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India’s Bond Market Draws Record Foreign Cash After Tax Breaks

The moves have cut borrowing costs and strengthened the case for inclusion in global bond indexes but the durability of inflows is unclear.

Overview

  • In early June the government and the Reserve Bank removed taxes and widened foreign access to certain government bonds, with tax exemptions applied retroactively to the start of the fiscal year.
  • Foreign investors bought a record amount of Indian sovereign debt in June, with NSDL reporting net debt inflows of about ₹55,518 crore and CCIL showing ₹418 billion bought through the Fully Accessible Route.
  • The policy changes and purchases pushed benchmark 10‑year yields lower, with an initial roughly 14 basis point drop and around a 25 basis point fall over June, which also helped support the rupee.
  • Part of June’s surge reflected mechanical reclassification after more securities were added to the Fully Accessible Route, leaving questions about how much of the inflow was new capital.
  • Foreign investors kept selling equities in June (about ₹49,340 crore), and future debt flows will depend on global interest rates, oil and geopolitical developments and formal index‑inclusion decisions.