it has been decided to enhance the exposure limits of the standalone PDs from 15 per cent to 25 per cent of their NOF to single borrower and from 25 per cent to 40 per cent of their NOF to group borrowers.
3. The above guidelines are effective from the date of the circular.
Yours faithfully
(K.K. Vohra)
Chief General Manager
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2010-11/270 · issued 11 Nov 2010. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 03 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=6091&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.
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