OVERSEAS BONDS

About: 

• Meaning: A government bond or sovereign bond is a form of debt that the government undertakes wherein it issues bonds with the promise to pay periodic interest payments and also repay the entire face value of the bond on the maturity date.
  
  
• Indian scenario: So far, the government of India has only issued bonds in the domestic market.
  
  

Recent development:

• Union Finance Minister announced in the Budget that the government plans to raise a portion of its gross borrowing from overseas markets.
  
  
• The government and RBI will reportedly finalise the plans for the overseas issue of sovereign bonds by September.
  
  

Benefits of an overseas bond issue:

• The overseas borrowing programme allows the government to maintain its gradual reduction of the fiscal deficit.
  
  
• Borrowing overseas allows the government to raise funds in such a way that there is enough domestic credit available for the private sector.
  
  
• This would also have a beneficial impact on the demand for government securities in the India.
  
  

Risks involved:

• India might follow the path of some Central and South American countries such as Mexico and Brazil. In the 1970s, several of these countries borrowed heavily overseas. But then, when their currencies depreciated sharply a decade later, these countries were in big trouble as they could not repay their debt.
  
  
• Another risk to India from overseas borrowings is that this would lead to a quicker increase to its foreign exchange reserves, which would lead to a stronger rupee. A stronger rupee would encourage imports at a time when the government is trying to curb them.