FME Regulatory Intelligence, Learning & Practice · IFSCA (Fund Management) Regulations, 2025
Permissible investments

Regulation 22

Permissible investments

IFSCA (Fund Management) Regulations, 2025Amended in 2026Chapter III · Schemes for Fund Management

Chapter III · Schemes for Fund Management

Regulation 22 – Permissible investments
Amended 2026 Critical importance about 3 min

Venture Capital schemes: Structure, eligible investors, permissible investments and the FME's own contribution for VC schemes.

1

In plain English

Sets out the exhaustive list of instruments/entities a VC may invest in (in IFSC, India or foreign jurisdictions), subject to the amended provisos on certificates of deposit and pre-first-close liquidity management (see Second Amendment).

In plain English
2

The rule, in its own words

Read the exact text of Regulation 22
22. (1) Subject to other provisions of these regulations, a Venture Capital scheme may invest only in the following instruments or entities in IFSC, India or foreign jurisdiction:- (a) Unlisted securities; (b) Securities listed or to be listed or traded on stock exchanges; (c) Money market instruments; (d) Debt securities; (e) Securitised debt instruments, which are either asset-backed or mortgage-backed securities; (f) Units of other Venture Capital schemes subject to appropriate disclosure in the placement memorandum; (g) Units of retail schemes and restricted schemes or alternative investment funds subject to appropriate disclosure in the placement memorandum; (h) Limited liability partne…
Show the full text
22. (1) Subject to other provisions of these regulations, a Venture Capital scheme may invest only in the following instruments or entities in IFSC, India or foreign jurisdiction:- (a) Unlisted securities; (b) Securities listed or to be listed or traded on stock exchanges; (c) Money market instruments; (d) Debt securities; (e) Securitised debt instruments, which are either asset-backed or mortgage-backed securities; (f) Units of other Venture Capital schemes subject to appropriate disclosure in the placement memorandum; (g) Units of retail schemes and restricted schemes or alternative investment funds subject to appropriate disclosure in the placement memorandum; (h) Limited liability partnerships; or (i) Such other securities or financial products/ assets or instruments as specified by the Authority: Provided that pending deployment of monies, FME may invest in 5[***] units of investment schemes such as overnight, liquid or money market schemes, money market instruments, bank deposits or any other securities or financial assets or instruments as may be specified by the Authority. 6 [Provided further that any monies received from the contributors prior to the first close of the scheme shall be deployed only in such permissible investments as per sub-regulation (1) of regulation 22 that support preservation of capital and adequate liquidity of the monies deployed, such as bank deposits with option for premature withdrawal, overnight funds, etc., as disclosed by the FME in the placement memorandum.] (2) Any investment made under sub-regulation (1) shall be in accordance with the provisions of these regulations, investment objective of the Venture Capital scheme and disclosures made in the placement memorandum.
Statutory text — Principal Regulations, 2025, consolidated as amended up to 10 September 2026 (including the Second Amendment, 2026). The notified Gazette text prevails. Tap a highlighted word for how it functions.
Amendment history (2 notes)

Footnotes from the consolidated text. They record earlier wording and are not operative law.

  1. 5 The words and symbol “Certificates of deposits,” omitted by the International Financial Services Centres Authority (Fund Management) (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2026, w.e.f. September 10, 2026.
  2. 6 Inserted by the International Financial Services Centres Authority (Fund Management) (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2026, w.e.f. September 10, 2026.
3

Exceptions and conditions

Taken from the wording of this provision — the carve-outs and conditions worth reading closely.

(1) Subject to other provisions of these regulations, a Venture Capital scheme may invest only in the following instruments or entities in IFSC, India or foreign jurisdiction:- (a) Unlisted securities
(f) Units of other Venture Capital schemes subject to appropriate disclosure in the placement memorandum
(g) Units of retail schemes and restricted schemes or alternative investment funds subject to appropriate disclosure in the placement memorandum
or (i) Such other securities or financial products/ assets or instruments as specified by the Authority: Provided that pending deployment of monies, FME may invest in 5[***] units of investment schemes such as overnight, liquid or money market schemes, money market instruments, bank deposits or any other securities or financial assets or instruments as may be specified by the Authority
4

What this means in practice

Practical effect
The permissible-investment list is a hard boundary; deploying outside it is a breach regardless of investor consent.
Compliance actions
Applies to
Venture Capital scheme
Frequency
Per investment decision
Evidence
Investment approval memos referencing Reg 22(1) categories; Pre-first-close treasury deployment records
5

What changed in 2026

"Certificates of deposit" removed from the illustrative list of permissible short-term instruments in the first proviso to Reg 22(1) (Venture Capital permissible investments).

Practical effect
Certificates of deposit are no longer specifically called out as an example of a permitted liquid instrument under this proviso for VC schemes.
What to do
Review VC scheme placement memoranda that reference certificates of deposit under this proviso and confirm continued permissibility only if covered elsewhere in Reg 22(1).
Now
Provided further that any monies received from the contributors prior to the first close of the scheme shall be deployed only in such permissible investments as per sub-regulation (1) of regulation 22 that support preservation of capital and adequate liquidity of the monies deployed, such as bank deposits with option for premature withdrawal, overnight funds, etc., as disclosed by the FME in the placement memorandum.

New second proviso: any money received from contributors before the first close of a VC scheme can only be deployed in Reg 22(1)-permissible investments that preserve capital and maintain adequate liquidity — e.g. bank deposits with premature-withdrawal options, overnight funds — as disclosed by the FME in the placement memorandum.

Practical effect
Restricts pre-first-close deployment of drawn-down money in VC schemes to capital-preservation/liquid instruments only.
What to do
Update VC scheme placement memoranda and treasury/cash-management policy to disclose the specific pre-first-close permissible investments; ensure fund administrators apply this restriction operationally.
6

Where it connects

Referred to by

Read alongside

7

Check yourself

What did the Second Amendment do to "certificates of deposit" in the Reg 22(1) proviso for VC schemes?
8

Your notes

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Venture Capital schemes
Regulation 22 Chapter III · Part A Amended 2026 Critical · about 3 min