On Friday, India will open its sovereign bond market to private purchasers to expand the investor base and support the government’s enormous borrowing spree. The Reserve Bank of India announced in a media invite that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would launch the so-called “RBI Retail Direct Scheme” for investors on Friday.
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According to the RBI, retail investors can create and maintain government securities account for free. In a February policy review, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das first mentioned this endeavor, calling it a “significant structural change.”
The move comes as growing inflation puts pressure on the RBI to raise interest rates. Tighter monetary policy is expected to dampen bond demand, making it more difficult for the government to carry out its near-record borrowing program. Other Asian emerging-market countries, such as the Philippines, have attempted to solicit funding from residents to combat the pandemic.
“Given the low interest rates on bank fixed deposits and the perceived low risk of government bonds, ordinary investors may be enticed to invest directly in gilts,” said Pankaj Pathak, fund manager at Quantum Asset Management Co.
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In the last five months, yields on India’s benchmark 10-year government bonds have climbed due to rising petroleum prices. In November, they began to lessen as New Delhi reduced the tariff on retail fuels. According to a Bloomberg survey, consumer inflation increased to 4.40 percent in October from 4.35 percent the previous month, according to a study due out on Friday.
