Sebi proposes ISIN limit hike to ease corporate repayments
Sebi (India's market regulator) just rolled out some proposals to help companies manage their debt repayments with less stress.
The big change? Companies could soon get more flexibility, as the annual limit on maturing debt securities (ISINs) for privately placed debt might go up from 14 to 17.
The goal is to make it easier for businesses to pay back what they owe, without bunching up deadlines.
Sebi proposes ISIN increases and exemptions
The new plan also suggests raising the ISIN cap for plain vanilla debt from nine to 12 and allowing five extra ISINs for structured debt, market-linked debt, floating-rate bonds, zero-coupon bonds, and debt capital instruments.
If the total outstanding amount of plain vanilla debt maturing in a financial year crosses ₹15,000 crore, it could unlock one additional ISIN for every subsequent ₹3,000 crore.
Sebi also wants to exempt government-serviced bonds, such as extra-budgetary resources bonds, and ESG debt securities from these limits and relax listing rules for older unlisted debts, hoping this will boost sustainable finance and fix the recent dip in listed debt issues.
Public feedback is open until August 31, 2026, so if you've got thoughts, now's your chance!