Government Securities Market

A Primer

RESERVE BANK OF INDIA

Internal Debt Management Department
Mumbai

April 01, 2020

 Disclaimer

The contents of this primer are for general information and guidance purpose only. The
Reserve Bank will not be liable for actions and/or decisions taken based on this Primer.
Readers are advised to refer to the specific circulars issued by Reserve Bank of India from
time to time. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information set out in
this document is accurate, the Reserve Bank of India does not accept any liability for any
action taken, or reliance placed on, any part, or all, of the information in this document or
for any error in or omission from, this document.

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 PREFACE

The G-Secs market has witnessed significant changes during the past decade.
Introduction of an electronic screen-based trading system, dematerialized holding, straight
through processing, establishment of the Clearing Corporation of India Ltd. (CCIL) as the
Central Counter Party (CCP) for guaranteed settlement, new instruments, and changes in
the legal environment are some of the major aspects that have contributed to the rapid
development of the G-Sec market.

Major participants in the G-Secs market historically have been large institutional
investors. With the various measures for development, the market has also witnessed the
entry of smaller entities such as co-operative banks, small pension, provident and other
funds etc. These entities are mandated to invest in G-Secs through respective regulations.
However, some of these new entrants have often found it difficult to understand and
appreciate various aspects of the G-Secs market. The Reserve Bank of India has,
therefore, taken several initiatives to bring awareness about the G-Secs market among
small investors. These include workshops on the basic concepts relating to fixed income
securities/ bonds like G-Secs, trading and investment practices, the related regulatory
aspects and the guidelines.

This primer is yet another initiative of the Reserve Bank to disseminate information
relating to the G-Secs market to the smaller institutional players as well as the public. An
effort has been made in this primer to present a comprehensive account of the market and
the various processes and operational aspects related to investing in G-Secs in an easy-
to-understand, question-answer format. The primer also has, as annexes, a list of primary
dealers (PDs), useful excel functions and glossary of important market terminology. I hope
the investors, particularly the smaller institutional investors will find the primer useful in
taking decisions on investment in G-Secs. Reserve Bank of India would welcome
suggestions in making this primer more user-friendly.

Shri B.P. Kanungo

Deputy Governor

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 Contents
Sl. No Question Page No.
1 What is a bond; What is Government security? 5
2 Why should one invest in G-Secs? 11
3 How are the G-Secs issued? 13
4 What are the different types of auctions used for issue of 15
securities? What is switch/conversion of Government Securities
through auction?
5 What are Open Market Operations (OMOs)? 19
6 What is Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) and whether Re-repo in 20
Government Securities Market allowed?
7 How and in what form can G-Secs be held? 21
8 How does the trading in G-Secs take place and what regulations 22
are applicable to prevent abuse? Whether value free transfer of G-
Secs is allowed?
9 Who are the major players in the G-Secs market? 25
10 What are the Do’s and Don’ts prescribed by RBI for the Co- 25
operative banks dealing in G-Secs?
11 How are the dealing transactions recorded by the dealing desk? 27
12 What are the important considerations while undertaking security 27
transactions?
13 Why does the price of G-Sec change? 29
14 How does one get information about the price of a G-Sec? 29
15 How are the G-Secs transactions reported? 30
16 How do the G-Secs transactions settle? 31
17 What is shut period? 32
18 What is Delivery versus Payment (DvP) settlement? 32
19 What is the role of the Clearing Corporation of India Limited 32
(CCIL)?
20 What is the ‘When Issued’ market and “Short Sale”? 33
21 What are the basic mathematical concepts one should know for 34
calculations involved in bond prices and yields?
22 How is the Price of a bond calculated? What is the total 36
consideration amount of a trade and what is accrued interest?
23 What is the relationship between yield and price of a bond? 37
24 How is the yield of a bond calculated? 37
25 What are the day count conventions used in calculating bond 39
yields?
26 How is the yield of a Treasury Bill calculated? 40
27 What is Duration? 40
28 What are the important guidelines for valuation of securities? 43
29 What are the risks involved in holding G-Secs? What are the 44
techniques for mitigating such risks?
30 What is money market? 46
31 What is the role of FIMMDA & FBIL? 49
32 What are the various websites that give information on G-Secs? 50
Annex 1 Specimen of a G-Sec 54
Annex 2 List of Primary Dealers 55
Annex 3 Sample of Auction Calendar 57
Annex 4 Sample of Auction Notification 58
Annex 5 Specimen of Deal slip 59
Annex 6 Important Excel functions for bond related calculations 60
Annex 7 Glossary of Important Terms and commonly used Market 64
Terminology

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Government Securities Market in India – A Primer

1. What is a Bond?

1.1 A bond is a debt instrument in which an investor loans money to an entity (typically
corporate or government) which borrows the funds for a defined period of time at a
variable or fixed interest rate. Bonds are used by companies, municipalities, states and
sovereign governments to raise money to finance a variety of projects and activities.
Owners of bonds are debt holders, or creditors, of the issuer.

What is a Government Security (G-Sec)?

1.2 A Government Security (G-Sec) is a tradeable instrument issued by the Central
Government or the State Governments. It acknowledges the Government’s debt
obligation. Such securities are short term (usually called treasury bills, with original
maturities of less than one year) or long term (usually called Government bonds or dated
securities with original maturity of one year or more). In India, the Central Government
issues both, treasury bills and bonds or dated securities while the State Governments
issue only bonds or dated securities, which are called the State Development Loans
(SDLs). G-Secs carry practically no risk of default and, hence, are called risk-free gilt-
edged instruments.

a. Treasury Bills (T-bills)

1.3 Treasury bills or T-bills, which are money market instruments, are short term debt
instruments issued by the Government of India and are presently issued in three tenors,
namely, 91 day, 182 day and 364 day. Treasury bills are zero coupon securities and pay
no interest. Instead, they are issued at a discount and redeemed at the face value at
maturity. For example, a 91 day Treasury bill of `100/- (face value) may be issued at say `
98.20, that is, at a discount of say, `1.80 and would be redeemed at the face value of
`100/-. The return to the investors is the difference between the maturity value or the face
value (that is `100) and the issue price (for calculation of yield on Treasury Bills please
see answer to question no. 26).
b. Cash Management Bills (CMBs)
1.4 In 2010, Government of India, in consultation with RBI introduced a new short-term
instrument, known as Cash Management Bills (CMBs), to meet the temporary mismatches
in the cash flow of the Government of India. The CMBs have the generic character of T-
bills but are issued for maturities less than 91 days.

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c. Dated G-Secs
1.5 Dated G-Secs are securities which carry a fixed or floating coupon (interest rate) which
is paid on the face value, on half-yearly basis. Generally, the tenor of dated securities
ranges from 5 years to 40 years.

The Public Debt Office (PDO) of the Reserve Bank of India acts as the
registry / depository of G-Secs and deals with the issue, interest payment
and repayment of principal at maturity. Most of the dated securities are fixed
coupon securities.

The nomenclature of a typical dated fixed coupon G-Sec contains the following features -
coupon, name of the issuer, maturity year. For example, - 7.17% GS 2028 would mean:
Coupon : 7.17% paid on face value
Name of Issuer : Government of India
Date of Issue : January 8, 2018
Maturity : January 8, 2028
Coupon Payment Dates : Half-yearly (July 08 and January 08) every year
Minimum Amount of issue/ sale : `10,000
In case, there are two securities with the same coupon and are maturing in the same year,
then one of the securities will have the month attached as suffix in the nomenclature. eg.
6.05% GS 2019 FEB, would mean that G-Sec having coupon 6.05% that mature in
February 2019 along with the other similar security having the same coupon. In this case,
there is another paper viz. 6.05%GS2019 which bears same coupon rate and is also
maturing in 2019 but in the month of June. Each security is assigned a unique number
called ISIN (International Security Identification Number) at the time of issuance itself to
avoid any misunderstanding among the traders.

If the coupon payment date falls on a Sunday or any other holiday, the coupon payment is
made on the next working day. However, if the maturity date falls on a Sunday or a
holiday, the redemption proceeds are paid on the previous working day.

1.6 Instruments:
i) Fixed Rate Bonds – These are bonds on which the coupon rate is fixed for the
entire life (i.e. till maturity) of the bond. Most Government bonds in India are
issued as fixed rate bonds.
For example – 8.24%GS2018 was issued on April 22, 2008 for a tenor of 10
years maturing on April 22, 2018. Coupon on this security will be paid half-

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 yearly at 4.12% (half yearly payment being half of the annual coupon of 8.24%)
of the face value on October 22 and April 22 of each year.
ii) Floating Rate Bonds (FRB) – FRBs are securities which do not have a fixed
coupon rate. Instead it has a variable coupon rate which is re-set at pre-
announced intervals (say, every six months or one year). FRBs were first
issued in September 1995 in India. For example, a FRB was issued on
November 07, 2016 for a tenor of 8 years, thus maturing on November 07,
2024. The variable coupon rate for payment of interest on this FRB 2024 was
decided to be the average rate rounded off up to two decimal places, of the
implicit yields at the cut-off prices of the last three auctions of 182 day T- Bills,
held before the date of notification. The coupon rate for payment of interest on
subsequent semi-annual periods was announced to be the average rate
(rounded off up to two decimal places) of the implicit yields at the cut-off prices
of the last three auctions of 182 day T-Bills held up to the commencement of
the respective semi-annual coupon periods.
iii) The Floating Rate Bond can also carry the coupon, which will have a base rate
plus a fixed spread, to be decided by way of auction mechanism. The spread
will be fixed throughout the tenure of the bond. For example, FRB 2031
(auctioned on May 4, 2018) carry the coupon with base rate equivalent to
Weighted Average Yield (WAY) of last 3 auctions (from the rate fixing day) of
182 Day T-Bills plus a fixed spread decided by way of auction. Zero Coupon
Bonds – Zero coupon bonds are bonds with no coupon payments. However,
like T- Bills, they are issued at a discount and redeemed at face value. The
Government of India had issued such securities in 1996. It has not issued zero
coupon bonds after that.
iv) Capital Indexed Bonds – These are bonds, the principal of which is linked to an
accepted index of inflation with a view to protecting the Principal amount of the
investors from inflation. A 5 year Capital Indexed Bond, was first issued in
December 1997 which matured in 2002.
v) Inflation Indexed Bonds (IIBs) - IIBs are bonds wherein both coupon flows and
Principal amounts are protected against inflation. The inflation index used in
IIBs may be Whole Sale Price Index (WPI) or Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Globally, IIBs were first issued in 1981 in UK. In India, Government of India
through RBI issued IIBs (linked to WPI) in June 2013. Since then, they were
issued on monthly basis (on last Tuesday of each month) till December 2013.
Based on the success of these IIBs, Government of India in consultation with
RBI issued the IIBs (CPI based) exclusively for the retail customers in

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 December 2013. Further details on IIBs are available on RBI website under
FAQs.
vi) Bonds with Call/ Put Options – Bonds can also be issued with features of
optionality wherein the issuer can have the option to buy-back (call option) or
the investor can have the option to sell the bond (put option) to the issuer
during the currency of the bond. It may be noted that such bond may have put
only or call only or both options. The first G-Sec with both call and put option
viz. 6.72% GS 2012 was issued on July 18, 2002 for a maturity of 10 years
maturing on July 18, 2012. The optionality on the bond could be exercised after
completion of five years tenure from the date of issuance on any coupon date
falling thereafter. The Government has the right to buy-back the bond (call
option) at par value (equal to the face value) while the investor had the right to
sell the bond (put option) to the Government at par value on any of the half-
yearly coupon dates starting from July 18, 2007.
vii) Special Securities - Under the market borrowing program, the Government of
India also issues, from time to time, special securities to entities like Oil
Marketing Companies, Fertilizer Companies, the Food Corporation of India,
etc. (popularly called oil bonds, fertiliser bonds and food bonds respectively) as
compensation to these companies in lieu of cash subsidies These securities
are usually long dated securities and carry a marginally higher coupon over
the yield of the dated securities of comparable maturity. These securities are,
however, not eligible as SLR securities but are eligible as collateral for market
repo transactions. The beneficiary entities may divest these securities in the
secondary market to banks, insurance companies / Primary Dealers, etc., for
raising funds.
Government of India has also issued Bank Recapitalisation Bonds to specific
Public Sector Banks in 2018. These securities are named as Special GoI
security and are non-transferable and are not eligible investment in pursuance
of any statutory provisions or directions applicable to investing banks. These
securities can be held under HTM portfolio without any limit.
viii) STRIPS – Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities. -
STRIPS are the securities created by way of separating the cash flows
associated with a regular G-Sec i.e. each semi-annual coupon payment and
the final principal payment to be received from the issuer, into separate
securities. They are essentially Zero Coupon Bonds (ZCBs). However, they are
created out of existing securities only and unlike other securities, are not issued
through auctions. Stripped securities represent future cash flows (periodic

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 interest and principal repayment) of an underlying coupon bearing bond. Being
G-Secs, STRIPS are eligible for SLR. All fixed coupon securities issued by
Government of India, irrespective of the year of maturity, are eligible for
Stripping/Reconstitution, provided that the securities are reckoned as eligible
investment for the purpose of Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) and the securities
are transferable. The detailed guidelines of stripping/reconstitution of
government securities is available in RBI notification
IDMD.GBD.2783/08.08.016/2018-19 dated May 3, 2018. For example, when
`100 of the 8.60% GS 2028 is stripped, each cash flow of coupon (` 4.30 each
half year) will become a coupon STRIP and the principal payment (`100 at
maturity) will become a principal STRIP. These cash flows are traded
separately as independent securities in the secondary market. STRIPS in G-
Secs ensure availability of sovereign zero coupon bonds, which facilitate the
development of a market determined zero coupon yield curve (ZCYC). STRIPS
also provide institutional investors with an additional instrument for their asset
liability management (ALM). Further, as STRIPS have zero reinvestment risk,
being zero coupon bonds, they can be attractive to retail/non-institutional
investors. Market participants, having an SGL account with RBI can place
requests directly in e-kuber for stripping/reconstitution of eligible securities (not
special securities). Requests for stripping/reconstitution by Gilt Account
Holders (GAH) shall be placed with the respective Custodian maintaining the
CSGL account, who in turn, will place the requests on behalf of its constituents
in e-kuber.
ix) Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB): SGBs are unique instruments, prices of which are
linked to commodity price viz Gold. SGBs are also budgeted in lieu of market
borrowing. The calendar of issuance is published indicating tranche
description, date of subscription and date of issuance. The Bonds shall be
denominated in units of one gram of gold and multiples thereof. Minimum
investment in the Bonds shall be one gram with a maximum limit of
subscription per fiscal year of 4 kg for individuals, 4 kg for Hindu Undivided
Family (HUF) and 20 kg for trusts and similar entities notified by the
Government from time to time, provided that (a) in case of joint holding, the
above limits shall be applicable to the first applicant only; (b) annual ceiling will
include bonds subscribed under different tranches during initial issuance by
Government and those purchased from the secondary market; and (c) the
ceiling on investment will not include the holdings as collateral by banks and
other Financial Institutions. The Bonds shall be repayable on the expiration of

