New Delhi: India’s leading coal miner Coal India Limited (CIL) has permitted coal buyers from Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan to participate in e-auctions, a significant step in boosting international trade of Indian coal.
Following the announcement, Coal India’s shares jumped almost 6%, hitting a 52-week high as investors welcomed the move.
According to a press note by CIL, consumers from these three countries can directly participate in the Single Window Mode Agnostic (SWMA) auctions conducted by the company effectively from January 1, 2026. Foreign buyers can directly participate with domestic buyers in the SWMA Auctions. Earlier, customers could access these auctions only through domestic coal traders, who could sell them without any end-use restrictions.
“Opening SWMA e-auctions to foreign buyers reflects CIL’s calibrated approach to market expansion while fully safeguarding domestic coal requirements. This step enhances transparency, competition and global market integration” a senior CIL official told the press.
The payment processing would be done according to the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) rules. However, buyers from Nepal can make the payments either in INR or US Dollars, while buyers from Bangladesh and Bhutan can pay in US Dollars but under valuations of Indian Rupees.
