Shares of BSE Ltd., Billionbrains Garage Ventures Ltd. (Groww), Angel One Ltd. and other capital market-linked stocks declined by as much as 10% on Monday, February 16, after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced amendments to banks’ capital market exposure norms.
Last week, the RBI tightened regulations governing loans extended to firms engaged in proprietary trading in equities and commodities, as well as those providing leverage to clients. The move is aimed at curbing excessive speculative activity in the domestic markets and strengthening risk management across the financial system.
Under the revised framework, the central bank has mandated 100% collateral coverage for broker funding, effectively transitioning the system to fully secured funding and reducing reliance on unsecured promoter or corporate guarantees. In addition, guarantees furnished to exchanges and clearing corporations will now require a minimum of 50% collateral, of which at least 25% must be maintained in cash, leading to higher cash blockage for market intermediaries.
The updated directions are scheduled to come into force from April 1, 2026.
