HomeCirculars › RBI/2011-12/495

Exim Bank's USD 150 mn Line of Credit to EBID for West Africa

No longer current — replaced by A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 106 April 12, 2012 (instruction absorbed into later LRS reporting procedure)
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2011-12/495 · issued 12 Apr 2012 · ~1 min read
Quick answerRBI notifies AD Category-I banks about Exim Bank's USD 150 million Line of Credit to EBID for financing Indian exports to 15 West African countries. Banks must advise exporters on terms, including at least 75% Indian content requirement and no agency commission.

What changed

Exim Bank signed a Line of Credit agreement with EBID on July 21, 2011, effective March 12, 2012, for USD 150 million. This enables financing of eligible Indian goods, services, and project exports to 15 West African nations. The circular provides operational instructions to AD Category-I banks.

What it means for you

Indian exporters gain a structured credit facility to expand into West Africa, with Exim Bank backing payments. Banks must ensure compliance with 75% Indian content rule and handle commission remittances only after full contract realization. This supports India's export push under Foreign Trade Policy.

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

Who it affects

AD Category-I banks, Indian exporters to West Africa, 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 last date for opening Letters of Credit under this LOC?

For project exports, it is 48 months from the scheduled completion date of the contract; for supply contracts, it is 72 months from the execution date of the Credit Agreement (July 20, 2017).

Can exporters pay agency commission under this LOC?

No agency commission is payable under the LOC. However, exporters may use their own resources or EEFC balances to pay commission in free foreign exchange after full contract value realization, subject to prevailing RBI instructions.

📜 This document’s life story (1 recorded event, each backed by RBI’s own words)
Superseded by A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 106 April 12, 2012 (instruction absorbed into la
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2011-12/495 A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 106 April 12, 2012 To All Category - I Authorised Dealer Banks Madam / Sir, Exim Bank's Line of Credit of USD 150 million to the Ecowas Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has concluded an Agreement dated July 21, 2011 with the Ecowas Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) , making available to the latter, a Line of Credit (LOC) of USD 150 million (USD one hundred and fifty million) for financing eligible goods, services and equipments including project exports and consultancy services, to be exported from India to the 15 member countries of EBID in West African region viz. Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. The equipment, goods and services including consultancy 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. Out of the total credit by Exim Bank under this Agreement, the equipment, goods and services including consultancy services of the value of at least 75 per cent of the contract price shall be supplied by the seller from India and the remaining 25 per cent goods and services (other than consultancy services) may be procured by the seller for the purpose of Eligible Contract from outside India. 2. The Credit Agreement under the LOC is effective from March 12, 2012 and the date of execution of Agreement is July 21, 2011. Under the LOC, the last date for opening of Letters of Credit and Disbursement will be 48 months from the scheduled completion date(s) of contract(s) in the case of project exports and 72 months (July 20, 2017) from the execution date of the Credit Agreement in the case of supply contracts. 3. Shipments under the LOC will have to be declared on GR / SDF Forms as per instructions issued by the Reserve Bank from time to time. 4. No agency commission is payable under the above LOC. However, if required, the exporter may use his own resources or utilize balances in his Exchange Earners’ Foreign Currency Account for payment of commission in free foreign exchange. Authorised Dealer Category- l (AD Category-l) banks may allow such remittance after realization of full payment of contract value subject to compliance with the prevailing instructions for 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, (Dr.Sujatha Elizabeth Prasad) Chief General Manager-in-Charge
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2011-12/495 · issued 12 Apr 2012. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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