Outward remittances under LRS grew marginally in September: RBI data

Outbound remittances rose slightly to $2.78 bn, even as H1 outflows stayed lower due to weaker education and family transfers

The outward remittances under the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) liberalised remittances scheme (LRS) increased marginally by $24 million in September to $2.78 billion, mainly on the back of a pickup in investment in equity/debt by Indians in overseas capital markets and robust international travel, according to data released by the RBI. Outward remittance under the scheme was worth $2.75 billion in September 2024.

 

Additionally, in the April–September period of FY25 (H1FY25), outward remittance under the LRS scheme totalled $29.56 billion, down 7 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y), compared to $31.7 billion in the same period last year. This was mainly due to remittance under overseas education going down this year, as well as remittance under “maintenance of close relatives”. 

 

The LRS scheme was introduced in 2004, permitting all resident individuals to remit up to $250,000 per financial year for any permissible current or capital account transaction, or a combination of both, free of charge. In the starting phase, the scheme was introduced with a limit of $25,000, which was gradually revised.

 

In September 2025, the outflows for international travel — which is the la rgest segment — dropped marginally to $1.66 billion, compared to $1.71 billion in the same period last year. But investment in equity/debt by Indians in overseas capital markets doubled to $279 million during the same period, compared to $135 million in the corresponding period a year ago.

 

The outflows for overseas education were down to $264.34 million in September 2025, compared to $320 million in September 2024.