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 eight years from the date of issue of the Bonds. Pre-mature redemption of the
Bond is permitted after fifth year of the date of issue of the Bonds and such
repayments shall be made on the next interest payment date. The bonds under
SGB Scheme may be held by a person resident in India, being an individual, in
his capacity as an individual, or on behalf of minor child, or jointly with any
other individual. The bonds may also be held by a Trust, HUFs, Charitable
Institution and University. Nominal Value of the bonds shall be fixed in Indian
Rupees on the basis of simple average of closing price of gold of 999 purity
published by the India Bullion and Jewelers Association Limited for the last
three business days of the week preceding the subscription period. The issue
price of the Gold Bonds will be ` 50 per gram less than the nominal value to
those investors applying online and the payment against the application is
made through digital mode. The Bonds shall bear interest at the rate of 2.50
percent (fixed rate) per annum on the nominal value. Interest shall be paid in
half-yearly rests and the last interest shall be payable on maturity along with
the principal. The redemption price shall be fixed in Indian Rupees and the
redemption price shall be based on simple average of closing price of gold of
999 purity of previous 3 business days from the date of repayment, published
by the India Bullion and Jewelers Association Limited. SGBs acquired by the
banks through the process of invoking lien/hypothecation/pledge alone shall be
counted towards Statutory Liquidity Ratio. The above subscription limits,
interest rate discount etc. are as per the current scheme and are liable to
change going forward.
x) 7.75% Savings (Taxable) Bonds, 2018: Government of India has decided to
issue 7.75% Savings (Taxable) Bonds, 2018 with effect from January 10, 2018
in terms of GoI notification F.No.4(28) - W&M/2017 dated January 03, 2018
and RBI issued notification vide IDMD.CDD.No.1671/13.01.299/2017-18 dated
January 3, 2018. These bonds may be held by (i) an individual, not being a
Non-Resident Indian-in his or her individual capacity, or in individual capacity
on joint basis, or in individual capacity on any one or survivor basis, or on
behalf of a minor as father/mother/legal guardian and (ii) a Hindu Undivided
Family. There is no maximum limit for investment in these bonds. Interest on
these Bonds will be taxable under the Income Tax Act, 1961 as applicable
according to the relevant tax status of the Bond holders. These Bonds will be
exempt from wealth-tax under the Wealth Tax Act, 1957. These Bonds will be
issued at par for a minimum amount of ` 1,000 (face value) and in multiples
thereof. RBI vide its notification IDMD.CDD No.21/13.01.299/2018-19 dated

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 July 2, 2018 has issued Master Directions on Relief/Savings Bonds providing
details on appointment/delisting of brokers, payment and rates of brokerage for
saving bonds and nomination facility etc.

d. State Development Loans (SDLs)

1.7 State Governments also raise loans from the market which are called SDLs. SDLs are
dated securities issued through normal auction similar to the auctions conducted for dated
securities issued by the Central Government (please see question 3). Interest is serviced
at half-yearly intervals and the principal is repaid on the maturity date. Like dated
securities issued by the Central Government, SDLs issued by the State Governments also
qualify for SLR. They are also eligible as collaterals for borrowing through market repo as
well as borrowing by eligible entities from the RBI under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility
(LAF) and special repo conducted under market repo by CCIL. State Governments have
also issued special securities under “Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojna (UDAY) Scheme for
Operational and Financial Turnaround of Power Distribution Companies (DISCOMs)”
notified by Ministry of Power vide Office Memorandum (No 06/02/2015-NEF/FRP) dated
November 20, 2015.

2. Why should one invest in G-Secs?

2.1 Holding of cash in excess of the day-to-day needs (idle funds) does not give any
return. Investment in gold has attendant problems in regard to appraising its purity,
valuation, warehousing and safe custody, etc. In comparison, investing in G-Secs has the
following advantages:
• Besides providing a return in the form of coupons (interest), G-Secs offer the
maximum safety as they carry the Sovereign’s commitment for payment of interest and
repayment of principal.
• They can be held in book entry, i.e., dematerialized/ scripless form, thus, obviating the
need for safekeeping. They can also be held in physical form.
• G-Secs are available in a wide range of maturities from 91 days to as long as 40 years
to suit the duration of varied liability structure of various institutions.
• G-Secs can be sold easily in the secondary market to meet cash requirements.
• G-Secs can also be used as collateral to borrow funds in the repo market.
• Securities such as State Development Loans (SDLs) and Special Securities (Oil
bonds, UDAY bonds etc) provide attractive yields.
• The settlement system for trading in G-Secs, which is based on Delivery versus
Payment (DvP), is a very simple, safe and efficient system of settlement. The DvP
mechanism ensures transfer of securities by the seller of securities simultaneously

11
 with transfer of funds from the buyer of the securities, thereby mitigating the settlement
risk.
• G-Sec prices are readily available due to a liquid and active secondary market and a
transparent price dissemination mechanism.
• Besides banks, insurance companies and other large investors, smaller investors like
Co-operative banks, Regional Rural Banks, Provident Funds are also required to
statutory hold G-Secs as indicated below:

A. Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks (UCBs)

2.2 Section 24 (2A) of the Banking Regulation Act 1949, (as applicable to co-operative
societies) provides that every primary (urban) cooperative bank shall maintain liquid
assets, the value of which shall not be less than such percentage as may be specified by
Reserve Bank in the Official Gazette from time to time and not exceeding 40% of its DTL
in India as on the last Friday of the second preceding fortnight (in addition to the minimum
cash reserve ratio (CRR) requirement). Such liquid assets shall be in the form of cash,
gold or unencumbered investment in approved securities. This is referred to as the
Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) requirement. It may be noted that balances kept with State
Co-operative Banks / District Central Co-operative Banks as also term deposits with public
sector banks are now not eligible for being reckoned for SLR purpose w.e.f April 1, 2015.

B. Rural Co-operative Banks

2.3 As per Section 24 of the Banking Regulation Act 1949, the State Co-operative Banks
(SCBs) and the District Central Co-operative Banks (DCCBs) are required to maintain
assets as part of the SLR requirement in cash, gold or unencumbered investment in
approved securities the value of which shall not, at the close of business on any day, be
less than such per cent, as prescribed by RBI, of its total net demand and time liabilities.
DCCBs are allowed to meet their SLR requirement by maintaining cash balances with
their respective State Co-operative Bank.

C. Regional Rural Banks (RRBs)

2.4 Since April 2002, all the RRBs are required to maintain their entire Statutory Liquidity
Ratio (SLR) holdings in Government and other approved securities.

D. Provident funds and other entities

2.5 The non- Government provident funds, superannuation funds and gratuity funds are
required by the Central Government, effective from January 24, 2005, to invest 40% of
their incremental accretions in Central and State G-Secs, and/or units of gilt funds
regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and any other negotiable
security fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Central/State Governments. The

12
exposure of a trust to any individual gilt fund, however, should not exceed five per cent of
its total portfolio at any point of time. The investment guidelines for non- Government PFs
have been recently revised in terms of which minimum 45% and up to 50% of investments
are permitted in a basket of instruments consisting of (a) G-Secs, (b) Other securities (not
in excess of 10% of total portfolio) the principal whereof and interest whereon is fully and
unconditionally guaranteed by the Central Government or any State Government SDLs
and (c) units of mutual funds set up as dedicated funds for investment in G-Secs (not
more than 5% of the total portfolio at any point of time and fresh investments made in
them shall not exceed 5% of the fresh accretions in the year), effective from April 2015.

3. How are the G-Secs issued?

3.1 G-Secs are issued through auctions conducted by RBI. Auctions are conducted on
the electronic platform called the E-Kuber, the Core Banking Solution (CBS) platform of
RBI. Commercial banks, scheduled UCBs, Primary Dealers (a list of Primary Dealers with
their contact details is given in Annex 2), insurance companies and provident funds, who
maintain funds account (current account) and securities accounts (Subsidiary General
Ledger (SGL) account) with RBI, are members of this electronic platform. All members of
E-Kuber can place their bids in the auction through this electronic platform. The results of
the auction are published by RBI at stipulated time (For Treasury bills at 1:30 PM and for
GoI dated securities at 2:00 PM or at half hourly intervals thereafter in case of delay). All
non-E-Kuber members including non-scheduled UCBs can participate in the primary
auction through scheduled commercial banks or PDs (called as Primary Members-PMs).
For this purpose, the UCBs need to open a securities account with a bank / PD – such an
account is called a Gilt Account. A Gilt Account is a dematerialized account maintained
with a scheduled commercial bank or PD. The proprietary transactions in G-Secs
undertaken by PMs are settled through SGL account maintained by them with RBI at
PDO. The transactions in G-Secs undertaken by Gilt Account Holders (GAHs) through
their PMs are settled through Constituent Subsidiary General Ledger (CSGL) account
maintained by PMs with RBI at PDO for its constituent (e.g., a non-scheduled UCB).

3.2 The RBI, in consultation with the Government of India, issues an indicative half-yearly
auction calendar which contains information about the amount of borrowing, the range of
the tenor of securities and the period during which auctions will be held. A Notification and
a Press Communique giving exact particulars of the securities, viz., name, amount, type of
issue and procedure of auction are issued by the Government of India about a week prior
to the actual date of auction. RBI places the notification and a Press Release on its
website (www.rbi.org.in) and also issues advertisements in leading English and Hindi

13
newspapers. Auction for dated securities is conducted on Friday for settlement on T+1
basis (i.e. securities are issued on next working day i.e. Monday). The investors are thus
given adequate time to plan for the purchase of G-Secs through such auctions. A
specimen of a dated security in physical form is given at Annex 1. The details of all the
outstanding dated securities issued by the Government of India are available on the RBI
website at http://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/financialmarketswatch.aspx. A sample of the
auction calendar and the auction notification are given in Annex 3 and 4, respectively.

3.3 The Reserve Bank of India conducts auctions usually every Wednesday to issue T-
bills of 91day, 182 day and 364 day tenors. Settlement for the T-bills auctioned is made on
T+1 day i.e. on the working day following the trade day. The Reserve Bank releases a
quarterly calendar of T-bill issuances for the upcoming quarter in the last week of the
preceding quarter. e.g. calendar for April-June period is notified in the last week of March.
The Reserve Bank of India announces the issue details of T-bills through a press release
on its website every week.

3.4 Like T-bills, Cash Management Bills (CMBs) are also issued at a discount and
redeemed at face value on maturity. The tenor, notified amount and date of issue of the
CMBs depend upon the temporary cash requirement of the Government. The tenors of
CMBs is generally less than 91 days. The announcement of their auction is made by
Reserve Bank of India through a Press Release on its website. The non-competitive
bidding scheme (referred to in paragraph number 4.3 and 4.4 under question No. 4) has
not been extended to CMBs. However, these instruments are tradable and qualify for
ready forward facility. Investment in CMBs is also reckoned as an eligible investment in G-
Secs by banks for SLR purpose under Section 24 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
First set of CMB was issued on May 12, 2010.

3.5 Floatation of State Government Loans (State Development Loans)

In terms of Sec. 21A (1) (b) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, the RBI may, by
agreement with any State Government undertake the management of the public debt of
that State. Accordingly, the RBI has entered into agreements with 29 State Governments
and one Union Territory (UT of Puducherry) for management of their public debt. Under
Article 293(3) of the Constitution of India (Under section 48A of Union territories Act, in
case of Union Territory), a State Government has to obtain the permission of the Central
Government for any borrowing as long as there is any outstanding loan that the State
Government may have from the Centre.

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Market borrowings are raised by the RBI on behalf of the State Governments to the extent
of the allocations under the Market Borrowing Program as approved by the Ministry of
Finance in consultation with the Planning Commission.

RBI, in consultation with State Governments announces, the indicative quantum of

borrowing on a quarterly basis. All State Governments have issued General notifications
which specify the terms and conditions for issue of SDL. Before every auction, respective
state governments issue specific notifications indicating details of the securities being
issued in the particular auction. RBI places a press release on its website and also issues
advertisements in leading English and vernacular newspapers of the respective states.

Currently, SDL auctions are held generally on Tuesdays every week. As in case of Central
Government securities, auction is held on the E-Kuber Platform. 10% of the notified
amount is reserved for the retail investors under the non-competitive bidding.
4. What are the different types of auctions used for issue of securities? What is
switch/conversion of Government Securities through auction?
Prior to introduction of auctions as the method of issuance, the interest rates were
administratively fixed by the Government. With the introduction of auctions, the rate of
interest (coupon rate) gets fixed through a market-based price discovery process.

4.1 An auction may either be yield based or price based.

i. Yield Based Auction: A yield-based auction is generally conducted when a new

G-Sec is issued. Investors bid in yield terms up to two decimal places (e.g., 8.19%,
8.20%, etc.). Bids are arranged in ascending order and the cut-off yield is arrived
at the yield corresponding to the notified amount of the auction. The cut-off yield is
then fixed as the coupon rate for the security. Successful bidders are those who
have bid at or below the cut-off yield. Bids which are higher than the cut-off yield
are rejected. An illustrative example of the yield-based auction is given below:

Yield based auction of a new security

• Maturity Date: January 11, 2026
• Coupon: It is determined in the auction (8.22% as shown in the
illustration below)
• Auction date: January 08, 2016
• Auction settlement date/Issue date: January 11, 2016*
• Notified Amount: `1000 crore
* January 9 and 10 being holidays (Saturday and Sunday), settlement
is done on January 11, 2016 (T+1 settlement).

15
 Details of bids received in the increasing order of bid yields
Bid Amount of bid Cumulative Price* with
Bid No.
Yield (` Cr) amount (`Cr) coupon as 8.22%
1 8.19% 300 300 100.19
2 8.20% 200 500 100.14
3 8.20% 250 750 100.13
4 8.21% 150 900 100.09
5 8.22% 100 1000 100
6 8.22% 100 1100 100
7 8.23% 150 1250 99.93
8 8.24% 100 1350 99.87
The issuer would get the notified amount by accepting bids up to bid at sl. no. 5.
Since the bid number 6 also is at the same yield, bid numbers 5 and 6 would get
allotment on pro-rata basis so that the notified amount is not exceeded. In the
above case each of bidder at sl. no. 5 and 6 would get ` 50 crore. Bid numbers 7
and 8 are rejected as the yields are higher than the cut-off yield.
*Price corresponding to the yield is determined as per the relationship given
under YTM calculation in question 24.

ii. Price Based Auction: A price based auction is conducted when Government of
India re-issues securities which have already been issued earlier. Bidders quote in
terms of price per `100 of face value of the security (e.g., `102.00, `101.00,
`100.00, ` 99.00, etc., per `100/-). Bids are arranged in descending order of price
offered and the successful bidders are those who have bid at or above the cut-off
price. Bids which are below the cut-off price are rejected. An illustrative example of
price based auction is given below:

Price based auction of an existing security 8.22% GS 2026

• Maturity Date: January 11, 2026
• Coupon: 8.22%
• Auction date: January 08, 2016
• Auction settlement date: January 11, 2016*
• Notified Amount: `1000 crore
* January 9 and 10 being holidays (Saturday and Sunday), settlement is done on
January 11, 2016 under T+1 cycle.

