CP - Commercial Paper

1. What is Commercial Paper (CP)?

Commercial Paper (CP) is an unsecured money market instrument issued in the form of a promissory note.

2. When it was introduced?

It was introduced in India in 1990.

3. Why it was introduced?

It was introduced in India in 1990 with a view to enabling highly rated corporate borrowers to diversify their sources of short-term borrowings and to provide an additional instrument to investors. Subsequently, primary dealers and all-India financial institutions were also permitted to issue CP to enable them to meet their short-term funding requirements for their operations.

4. Who can issue CP?

Corporates, primary dealers (PDs) and the All-India Financial Institutions (FIs) are eligible to issue CP.

5. Whether all the corporates would automatically be eligible to issue CP?

No. A corporate would be eligible to issue CP provided –

a. the tangible net worth of the company, as per the latest audited balance sheet, is not less than Rs. 4 crore

b. company has been sanctioned working capital limit by bank/s or all-India financial institution/s; and

c. the borrowal account of the company is classified as a Standard Asset by the financing bank/s/ institution/s.