RBI Policy

The Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Committee began its three-day meeting on Monday and is likely to raise rates by 25 basis points, aligning with the central banks' hawkish stance amid escalating conflicts in West Asia that pose risks for domestic inflation. An interest rate hike by the RBI in its upcoming monetary policy would mark a stance reversal, following rate cuts in 2025 and a prolonged pause thereafter, according to a PTI poll of 16 economists and bankers. "Insights, assessments, and the way forward-set to unfold soon," the Reserve Bank said in a social media post while announcing that the monetary policy statement will be announced on October 7 at 10 am. The last repo rate hike was in February 2023, when the RBI raised the rate by 0.25 per cent to 6.50 per cent. It kept the rate unchanged through 2023-24 before beginning its rate-cut cycle in 2025. Currently, the RBI's policy repo rate stands at 5.25 per cent. A majority of participants in the PTI poll expect a rate hike

Nearly 60% of ​economists polled by Reuters, 35 out of 61, expect a 25-basis-point rate hike at RBI's policy meeting ​on Wednesday

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is likely to increase the repo rate by 0.25 per cent in the October monetary policy review due to mounting inflationary pressure amid the re-escalation of the West Asia crisis and also the rate hikes by global central banks, according to economists and bankers. If the RBI increases the rate in the upcoming policy, it would mark a reversal in the interest rate policy, which has witnessed rate cuts in 2025 and an extended pause thereafter, according to a PTI poll of 16 economists and bankers. The last repo rate hike was in February 2023, when the RBI raised the rate by 0.25 per cent to 6.50 per cent; it then kept the rate unchanged through 2023-24 before beginning its rate-cut cycle in 2025. Currently, the RBI's policy repo rate stands at 5.25 per cent. "Coordination with global central bank hikes, rising inflation risks and strong growth momentum provide policy space to hike," said Kanika Pasricha, chief economic advisor at Union Bank of India. Furthe

RBI's interest rate decision, TCS' earnings, crude oil prices and global bond yields will be important factors to determine stock market movement this week, analysts said. Macroeconomic data announcements and foreign investors' trading activity will also guide market trends, they added. "RBI's monetary policy meeting will be closely watched. The policy stance, inflation outlook and growth projections will provide important cues on the near-term trajectory of domestic interest rates and financial markets. "This week will also mark the beginning of the earnings season, with index heavyweight TCS and retail major DMart among the key companies scheduled to announce their results," Ajit Mishra, SVP Research, Religare Broking, said. On the data front, India's final HSBC Services PMI and Composite PMI readings for September are scheduled to be released on October 6, he said. TCS is slated to announce its September quarter earnings on October 8. "Crude oil remains the most immediate ...

India has maintained a cautious approach towards cryptocurrencies while promoting the underlying technologies such as distributed ledger technology and tokenisation, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said on Saturday. Malhotra said India supports innovation in technologies underlying crypto assets, including distributed ledger and tokenisation, but remains cautious about cryptocurrencies due to concerns over monetary sovereignty, monetary policy and capital flows. "So, our approach has been to promote the underlying technologies, and we are using some of these in the central bank and outside in PPP (public-private partnership) mode. But insofar as crypto is concerned, it has been a cautious approach," he said at the Kautilya Economic Conclave. Expressing concerns about cryptocurrencies, the RBI Governor said it is related to the 'singleness of money' and their potential implications for monetary policy, particularly in emerging market economies, where capital flow restrictions are in ...

Reserve Bank Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Saturday said the resilience of the financial system today should not be taken as a guarantee against future vulnerabilities and called for continued vigilance to safeguard financial stability. Speaking at the Kautilya Economic Conclave here, he outlined five priorities for policymakers, stressing that financial stability should focus not on preventing shocks but on strengthening the financial system's ability to withstand and contain their impact. "Today's resilience may not necessarily imply tomorrow's immunity, and we are committed to remain vigilant of emerging vulnerabilities and continue to keep our financial system strong and resilient," he said, highlighting the resilience of the financial system supported by healthy balance sheets of banks and NBFCs. He said shocks, whether endogenous or exogenous, are inevitable and the objective should be to build a financial system capable of providing financial services even under severe ...

Record inflows from Indians abroad have left banks flush with cash, pushing overnight rates below the RBI's 5.25 per cent policy rate as inflation pressures build

Beyond February 2027, Nomura expects the probability of further rate increases to diminish, citing the potential for a slowdown in consumption.

The Reserve Bank of India has conducted sell-buy dollar-rupee swaps with lenders over the past two weeks, taking rupees out of the financial system to contain risks from surplus liquidity

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday absorbed Rs 2.23 lakh crore from the banking system amid surplus liquidity by conducting a variable rate reverse repo (VRRR) auction. The central bank received bids worth Rs 2,22,629 crore, which it accepted fully, for a notified amount of Rs 2.25 lakh crore. The amount was accepted at a weighted average rate of 5.24 per cent, the RBI said in a release. The RBI has been conducting VRRR auctions since last month in order to absorb excess liquidity from the banking system and align the overnight money market rates to the repo rate. As of September 17, liquidity in the banking system is estimated to be in surplus of around Rs 6.94 lakh crore, as per RBI data. As part of the liquidity adjustment strategy, the central bank on Thursday sold government securities worth Rs 50,000 crore through Open Market Operations (OMO). The remaining two tranches of G-sec sales of Rs 25,000 crore each are scheduled for September 21 and September 28. The bankin

With global central banks raising rates, RBI may need to drain excess banking liquidity and align overnight rates with the repo rate before embarking on a fresh tightening cycle

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday absorbed Rs 2.40 lakh crore through variable rate reverse repo (VRRR) auctions from the banking sector amid huge surplus liquidity. The central bank received bids worth Rs 2,39,959 crore, which it accepted fully, at a cut-off and weighted average rate of 5.24 per cent. The RBI has been, since last month, doing various VRRR auctions in order to absorb excess surplus liquidity from the banking system and align the overnight money market rates to the repo rate. Currently, liquidity in the banking system is estimated to be in surplus of around Rs 7.38 lakh crore as on September 16. Apart from VRRR, last week, the central bank announced Open Market Operation (OMO) sales of government securities for a notified amount of Rs 1 lakh crore in three tranches. The first tranche of Rs 50,000 crore will be held on September 17, and Rs 25,000 crore each on September 21 and September 28, RBI said. The banking system has a huge surplus of liquidity due

The central bank imposed the penalty after its inspection found non-compliance with regulatory directions relating to the charging of management fees by the ARC

India's record diaspora deposit drive could leave the RBI facing a $10.6 billion cost as inflows far exceeded expectations and raise challenges for the central bank's liquidity management

The RBI stepped up dollar sales near the start of Friday's session and continued its intervention through the day, helping the rupee withstand higher oil prices and weakness in Asian currencies

In September 2026, banks in India will mark holidays for regional celebrations, as per the RBI calendar. Customers must confirm local bank timetables before visiting

The rupee recovered after briefly falling to 95.60 as RBI intervention offset pressure from higher oil prices and growing expectations of a US interest-rate hike

Bank Holiday Today: Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi, or Mawlid, marks the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad on August 26. The RBI has listed the day as a bank holiday in several states

RBI MPC member Saugata Bhattacharya says the repo rate may need reassessment if inflation broadens, but current data does not warrant a rate-hike cycle

SBI Research says the MPC minutes carried a more hawkish tone than the RBI governor's remarks, leaving markets uncertain about the future course of interest rates