16
 Details of bids received in the decreasing order of bid price
Amount of bid Implicit
Bid no. Price of bid (` Cr) yield Cumulative amount (`Cr)
1 100.19 300 8.19% 300
2 100.14 200 8.20% 500
3 100.13 250 8.20% 750
4 100.09 150 8.21% 900
5 100 100 8.22% 1000
6 100 100 8.22% 1100
7 99.93 150 8.23% 1250
8 99.87 100 8.24% 1350
The issuer would get the notified amount by accepting bids up to 5. Since the bid
number 6 also is at the same price, bid numbers 5 and 6 would get allotment in
proportion so that the notified amount is not exceeded. In the above case each of
bidders at sl. no. 5 and 6 would get securities worth ` 50 crore. Bid numbers 7 and 8
are rejected as the price quoted is less than the cut-off price.

4.2 Depending upon the method of allocation to successful bidders, auction may be
conducted on Uniform Price basis or Multiple Price basis. In a Uniform Price auction, all
the successful bidders are required to pay for the allotted quantity of securities at the
same rate, i.e., at the auction cut-off rate, irrespective of the rate quoted by them. On the
other hand, in a Multiple Price auction, the successful bidders are required to pay for the
allotted quantity of securities at the respective price / yield at which they have bid. In the
example under (ii) above, if the auction was Uniform Price based, all bidders would get
allotment at the cut-off price, i.e., `100.00. On the other hand, if the auction was Multiple
Price based, each bidder would get the allotment at the price he/ she has bid, i.e., bidder 1
at `100.19, bidder 2 at `100.14 and so on.

4.3 An investor, depending upon his eligibility, may bid in an auction under either of the
following categories:

Competitive Bidding: In a competitive bidding, an investor bids at a specific price / yield

and is allotted securities if the price / yield quoted is within the cut-off price / yield.
Competitive bids are made by well-informed institutional investors such as banks, financial
institutions, PDs, mutual funds, and insurance companies. The minimum bid amount is
`10,000 and in multiples of `10,000 in dated securities and minimum ` 10,000 in case of
T-Bills and in multiples of ` 10,000 thereafter. Multiple bidding is also allowed, i.e., an
investor may put in multiple bids at various prices/ yield levels.

Non-Competitive Bidding (NCB):

With a view to encouraging wider participation and retail holding of Government securities,
retail investors are allowed participation on “non-competitive” basis in select auctions of

17
dated Government of India (GoI) securities and Treasury Bills. Participation on a non-
competitive basis in the auctions will be open to a retail investor who (a) does not maintain
current account (CA) or Subsidiary General Ledger (SGL) account with the Reserve Bank
of India; and (b) submits the bid indirectly through an Aggregator/Facilitator permitted
under the scheme. Retail investor, for the purpose of scheme of NCB, is any person,
including individuals, firms, companies, corporate bodies, institutions, provident funds,
trusts, and any other entity as may be prescribed by RBI. Regional Rural Banks (RRBs)
and Cooperative Banks shall be covered under this Scheme only in the auctions of dated
securities in view of their statutory obligations and shall be eligible to submit their non-
competitive bids directly. State Governments, eligible provident funds in India, the Nepal
Rashtra Bank, Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan and any Person or Institution, specified
by the Bank, with the approval of Government, shall be covered under this scheme only in
the auctions of Treasury Bills without any restriction on the maximum amount of bid for
these entities and their bids will be outside the notified amount. Under the Scheme, an
investor can make only a single bid in an auction.
Allocation of non-competitive bids from retail investors except as specified above will be
restricted to a maximum of five percent of the aggregate nominal amount of the issue
within the notified amount as specified by the Government of India, or any other
percentage determined by Reserve Bank of India. The minimum amount for bidding will be
` 10,000 (face value) and thereafter in multiples in ` 10,000 as hitherto. In the auctions of
GoI dated securities, the retail investors can make a single bid for an amount not more
than Rupees Two crore (face value) per security per auction.
In addition to scheduled banks and primary dealers, specified stock exchanges are also
permitted to act as aggregators/facilitators. These stock exchanges submit a single
consolidated non-competitive bid in the auction process and will have to put in place
necessary processes to transfer the securities so allotted in the primary auction to their
members/clients.
Allotment under the non-competitive segment will be at the weighted average rate of
yield/price that will emerge in the auction on the basis of the competitive bidding. The
Aggregator/Facilitator can recover up to six paise per `100 as
brokerage/commission/service charges for rendering this service to their clients. Such
costs may be built into the sale price or recovered separately from the clients. It may be
noted that no other costs, such as funding costs, should be built into the price or
recovered from the client. In case the aggregate amount of bid is more than the reserved
amount (5% of notified amount), pro rata allotment would be made. In case of partial
allotments, it will be the responsibility of the Aggregator/Facilitator to appropriately allocate

18
securities to their clients in a transparent manner. In case the aggregate amount of bids is
less than the reserved amount, the shortfall will be taken to competitive portion.
The updated Scheme for Non-Competitive Bidding Facility in the auctions of Government
Securities and Treasury Bills is issued by RBI vide IDMD.1080/08.01.001/2017-18 dated
November 23, 2017

4.4 NCB scheme has been introduced in SDLs from August 2009. The aggregate amount
reserved for the purpose in the case of SDLs is 10% of the notified amount (e.g. `100
Crore for a notified amount of `1000 Crore) subject to a maximum limit of 1% of notified
amount for a single bid per stock. The bidding and allotment procedure is similar to that of
G-Secs.

Conversion (Switch) of Government of India Securities through auction

RBI has from April 22, 2019 started conducting the auction for conversion of Government
of India securities on third Monday of every month. Bidding in the auction implies that the
market participants agree to sell the source security/ies to the Government of India (GoI)
and simultaneously agree to buy the destination security from the GoI at their respective
quoted prices. The source securities along with notified amount and corresponding
destination securities are provided in the press release issued before the auction. The
market participants are required to place their bids in e-kuber giving the amount of the
source security and the price of the source and destination security expressed up to two
decimal places. The price of the source security quoted must be equal to the FBIL closing
price of the source security as on the previous working day.

5. What are Open Market Operations (OMOs)?

OMOs are the market operations conducted by the RBI by way of sale/ purchase of G-
Secs to/ from the market with an objective to adjust the rupee liquidity conditions in the
market on a durable basis. When the RBI feels that there is excess liquidity in the market,
it resorts to sale of securities thereby sucking out the rupee liquidity. Similarly, when the
liquidity conditions are tight, RBI may buy securities from the market, thereby releasing
liquidity into the market.

5 (b) What is meant by repurchase (buyback) of G-Secs?

Repurchase (buyback) of G-Secs is a process whereby the Government of India and State
Governments buy back their existing securities, by redeeming them prematurely, from the
holders. The objectives of buyback can be reduction of cost (by buying back high coupon
securities), reduction in the number of outstanding securities and improving liquidity in the

19
G-Secs market (by buying back illiquid securities) and infusion of liquidity in the system.
The repurchase by the Government of India is also undertaken for effective cash
management by utilising the surplus cash balances. For e.g. Repurchase of four securities
(7.49 GS 2017 worth ` 1385 cr, 8.07 GS 2017 worth ` 50 cr, 7.99 GS 2017 worth `
1401.417 cr and 7.46 GS 2017 worth ` 125 cr) was done through reverse auction on
March 17, 2017. State Governments can also buy-back their high coupon (high cost debt)
bearing securities to reduce their interest outflows in the times when interest rates show a
falling trend. States can also retire their high cost debt pre-maturely in order to fulfill some
of the conditions put by international lenders like Asian Development Bank, World Bank
etc. to grant them low cost loans. For e.g. Repurchase of seven securities of Government
of Maharashtra was done through reverse auction on March 29, 2017. RBI vide
DBR.No.BP.BC.46/21.04.141/2018-19 dated June 10, 2019 notified that apart from
transactions that are already exempted from inclusion in the 5 per cent cap, it has been
decided that repurchase of State Development Loans (SDLs) by the concerned state
government shall also be exempted. Governments make provisions in their budget for
buying back of existing securities. Buyback can be done through an auction process
(generally if amount is large) or through the secondary market route, i.e. NDS-OM (if
amount is not large).

6. What is Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) and whether Re-repo in Government

Securities Market is allowed?

LAF is a facility extended by RBI to the scheduled commercial banks (excluding RRBs)
and PDs to avail of liquidity in case of requirement or park excess funds with RBI in case
of excess liquidity on an overnight basis against the collateral of G-Secs including SDLs.
Basically, LAF enables liquidity management on a day to day basis. The operations of LAF
are conducted by way of repurchase agreements (repos and reverse repos – please refer
to paragraph numbers 30.4 to 30.8 under question no. 30 for more details) with RBI being
the counter-party to all the transactions. The interest rate in LAF is fixed by RBI from time
to time. LAF is an important tool of monetary policy and liquidity management. The
substitution of collateral (security) by the market participants during the tenor of the term
repo is allowed from April 17, 2017 subject to various conditions and guidelines prescribed
by RBI from time to time. The accounting norms to be followed by market participants for
repo/reverse repo transactions under LAF and MSF (Marginal Standing Facility) of RBI are
aligned with the accounting guidelines prescribed for market repo transactions. In order to
distinguish repo/reverse repo transactions with RBI from market repo transactions, a
parallel set of accounts similar to those maintained for market repo transactions but
prefixed with ‘RBI’ may be maintained. Further market value of collateral securities

20
(instead of face value) will be reckoned for calculating haircut and securities acquired by
banks under reverse repo with RBI will be bestowed SLR status.

RBI vide its notification FMRD.DIRD.01/14.03.038/2018-19 dated July 24, 2018 has
issued Repurchase Transactions (Repo) (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2018 applicable to
all the persons eligible to participate or transact business in market repurchase
transactions (repos).

Scheduled commercial banks, Primary Dealers along with Mutual Funds and Insurance
Companies (subject to the approval of the regulators concerned) maintaining Subsidiary
General Ledger account with RBI are permitted to re-repo the government securities,
including SDLs and Treasury Bills, acquired under reverse repo, subject to various
conditions and guidelines prescribed by RBI time to time.

7. How and in what form can G-Secs be held?

7.1 The Public Debt Office (PDO) of RBI, acts as the registry and central depository for G-
Secs. They may be held by investors either as physical stock or in dematerialized
(demat/electronic) form. From May 20, 2002, it is mandatory for all the RBI regulated
entities to hold and transact in G-Secs only in dematerialized (SGL) form.

a. Physical form: G-Secs may be held in the form of stock certificates. A stock
certificate is registered in the books of PDO. Ownership in stock certificates cannot
be transferred by way of endorsement and delivery. They are transferred by
executing a transfer form as the ownership and transfer details are recorded in the
books of PDO. The transfer of a stock certificate is final and valid only when the
same is registered in the books of PDO.
b. Demat form: Holding G-Secs in the electronic or scripless form is the safest and the
most convenient alternative as it eliminates the problems relating to their custody,
viz., loss of security. Besides, transfers and servicing of securities in electronic form
is hassle free. The holders can maintain their securities in dematerialsed form in
either of the two ways:

i. SGL Account: Reserve Bank of India offers SGL Account facility to select entities
who can hold their securities in SGL accounts maintained with the Public Debt
Offices of the RBI. Only financially strong entities viz. Banks, PDs, select UCBs and
NBFCs which meet RBI guidelines (please see RBI circular IDMD.DOD.No.
13/10.25.66/2011-12 dt Nov 18, 2011) are allowed to maintain SGL with RBI.

21
 ii. Gilt Account: As the eligibility to open and maintain an SGL account with the RBI is
restricted, an investor has the option of opening a Gilt Account with a bank or a PD
which is eligible to open a CSGL account with the RBI. Under this arrangement, the
bank or the PD, as a custodian of the Gilt Account holders, would maintain the
holdings of its constituents in a CSGL account (which is also known as SGL II
account) with the RBI. The servicing of securities held in the Gilt Accounts is done
electronically, facilitating hassle free trading and maintenance of the securities.
Receipt of maturity proceeds and periodic interest is also faster as the proceeds are
credited to the current account of the custodian bank / PD with the RBI and the
custodian (CSGL account holder) immediately passes on the credit to the Gilt
Account Holders (GAH).
7.2 Investors also have the option of holding G-Secs in a dematerialized account with a
depository (NSDL / CDSL, etc.). This facilitates trading of G-Secs on the stock exchanges.

8. How does the trading in G-Secs take place and what regulations are applicable to
prevent abuse? Whether value free transfer of G-Secs is allowed?
8.1 There is an active secondary market in G-Secs. The securities can be bought / sold in
the secondary market either through (i) Negotiated Dealing System-Order Matching (NDS-
OM) (anonymous online trading) or through (ii) Over the Counter (OTC) and reported on
NDS-OM or (iii) NDS-OM-Web (para 8.5) and (iv) Stock exchanges (para 8.6)

i. NDS-OM
In August 2005, RBI introduced an anonymous screen-based order matching module
called NDS-OM. This is an order driven electronic system, where the participants can
trade anonymously by placing their orders on the system or accepting the orders already
placed by other participants. Anonymity ensures a level playing field for various categories
of participants. NDS-OM is operated by the CCIL on behalf of the RBI (Please see answer
to the question no.19 about CCIL). Direct access to the NDS-OM system is currently
available only to select financial institutions like Commercial Banks, Primary Dealers, well
managed and financially sound UCBs and NBFCs, etc. Other participants can access this
system through their custodians i.e. with whom they maintain Gilt Accounts. The
custodians place the orders on behalf of their customers. The advantages of NDS-OM are
price transparency and better price discovery.

8.2 Gilt Account holders have been given indirect access to the reporting module of NDS-
OM through custodian institutions.

