Explore Business Standard
Don’t miss the latest developments in business and finance.
Government's social security body Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) on Sunday approved a proposal to invest its surplus funds in the stock market through exchange traded funds (ETFs). The decision was taken in the 189th meeting of ESIC held on Sunday at ESIC headquarters under the chairmanship of Union labour minister Bhupender Yadav, a labour ministry statement said. Due to relatively low returns on investments in various debt instruments coupled with the need to diversify investment, ESIC gave its approval for investments of surplus funds in equities restricted to ETFs. The investment will start with 5 per cent of surplus funds and will increase up to 15 per cent, based on the review of the investment after two quarters, it stated. The investment will be confined to Exchanged Traded Funds on Nifty and Sensex. It will be managed by fund managers of asset management companies (AMSs), the statement said. Equity investments will be monitored by the existing custodian, ..
Capital markets regulator Sebi has allowed brokers to extend the margin trading facility (MTF) to equity exchange traded funds (ETFs) and such funds can be used as collateral as well. Currently, only select stocks that come under Group 1 securities are offered the MTF facility by brokers. "Taking into account the emergence of ETFs as an investment product with various advantages such as transparency, diversification, lower cost, etc, it has been decided to allow units of equity exchange traded funds (equity ETFs)... as an eligible security for MTF as well as an eligible collateral under MTF," Sebi said in a circular. The facility is executed with borrowed funds or securities that enable investors to take exposure in the market over and above their resources. Sebi said that initial margin payable by the client to the stock broker should be in the form of cash, cash equivalent or equity ETFs. Further, the stocks or units of equity ETFs deposited as collateral with the stock broker f