How to register Entity User and Business User in FIRMS Portal of RBI?
The RBI has announced that to consolidate existing reporting frameworks for various types of foreign investment in India, it will introduce a Single Master Form (SMF) covering all available reports. The Reserve Bank is launching an online application, FIRMS (Foreign Investment Reporting and Management System), which will provide SMF. This article will discuss the registration of entity & business users in the FIRMS Portal of RBI. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) filing with Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) filing with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) refers to reporting the inflow of foreign investment in an Indian company to the RBI. This reporting is mandatory for Indian companies that receive foreign investments in equity shares, compulsorily convertible preference shares or debentures, and warrants or partly-paid shares. The reporting process involves submitting the Foreign Currency and General Permission Route (FCGPR) form and a Company Secretary (CS) certificate. Purpose of FDI reporting with RBI FDI reporting with RBI aims to ensure compliance with the FDI policy and provide a transparent and efficient regulatory framework for foreign investments in India. This helps the government and the RBI to monitor and regulate foreign investments in the country and to make sure that they comply with the FDI policy and regulations. The reporting of FDI inflows also helps in assessing the impact of foreign investments on the Indian economy and in formulating policies to attract more foreign investments into the country. Applicable Regulation on FDI filing with RBI The regulations applicable to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) filing with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) are primarily governed by the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) and its regulations. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Foreign Direct Investment is an investment made by a foreign company or individual in an Indian company. FDI is a crucial component of India’s economic growth and development. It brings capital, technology, and expertise into the country, which can help improve the domestic economy and create jobs. Conditions required for FDI The foreign direct investment must be compliant with the FDI policy. Securities issued must be under the Foreign Exchange Management. Routes of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) FDI is permitted fewer than two routes in various sectors: Automatic Route: Under this route, non-resident or Indian companies can invest in a company without prior approval from RBI or the Government of India. Government Route: Under this route, prior approval from the Government of India is required before investing in a company. FIRMS Portal FIRMS is made online in two phases. In the first phase, the first module, namely, Entity Master, was made available online. In the second phase, the second module is made available for the following reporting: Reporting Form FC-GPR – issuance of Indian company instruments to a non-Indian resident Form FC-TRS – transfer of financial instruments between a resident outside India and a resident of India Form LLP-I – FDI in LLP by donating large sums of money and dividends of ESOPs/equity shares/shares against the use of ESOP by an Indian company to an employee living outside India. Form CN – issuing or transfer of flexible notes Form DRR – issuing/transfer of deposit receipts Form DI – Reporting a downward investment (indirect foreign investment) to a company or LLP Form InVi – Investment reporting by a foreign resident of India in-vehicle Investment. Reporting through FIRMS FIRMS Portal is a 24*7 online platform for reporting foreign investment in India which provides a common platform for all reporting. Reporting through FIRMS was divided into two phases: The first stage is creation of entity master form in which Indian entities are required to authorize one person through letter of authorization as per prescribed format given by RBI as per user manual for creation of entity master form. The authorized person is only authorized to update the data on the foreign investment. The second stage is the creation of a business user, which allows the user to report foreign investment transactions received at a given time. Here the user saves different forms depending on his criteria like FCGPR, FCTRS, DI form etc. The effect of this report can be seen on the main entity. What is an Entity User? An Entity User is a person authorized by the business (company/LLP/startup) to register a business in the Entity Master of FIRMS application. The Business User will be the sole person authorized to add/update the foreign investment details of the Business Enterprise and will be solely responsible for the data included.One business may only have one business user. One person can be a business user for more than one business. However, one should get the same different registrations as the registration is for the business. Documents for entity form The following documents need to be attached to create the main entity form:- In case of Indian entities (Company, LLP, etc.) Board resolution in favor of the beneficiary; PAN of the authorized person; Authorized letter in the prescribed format. Procedure to create Entity Master Following process is to be followed to create Entity Master:- Log on to https://firms.rbi.org.in Click on the Registration form for a new entity user A pop-up window will appear with the entity user registration form The user is now required to fill in the field description on the entity user form; Now the next step is to submit the said form to RBI where RBI will ensure and verify the details; After the user ID is created, a popup message will appear saying “Record saved successfully”. After the above procedure, the authorization letter is verified by RBI and if approved, the user will receive a password on their registered email address. This password can be changed later by the user after successful login. In the event that the user does not receive any email notification of approval/rejection of the registration within the next 48 hours, he can contact the email.An entity’s master unit is a master data reporting unit that shows the total foreign investment received by the entity during its lifetime. What is
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