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8.3 Access to NDS-OM by the retail segment, comprising of individual investors having
demat account with depositories viz. NSDL and/or CDSL, desirous of participating in the
G-Sec market is facilitated by allowing them to use their demat accounts for their
transactions and holdings in G-Sec. This access would be facilitated through any of the
existing NDS-OM primary members, who also act as Depository Participants for NSDL
and/or CDSL. The scheme seeks to facilitate efficient access to retail individual investor to
the same G-Sec market being used by the large institutional investor in a seamless
manner.

ii. Over the Counter (OTC)/ Telephone Market

8.4 In the G-Sec market, a participant, who wants to buy or sell a G-Sec, may contact a
bank / PD/financial institution either directly or through a broker registered with SEBI and
negotiate price and quantity of security. Such negotiations are usually done on telephone
and a deal may be struck if both counterparties agree on the amount and rate. In the case
of a buyer, like an UCB wishing to buy a security, the bank's dealer (who is authorized by
the bank to undertake transactions in G-Secs) may get in touch with other market
participants over telephone and obtain quotes. Should a deal be struck, the bank should
record the details of the trade in a deal slip (specimen given at Annex 5). The dealer must
exercise due diligence with regard to the price quoted by verifying with available sources
(See question number 14 for information on ascertaining the price of G-Secs). All trades
undertaken in OTC market are reported on the Reported segment of NDS-OM within 15
minutes, the details of which are given under the question number 15.

iii. NDS-OM-Web
8.5 RBI has launched NDS-OM-Web on June 29, 2012 for facilitating direct participation of
gilt account holders (GAH) on NDS-OM through their primary members (PM) (as risk
controller only and not having any role in pricing of trade). The GAH have access to the
same order book of NDS-OM as the PM. GAH are in a better position to control their
orders (place/modify/cancel/hold/release) and have access to real time live quotes in the
market. Since notifications of orders executed as well as various queries are available
online to the GAH, they are better placed to manage their positions. Web based interface
that leverages on the gilt accounts already maintained with the custodian Banks/PDs
provides an operationally efficient system to retail participants. NDS OM Web is provided
at no additional cost to its users. PMs, however, may recover the actual charges paid by
them to CCIL for settlement of trades or any other charges like transaction cost, annual
maintenance charges (AMC) etc. It has been made obligatory for the Primary Members to
offer the NDS-OM-Web module to their constituent GAHs (excluding individual) for online
trading in G-sec in the secondary market. Constituents not desirous of availing this facility

23
may do so by opting out in writing. On the other hand, individual GAHs desirous of the
NDS-OM-Web facility may be provided the web access only on specific request.

iv. Stock Exchanges

8.6 As advised by SEBI, the stock exchanges (like NSE, BSE, MCX) have been asked to
create dedicated debt segment in their trading platforms. In compliance to this, stock
exchanges have launched debt trading (G-Secs as also corporate bonds) segment which
generally cater to the needs of retail investors. The process involved in trading of G-Secs
in Demat form in stock exchanges is as follows:

a. The Gilt Account Holder (GAH), say XYZ provident fund, approaches his custodian
bank, (say ABC), to convert its holding held by custodian bank in their CSGL account (to
the extent he wishes to trade, say ` 10,000), into Demat form.

b. ABC reduces the GAH’s security balance by ` 10,000 and advises the depository of
stock exchange (NSDL/CSDL) to increase XYZ’s Demat account by ` 10,000. ABC also
advises to PDO, Mumbai to reduce its CSGL balance by ` 10,000 and increase the CSGL
balance of NSDL/CSDL by ` 10,000.

c. NSDL/CSDL increases the Demat balance of XYZ by ` 10,000.

d. XYZ can now trade in G-Sec on stock exchange.

v. Regulations applicable to prevent abuse

8.7 RBI vide FMRD.FMSD.11/11.01.012/2018-19 dated March 15, 2019 issued directions
to prevent abuse in markets regulated by RBI. The directions are applicable to all persons
dealing in securities, money market instruments, foreign exchange instruments,
derivatives or other instruments of like nature as specified from time to time.

vi. Guidelines for Value free transfer (VFT) of Government Securities

8.8 VFT of the government securities shall mean transfer of securities from one
SGL/CSGL to another SGL/CSGL account, without consideration. Such transfers could be
on account of posting of margins, inter-depository transfers of government securities
arising from trades in exchanges between demat account holders of different depositories,
gift/inheritance and change of custodians etc. VFT would also be required in the case of
distribution of securities to the beneficiary demat/gilt accounts on allotment after
participation in the non-competitive segment of the primary auction.

24
RBI vide notification IDMD.CDD.No.1241/11.02.001/2018-19 dated November 16, 2018
issued separate guidelines for VFT to enable more efficient operations in the Government
securities market. Value Free Transfers between SGL/CSGL accounts not covered by
these guidelines will require specific approval of the Reserve Bank. The guidelines
prescribes list of permitted transactions for VFT and application for permission for VFT for
any other purpose may be submitted to Public Debt Office, Mumbai Regional Office, RBI,
Fort, Mumbai

9. Who are the major players in the G-Secs market?

Major players in the G-Secs market include commercial banks and PDs besides
institutional investors like insurance companies. PDs play an important role as market
makers in G-Secs market. A market maker provides firm two way quotes in the market i.e.
both buy and sell executable quotes for the concerned securities. Other participants
include co-operative banks, regional rural banks, mutual funds, provident and pension
funds. Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) are allowed to participate in the G-Secs market
within the quantitative limits prescribed from time to time. Corporates also buy/ sell the G-
Secs to manage their overall portfolio.

10. What are the Do's and Don’ts prescribed by RBI for the Co-operative banks
dealing in G-Secs?
While undertaking transactions in securities, UCBs should adhere to the instructions
issued by the RBI. The guidelines on transactions in G-Secs by the UCBs have been
codified in the master circular DCBR. BPD (PCB).MC.No. 4/16.20.000/2015-16 dated July
1, 2015 which is updated from time to time. This circular can also be accessed from the
RBI website under the Notifications – Master circulars section. The important guidelines to
be kept in view by the UCBs relate to formulation of an investment policy duly approved by
their Board of Directors, defining objectives of the policy, authorities and procedures to put
through deals, dealings through brokers, preparing panel of brokers and review thereof at
annual intervals, and adherence to the prudential ceilings fixed for transacting through
each of the brokers, etc.
The important Do’s & Don’ts are summarized in the Box I below.

25
 BOX I
Do’s & Don’ts for Dealing in G-Secs
Do’s

• Segregate dealing and back-office functions. Officials deciding about purchase and
sale transactions should be separate from those responsible for settlement and
accounting.
• Monitor all transactions to see that delivery takes place on settlement day. The funds
account and investment account should be reconciled on the same day before close of
business.
• Keep a proper record of the SGL forms received/issued to facilitate counter-checking
by their internal control systems/RBI inspectors/other auditors.
• Seek a Scheduled Commercial Bank (SCB), a PD or a Financial Institution (FI) as
counterparty for transactions.
• Give preference for direct deals with counter parties.
• Insist on Delivery versus Payment for all transactions.
• Take advantage of the NCB facility for acquiring G-Secs in the primary auctions
conducted by the RBI.
• Restrict the role of the broker only to that of bringing the two parties to the deal
together, if a deal is put through with the help of broker.
• Have a list of approved brokers. Utilize only brokers registered with NSE or BSE or
OTCEI for acting as intermediary.
• Place a limit of 5% of total transactions (both purchases and sales) entered into by a
bank during a year as the aggregate upper contract limit for each of the approved
brokers. A disproportionate part of the business should not be transacted with or
through one or a few brokers.
• Maintain and transact in G-Secs only in dematerialized form in SGL Account or Gilt
Account maintained with the CSGL Account holder.
• Open and maintain Gilt account or dematerialized account
• Open a funds account for securities transactions with the same Scheduled
Commercial bank or the State Cooperative bank with whom the Gilt Account is
maintained.
• Ensure availability of clear funds in the designated funds accounts for purchases and
sufficient securities in the Gilt Account for sales before putting through the
transactions.
• Observe prudential limits and abide by restrictions for investment in permitted non-SLR
securities (Prudential limit : shall not exceed 10% of the total deposits of bank as on

26
 March 31 of the preceding financial year) ( Instruments : (i) “A” or equivalent and
higher rated CPs, debentures and bonds, (ii) units of debt mutual funds and money
market mutual funds, (iii) shares of market infrastructure companies eg. CCIL, NPCI,
SWIFT).
• The Board of Directors to peruse all investment transactions at least once a month

Don’ts

• Do not undertake any purchase/sale transactions with broking firms or other

intermediaries on principal to principal basis.
• Do not use brokers in the settlement process at all, i.e., both funds settlement and
delivery of securities should be done with the counter-parties directly.
• Do not give power of attorney or any other authorisation under any circumstances to
brokers/intermediaries to deal on your behalf in the money and securities markets.
• Do not undertake G-Secs transaction in the physical form with any broker.
• Do not routinely make investments in non-SLR securities (e.g., corporate bonds, etc)
issued by companies or bodies.

11. How are the dealing transactions recorded by the dealing desk?
11.1 For every transaction entered into by the trading desk, a deal slip should be generated
which should contain data relating to nature of the deal, name of the counter-party, whether
it is a direct deal or through a broker (if it is through a broker, name of the broker), details of
security, amount, price, contract date and time and settlement date. The deal slips should
be serially numbered and verified separately to ensure that each deal slip has been
properly accounted for. Once the deal is concluded, the deal slip should be immediately
passed on to the back office (it should be separate and distinct from the front office) for
recording and processing. For each deal, there must be a system of issue of confirmation
to the counter-party. The timely receipt of requisite written confirmation from the counter-
party, which must include all essential details of the contract, should be monitored by the
back office. The need for counterparty confirmation of deals matched on NDS-OM will not
arise, as NDS-OM is an anonymous automated order matching system. In case of trades
finalized in the OTC market and reported on NDS-OM reported segment, both the buying
and selling counter parties report the trade particulars separately on the reporting platform
which should match for the trade to be settled.
11.2 Once a deal has been concluded through a broker, there should not be any
substitution of the counterparty by the broker. Similarly, the security sold / purchased in a
deal should not be substituted by another security under any circumstances.

27
11.3 On the basis of vouchers passed by the back office (which should be done after
verification of actual contract notes received from the broker / counter party and
confirmation of the deal by the counter party), the books of account should be
independently prepared.

12. What are the important considerations while undertaking security transactions?
The following steps should be followed in purchase of a security:
i) Which security to invest in – Typically this involves deciding on the maturity and
coupon. Maturity is important because this determines the extent of risk an investor
like an UCB is exposed to – normally higher the maturity, higher the interest rate
risk or market risk. If the investment is largely to meet statutory requirements, it
may be advisable to avoid taking undue market risk and buy securities with shorter
maturity. Within the shorter maturity range (say 5-10 years), it would be safer to
buy securities which are liquid, that is, securities which trade in relatively larger
volumes in the market. The information about such securities can be obtained from
the website of the CCIL (http://www.ccilindia.com/OMMWCG.aspx), which gives
real-time secondary market trade data on NDS-OM. Pricing is more transparent in
liquid securities, thereby reducing the chances of being misled/misinformed. The
coupon rate of the security is equally important for the investor as it affects the total
return from the security. In order to determine which security to buy, the investor
must look at the Yield to Maturity (YTM) of a security (please refer to Box III under
para 24.4 for a detailed discussion on YTM). Thus, once the maturity and yield
(YTM) is decided, the UCB may select a security by looking at the price/yield
information of securities traded on NDS-OM or by negotiating with bank or PD or
broker.

ii) Where and Whom to buy from- In terms of transparent pricing, the NDS-OM is the
safest because it is a live and anonymous platform where the trades are
disseminated as they are struck and where counterparties to the trades are not
revealed. In case, the trades are conducted on the telephone market, it would be
safe to trade directly with a bank or a PD. In case one uses a broker, care must be
exercised to ensure that the broker is registered on NSE or BSE or OTC Exchange
of India. Normally, the active debt market brokers may not be interested in deal
sizes which are smaller than the market lot (usually ` 5 cr). So it is better to deal
directly with bank / PD or on NDS-OM, which also has a screen for odd-lots (i.e.
less than ` 5 cr). Wherever a broker is used, the settlement should not happen
through the broker. Trades should not be directly executed with any counterparties

28
 other than a bank, PD or a financial institution, to minimize the risk of getting
adverse prices.

iii) How to ensure correct pricing – Since investors like UCBs have very small
requirements, they may get a quote/price, which is worse than the price for
standard market lots. To be sure of prices, only liquid securities may be chosen for
purchase. A safer alternative for investors with small requirements is to buy under
the primary auctions conducted by RBI through the non-competitive route. Since
there are bond auctions almost every week, purchases can be considered to
coincide with the auctions. Please see question 14 for details on ascertaining the
prices of the G-Secs.

13. Why does the price of G-Sec change?

The price of a G-Sec, like other financial instruments, keeps fluctuating in the secondary
market. The price is determined by demand and supply of the securities. Specifically, the
prices of G-Secs are influenced by the level and changes in interest rates in the economy
and other macro-economic factors, such as, expected rate of inflation, liquidity in the
market, etc. Developments in other markets like money, foreign exchange, credit,
commodity and capital markets also affect the price of the G-Secs. Further, developments
in international bond markets, specifically the US Treasuries affect prices of G-Secs in
India. Policy actions by RBI (e.g., announcements regarding changes in policy interest
rates like Repo Rate, Cash Reserve Ratio, Open Market Operations, etc.) also affect the
prices of G-Secs.

14. How does one get information about the price of a G-Sec?
14.1 The return on a security is a combination of two elements (i) coupon income – that is,
interest earned on the security and (ii) the gain / loss on the security due to price changes
and reinvestment gains or losses.

14.2 Price information is vital to any investor intending to either buy or sell G-Secs.
Information on traded prices of securities is available on the RBI website
http://www.rbi.org.in under the path Home → Financial Markets → Financial Markets
Watch → Order Matching Segment of Negotiated Dealing System. This will show a
screen containing the details of the latest trades undertaken in the market along with the
prices. Additionally, trade information can also be seen on CCIL website
http://www.ccilindia.com/OMHome.aspx. On this page, the list of securities and the
summary of trades is displayed. The total traded amount (TTA) on that day is shown

29
against each security. Typically, liquid securities are those with the largest amount of TTA.
Pricing in these securities is efficient and hence UCBs can choose these securities for
their transactions. Since the prices are available on the screen they can invest in these
securities at the current prices through their custodians. Participants can thus get near
real-time information on traded prices and take informed decisions while buying / selling
G-Secs. The screenshots of the above webpage are given below:

NDS-OM Market

The website of the Financial Benchmarks India Private Limited (FBIL), (www.fbil.org.in) is
also a right source of price information, especially on securities that are not traded
frequently.

15. How are the G-Secs transactions reported?

15.1 Transactions undertaken between market participants in the OTC / telephone market
are expected to be reported on the NDS-OM platform within 15 minutes after the deal is
put through over telephone. All OTC trades are required to be mandatorily reported on the
NDS-OM reported segment for settlement. Reporting on NDS-OM is a two stage process
wherein both the seller and buyer of the security have to report their leg of the trade.
System validates all the parameters like reporting time, price, security etc. and when all
the criterias of both the reporting parties match, the deals get matched and trade details
are sent by NDS-OM system to CCIL for settlement.

