Introduction Wealth and succession planning in India is often shaped by personal law regimes that determine how property devolves upon death. For Muslim families, inheritance is governed primarily by the principles of Islamic law, as recognised under the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 [1] . Unlike testamentary freedom under several other personal law systems, succession under Shariah follows a structured scheme of fixed shares that operate automatically

The term "family office" appears in no Indian statute. It is a market construct that sits at the contested intersection of trust law, corporate governance, taxation, securities regulation, and foreign exchange management. In October 2025, SEBI expressly clarified that it is not examining any dedicated regulatory framework for family offices, a clarification that, paradoxically, underscores precisely why this space demands the most careful legal structuring. The absence of a

When Indian families build wealth globally, the estate is no longer confined to one legal system. A London flat, a Dubai bank account, a Singapore brokerage portfolio, and shares in an overseas holding company may each sit behind different procedural rules, different document standards, and different court processes. From an Indian foreign exchange perspective, a person resident in India may hold, own, transfer or invest in immovable property situated outside India if that pr

India's wealthiest families spend decades constructing empires of equity, real estate, and operating businesses. Yet many reach the point of succession without a valid Will. In such cases, statutory succession rules apply, with the state administering the distribution of assets according to prescribed criteria—such as religious law, familial relationship, and fixed shares, rather than individual intent, commercial considerations, or legacy planning. For High-Net-Worth Indiv

We are delighted to share this week's AKP Corporate & Compliance Weekly Digest. Please feel free to write to us with your feedback at info@akandpartners.in. 1. Labour Law 1.1. ESIC mandates faster payments for vendors and MSMEs The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (“ ESIC ”) has issued a new directive to ensure that all vendors, including those from Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (“ MSMEs ”), receive their payments more promptly. Under th

We are delighted to share this week's AKP Banking & Finance Weekly Digest. Please feel free to write to us with your feedback at info@akandpartners.in. 1. Regulatory Updates 1.1. India Reserve Bank of India (RBI) 1.1.1. RBI sanctions amalgamation of Bapunagar Mahila Co-operative Bank with Shri Vinayak Sahakari Bank The Reserve Bank of India (“ RBI ”) has sanctioned the voluntary amalgamation of The Bapunagar Mahila Co-operative Bank Ltd., Ah

We are delighted to share this month's AKP Dispute Resolution Monthly Digest. Please feel free to write to us with your feedback at info@akandpartners.in. 1. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Law 1.1. Banking & Finance 1.1.1. Supreme Court holds creditor cannot appropriate pre-CIRP dues from a security deposit after the moratorium The Supreme Court of India has held that a creditor cannot appropriate amounts lying as security deposit towards pre-CIRP dues of a corp

The Bill and Its Author On 14 March 2026, Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha introduced the Private Member’s Bill on Asset Tokenisation (Regulation) Bill, 2026 — India's first dedicated legislative proposal to govern blockchain-based real-world asset (RWA) tokenisation. Chadha, an AAP member and the youngest in the Upper House, had been building toward this for months. He first called for a bespoke tokenisation statute in December 2025, citing capital flight, land title chaos, and

We are delighted to share this week's AKP Banking & Finance Weekly Digest. Please feel free to write to us with your feedback at info@akandpartners.in. 1. Regulatory Updates 1.1. India Reserve Bank of India (RBI) 1.1.1. RBI issues Reserve Bank of India – Financial Statements: Presentation and Disclosures – Amendment Directions, 2026 across multiple REs Reserve Bank of India (“ RBI ”) issued 7 (seven) directions amending the financial stateme

We are delighted to share this week's AKP Corporate & Compliance Weekly Digest. Please feel free to write to us with your feedback at info@akandpartners.in. 1. Labour Law 1.1. EPFO Simplifies Overseas PF Payments for International Workers from SSA Countries The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (“ EPFO ”) has issued a circular dated 18 March 2026, introducing a revised framework for facilitating payment of provident fund accumulations to overseas ba