HomeCirculars › RBI/2022-2023/179

RBI Notifies $100 Mn Exim Bank LOC for Maldives Projects

Current · Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2022-2023/179 · issued 16 Feb 2023 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI has notified a $100 million Government of India-supported Line of Credit from Exim Bank to the Maldives for developmental projects. AD Category-I banks must facilitate exports under this LOC, ensuring 75% of contract value is sourced from India and no agency commission is paid from export proceeds.
The rule, in the simplest words
How it plays out — a real example

A forex & trade-finance officer in Indore learns from RBI's circular that a local construction company wants to export building materials to Maldives under this $100 million loan. The officer advises the company to get full details from Exim Bank, ensures their export declaration shows at least 75% of the contract value comes from India, and reminds them they cannot pay any agent commission from the export proceeds—only from their own funds after the full payment is received.

What changed

Exim Bank signed an agreement on October 2, 2022, with the Maldives government for a $100 million LOC, effective January 19, 2023. RBI has now issued operational instructions to AD Category-I banks for handling exports under this facility.

What it means for you

Banks must process export declarations and remittances under this LOC, ensuring compliance with the 75% Indian content requirement and the no-commission rule. This opens a structured financing channel for Indian exporters to Maldives, but banks need to verify eligibility under the Foreign Trade Policy and the specific agreement terms.

What you must do

Who it affects

AD Category-I banks, Indian exporters to Maldives, 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 terminal utilization period for this LOC?

The terminal utilization period is 48 months from the scheduled completion date of the project, as per the agreement effective January 19, 2023.

Can exporters pay agency commission from the export proceeds under this LOC?

No, agency commission is not payable from export proceeds. If required, exporters must use their own resources or balances in their Exchange Earners' Foreign Currency Account, and remittance can be allowed only after full realization of the eligible export value.

📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2022-2023/179 A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 23 February 16, 2023 All Category – I Authorised Dealer Banks Madam/Sir Exim Bank’s GOI-supported Line of Credit (LOC) for USD 100 million to the Government of the Republic of Maldives (GO-MDV), for financing new developmental projects and to meet spill over costs from developmental projects in Maldives already included under Lines of credit extended to GO-MDV by Exim Bank Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has entered into an agreement dated October 02, 2022 with the Government of the Republic of Maldives, for making available to the latter, Government of India supported Line of Credit (LoC) of USD 100 million (USD Hundred Million Only) for financing new developmental projects and to meet spill over costs from developmental projects in Maldives already included under Lines of credit extended to GO-MDV by Exim Bank. The export of eligible goods and services from India for the purpose of financing new developmental projects and to meet spill over costs from developmental projects in Maldives already included under Lines of credit extended to GO-MDV by Exim Bank, as defined under the agreement, would be allowed subject to their eligibility 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 January 19, 2023. Under the LoC, the terminal utilization period is 48 months from the scheduled completion date of the project. 3. Shipments under the LoC shall be declared in Export Declaration Form/Shipping Bill 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/2022-2023/179 · issued 16 Feb 2023. 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 Maldives, Exim Bank), your first concrete step on “RBI Notifies $100 Mn Exim Bank LOC for Maldives Projects” is: “Advise exporter constituents about the LOC and direct them to Exim Bank for full details.” (RBI issued this 16 Feb 2023).

  1. Circular: RBI/2022-2023/179 -- RBI Notifies $100 Mn Exim Bank LOC for Maldives Projects
  2. Issued: 16 Feb 2023
  3. Action required: Advise exporter constituents about the LOC and direct them to Exim Bank for full details.
  4. Action required: Ensure export declarations (EDF/Shipping Bill) are made as per RBI instructions.
  5. Action required: Verify that at least 75% of contract value is sourced from India for each eligible contract.
  6. Action required: Do not allow agency commission from export proceeds; if commission is needed, ensure it is paid from exporter's own resources or EEFC account after full realization.
  7. Action required: Allow remittance of commission only after full eligible export value is realized and extant instructions are complied with.
  8. Owner: ____________ Target date: ____________
  9. Board/committee approval needed? Y / N
  10. 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.

💬 Banker Discussion

Discuss this circular with fellow bankers — reply, upvote what helps, report what doesn’t belong. Be professional; no client data. Views are the commenter’s own, not BankPulse’s.

Loading comments…
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=12455&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.
Public beta — plain-English informational summaries. Always verify against the official RBI source (circular number cited on every page) before making compliance, credit, treasury, audit, or operational decisions. · Join our WhatsApp channel ↗