15.2 Reporting on behalf of entities maintaining gilt accounts with the custodians is done
by the respective custodians in the same manner as they do in case of their own trades

30
i.e., proprietary trades. The securities leg of these trades settles in the CSGL account of
the custodian. Funds leg settle in the current account of the PM with RBI.

15.3 In the case of NDS-OM, participants place orders (amount and price) in the desired
security on the system. Participants can modify / cancel their orders. Order could be a ‘bid’
(for purchase) or ‘offer’ (for sale) or a two way quote (both buy and sell) of securities. The
system, in turn, will match the orders based on price and time priority. That is, it matches
bids and offers of the same prices with time priority. It may be noted that bid and offer of
the same entity do not match i.e. only inter-entity orders are matched by NDS-OM and not
intra-entity. The NDS-OM system has separate screen for trading of the Central
Government papers, State Government securities (SDLs) and Treasury bills (including
Cash Management Bills). In addition, there is a screen for odd lot trading also essentially
for facilitating trading by small participants in smaller lots of less than ` 5 crore. The
minimum amount that can be traded in odd lot is ` 10,000 in dated securities, T-Bills and
CMBs. The NDS-OM platform is an anonymous platform wherein the participants will not
know the counterparty to the trade. Once an order is matched, the deal ticket gets
generated automatically and the trade details flow to the CCIL. Due to anonymity offered
by the system, the pricing is not influenced by the participants’ size and standing.

16. How do the G-Sec transactions settle?

Primary Market
16.1 Once the allotment process in the primary auction is finalized, the successful
participants are advised of the consideration amounts that they need to pay to the
Government on settlement day. The settlement cycle for auctions of all kind of G-Secs i.e.
dated securities, T-Bills, CMBs or SDLs, is T+1, i.e. funds and securities are settled on
next working day from the conclusion of the trade. On the settlement date, the fund
accounts of the participants are debited by their respective consideration amounts and
their securities accounts (SGL accounts) are credited with the amount of securities allotted
to them.
Secondary Market
16.2 The transactions relating to G-Secs are settled through the member’s securities /
current accounts maintained with the RBI. The securities and funds are settled on a net
basis i.e. Delivery versus Payment System-III (DvP-III). CCIL guarantees settlement of
trades on the settlement date by becoming a central counter-party (CCP) to every trade
through the process of novation, i.e., it becomes seller to the buyer and buyer to the seller.
16.3 All outright secondary market transactions in G-Secs are settled on a T+1 basis.
However, in case of repo transactions in G-Secs, the market participants have the choice

31
of settling the first leg on either T+0 basis or T+1 basis as per their requirement. RBI vide
FMRD.DIRD.05/14.03.007/2017-18 dated November 16, 2017 had permitted FPIs to settle
OTC secondary market transactions in Government Securities either on T+1 or on T+2
basis and in such cases, It may be ensured that all trades are reported on the trade date
itself.
17. What is shut period?
‘Shut period’ means the period for which the securities cannot be traded. During the period
under shut, no trading of the security which is under shut is allowed. The main purpose of
having a shut period is to facilitate finalizing of the payment of maturity redemption
proceeds and to avoid any change in ownership of securities during this process.
Currently, the shut period for the securities held in SGL accounts is one day.
18. What is Delivery versus Payment (DvP) Settlement?
Delivery versus Payment (DvP) is the mode of settlement of securities wherein the
transfer of securities and funds happen simultaneously. This ensures that unless the funds
are paid, the securities are not delivered and vice versa. DvP settlement eliminates the
settlement risk in transactions. There are three types of DvP settlements, viz., DvP I, II
and III which are explained below:
i. DvP I – The securities and funds legs of the transactions are settled on a gross basis,
that is, the settlements occur transaction by transaction without netting the payables and
receivables of the participant.
ii. DvP II – In this method, the securities are settled on gross basis whereas the funds are
settled on a net basis, that is, the funds payable and receivable of all transactions of a
party are netted to arrive at the final payable or receivable position which is settled.
iii. DvP III – In this method, both the securities and the funds legs are settled on a net
basis and only the final net position of all transactions undertaken by a participant is
settled.
Liquidity requirement in a gross mode is higher than that of a net mode since the payables
and receivables are set off against each other in the net mode.

19. What is the role of the Clearing Corporation of India Limited (CCIL)?
The CCIL is the clearing agency for G-Secs. It acts as a Central Counter Party (CCP) for
all transactions in G-Secs by interposing itself between two counterparties. In effect,
during settlement, the CCP becomes the seller to the buyer and buyer to the seller of the
actual transaction. All outright trades undertaken in the OTC market and on the NDS-OM
platform are cleared through the CCIL. Once CCIL receives the trade information, it works
out participant-wise net obligations on both the securities and the funds leg. The payable /
receivable position of the constituents (gilt account holders) is reflected against their

32
respective custodians. CCIL forwards the settlement file containing net position of
participants to the RBI where settlement takes place by simultaneous transfer of funds and
securities under the ‘Delivery versus Payment’ system. CCIL also guarantees settlement
of all trades in G-Secs. That means, during the settlement process, if any participant fails
to provide funds/ securities, CCIL will make the same available from its own means. For
this purpose, CCIL collects margins from all participants and maintains ‘Settlement
Guarantee Fund’.

20. What is the ‘When Issued’ market and “Short Sale”?

"When, as and if issued" (commonly known as ‘When Issued’) security refers to a

security that has been authorized for issuance but not yet actually issued. When Issued
trading takes place between the time a Government Security is announced for issuance
and the time it is actually issued. All 'When Issued' transactions are on an 'if' basis, to be
settled if and when the actual security is issued. RBI vide its notification
FMRD.DIRD.03/14.03.007/2018-19 dated July 24, 2018 has issued When Issued
Transactions (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2018 applicable to ‘When Issued’ transactions in
Central Government securities.
Both new and reissued Government securities issued by the Central Government are
eligible for ‘When Issued’ transactions. Eligibility of an issue for ‘When Issue’ trades would
be indicated in the respective specific auction notification. Participants eligible to
undertake both net long and short position in ‘When Issued’ market are (a) All entities
which are eligible to participate in the primary auction of Central Government securities,(b)
However, resident individuals, Hindu Undivided Families (HUF), Non-Resident Indians
(NRI) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) are eligible to undertake only long position in
‘When Issued’ securities. (c) Entities other than scheduled commercial banks and Primary
Dealers (PDs), shall close their short positions, if any, by the close of trading on the date
of auction of the underlying Central Government security.
When Issued transactions would commence after the issue of a security is notified by the
Central Government and it would cease at the close of trading on the date of auction. All
‘When Issued’ transactions for all trade dates shall be contracted for settlement on the
date of issue. When Issued’ transactions shall be undertaken only on the Negotiated
Dealing System-Order Matching (NDS-OM) platform. However, an existing position in a
‘When Issued’ security may be closed either on the NDS-OM platform or outside the NDS-
OM platform, i.e., through Over-the-Counter (OTC) market. The open position limits are
prescribed in the directions. All NDS-OM members participating in the ‘When Issued’

33
market are required to have in place a written policy on ‘When Issued’ trading which
should be approved by the Board of Directors or equivalent body.

"Short sale" means sale of a security one does not own. RBI vide its notification
FMRD.DIRD.05/14.03.007/2018-19 dated July 25, 2018 has issued Short Sale (Reserve
Bank) Directions, 2018 applicable to ‘Short Sale’ transactions in Central Government
dated securities. Banks may treat sale of a security held in the investment portfolio as a
short sale and follow the process laid down in these directions. These transactions shall
be referred to as ‘notional’ short sales. For the purpose of these guidelines, short sale
would include 'notional' short sale.
Entities eligible to undertake short sales are (a) Scheduled commercial banks, (b) Primary
Dealers, (c) Urban Cooperative Banks as permitted under circular UBD.BPD
(PCB). Circular No.9/09.29.000/2013-14 dated September 4, 2013 and (d) Any other
regulated entity which has the approval of the concerned regulator (SEBI, IRDA, PFRDA,
NABARD, NHB). The maximum amount of a security (face value) that can be short sold is
(a) for Liquid securities: 2% of the total outstanding stock of each security, or, ` 500 crore,
whichever is higher; (b) for other securities: 1% of the total outstanding stock of each
security, or, ` 250 crore, whichever is higher. The list of liquid securities shall be
disseminated by FIMMDA/FBIL from time to time. Short sales shall be covered within a
period of three months from the date of transaction (inclusive of the date). Banks
undertaking ‘notional’ short sales shall ordinarily borrow securities from the repo market to
meet delivery obligations, but in exceptional situations of market stress (e.g., short
squeeze), it may deliver securities from its own investment portfolio. If securities are
delivered out of its own portfolio, it must be accounted for appropriately and reflect the
transactions as internal borrowing. It shall be ensured that the securities so borrowed are
brought back to the same portfolio, without any change in book value.
21. What are the basic mathematical concepts one should know for calculations
involved in bond prices and yields?
The time value of money functions related to calculation of Present Value (PV), Future
Value (FV), etc. are important mathematical concepts related to bond market. An outline of
the same with illustrations is provided in Box II below.
Box II

Time Value of Money

Money has time value as a Rupee today is more valuable and useful than a
Rupee a year later.
The concept of time value of money is based on the premise that an investor
prefers to receive a payment of a fixed amount of money today, rather than an
equal amount in the future, all else being equal. In particular, if one receives

34
the payment today, one can then earn interest on the money until that
specified future date. Further, in an inflationary environment, a Rupee today
will have greater purchasing power than after a year.

Present value of a future sum

The present value formula is the core formula for the time value of money.
The present value (PV) formula has four variables, each of which can be solved
for:
Present Value (PV) is the value at time=0
Future Value (FV) is the value at time=n
i is the rate at which the amount will be compounded each period
n is the number of periods

The cumulative present value of future cash flows can be calculated by adding
the contributions of FVt, the value of cash flow at time=t

An illustration

Taking the cash flows as;

Period (in Yrs) 1 2 3

Amount 100 100 100

Assuming that the interest rate is at 10% per annum;

The discount factor for each year can be calculated as 1/(1+interest rate)^no.
of years

The present value can then be worked out as Amount x discount factor

The PV of `100 accruing after 3 years:

Year Amount discount factor P.V.
1 100 0.9091 90.91
2 100 0.8264 82.64
3 100 0.7513 75.13

The cumulative present value = 90.91+82.64+75.13 = ` 248.69

Net Present Value (NPV)

Net present value (NPV) or net present worth (NPW) is defined as the
present value of net cash flows. It is a standard method for using the time
value of money to appraise long-term projects. Used for capital budgeting, and
widely throughout economics, it measures the excess or shortfall of cash flows,
in present value (PV) terms, once financing charges are met.

35
Formula
Each cash inflow/outflow is discounted back to its present value (PV). Then
they are summed. Therefore

Where
t - the time of the cash flow
N - the total time of the project
r - the discount rate (the rate of return that could be earned on an
investment in the financial markets with similar risk.)
Ct - the net cash flow (the amount of cash) at time t (for educational
purposes, C0 is commonly placed to the left of the sum to emphasize its role as
the initial investment.).

In the illustration given above under the Present value, if the three cash
flows accrues on a deposit of ` 240, the NPV of the investment is equal to
248.69-240 = ` 8.69

22. How is the Price of a bond calculated? What is the total consideration amount of
a trade and what is accrued interest?
The price of a bond is nothing but the sum of present value of all future cash flows of the
bond. The interest rate used for discounting the cash flows is the Yield to Maturity (YTM)
(explained in detail in question no. 24) of the bond. Price can be calculated using the excel
function ‘Price’ (please refer to Annex 6).

Accrued interest is the interest calculated for the broken period from the last coupon day
till a day prior to the settlement date of the trade. Since the seller of the security is holding
the security for the period up to the day prior to the settlement date of the trade, he is
entitled to receive the coupon for the period held. During settlement of the trade, the buyer
of security will pay the accrued interest in addition to the agreed price and pays the
‘consideration amount’.
An illustration is given below;

For a trade of ` 5 crore (face value) of security 8.83% 2023 for settlement date Jan 30,
2014 at a price of `100.50, the consideration amount payable to the seller of the security
is worked out below:

Here the price quoted is called ‘clean price’ as the ‘accrued interest’ component is not
added to it.

36
Accrued interest:
The last coupon date being Nov 25, 2013, the number of days in broken period till Jan 29,
2014 (one day prior to settlement date i.e. on trade day) are 65.
The accrued interest on `100 face value for 65 days = 8.83 x (65/360)
= `1.5943
When we add the accrued interest component to the ‘clean price’, the resultant price is
called the ‘dirty price’. In the instant case, it is 100.50+1.5943 = `102.0943

The total consideration amount = Face value of trade x dirty price

= 5,00,00,000 x (102.0943/100)
= ` 5,10,47,150

23. What is the relationship between yield and price of a bond?

If market interest rate levels rise, the price of a bond falls. Conversely, if interest rates or
market yields decline, the price of the bond rises. In other words, the yield of a bond is
inversely related to its price. The relationship between yield to maturity and coupon rate of
bond may be stated as follows:
• When the market price of the bond is less than the face value, i.e., the bond sells at a
discount, YTM > > coupon yield.
• When the market price of the bond is more than its face value, i.e., the bond sells at a
premium, coupon yield > > YTM.
• When the market price of the bond is equal to its face value, i.e., the bond sells at par,
YTM = coupon yield.
24. How is the yield of a bond calculated?
24.1 An investor who purchases a bond can expect to receive a return from one or more
of the following sources:
• The coupon interest payments made by the issuer;
• Any capital gain (or capital loss) when the bond is sold/matured; and
• Income from reinvestment of the interest payments that is interest-on-interest.
The three yield measures commonly used by investors to measure the potential return
from investing in a bond are briefly described below:

i) Coupon Yield
24.2 The coupon yield is simply the coupon payment as a percentage of the face value.
Coupon yield refers to nominal interest payable on a fixed income security like G-Sec.
This is the fixed return the Government (i.e., the issuer) commits to pay to the investor.

37
Coupon yield thus does not reflect the impact of interest rate movement and inflation on
the nominal interest that the Government pays.
Coupon yield = Coupon Payment / Face Value
Illustration:
Coupon: 8.24
Face Value: `100
Market Value: `103.00
Coupon yield = 8.24/100 = 8.24%

ii) Current Yield

24.3 The current yield is simply the coupon payment as a percentage of the bond’s
purchase price; in other words, it is the return a holder of the bond gets against its
purchase price which may be more or less than the face value or the par value. The
current yield does not take into account the reinvestment of the interest income received
periodically.
Current yield = (Annual coupon rate / Purchase price) X100

Illustration:
The current yield for a 10 year 8.24% coupon bond selling for `103.00 per `100
par value is calculated below:
Annual coupon interest = 8.24% x `100 = `8.24
Current yield = (8.24/103) X 100 = 8.00%

The current yield considers only the coupon interest and ignores other sources of return
that will affect an investor’s return.

iii) Yield to Maturity

24.4 Yield to Maturity (YTM) is the expected rate of return on a bond if it is held until its
maturity. The price of a bond is simply the sum of the present values of all its remaining
cash flows. Present value is calculated by discounting each cash flow at a rate; this rate is
the YTM. Thus, YTM is the discount rate which equates the present value of the future
cash flows from a bond to its current market price. In other words, it is the internal rate of
return on the bond. The calculation of YTM involves a trial-and-error procedure. A
calculator or software can be used to obtain a bond’s YTM easily (please see the Box III).

