Adapting to changes in financial systems, policies and structures

1. ADAPTING TO CHANGES IN FINANCIAL SYSTEMS,
POLICIES AND STRUCTURES
PRAHALATHAN IYER
Chief General Manager, Export-Import Bank of India
Gaborone, Nov 3, 2016

2. Structure of the Presentation
1. Changing Global Dynamics
2. Challenges in the Indian Financial System and Policy Developments
3. Role of DFIs in Current Scenario
4. Initiatives by Exim Bank of India

3.  Reversal in capital flows in emerging markets - estimated US$ 531 billion of net capital outflows in 2015,
as compared to nearly US$ 48 billion of net inflows in 2014
 Slowing global trade and output, weakening commodity prices and tighter financial conditions –
Adversely impacts financial systems
Changing Global Dynamics
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7
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2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Real GDP Growth
Emerging market and developing economies World
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2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Growth in Volume of Merchandise Exports
Total Volume of Merchandise Exports
Developed Economies
Developing Economies
2015 - the 4th
consecutive year
in which growth in
volume of world
trade stayed
below 3.0%

4.  Slowdown in credit growth
 Growth in credit to industries slowed to 0.2 per cent by end-August 2016 from 5.0 per cent in the year-ago period
 By size-wise classification, credit disbursed to both small and medium industries declined sharply while credit to large firms
rose marginally
 Reversal of convergence in performance of public and private sector banks -- Public sector banks lag private banks on
asset quality, profitability, and credit growth
 Declining profitability, high leverage and low debt servicing capacity in the Corporate Sector impacting financial sector
Challenges in the Indian Financial System
 Increasing Non- Performing Assets
(NPA) in the banking sector- In the June
Quarter, gross NPAs rose by 97.4 per cent
Source: Centre for Policy Research
Cross-Country Comparison of NPA to Total Loans(%)

5. Key Policy Developments in the Indian Financial System
 Plan for Revamp of Public Sector Banks (PSB) -- Indradhanush
 Based on the seven pillars of Appointments, Bank Board Bureau, Capitalization, De-stressing PSBs, Empowerment,
Framework of Accountability and Governance Reforms
 Government will infuse Rs.700 bn (~US$ 10.5 bn) out of budgetary allocations over the period FY16 to FY19
 Changes in Bank Licensing Policy
 Licence to two new banks after nearly 10 years -- IDFC Ltd and Bandhan Financial Services
 Differentiated banks to be permitted- Payment Banks, Small Finance Banks, and niche licenses for banks with more
narrowly defined businesses
 Financial Inclusion
 Jan-Dhan Yojana -- envisages universal access to banking facilities; nearly 242.7 million accounts opened
 Payment Banks and Small Finance Banks will also further financial inclusion
 Strengthening of Eco System
 Bankruptcy Code -- Enable banks to foreclose on defaulting borrowers
 Strengthen role of Asset Reconstruction Companies

6.  DFIs have direct counter-cyclical and stabilising effect on economies; helps overcome adverse economic shocks
 Possess significant risk appetite, high credit ratings, willingness to provide or guarantee long tenor financing
 Cost of borrowing, capital reserves and return expectations lower than commercial lenders – passed on to
borrowers
 ‘Soft support’ through intra-government relationships, political knowledge, diplomatic goodwill and
reputational strength
 Commercial and political risk insurance provides commercial lenders the necessary comfort to continue lending
 DFIs adapting to new environment and developing new products – including venturing into capital markets
Role of DFIs in Post-Crisis Period
 South–South Co-operation among DFIs has emerged as important mechanism for development
financing

7. Export-Import Bank of India
 Set up in September 1981 under an Act of Parliament to finance, facilitate and promote
India’s international trade and investment.
 Wholly owned by Government of India.
 Commenced operations in March 1982.
 Objectives:
“… for providing financial assistance to exporters and importers, and for functioning as the principal financial
institution for coordinating the working of institutions engaged in financing export and import of goods and
services with a view to promoting the country’s international trade…”
“… shall act on business principles with due regard to public interest”
(Export-Import Bank of India Act, 1981)

8. Exim Bank’s Flagship Programs
Lines of Credit
 Provides a safe mode of non-recourse financing option to Indian exporters to enter new export markets or expand
business in existing export markets; no payment risk from the overseas importers
 Cover a variety of sectors like Agriculture, Transportation, Manufacturing (cement, sugar), Energy (generation,
transmission and rural electrification) and Infrastructure
 As on 31st March 2016, EXIM Bank has 203 LOCs, covering 63 countries with credit commitments and authorization of
over US$ 14.26 bn (Additional US$ 10 billion announced for African continent).
Overseas Investment Finance
 Encourages Indian companies to invest abroad for, inter alia, setting up manufacturing units and for acquiring overseas
companies to get access to the foreign market, technology, raw material, brand, IPR etc.
 As on end-March 2016, Exim Bank provided finance to more than 559 ventures set up by around 530 companies

9. New Innovative Products/Initiatives for Project Exports
 With industrial demand slowing down globally, Exim Bank is targeting energy and infrastructure projects as vital
conduits for exporting high-value machinery, labour, expertise, and technology packaged as project exports
Buyer’s Credit under NEIA
 Began in 2o11, in conjunction with Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India Limited (ECGC)
 Provides non-recourse finance to Indian Exporter by converting the deferred credit contract into cash contract; Indian
supplier do not carry any credit or country risk;
 The Bank extends credit facility to overseas sovereign governments and government owned entities for import of goods
and services from India on deferred credit terms
 Exim Bank obtains cover under NEIA through ECGC; guarantee fee to be borne by the buyer/ seller, as may be agreed
 Facility covers 85% of contract value
 The Bank has till end-March 2016 sanctioned US$ 2.19 bn for 22 projects valued US$ 2.49 bn

