Tag: General Corporate

Indian Budget 2026-27: Tax Incentives for Data Centres

Insights | April 7, 2026 | Practice Area: , ,

India’s Union Budget 2026-27 has introduced targeted tax incentives for the data centre industry, including a tax holiday until 2047 and a safe harbor regime with a 15% margin for domestic data centre service providers. These reforms are expected to significantly influence how foreign companies procure data centre services in India and how domestic data centre service providers structure their ownership and contractual arrangements. This note explores the impact of these tax reforms on existing data centre business models, contracting structures, and investment considerations for both domestic and foreign stakeholders.

M&A Transactions and Market Rumours

M&A Transactions and Market Rumors

Insights | March 17, 2026 | Practice Area: , ,

The M&A market in India is characterized by frequent media leaks with such leaks carrying significant real-world consequences for the parties involved, ranging from disrupted negotiations to accelerated timelines and increased deal premiums.
Against this backdrop, this note examines a recent decision delivered by the Supreme Court of India in December 2025 upholding a penalty imposed by the Securities and Exchange Board of India on Reliance Industries Limited for failing to make timely disclosures following media reports of a possible investment by Facebook Inc. The authors assess the judicial interpretation of disclosure obligations under India’s insider trading framework. The authors further highlight the interplay between two key regulatory regimes governing market disclosures – the PIT Regulations and the LODR.

External Commercial Borrowings framework

Liberalizing India’s External Commercial Borrowings Framework: Key Changes Under the 2026 Amendments

Insights | February 22, 2026 | Practice Area: , , , , ,

The Reserve Bank of India (“RBI”) has made significant changes to the external commercial borrowings (“ECB”) regulations through the issuance of the Foreign Exchange Management (Borrowing and Lending) (First Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (“Amended Regulations”) on February 16, 2026, which amend the Foreign Exchange Management (Borrowing and Lending) Regulations, 2018 (“PrincipalRegulation”).
The Amended Regulations have made substantial changes to the eligible borrowers, recognized lenders, applicable end uses, minimum average maturity requirements and pricing norms as well as to other key issues. Collectively, these changes liberalize the entire ECB framework, making it more business– friendly for Indian entities and providing an opportunity to a wider pool of overseas creditors to approach Indian borrowers in a regulated manner. This note analyzes the key changes under the Amended Regulations.

Acquisition finance by banks in India

Acquisition Finance by Banks in India

Insights | February 20, 2026 | Practice Area: , , , , ,

The Reserve Bank of India has introduced amendment directions to the Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Banks – Credit Facilities) Directions, 2025 and the Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Banks – Concentration Risk Management) Directions, 2025 (“Amendment Directions”), to permit banks to extend credit facilities for equity acquisitions in India. This note examines the regulatory framework under the Amendment Directions and explores the key parameters governing acquisition financing by Indian banks.

Namaste Korea : January 2026 Edition

Namaste Korea | February 4, 2026 | Practice Area: , , , ,

This annual roundup of the “Namaste Korea” newsletter provides an overview of key Indian legal and business developments in 2025 relevant to South Korean businesses and other organizations with India-related interests.
The newsletter includes recent legislative developments in India – including on data protection, labour and employment, insurance, and online gaming.
The newsletter also includes sector-specific updates, including in the aerospace and defence, tourism, healthcare, retail, gaming, media and entertainment, manufacturing, electronics, technology, and automotive sectors.