38
 Box III
YTM Calculation

YTM could be calculated manually as well as using functions in any standard

spread sheet like MS Excel.

Manual (Trial and Error) Method

Manual or trial and error method is complicated because G-Secs have many
cash flows running into future. This is explained by taking an example below.

Take a two year security bearing a coupon of 8% and a price of say ` 102 per
face value of ` 100; the YTM could be calculated by solving for ‘r’ below.
Typically, it involves trial and error by taking a value for ‘r’ and solving the
equation and if the right hand side is more than 102, take a higher value of ‘r’
and solve again. Linear interpolation technique may also be used to find out
exact ‘r’ once we have two ‘r’ values so that the price value is more than 102
for one and less than 102 for the other value.
102 = 4/(1+r/2)1+ 4/(1+r/2)2 + 4/(1+r/2)3 + 104/(1+r/2)4

Spread Sheet Method using MS Excel

In the MS Excel programme, the following function could be used for
calculating the yield of periodically coupon paying securities, given the price.
YIELD (settlement,maturity,rate,price,redemption,frequency,basis)
Wherein;
Settlement is the security's settlement date. The security settlement date is
the date on which the security and funds are exchanged. Maturity is the
security's maturity date. The maturity date is the date when the security
expires.
Rate is the security's annual coupon rate.
Price is the security's price per `100 face value.
Redemption is the security's redemption value per `100 face value.
Frequency is the number of coupon payments per year. (2 for
Government bonds in India)
Basis is the type of day count basis to use. (4 for Government bonds
in India which uses 30/360 basis)

25. What are the day count conventions used in calculating bond yields?
Day count convention refers to the method used for arriving at the holding period (number
of days) of a bond to calculate the accrued interest. As the use of different day count
conventions can result in different accrued interest amounts, it is appropriate that all the
participants in the market follow a uniform day count convention.
For example, the conventions followed in Indian market are given below.
Bond market: The day count convention followed is 30/360, which means that irrespective
of the actual number of days in a month, the number of days in a month is taken as 30 and
the number of days in a year is taken as 360.
Money market: The day count convention followed is actual/365, which means that the
actual number of days in a month is taken for number of days (numerator) whereas the

39
number of days in a year is taken as 365 days. Hence, in the case of T-Bills, which are
essentially money market instruments, money market convention is followed.
In some countries, participants use actual/actual, some countries use actual/360 while
some use 30/actual. Hence the convention changes in different countries and in different
markets within the same country (eg. Money market convention is different than the bond
market convention in India).
26. How is the yield of a T- Bill calculated?
It is calculated as per the following formula

100-P 365
Yield = --------- X ----- X 100
P D

Wherein;
P – Purchase price
D – Days to maturity
Day Count: For T- Bills, = [actual number of days to maturity/365]

Illustration
Assuming that the price of a 91 day T-- bill at issue is ` 98.20, the yield on the same would
be
Yield = 100-98.20X365X100 = 7.3521%
98.20 91
After say, 41 days, if the same T- bill is trading at a price of ` 99, the yield would then be
Yield = 100-99X365X100 = 7.3737%
99 50
Note that the remaining maturity of the T-Bill is 50 days (91-41).

27. What is Duration?

27.1 Duration (also known as Macaulay Duration) of a bond is a measure of the time taken
to recover the initial investment in present value terms. In simplest form, duration refers to
the payback period of a bond to break even, i.e., the time taken for a bond to repay its own
purchase price. Duration is expressed in number of years. A step by step approach for
working out duration is given in the Box IV below.

Box: IV
Calculation for Duration
First, each of the future cash flows is discounted to its respective present value for each
period. Since the coupons are paid out every six months, a single period is equal to six

40
months and a bond with two years maturity will have four time periods.
Second, the present values of future cash flows are multiplied with their respective time
periods (these are the weights). That is the PV of the first coupon is multiplied by 1, PV of
second coupon by 2 and so on.
Third, the above weighted PVs of all cash flows is added and the sum is divided by the
current price (total of the PVs in step 1) of the bond. The resultant value is the duration in
no. of periods. Since one period equals to six months, to get the duration in no. of year,
divide it by two. This is the time period within which the bond is expected to pay back its
own value if held till maturity.

Illustration:
Taking a bond having 2 years maturity, and 10% coupon, and current price of ` 101.79,
the cash flows will be (prevailing 2 year yield being 9%):
Time period (half year) 1 2 3 4 Total
Inflows (`) 5 5 5 105
PV at a yield of 9% 4.78 4.58 4.38 88.05 101.79
PV*time 4.78 9.16 13.14 352.20 379.28

Duration in number of periods = 379.28/101.79 = 3.73

Duration in years = 3.73/2 = 1.86 years

More formally, duration refers to:

a) The weighted average term (time from now to payment) of a bond's cash flows or
of any series of linked cash flows.
b) The higher the coupon rate of a bond, the shorter the duration (if the term of the
bond is kept constant).
c) Duration is always less than or equal to the overall life (to maturity) of the bond.
d) Only a zero coupon bond (a bond with no coupons) will have duration equal to its
maturity.

What is Modified Duration?

27.2 Modified duration (MD) is a modified version of Macaulay Duration. It refers to the
change in value of the security to one per cent change in interest rates (Yield). The
formula is

Illustration
In the above example given in Box IV, MD = 1.86/(1+0.09/2) = 1.78

41
Duration is useful primarily as a measure of the sensitivity of a bond's market price to
interest rate (i.e., yield) movements. It is approximately equal to the percentage change in
price for one percent change in yield. For example the duration is the approximate
percentage by which the value of the bond will fall for a 1% per annum increase in market
interest rate. So, a 15-year bond with a duration of 7 years would fall approximately 7% in
value if the interest rate increased by 1% per annum. In other words, duration is the
elasticity of the bond's price with respect to interest rates. This ignores convexity explained
in para 24.7

What is PV 01?
27.3 PV01 describes the actual change in price of a bond if the yield changes by one
basis point (equal to one hundredth of a percentage point). It is the present value impact
of 1 basis point (0.01%) (1%=100 bps) movement in interest rate. It is often used as a
price alternative to duration (a time measure). Higher the PV01, the higher would be the
volatility (sensitivity of price to change in yield).

Illustration
From the modified duration (given in the illustration under 27.2), we know that the security
value will change by 1.78% for a change of 100 basis point (1%) change in the yield. In
value terms that is equal to 1.78*(101.79/100) = ` 1.81.
Hence the PV01 = 1.81/100 = ` 0.018, which is 1.8 paise. Thus, if the yield of a bond with
a Modified Duration of 1.78 years moves from say 9% to 9.05% (5 basis points), the price
of the bond moves from `101.79 to `101.70 (reduction of 9 paise, i.e., 5x1.8 paise).

What is Convexity?
27.4 Calculation of change in price for change in yields based on duration works only for
small changes in yields. This is because the relationship between bond price and yield is
not strictly linear. Over large variations in yields, the relationship is curvilinear i.e., the
reduction in option free bond price is less than the change calculated based only on
duration for yield increase, and increase in option free bond price will be more than the
change calculated based only on duration for yield decrease. This is measured by a
concept called convexity, which is the change in duration of a bond due to change in the
yield of the bond.

28. What are the important guidelines for valuation of securities?

28.1 For Cooperative banks, investments classified under 'Held to Maturity' (HTM)
category need not be marked to market and will be carried at acquisition cost unless it is

42
more than the face value, in which case the premium should be amortized over the period
remaining to maturity. The individual scrip in the ‘Available for Sale’ (AFS) category in the
books of the cooperative banks will be marked to market at the year-end or at more
frequent intervals. The individual scrip in the ‘Held for Trading’ (HFT) category will be
marked to market at monthly or at more frequent intervals. The book value of individual
securities in AFS and HFT categories would not undergo any change after marking to
market.

28.2 RBI vide FMRD.DIRD.7/14.03.025/2017-18 dated March 31, 2018 has notified that
Financial Benchmark India Pvt. Ltd (FBIL) has been advised to assume the responsibility
for administering valuation of Government securities with effect from March 31, 2018.
From this date, FIMMDA has ceased to publish prices/yield of Government securities and
this role has been taken over by FBIL. FBIL had commenced publication of the G-Sec and
SDL valuation benchmarks based on the extant methodology. Going forward, FBIL will
undertake a comprehensive review of the valuation methodology. RBI regulated entities,
including banks, non-bank financial companies, Primary Dealers, Co-Operative banks and
All India Financial Institutions who are required to value Government securities using
prices published by FIMMDA as per previous directions may use FBIL prices with effect
from March 31, 2018. Other market participants who have been using Govt. securities
prices/yields published by FIMMDA may use the prices/yields published by FBIL for
valuation of their investment portfolio.

28.3 State Development Loans were previously valued by applying YTM method by
marking it up by a spread of 25 basis points on the Central G-Sec yield of the
corresponding residual maturity, whereas for corporate bonds the spreads given by the
FIMMDA need to be added. RBI vide its notification DBR.BP.BC.No.002 /21.04.141/2018-
19 dated July 27, 2018 decided that securities issued by each state government, i.e.,
State Development Loans (SDLs), shall be valued in a manner which would objectively
reflect their fair value based on observed prices/yields and Financial Benchmarks India
Pvt. Ltd. (FBIL) shall make available prices for valuation of SDLs based on the above
principles. Brief details of valuation methodology is provided in Box V.
Box: V
A framework in this regard has been formulated by FBIL having the following elements:
(a) On any business day, the secondary market prices/YTM of SDLs and the auction
prices/YTM of SDLs, as available, will be used for their valuation. However, the
secondary market trades that are referred to the Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) of
the Fixed Income Money Market and Derivatives Association of India (FIMMDA) and the

43
reversed trades when they occur, will be excluded, (b) Interpolation/ extrapolation
technique will be used in respect of the remaining SDLs which do not trade on that day,
and (c) Consistency/market alignment check, as applicable, will be applied in respect of
all traded prices/YTM.
The methodology seeks to strike a judicious and prudent balance between two opposing
considerations: Since the number of actual/observed prices in respect of SDLs are very
small, the opportunity cost of not including any actual/observed price is high
(consequence of the so-called Type 1 error). However, sufficient care has been
exercised, by way of the imposition of a set of objective criteria, to make sure that (i) off-
market data are excluded, and (ii) no incentive for market manipulation is provided
(reducing the possibility of the so called Type 2 error).
The detailed valuation methodology along with illustrations is provided on FBIL website at
link https://www.fbil.org.in/uploads/general/FBIL-SDL_Valuation_Methodology.pdf

28.4 In the case of corporate bonds, the spread that need to be added to the
corresponding yield on central G-Sec will be published by the FIMMDA from time to time.
FIMMDA gives out the information on corporate bond spreads for various ratings of bonds.
While valuing a bond, the appropriate spread has to be added to the corresponding CG
yield and the bond has to be valued using the standard ‘Price’ formula.
29. What are the risks involved in holding G-Secs? What are the techniques for
mitigating such risks?
G-Secs are generally referred to as risk free instruments as sovereigns rarely default on
their payments. However, as is the case with any financial instrument, there are risks
associated with holding the G-Secs. Hence, it is important to identify and understand such
risks and take appropriate measures for mitigation of the same. The following are the
major risks associated with holding G-Secs:

29.1 Market risk – Market risk arises out of adverse movement of prices of the securities
due to changes in interest rates. This will result in valuation losses on marking to market
or realizing a loss if the securities are sold at adverse prices. Small investors, to some
extent, can mitigate market risk by holding the bonds till maturity so that they can realize
the yield at which the securities were actually bought.

29.2 Reinvestment risk – Cash flows on a G-Sec includes a coupon every half year and
repayment of principal at maturity. These cash flows need to be reinvested whenever they
are paid. Hence there is a risk that the investor may not be able to reinvest these

44
proceeds at yield prevalent at the time of making investment due to decrease in interest
rates prevailing at the time of receipt of cash flows by investors.

29.3 Liquidity risk – Liquidity in G-Secs is referred to as the ease with which security can
be bought and sold i.e. availability of buy-sell quotes with narrow spreads. Liquidity risk
refers to the inability of an investor to liquidate (sell) his holdings due to non-availability of
buyers for the security, i.e., no trading activity in that particular security or circumstances
resulting in distressed sale (selling at a much lower price than its holding cost) causing
loss to the seller. Usually, when a liquid bond of fixed maturity is bought, its tenor gets
reduced due to time decay. For example, a 10-year security will become 8 year security
after 2 years due to which it may become illiquid. The bonds also become illiquid when
there are no frequent reissuances by the issuer (RBI) in those bonds. Bonds are generally
reissued till a sizeable amount becomes outstanding under that bond. However, issuer
and sovereign have to ensure that there is no excess burden on Government at the time
of maturity of the bond as very large amount maturing on a single day may affect the fiscal
position of Government. Hence, reissuances for securities are generally stopped after
outstanding under that bond touches a particular limit. Due to illiquidity, the investor may
need to sell at adverse prices in case of urgent funds requirement. However, in such
cases, eligible investors can participate in market repo and borrow the money against the
collateral of such securities.

Risk Mitigation
29.4 Holding securities till maturity could be a strategy through which one could avoid
market risk. Rebalancing the portfolio wherein the securities are sold once they become
short term and new securities of longer tenor are bought could be followed to manage the
portfolio risk. However, rebalancing involves transaction and other costs and hence needs
to be used judiciously. Market risk and reinvestment risk could also be managed through
Asset Liability Management (ALM) by matching the cash flows with liabilities. ALM could
also be undertaken by matching the duration of the assets and liabilities.

Advanced risk management techniques involve use of derivatives like Interest Rate Swaps
(IRS) through which the nature of cash flows could be altered. However, these are
complex instruments requiring advanced level of expertise for proper understanding.
Adequate caution, therefore, need to be observed for undertaking the derivatives
transactions and such transactions should be undertaken only after having complete
understanding of the associated risks and complexities.

45
30. What is Money Market?
30.1 While the G-Secs market generally caters to the investors with a long-term
investment horizon, the money market provides investment avenues of short term tenor.
Money market transactions are generally used for funding the transactions in other
markets including G-Secs market and meeting short term liquidity mismatches. By
definition, money market is for a maximum tenor of one year. Within the one year,
depending upon the tenors, money market is classified into:
i. Overnight market - The tenor of transactions is one working day.
ii. Notice money market – The tenor of the transactions is from 2 days to 14 days.
iii. Term money market – The tenor of the transactions is from 15 days to one year.

