SECP asks micro-finance institutions to facilitate borrowers

• The SECP has also asked Asset Management Companies to provide investors account statements and other information through SMS or email.
• The SECP has also advised the mutual funds to consider reduction in their management fee, sales load, online investment/redemption etc.
• The SECP is closely monitoring impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the non-banking finance sector especially in context of sufficiency of risk management framework.

ISLAMABAD: Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) Tuesday asked the micro-finance institutions to facilitate borrowers in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.

To facilitate borrowers of non-bank lending companies (NBFCs), the SECP has allowed deferment of repayment of principal and rescheduling of loans, based on borrowers’ requests, an SECP statement said.

To further facilitate small borrowers and microenterprise, the regulators has advised the non-bank micro-finance companies (NBMFCs) to accept such requests made through SMS, emails and phone calls.

The SECP has also asked Asset Management Companies (AMCs) to provide investors account statements and other information through SMS or email in lieu of sending hard material.

Additionally, to facilitate the asset management industry, the SECP has increased the maximum period of borrowing by mutual funds for redemption purposes from 90 days to 365 days.

The SECP has also advised the mutual funds to consider reduction in their management fee, sales load, online investment/redemption etc.

Besides, the time to regularize regulatory exposure limit breaches due to redemption has been extended from four months to six months and time for announcement of daily Net Asset value (NAV) of collective investment schemes has been extended from 18:30pm to start of next working day.

Deadline for submission of regulatory monthly returns for March 2020 has been extended up to April 30, 2020. Requirements of obtaining mandatory certification for mutual fund distributors has been relaxed and extended from six months to nine months.

Deadline for making necessary changes in constitutive documents/forms regarding risk categorization of collective investment schemes has also been extended for sixty days. Furthermore, timeline for implementation of IFRS 9 for NBFCs has been extended by further one year.

Also, the maximum limit for application of discretionary discount limit for AMCs for corporate debt securities has been enhanced to make adjustment in pricing for the purpose of NAV calculation.

To align classification of non-performing assets across the financial industry, period for classification of debt security to non-performing category for mutual fund is extended from 15 days to 180 days and rescheduling of such facilities is allowed during extended period.

The SECP is closely monitoring impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the non-banking finance sector especially in context of sufficiency of risk management framework, business continuity, encouraging work from home operations, ensuring investor protection/convenience and facilitating micro borrowers/micro enterprises.