Insurance Laws Amendment Act, 2025

M&A Opportunities in the Indian Insurance Sector: Insurance Laws Amendment Act, 2025

Insights | January 29, 2026 | Practice Area: , ,

To expand insurance coverage in the fast-growing Indian market, the Government has introduced several measures, including amendments to insurance laws and related foreign investment rules.
This note explores key changes introduced through such amendments, as well as the implications of such liberalized insurance regime on stakeholders, including the removal of foreign direct investment limits and other restrictive conditions, relaxations with respect to dividend repatriations, a framework for enabling mergers between insurance companies and non-insurance companies, and an expanded definition of “insurance business” to potentially include ancillary services.

co-lending arrangements

Co-Lending Arrangements: Collaborative Attempts to Bridge the Credit Gap

Insights | January 27, 2026 | Practice Area: ,

The Reserve Bank of India has issued an updated regulatory framework for co-lending arrangements between regulated entities (“REs”), which came into effect on January 1, 2026. The revised co-lending framework, which forms part of theReserve Bank of India (Commercial Banks – Transfer and Distribution of Credit Risk) Directions, 2025, Reserve Bank of India (All India Financial Institutions – Transfer and Distribution of Credit Risk) Directions, 2025 and Reserve Bank of India (Non-Banking Financial Companies – Transfer and Distribution of Credit Risk) Directions, 2025, each dated November 28, 2025 (collectively “2025 Directions”), significantly expands the scope of co-lending arrangements beyond priority sector lendingand to partnerships between all REs rather than only between banks and non-banking financial companies. The 2025 Directions also introduce critical operational requirements to co-lending arrangements, including enhanced disclosures, a blended interest rate, a minimum retention share of 10%(Ten per cent)for each co-lending partner, synchronized asset classification norms and an enabling provision for default loss guarantees by the originating RE. This note analyzes the key features of the regulatory framework for co-lending as contained in the 2025 Directions.

private trusts

Succession Planning through Private Trusts (Part 2): Implications under the Income Tax Act, 1961

Insights | November 12, 2025 | Practice Area: ,

In our series on “Succession planning through private trusts”, we explore the growing role of private trusts in smooth and cost-effective transition of wealth from promoters to their successors. In Part 1, we focused on the key aspects of the Indian Trusts Act, 1882. In this part, we outline certain implications under the Income Tax Act, 1961.

National Sports Governance Act

The National Sports Governance Act, 2025: Regulatory Developments and New Opportunities

Insights | October 27, 2025 | Practice Area: , , ,

TheNational Sports Governance Act, 2025(“Act”) marks a major milestone in reforming the regulatory framework for sports in India. For a long time, sports bodies in India have struggled with issues such as lack of transparency, internal disputes and irregularities in elections and administration. Previous government efforts to professionalize Indian sports through non-binding guidelines and directions have had limited impact.
The Act introduces a comprehensive legal framework for the recognition, governance and oversight of sports organizations in India. It establishes key institutions such as theNational Sports Board, National Sports Tribunal and National Sports Election Panel while mandating codes of ethics, safe sports policies, and transparency obligations under the Right to Information Act, 2005. By formalizing governance processes, the Act seeks to enhance accountability and professionalism in sports bodies, and build trust with investors and stakeholders. It creates a better environment for long-term commercial engagements, such as through leagues, affiliates and infrastructure, while aligning Indian sports with international standards.
This note explores the key provisions of the Act, its implications for existing bodies such as the Board of Control for Cricket in India, and emerging commercial opportunities through the corporatization of sports federations, public-private partnerships, data monetization, and convergence with the newly enacted Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025

online gaming act

India’s New Online Gaming Law: Implications for the Gaming Ecosystem

Insights | October 3, 2025 | Practice Area: ,

The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 (the “Online Gaming Act”) introduces a new regulatory framework for the gaming sector. The Online Gaming Act marks a significant shift in India’s approach to online gaming by recognizing and promoting e-sports and social games, while prohibiting all forms of real-money online games irrespective of whether they are skill- or chance-based. It extends in its application to both domestic and offshore operators targeting Indian users, as well as other participants in the gaming ecosystem such as financial intermediaries and advertisers.
The Online Gaming Act prescribes stringent penalties for non-compliance and establishes a central Gaming Authority with wide-ranging supervisory and enforcement powers.
This note analyzes the provisions of the Online Gaming Act, the regulatory and compliance risks for industry participants and its future implications.