What are the different money market instruments?

30.2 Money market instruments include call money, repos, T- Bills (for details refer para
1.3), Cash Management Bills (for details refer para 1.4), Commercial Paper, Certificate of
Deposit and Collateralized Borrowing and Lending Obligations (CBLO).

Call money market

30.3 Call money market is a market for uncollateralized lending and borrowing of funds.
This market is predominantly overnight and is open for participation only to scheduled
commercial banks and the primary dealers.

Repo market
30.4 Repo or ready forward contact is an instrument for borrowing funds by selling
securities with an agreement to repurchase the said securities on a mutually agreed future
date at an agreed price which includes interest for the funds borrowed.

30.5 The reverse of the repo transaction is called ‘reverse repo’ which is lending of funds
against buying of securities with an agreement to resell the said securities on a mutually
agreed future date at an agreed price which includes interest for the funds lent.

30.6 It can be seen from the definition above that there are two legs to the same
transaction in a repo/ reverse repo. The duration between the two legs is called the ‘repo
period’. Predominantly, repos are undertaken on overnight basis, i.e., for one day period.
Settlement of repo transactions happens along with the outright trades in G-Secs.

30.7 The consideration amount in the first leg of the repo transactions is the amount
borrowed by the seller of the security. On this, interest at the agreed ‘repo rate’ is

46
calculated and paid along with the consideration amount of the second leg of the
transaction when the borrower buys back the security. The overall effect of the repo
transaction would be borrowing of funds backed by the collateral of G-Secs.

30.8 The repo market is regulated by the Reserve Bank of India. All the above mentioned
repo market transactions should be traded/reported on the electronic platform called the
Clearcorp Repo Order Matching System (CROMS).

30.9 As part of the measures to develop the corporate debt market, RBI has permitted
select entities (scheduled commercial banks excluding RRBs and LABs, PDs, all-India FIs,
NBFCs, mutual funds, housing finance companies, insurance companies) to undertake
repo in corporate debt securities. This is similar to repo in G-Secs except that corporate
debt securities are used as collateral for borrowing funds. Only listed corporate debt
securities that are rated ‘AA’ or above by the rating agencies are eligible to be used for
repo. Commercial paper, certificate of deposit, non-convertible debentures of original
maturity less than one year are not eligible for this purpose. These transactions take place
in the OTC market and are required to be reported on FIMMDA platform within 15 minutes
of the trade for dissemination of trade information. They are also to be reported on the
clearing house of any of the exchanges for the purpose of clearing and settlement.

Triparty Repo
"Tri-party repo" means a repo contract where a third entity (apart from the borrower and
lender), called a Tri-Party Agent, acts as an intermediary between the two parties to the
repo to facilitate services like collateral selection, payment and settlement, custody and
management during the life of the transaction. Funds borrowed under repo including tri-
party repo in government securities shall be exempted from CRR/SLR computation and
the security acquired under repo shall be eligible for SLR provided the security is primarily
eligible for SLR as per the provisions of the Act under which it is required to be
maintained.
Tri Party Repo Dealing System (TREPS) facilitates, borrowing and lending of funds, in
Triparty Repo arrangement. CCIL is the Central Counterparty to all trades from TREPS
and also perform the role and responsibilities of Triparty Repo Agent. All the repo eligible
entities are entitled to participate in Triparty Repo. The entity type admitted include, Public
Sector Banks, Private Banks, Foreign Banks, Co-operative Banks, Financial Institutions,
Insurance Companies, Mutual Funds, Primary Dealers, Bank cum Primary Dealers,
NBFCs, Corporates, Provident/ Pension Funds, Payment Banks, Small Finance Banks,
etc.

47
TREPS Dealing System is an anonymous order matching System provided by CCDS
(Clearcorp Dealing Systems (India) Ltd) to enable Members to borrow and lend funds. It
also disseminates online information regarding deals concluded, volumes, rate etc., and
such other notifications as relevant to borrowing and lending under Triparty Repo by the
members. The borrowing and/ or lending can be done for settlement type T+0 and T+1.

Commercial Paper (CP)

30.13 Commercial Paper (CP) is an unsecured money market instrument issued in the
form of a promissory note and held in a dematerialized form through any of the
depositories approved by and registered with SEBI. A CP is issued in minimum
denomination of ` 5 lakh and multiples thereof and shall be issued at a discount to face
value No issuer shall have the issue of CP underwritten or co-accepted and options
(call/put) are not permitted on a CP. Companies, including NBFCs and AIFIs, other entities
like co-operative societies, government entities, trusts, limited liability partnerships and
any other body corporate having presence in India with net worth of ` 100 cr or higher and
any other entities specifically permitted by RBI are eligible to issue Commercial papers
subject to conditions specified by RBI. All residents, and non-residents permitted to invest
in CPs under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999 are eligible to invest in
CPs; however, no person can invest in CPs issued by related parties either in the primary
or secondary market. Investment by regulated financial sector entities will be subject to
such conditions as the concerned regulator may impose.
RBI has issued Reserve Bank Commercial Paper Directions 2017 - FMRD.DIRD.01/CGM
(TRS) - 2017 dated August 10, 2017

Certificate of Deposit (CD)

30.14 Certificate of Deposit (CD) is a negotiable money market instrument and issued in
dematerialised form or as a Usance Promissory Note, for funds deposited at a bank or
other eligible financial institution for a specified time period. Banks can issue CDs for
maturities from 7 days to one year whereas eligible FIs can issue for maturities from 1
year to 3 years.

31. What are the role and functions of FIMMDA & FBIL
31.1 The Fixed Income Money Market and Derivatives Association of India (FIMMDA), an
association of Scheduled Commercial Banks, Public Financial Institutions, Primary
Dealers and Insurance Companies was incorporated as a Company under section 25 of
the Companies Act, 1956 on June 3, 1998. FIMMDA is a voluntary market body for the
bond, money and derivatives markets. FIMMDA has members representing all major

48
institutional segments of the market. The membership includes Nationalized Banks such
as State Bank of India, its associate banks and other nationalized banks; Private sector
banks such as ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank; Foreign Banks such as Bank of America,
Citibank, Financial institutions such as IDFC, EXIM Bank, NABARD, Insurance
Companies like Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), ICICI Prudential Life Insurance
Company, Birla Sun Life Insurance Company and all Primary Dealers.

31.2 FIMMDA represents market participants and aids the development of the bond,
money and derivatives markets. It acts as an interface with the regulators on various
issues that impact the functioning of these markets. FIMMDA also plays a constructive
role in the evolution of best market practices by its members so that the market as a whole
operates transparently as well as efficiently.

31.3 Financial Benchmarks India Pvt. Ltd (FBIL) was incorporated in 2014 as per the
recommendations of the Committee on Financial Benchmarks. FBIL has taken over
existing benchmarks such as Mumbai Inter-Bank Outright Rate (MIBOR) and option
volatility and introduced new benchmarks such as Market Repo Overnight Rate (MROR),
Certificate of Deposits (CDs) and T-Bills yield curves. The development of FBIL as an
independent organisation for administration of all financial market benchmarks including
valuation benchmarks is important for the credibility of these benchmarks and integrity of
financial markets. FBIL has assumed the responsibility for administering valuation of
Government securities with effect from March 31, 2018.
FBIL has also assumed the responsibility for computation and dissemination of the daily
“Reference Rate” for Spot USD/INR and other major currencies against the Rupee, which
was previously being done by the Reserve Bank.

32. What are the various websites that give information on G-Secs?

32.1. RBI financial market watch - https://rbi.org.in/scripts/financialmarketswatch.aspx

This site provides links to information on prices of G-Secs on NDS-OM, money market and
other information on G-Secs like outstanding stock etc.

49
32.2. NDS-OM market watch https://www.ccilindia.com/OMHome.aspx

This site provides real-time information on traded as well as quoted prices of G-Secs, both
in Order matching and Reporting segment. In addition, prices of When Issued (WI)
(whenever trading takes place) segment are also provided.

50
51
32.3. Reported deals on NDS-OM: https://www.ccilindia.com/OMRPTDeals.aspx

This site provides information on prices of G-Secs in OTC market as reported. One can
see chronological traded price levels and quantity in various securities.

32.4 FBIL – www.fbil.org.in

Financial Benchmark India Private Ltd (FBIL) was jointly promoted by Fixed Income
Money Market & Derivative Association of India (FIMMDA), Foreign Exchange Dealers’
Association of India (FEDAI) and Indian Banks’ ‘Association (IBA). It was incorporated on
9th December 2014 under the Companies Act 2013. It was recognised by Reserve bank
of India as an independent Benchmark administrator on 2nd July 2015.

The company is run by a Board of Directors, assisted by an oversight committee. The

main object of the company is to act as the administrators of the Indian interest rate and
foreign exchange benchmarks and to introduce and implement policies and procedures to
handle the benchmarks. It also will make policies for possible cessation of any benchmark

52
and to follow steps for ensuring orderly transition to the new benchmarks. FBIL will review
each benchmark to ensure that the benchmarks accurately represent the economic
realities of the interest that it intends to measure. It will take up/consider such other
benchmarks as may be required from time to time by periodically assessing the emerging
needs of the end -users.

32.5 FIMMDA - http://www.fimmda.org/

This site provides a host of information on market practices for all the fixed income
securities including G-Secs. Accessing information from this site requires a valid login and
password which are provided by FIMMDA to the eligible entities.

53
 Annex 1

Specimen of a G-Sec – Stock Certificate

54
 Annex 2
List of Primary Dealers (As on April 01, 2020)
STANDALONE PRIMARY DEALERS BANK PRIMARY DEALERS
ICICI Securities Primary Dealership Limited Bank of America, N.A.
ICICI Centre One BKC, ‘A’ Wing
H.T.Parekh Marg ‘G’ Block, Bandra Kurla Complex
Churchgate Bandra (E), Mumbai – 400 051
Mumbai- 400 020 Phone: 022-66323111
Phone: (022) 22882460/70, 66377421
Morgan Stanley India Primary Dealer Pvt. Bank Of Baroda
Ltd. Specialised Integrated Treasury
18F / 19F One Indiabulls Centre 4th & 5th Floor, Baroda Sun Tower,
Tower 2, Jupiter Mills Compound C-34, G-Block, Bandra Kurla Complex
Elphinstone Road Bandra East, Mumbai-400 051
Mumbai - 400013 Phone:(022) 66363636 / 67592705
Phone : (022) 61181000
Fax : (022) 61181011
Nomura Fixed Income Securities Pvt. Ltd. Canara Bank
Ceejay House, 11th Level Domestic Back Office
Plot F, Shivsagar Estate Integrated Treasury Wing
Dr.Annie Besant Road VI Floor, Canara Bank Building
Worli C-14, G Block, Bandra Kurla Complex
Mumbai - 400 018 Bandra East
Phone : (022) 40374037 Mumbai- 400 051
Fax : (022) 40374111 Phone: (022) 26725126, 123
PNB Gilts Ltd. Citibank N.A
5, Sansad Marg FIFC, 12th floor,
New Delhi- 110 001 C-54 and 55,
Phone: Mumbai - (022) 22693315/17 G block, Bandra Kurla Complex,
New Delhi - (011) 23325751,22693315/17 Mumbai – 400 051.
Phone:(022) 6175 7187
SBI DFHI Ltd Union Bank of India
3rd Floor, Voltas House, 23, J.N.Heredia Treasury Branch,
Marg, Ballard Estate, Mumbai- 400 001 Central Office,
Phone:(022) 22625970/73, 22610490, Union Bank Bhavan, 3rd Floor,
66364696 239, Vidhan Bhavan Marg,
Nariman Point,
Mumbai 400 021
Ph 022-22892118/22892102
STCI Primary Dealer Limited HDFC Bank Ltd.
Marathon Innova, Marathon Nextgen Treasury Mid Office,
Compound, Off Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, 1st Floor,HDFC Bank House
Lower Parel(W), Mumbai- 400 013 Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel
Phone:(022) 30031100, 66202261/2200 Mumbai- 400 013
Phone:(022) 24904702/4935/
3899,66521372/9892975232
Goldman Sachs (India) Capital Markets Pvt. Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corpn. Ltd.(HSBC)
Ltd. Treasury Services
951-A, Rational House, Appasaheb Marathe 52/60, Mahatma Gandhi Road
Marg, Prabhadevi, Mumbai 400 025 Mumbai- 400 001
Phone : (022) 66169000 Phone:(022) 22681031/34/33,

55
 22623329/22681031/34/38
J P Morgan Chase Bank N.A, Mumbai Branch
J.P. Morgan Tower
Off C.S.T. Road, Kalina
Santacruz (East)
Mumbai - 400 098
Phone -61573000
Fax- 61573990 & 61573916
Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd.
27BKC, 5th Floor
Plot No. C-27, G-Block
Bandra Kurla Complex
Bandra East
Mumbai 400 051.
Phone:(022) 6659 6022/6454, 66596235/6454
Standard Chartered Bank
Financial Markets
Financial Market Operation
Crescenzo, 5th Floor
Plot no. C-38 & 39, G – Block
Bandra Kurla Complex
Mumbai – 400 051
Phone : (022) 61158893
Axis Bank Ltd.
Treasury Operations
Corporate Office, 4th Floor, Axis House
Bombay Dyeing Compound
Pandurang Budhkar Marg
Worli, Mumbai - 400 025
Phone- (022) 24254430, 24254434
Fax- (022) 24252400 / 5400
IDBI Bank Limited
IDBI Tower, Cuffe Parade
Mumbai- 400 005
Phone- (022) 66263351
Deutsche Bank AG
C-70, G Block, Bandra Kurla Complex
Mumbai-400051
Phone: (022) 71804444
Yes Bank Limited
Yes Bank Tower, IFC 2, Elphinstone (W), Senapati
Bapat Marg, Mumbai-400013
Phone: (022) 33669000

* Bank PDs are those which take up PD business departmentally as part of the bank itself.
** Stand alone PDs are Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) that exclusively take up PD business.
Update to the list of Primary dealers is available on the RBI website at
https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/AboutUsDisplay.aspx?pg=PrimaryDealer.htm

56
 Annex 3
Sample of Auction Calendar

57
 Annex 4
Sample of Auction Notification

58
 Annex 5

59
 Specimen of Deal Slip
XYZ Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd
Address
Phone:
E-mail:
Deal slip No.:
Deal Confirmation
We agree to BUY / SELL:
1. OUTRIGHT / REPO
2. Transaction id :
3. Transaction date :
4. Value date:
5. Reversal date (in case of repo) :
6. Time of Transaction:
7. Transaction mode : Telephone / NDS-OM / Broker
8. Nomenclature of security :
9. Last coupon date :
10. Principal amount :
11. Accrued Interest :
12. Agreed price (per `100) :
13. Total amount :
14. Name of Broker, if any :
15. It is agreed to DEBIT / CREDIT our Current account with ___________Bank and
CREDIT / DEBIT out SGL / Gilt Account / Demat account with ________Bank on value
date.
Signed/- Signed/-
Authorised Signatory Authorised Signatory

Annex 6

60
 Important Excel functions for bond related calculations

Function Syntax
1. Present Value PV(rate,nper,pmt,fv,type)
This function is used to find the present value of a series of future payments given the
discount rate. This forms the basis for pricing a bond

Rate is the interest rate per period.