10. New Innovative Products/Initiatives for Project Exports
Special Purpose Facility for Financing Strategic Infrastructure Projects in Neighbouring Countries
 New financing scheme launched last year to offer concessional finance to support Indian companies bidding for
strategically important infrastructure projects overseas
 Under the programme, Exim Bank with the support of Government of India, has extended commitment to finance the
strategic Maitree Power Project in Bangladesh valued US$ 1.8 bn
Kukuza Project Development Company
 Kukuza Project Development Company for Africa, based out of Nairobi, has been floated by Exim Bank, IL&FS, AfDB and
SBI; expected to provide specialist project development expertise to take infrastructure projects from the concept stage
to the commissioning stage in the African Continent
Project Development Fund
 Created by Government of India with a corpus of Rs 5 bn for catalysing Indian economic presence in Cambodia,
Laos Myanmar and Vietnam; to be operated by Exim Bank

11. Products/ Initiatives for MSMEs
 Globally, since 2008, bank lending to MSMEs has declined; over half of trade finance requests by SMEs are rejected
 Exim Bank operates a wide range of lending, service and support programmes to promote two-way transfer of
technology, trade and investments for the SMEs
Financial Support
 Variety of loan products; special lending programme for financing the Indian creative goods and services industry
 Tied up with the Asian Development Bank for a US $ 100 million loan facility for providing loans to export oriented SMEs,
especially in economically weaker states
 Cooperation arrangements with various institutions to support export clusters in India
Grassroots Initiative and Development
 Financial support to promote grassroots initiatives/technologies, particularly those having export potential
 Provides assistance at various stages of product development / business cycle including capacity building,
export capability creation, expansion/diversification and exports

12. Technology Support
 Launched the Technology & Innovation Enhancement and Infrastructure Development fund to augment export
competitiveness and internationalization efforts of MSMEs
 Support to techno-entrepreneurs through partnership with Rural Technology Business Incubator of the Indian
Institute of Technology Madras
Products/ Initiatives for MSMEs
Marketing Advisory Services
 Commercial assistance to Indian companies, including MSMEs, to access overseas and domestic markets by way of
locating distributor(s) / buyer(s) / partner(s) for quality Indian products & services
 Capacity building, design sensitization, product development, diversification and innovation through workshops /
seminars / training programme

13.  Research studies undertaken on products, sectors, countries, macro economic issues relevant to
international trade and investment
 Disseminates information on export opportunities and highlights developments that have a bearing
on Indian exports
 Exim Bank represented on various strategic Committees of the Government:
 Cross-border Capacity and Institutional Development
 Capacity building of export credit insurance industry to enhance the international trade competiveness of Sri
Lanka
 Institutional Capacity Building for export credit and insurance in Rwanda
 Expertise provided on developing a National Export Strategy of Myanmar
 Strategy paper for SAARC Development Fund to promote intra-regional projects in the South Asian Region
Knowledge Creation and Dissemination

14. Exim Bank’s Institutional Linkages
 Exim Bank is on the Board of ADFIAP; regularly participates in the Annual Events to share developmental experiences
 Exim Bank is the nominated member development bank under the BRICS Interbank Cooperation Mechanism; has signed about
10 agreements for cooperation with the objective of strengthening trade and investment relations.
Asian Exim Bank Forum (AEBF)
BRICS Inter-Bank Cooperation Mechanism
 Set up in Geneva in March 2006 through the Bank's initiative, under the auspices of UNCTAD; Serves as a global forum for
promoting investment and trade finance for development through cooperation and technical assistance activities.
Global Network of Exim Banks and Development Finance Institutions (G-NEXID)
Supporting Indian Trade and Investment for Africa (SITA)
 Exim Bank is a partner institution in ITC’s SITA initiative which aims at promoting exports from five East African countries -
Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda - to India through investment and skills transfer from the Indian side.
 In 1996, Exim Bank took the initiative of forming AEBF which seeks to enhance trade and investment cooperation
Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP)
Committed to Promote South-South Cooperation for Mutual Empowerment and Resurgence

15. Challenges
 Unlike other ECAs, the Central Bank in India regulates Exim Bank at par with commercial banks
 Leverage ratio restricted to 10-11 times of Net Owned Funds, as against 15-50 times for other ECAs
 Single borrower exposure limits restrict lending to large value projects
 Need to pay tax; transfer balance of its profit to the Government
 Tepid global demand and fall in international commodity prices impacted India’s exports – Declined for
18 consecutive months before rebounding in June 2016
 Oil and Gas, Petroleum Products amongst top 10 sectors of exposure for Exim Bank
 Cost of funds limited by sovereign rating – need for a credit evaluation framework that
benchmarks risks across emerging markets

16. Way Ahead
 In spite of challenges, financial system in India remains robust -- Risk of banking distress is low
 According to BIS, among 40 economies, credit-to-GDP gap was among the least for India in the first quarter of the
current year
 Selective adoption of Basel III capital framework by Exim Bank with effect from 1st April 2018 to improve safety and
soundness
 Current focus of Exim Bank on medium to long term credit, especially for project exports
 Greater focus on sustainable financing- 1st ever USD-denominated Green bond offering out of India; Part of the
Advisory Committee of International Solar Alliance; EIB line of €500m for green projects
 Going forward, need for greater cooperation among DFIs for achieving developmental outcomes
 Reducing dependence on hard currency through local currency financing mechanisms; BRICS countries making
significant headway
 Focus on financing green projects to promote sustainable development
 Financing for regional integration can help reduce vulnerability, especially in smaller economies

17. Partner
in India’s
Globalization
www.eximbankindia.in