Rupee Convertibility on Capital Account
Rupee Convertability on Capital Account
The capital account, takes into account cross-border flow of funds that are associated with financial or other assets in the trading countries. For example, the direct and portfolio investments made by foreign investors, in India, are captured by the capital account balance of the BOP. The capital account also encompasses foreign investments of Indian companies, foreign aid and bank deposits of Non-resident Indians (NRI).
Capital account convertibility implies the right to transact in financial and other assets with foreign countries without restriction. For example, if a currency is convertible on the capital account, the residents of the domestic currency may freely convert it into other (convertible) currencies to purchase and maintain bank accounts abroad. Similarly, residents of other countries should also be able to freely convert their currencies into the domestic currency to purchase domestic capital and money market instruments. In other words, capital account convertibility is associated with the vision of free capital mobility.
Convertibility as an issue, and subsequently as a goal, was a priority in the agenda of the member countries of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which was born out of the Bretton Woods Agreement. During the Bretton Woods period, "the term convertibility [was] used in two different contexts: convertibility into gold and convertibility into other currencies. Only the United States maintained gold convertibility during Bretton woods. Convertibility into other currencies for current account transaction purposes was a main goal of Bretton Woods and was reached, to a large extent, early on in the system; however, the agreements to the IMF allowed more flexibility with regard to the imposition of exchange controls on capital account transactions. The flexibility was partly a result of a prevailing feeling that short-run speculative capital flows could be potentially destabilising and
The capital account, takes into account cross-border flow of funds that are associated with financial or other assets in the trading countries. For example, the direct and portfolio investments made by foreign investors, in India, are captured by the capital account balance of the BOP. The capital account also encompasses foreign investments of Indian companies, foreign aid and bank deposits of Non-resident Indians (NRI).
Capital account convertibility implies the right to transact in financial and other assets with foreign countries without restriction. For example, if a currency is convertible on the capital account, the residents of the domestic currency may freely convert it into other (convertible) currencies to purchase and maintain bank accounts abroad. Similarly, residents of other countries should also be able to freely convert their currencies into the domestic currency to purchase domestic capital and money market instruments. In other words, capital account convertibility is associated with the vision of free capital mobility.
Convertibility as an issue, and subsequently as a goal, was a priority in the agenda of the member countries of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which was born out of the Bretton Woods Agreement. During the Bretton Woods period, "the term convertibility [was] used in two different contexts: convertibility into gold and convertibility into other currencies. Only the United States maintained gold convertibility during Bretton woods. Convertibility into other currencies for current account transaction purposes was a main goal of Bretton Woods and was reached, to a large extent, early on in the system; however, the agreements to the IMF allowed more flexibility with regard to the imposition of exchange controls on capital account transactions. The flexibility was partly a result of a prevailing feeling that short-run speculative capital flows could be potentially destabilising and