Nper is the total number of payment periods in an annuity.

Pmt is the payment made each period and cannot change over the life of the annuity.

Fv is the future value, or a cash balance you want to attain after the last payment is made. If
fv is omitted, it is assumed to be 0 (the future value of a loan, for example, is 0).

Type is the number 0 or 1 and indicates when payments are due.

Set type equal to If payments are due

0 or omitted At the end of the period
1 At the beginning of the period

Example: To calculate the present value of `100 after every year for three years at an
interest rate of 9%, the values would be;

Rate – 9% or 0.09; Nper – 3 (3 years); Pmt – 100; Fv – 0 as there is no balance left at the
end of three years; Type – 0 (at the end of the period)

The answer would be 253.13

2. Future Value FV(rate,nper,pmt,pv,type)
This function is used to calculate the future value of a series of investments made, given the
interest rate.

Rate is the interest rate per period.

Nper is the total number of payment periods in an annuity.

Pmt is the payment made each period; it cannot change over the life of the annuity.
Typically, pmt contains principal and interest but no other fees or taxes. If pmt is omitted, you
must include the pv argument.

Pv is the present value, or the lump-sum amount that a series of future payments is worth
right now. If pv is omitted, it is assumed to be 0 (zero), and you must include the pmt
argument.

Type is the number 0 or 1 and indicates when payments are due. If type is omitted, it is
assumed to be 0.

Example: To calculate the future value of `100 paid every year for three years at an interest
rate of 9%, the values would be;

Rate – 9% or 0.09; Nper – 3 (3 years); Pmt – 100; Pv – 0 as there is no lumpsum payment at

the beginning; Type – 1 (at the beginning of the period)The answer would be 357.31

61
3. Coupon days COUPDAYBS(settlement,maturity,frequency,basis)
This function is used to workout the number of days from the beginning to the end of the
coupon period that contains the settlement date.

Settlement is the security's settlement date. The security settlement date is the date after the
issue date when the security is traded to the buyer.

Maturity is the security's maturity date. The maturity date is the date when the security
expires.

Frequency is the number of coupon payments per year. For annual payments, frequency =
1; for semiannual, frequency = 2; for quarterly, frequency = 4.

Basis is the type of day count basis to use. Appropriate code for the day count convention
has to be provided as shown below;
Basis Day count basis Basis Day count basis
0 or omitted US (NASD) 30/360 3 Actual/365
1 Actual/actual 4 European 30/360
2 Actual/360

Example: In the case of security maturing on February 2, 2019, and settlement date May 27,
2009, the values in the formula would be;

Maturity – 2/2/2019; settlement – 27/5/2009; frequency – 2 (half yearly coupon) and basis – 4
(day count convention 30/360)

The result would be 180 (number of coupon days in the coupon period)
4. Yearfrac YEARFRAC(start_date,end_date,basis) (to find residual maturity)
This function is used to find the residual maturity of a security in years.

Start_date is a date that represents the start date.

End_date is a date that represents the end date (maturity date).

Basis is the type of day count basis to use (0=US system 30/360, 2=Actual/actual,
3=Actual/365, 4=European style 30/360( (thus 0 or 4 throws same value).

Example: For a security maturing on February 6, 2019, the residual maturity in number of
years as on May 27, 2009 can be calculated as;

Start date – May 27, 2009; End date – Feb 2, 2019, basis – 4

The result would be 9.68 years

5. PRICE PRICE(settlement,maturity,rate,yld,redemption,frequency,basis)
This function is used to find the price of security that pays periodic interest.

Settlement is the security's settlement date. The security settlement date is the date on
which the security and funds are exchanged.

Maturity is the security's maturity date. The maturity date is the date when the security
expires.

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Rate is the security's annual coupon rate.

Yld is the security's annual yield.

Redemption is the security's redemption value per `100 face value.

Frequency is the number of coupon payments per year. For annual payments, frequency =
1; for semiannual, frequency = 2; for quarterly, frequency = 4.

Basis is the type of day count basis to use.

Example: 6.05%2019 security maturing on February 2, 2019. It is yielding 6.68% in

secondary market on June 1, 2009. Settlement date is June 2, 2009. Values in the price
formula would be;

Settlement – 2/6/2009; maturity – 2/2/2019; rate – 6.05%; Yield – 6.68%; Redemption – 100
(face value); frequency – 2 (half yearly coupon); basis – 4. The result would be 95.55
6. YIELD YIELD(settlement,maturity,rate,pr,redemption,frequency,basis)
This function is used to find the Yield to Maturity of a security given the price of the security.

Settlement is the security's settlement date. The security settlement date is the date on
which the security and funds are exchanged. Maturity is the security's maturity date. The
maturity date is the date when the security expires.

Rate is the security's annual coupon rate.

Pr is the security's price per `100 face value.

Redemption is the security's redemption value per `100 face value.

Frequency is the number of coupon payments per year. For annual payments, frequency = 1;
for semiannual, frequency = 2; for quarterly, frequency = 4.

Basis is the type of day count basis to use.

Taking the same example as above, and price at 95.55, the result for the yield would be
6.68%.
7. DURATION DURATION(settlement,maturity,coupon,yld,frequency,basis)
This function is used to find the Duration of a security in number of years.

Settlement is the security's settlement date. The security settlement date is the date on
which the security and funds are exchanged. Maturity is the security's maturity date. The
maturity date is the date when the security expires.

Coupon is the security's annual coupon rate.

Yld is the security's annual yield.

Frequency is the number of coupon payments per year. For annual payments, frequency =
1; for semiannual, frequency = 2; for quarterly, frequency = 4.

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Basis is the type of day count basis to use.

Example: 6.05%2019 security maturing on February 2, 2019. It is yielding 6.68% in

secondary market on June 1, 2009. Settlement date is June 2, 2009. Values in the Duration
formula would be;

Settlement – 2/6/2009; maturity – 2/2/2019; Coupon – 6.05%; Yield – 6.68%; frequency – 2

(half yearly coupon); basis – 4.

The result will be 7.25 years.

8. Modified Duration MDURATION(settlement,maturity,coupon,yld,frequency,basis)
This function is used to calculate the Modified Duration of a security.

Settlement is the security's settlement date. The security settlement date is the date on
which the security and funds are exchanged. Maturity is the security's maturity date. The
maturity date is the date when the security expires.

Coupon is the security's annual coupon rate.

Yld is the security's annual yield.

Frequency is the number of coupon payments per year. For annual payments, frequency =
1; for semiannual, frequency = 2; for quarterly, frequency = 4.

Basis is the type of day count basis to use.

Taking the same example given above for Duration and feeding the values in the excel
function, the formula result will be 7.01

Annex 7

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Glossary of Important Terms and Commonly Used Market Terminology

Accrued Interest

The accrued interest on a bond is the amount of interest accumulated on a bond since the
last coupon payment. The interest has been earned, but because coupons are paid only
on coupon dates, the investor has not gained the money yet. In India day count
convention for G-Secs is 30/360.

Auction –Multiple price and Uniform Price

In a Multiple Price auction, the successful bidders are required to pay for the allotted
quantity of securities at the respective price / yield at which they have bid. On the other
hand, in a Uniform Price auction, all the successful bidders are required to pay for the
allotted quantity of securities at the same rate, i.e., at the auction cut-off rate, irrespective
of the rate quoted by them.

Bid Price/ Yield

The price/yield being offered by a potential buyer for a security.

Big Figure

When the price is quoted as `102.35, the portion other than decimals (102) is called the
big figure.

Competitive Bid

Competitive bid refers to the bid for the stock at the price stated by a bidder in an auction.

Coupon

The rate of interest paid on a debt security as calculated on the basis of the security’s
face value.

Coupon Frequency

Coupon payments are made at regular intervals throughout the life of a debt security and
may be quarterly, semi-annual (twice a year) or annual payments.

Discount

When the price of a security is below the par value, it is said to be trading at a discount.
The value of the discount is the difference between the FV and the Price. For example, if a
security is trading at ` 99, the discount is ` 1.

Duration (Macaulay Duration)

Duration of a bond is the number of years taken to recover the initial investment of a bond.
It is calculated as the weighted average number of years to receive the cash flow wherein
the present value of respective cash flows are multiplied with the time to that respective
cash flows. The total of such values is divided by the price of the security to arrive at the
duration. Refer to Box IV under question 27.

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Face Value

Face value is the amount that is to be paid to an investor at the maturity date of the
security. Debt securities can be issued at varying face values, however in India they
typically have a face value of `100. The face value is also known as the repayment
amount. This amount is also referred as redemption value, principal value (or simply
principal), maturity value or par value.

Floating-Rate Bond

Bonds whose coupon rate is re-set at predefined intervals and is based on a pre-specified
market based interest rate.

Gilt/ G-Secs

G-Secs are also known as gilts or gilt edged securities. “G-Sec” means a security created
and issued by the Government for the purpose of raising a public loan or for any other
purpose as may be notified by the Government in the Official Gazette and having one of
the forms mentioned in the G-Secs Act, 2006.

Market Lot

Market lot refers to the standard value of the trades that happen in the market. The
standard market lot size in the G-Secs market is ` 5 crore in face value terms.

Maturity Date

The date when the principal (face value) is paid back. The final coupon and the face value
of a debt security is repaid to the investor on the maturity date. The time to maturity can
vary from short term (1 year) to long term (30 years).

Non-Competitive Bid

NCB means the bidder would be able to participate in the auctions of dated G-Secs
without having to quote the yield or price in the bid. The allotment to the non-competitive
segment will be at the weighted average rate that will emerge in the auction on the basis
of competitive bidding. It is an allocating facility wherein a part of total securities are
allocated to bidders at a weighted average price of successful competitive bid. (Please
also see paragraph no.4.3 under question no.4).

Odd Lot

Transactions of any value other than the standard market lot size of ` 5 crore are referred
to as odd lot. Generally, the value is less than the ` 5 crore with a minimum of `10,000/-.
Odd lot transactions are generally done by the retail and small participants in the market.

Par value

Par value is nothing but the face value of the security which is ` 100 for G-Secs. When the
price of a security is equal to face value, the security is said to be trading at par.

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Premium

When the price of a security is above the par value, the security is said to be trading at
premium. The value of the premium is the difference between the price and the face value.
For example, if a security is trading at `102, the premium is ` 2.

Price

The price quoted is for per ` 100 of face value. The price of any financial instrument is
equal to the present value of all the future cash flows. The price one pays for a debt
security is based on a number of factors. Newly-issued debt securities usually sell at, or
close to, their face value. In the secondary market, where already-issued debt securities
are bought and sold between investors, the price one pays for a bond is based on a host
of variables, including market interest rates, accrued interest, supply and demand, credit
quality, maturity date, state of issuance, market events and the size of the transaction.

Primary Dealers

In order to accomplish the objective of meeting the Government borrowing needs as

cheaply and efficiently as possible, a group of highly qualified financial firms/ banks are
appointed to play the role of specialist intermediaries in the G-Sec market between the
issuer on the one hand and the market on the other. Such entities are generally called
Primary dealers or market makers. In return of a set of obligations, such as making
continuous bids and offer price in the marketable G-Secs or submitting reasonable bids in
the auctions, these firms receive a set of privileges in the primary/ secondary market.

Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system

RTGS system is a funds transfer mechanism for transfer of money from one bank to
another on a “real time” and on “gross” basis. This is the fastest possible money transfer
system through the banking channel. Settlement in “real time” means payment transaction
is not subjected to any waiting period. The transactions are settled as soon as they are
processed. “Gross settlement” means the transaction is settled on one to one basis
without bunching with any other transaction. Considering that money transfer takes place
in the books of the Reserve Bank of India, the payment is taken as final and irrevocable.

Repo Rate

Repo rate is the return earned on a repo transaction expressed as an annual interest rate.

Repo/Reverse Repo

Repo means an instrument for borrowing funds by selling securities of the Central
Government or a State Government or of such securities of a local authority as may be
specified in this behalf by the Central Government or foreign securities, with an agreement
to repurchase the said securities on a mutually agreed future date at an agreed price
which includes interest for the fund borrowed.

Reverse Repo means an instrument for lending funds by purchasing securities of the
Central Government or a State Government or of such securities of a local authority as
may be specified in this behalf by the Central Government or foreign securities, with an
agreement to resell the said securities on a mutually agreed future date at an agreed price
which includes interest for the fund lent.

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Residual Maturity

The remaining period until maturity date of a security is its residual maturity. For example,
a security issued for an original term to maturity of 10 years, after 2 years, will have a
residual maturity of 8 years.

Secondary Market

The market in which outstanding securities are traded. This market is different from the
primary or initial market when securities are sold for the first time. Secondary market
refers to the buying and selling that goes on after the initial public sale of the security.

Tap Sale

Under Tap sale, a certain amount of securities is created and made available for sale,
generally with a minimum price, and is sold to the market as bids are made. These
securities may be sold over a period of day or even weeks; and authorities may retain the
flexibility to increase the (minimum) price if demand proves to be strong or to cut it if
demand weakens. Tap and continuous sale are very similar, except that with Tap sale the
debt manager tends to take a more pro-active role in determining the availability and
indicative price for tap sales. Continuous sale are essentially at the initiative of the market.

Treasury Bills

Debt obligations of the Government that have maturities of one year or less are normally
called Treasury Bills or T-Bills. Treasury Bills are short-term obligations of the Treasury/
Government. They are instruments issued at a discount to the face value and form an
integral part of the money market.

Underwriting

The arrangement by which investment bankers undertake to acquire any unsubscribed

portion of a primary issuance of a security.

Weighted Average Price/ Yield

It is the weighted average mean of the price/ yield where weight being the amount used at
that price/ yield. The allotment to the non-competitive segment will be at the weighted
average price/yield that will emerge in the auction on the basis of competitive bidding.

Yield

The annual percentage rate of return earned on a security. Yield is a function of a

security’s purchase price and coupon interest rate. Yield fluctuates according to numerous
factors including global markets and the economy.

Yield to Maturity (YTM)

Yield to maturity is the total return one would expect to receive if the security is being held
until maturity. Yield to maturity is essentially the discount rate at which the present value
of future payments (investment income and return of principal) equals the price of the
security.

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Yield Curve

The graphical relationship between yield and maturity among bonds of different maturities
and the same credit quality. This curve shows the term structure of interest rates. It also
enables investors to compare debt securities with different maturities and coupons.

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