HomeCirculars › RBI/2021-2022/182

RBI Notifies $500 Mn Exim Bank LoC to Sri Lanka for Petroleum Imports

Current · Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2021-2022/182 · issued 10 Mar 2022 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI has notified a USD 500 million Government of India-supported Line of Credit from Exim Bank to Sri Lanka for purchasing petroleum products from India. AD Category-I banks must facilitate exports under this LoC, ensuring 75% Indian content and no agency commission unless paid from exporter's own resources.
The rule, in the simplest words
How it plays out — a real example

A forex & trade-finance officer in Indore, Priya, receives a call from an exporter asking about payments for petroleum products shipped to Sri Lanka. She explains that under the new RBI rule, her bank can process the payment because the $500 million Line of Credit from Exim Bank covers it, but she reminds the exporter that 75% of the goods must be from India and no agency commission can be paid from the export proceeds.

What changed

Exim Bank signed an agreement with Sri Lanka on February 2, 2022, for a USD 500 million LoC to finance petroleum product imports from India. The LoC became effective on February 18, 2022, with a terminal utilization period of 6 months, extendable up to 12 months. RBI has now issued operational instructions to AD Category-I banks for handling related export transactions.

What it means for you

Indian banks can now process export payments under this LoC, which requires at least 75% of contract value to be sourced from India. No agency commission is payable, but if needed, exporters can use their own foreign currency accounts after full export value realization. This strengthens India's export financing framework and supports bilateral trade with Sri Lanka.

What you must do

Who it affects

AD Category-I banks handling export transactions, Exporters of petroleum products and eligible goods/services to Sri Lanka, Exim Bank as the LoC administering agency

❓ 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 purpose of this USD 500 million LoC to Sri Lanka?

The LoC is specifically for financing the purchase of petroleum products from India, as per the agreement between Exim Bank and the Government of Sri Lanka.

Can exporters pay agency commission on exports under this LoC?

No agency commission is payable. However, if required, exporters may use their own resources or balances in their Exchange Earners' Foreign Currency Account to pay commission in free foreign exchange, but only after full realization of the eligible export value.

What is the sourcing requirement for goods under this LoC?

At least 75% of the contract price must be supplied from India. The remaining 25% can be procured from outside India for the eligible contract.

📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2021-2022/182 A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 28 March 10, 2022 All Category – I Authorised Dealer Banks Madam/Sir Exim Bank's Government of India supported Line of Credit (LoC) of USD 500 million to the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has entered into an agreement dated February 02, 2022 with the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, for making available to the latter, Government of India supported Line of Credit (LoC) of USD 500 million (USD Five Hundred Million only) for the purpose of financing purchase of petroleum products from India. Under the arrangement, financing of export of eligible goods and services from India, as defined under the agreement, would be allowed subject to their being 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 the agreement, goods, works and 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 of goods and services may be procured by the seller for the purpose of the eligible contract from outside India. 2. The Agreement under the LoC is effective from February 18, 2022. Under the LoC, the terminal utilization period is 6 months from the date of signing of LoC agreement or such other extended date which Exim Bank may agree at the request of Borrower, provided however that such extended date shall in no case be beyond 12 (twelve) months from the date of LoC agreement. 3. Shipments under the LoC shall be declared in Export Declaration Form as per instructions issued by the Reserve Bank from time to time. 4. No agency commission is payable for export 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 (AD) Category- I banks may allow such remittance after realization of full eligible value of export subject to compliance with the extant 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 complete details of the LoC from the Exim Bank’s office at Centre One, Floor 21, World Trade Centre Complex, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai 400 005 or from their website www.eximbankindia.in 6. The directions contained in this circular have been issued under section 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 (Vivek Srivastava) Chief General Manager
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2021-2022/182 · issued 10 Mar 2022. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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Worked example & action-note template

Example: if you are a Compliance officer at a bank this circular applies to (AD Category-I banks handling export transactions, Exporters of petroleum products and eligible goods/services to Sri Lanka, Exim Bank as the LoC administering agency), your first concrete step on “RBI Notifies $500 Mn Exim Bank LoC to Sri Lanka for Petroleum Imports” is: “Advise exporter constituents about the LoC details and direct them to Exim Bank for complete information.” (RBI issued this 10 Mar 2022).

  1. Circular: RBI/2021-2022/182 -- RBI Notifies $500 Mn Exim Bank LoC to Sri Lanka for Petroleum Imports
  2. Issued: 10 Mar 2022
  3. Action required: Advise exporter constituents about the LoC details and direct them to Exim Bank for complete information.
  4. Action required: Ensure shipments under this LoC are declared on Export Declaration Forms as per RBI instructions.
  5. Action required: Do not allow agency commission payments under this LoC; if required, permit only from exporter's own resources after full export value realization.
  6. Action required: Verify that at least 75% of contract value is sourced from India for each eligible contract.
  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=12254&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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