HomeCirculars › RBI/2011-12/125

Exim Bank USD 5 mn Line of Credit to Indo-Zambia Bank

Current · Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2011-12/125 · issued 26 Jul 2011 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI notifies Exim Bank's USD 5 million Line of Credit to Indo-Zambia Bank for financing Indian exports. AD Category-I banks must advise exporters on terms, including no agency commission except with RBI approval for after-sales service, and ensure GR/SDF form compliance.
The rule, in the simplest words
How it plays out — a real example

A forex & trade-finance officer in Indore is helping an exporter who wants to sell machinery to a buyer in Zambia using this loan. The officer reminds the exporter to fill out the GR form for the shipment and explains that no commission can be paid to a local agent unless the exporter gets prior approval from the Reserve Bank of India for after-sales service, and even then only 90% of the invoice value will be reimbursed by Exim Bank.

What changed

Exim Bank signed an agreement on September 29, 2010, with Indo-Zambia Bank to provide a USD 5 million Line of Credit for eligible Indian goods and services. The credit agreement became effective from June 29, 2011, with Letters of Credit to be opened by June 28, 2014, and disbursements by December 28, 2014.

What it means for you

Indian exporters can now access this LOC to finance exports to Zambia, with shipments requiring GR/SDF form declarations. No agency commission is allowed generally, but RBI may permit up to 5% commission for after-sales service exports, with reimbursement capped at 90% of invoice value. For other exports, commission must be paid from exporter's own resources or EEFC account after full payment realization.

What you must do

Who it affects

AD Category-I banks, Indian exporters to Zambia, Exim Bank

❓ Common questions

Regulatory timeline

Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).

What is the total value of the Line of Credit announced?

The Line of Credit is for USD 5 million, made available by Exim Bank to Indo-Zambia Bank.

Can exporters pay agency commission on shipments under this LOC?

Generally no agency commission is allowed. However, for exports requiring after-sales service, RBI may permit up to 5% commission on FOB/CFR/CIF value, with prior approval and reimbursement limited to 90% of invoice value.

What are the key deadlines for this LOC?

Letters of Credit must be opened by June 28, 2014, and disbursements completed by December 28, 2014, from the credit agreement execution date of September 29, 2010.

📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2011-12/125 A.P.(DIR Series) Circular No.06 July 26, 2011 To All Category - I Authorised Dealer Banks Madam / Sir, Exim Bank's Line of Credit of USD 5 million to the Indo- Zambia Bank Limited Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has concluded an Agreement dated September 29, 2010 with the Indo-Zambia Bank Limited making available to the latter, a Line of Credit (LOC) of USD 5 million (USD five million) for financing eligible goods and services. The goods and services from India for exports under this Agreement are those which are eligible for export under the Foreign Trade Policy of the Government of India and whose purchase may be agreed to be financed by the Exim Bank under this Agreement. 2. The Credit Agreement under the LOC is effective from June 29, 2011 and the date of execution of the Agreement is September 29, 2010. Under the LOC, the last date for opening of Letters of Credit and Disbursement will be 36 months (June 28, 2014) and 42 months (December 28, 2014) from the execution date of the Credit Agreement respectively. 3. Shipments under the credit will have to be declared on GR / SDF Forms as per instructions issued by the Reserve Bank from time to time. 4. While no agency commission shall be payable in respect of exports financed under the above line of credit, the Reserve Bank may consider, on merits, requests for payment of commission up to a maximum of 5 per cent of the FOB (free on board)/ CFR (cost and freight)/ CIF (cost, insurance and freight) value in respect of goods exported and which require after sales service. In such cases, commission will have to be paid by deduction from the invoice of relevant shipment to agents and the reimbursable amount by the Exim Bank to the negotiating bank will be 90 per cent of the FOB / CFR / CIF value. Approval for the payment of commission should be obtained from the office of the Reserve Bank of India (Foreign Exchange Department) within whose jurisdiction the Head Office of the exporter is situated, before the relevant shipment is effected. In other cases (i.e. exports not involving after sales service), if required, the exporter may use his own resources or utilize the balances of his EEFC a/c for payment of agency commission in free foreign exchange. Authorised Dealer Category–I (AD Category –I ) banks may allow such remittance after realization of full payment of contract value subject  to compliance of prevailing instructions on payment of agency commission. 5. AD Category-I banks may bring the contents of this circular to the notice of their exporter constituents and advise them to obtain full details of the Line of Credit from the Exim Bank’s office at Centre One, Floor 21, World Trade Centre Complex, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai 400 005  or log on to www.eximbankindia.in. 6. The directions contained in this circular have been issued under sections 10(4) and 11(1) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999 (42 of 1999) and are without prejudice to permissions / approvals, if any, required under any other law. Yours faithfully, (Rashmi Fauzdar) Chief General Manager
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2011-12/125 · issued 26 Jul 2011. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
🧰 Tools — save, print, templates & related
Worked example & action-note template

Example: if you are a Compliance officer at a bank this circular applies to (AD Category-I banks, Indian exporters to Zambia, Exim Bank), your first concrete step on “Exim Bank USD 5 mn Line of Credit to Indo-Zambia Bank” is: “Advise exporter customers about the USD 5 million LOC to Indo-Zambia Bank and direct them to Exim Bank for full details.” (RBI issued this 26 Jul 2011).

  1. Circular: RBI/2011-12/125 -- Exim Bank USD 5 mn Line of Credit to Indo-Zambia Bank
  2. Issued: 26 Jul 2011
  3. Action required: Advise exporter customers about the USD 5 million LOC to Indo-Zambia Bank and direct them to Exim Bank for full details.
  4. Action required: Ensure all shipments under this LOC are declared on GR/SDF forms as per RBI instructions.
  5. Action required: Process agency commission remittances only after full contract value realization and compliance with existing guidelines.
  6. Action required: Refer exporters seeking commission for after-sales service to obtain prior RBI approval from the concerned regional office.
  7. Owner: ____________ Target date: ____________
  8. Board/committee approval needed? Y / N
  9. 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.

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Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=6633&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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