RBI master-direction RBI/DOR/2025-26/250 · 28 Nov 2025
Official title
Reserve Bank of India (Regional Rural Banks – Cash Reserve Ratio and Statutory Liquidity Ratio) Directions, 2025 (Updated as on June 19, 2026)
Summary
Check the official recordThe Reserve Bank of India issues these directions to govern the maintenance of Cash Reserve Ratio and Statutory Liquidity Ratio for Regional Rural Banks. Banks must maintain a prescribed percentage of their Net Demand and Time Liabilities as cash reserves and liquid assets. The directions define eligible assets, computation methods for liabilities, and reporting requirements. Banks must submit Form A and Form VIII returns electronically via the Centralised Information Management System portal using digital signatures. The directions specify penalties for non-compliance with reserve maintenance or reporting obligations. These rules replace previous guidelines and take immediate effect, with specific transitional provisions for reporting and maintenance during December 2025 and January 2026.
What you must do
Key dates
Who is affected
Thresholds
Exceptions
If you do not comply
RBI/DOR/2025-26/250
DOR.RET.REC.169/12-01-001/2025-26
November 28, 2025
Previous Versions
Reserve Bank of India (Regional Rural Banks – Cash Reserve Ratio and Statutory Liquidity Ratio) Directions, 2025 (Updated as on June 19, 2026)
Table of Contents
Chapter I - Preliminary
Chapter II - Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR)
Chapter III - Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR)
Chapter IV - Procedure for computation of SLR
Chapter V - Reporting
Chapter VI - Penalties
Chapter VII - Repeal And Other Provisions
Annex I
Annex II
In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 35A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 and pursuant to Section 42 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 and Sections 18 and 24 of Banking Regulation Act, 1949, as amended from time to time, and all other provisions / laws enabling the Reserve Bank of India (hereinafter referred as the ‘RBI’ or ‘Reserve Bank’) in this regard, the RBI being satisfied that it is necessary and expedient in the public interest so to do, hereby, issues the Directions hereinafter specified.
Chapter I - Preliminary
A. Short Title and Commencement
These Directions shall be called the Reserve Bank of India (Regional Rural Banks – Cash Reserve Ratio and Statutory Liquidity Ratio) Directions, 2025.
These Directions shall come into force with immediate effect.
B. Applicability
These Directions shall be applicable to Regional Rural Banks (hereinafter collectively referred to as ‘banks’ or ‘RRBs’ and individually as a ‘bank’ or ‘RRB’).
The maintenance of Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) shall be reported to the RBI under the statutory return Form A.
The maintenance of Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) shall be reported to the RBI under the statutory return Form VIII.
C. Definitions
(1) ‘Aggregate Deposits’ shall mean aggregation of demand and time deposits.
(2) ‘Apportionment of Saving Bank Account into demand liability and time liability’: a bank shall undertake the apportionment of Saving Bank Account into demand liability and time liability as per the following procedure:
(i) A bank is required to calculate the proportion of its savings bank deposits as at the close of business on March 31 and September 30, into demand and time liabilities in terms of Regulation 7 of The Reserve Bank of India Scheduled Banks’ Regulations, 1951.
(ii) The average of the minimum balances maintained (in each account) in each of the months during the half year period shall be treated by the bank as the amount representing the "time liability" portion of the savings bank deposits. When such an amount is deducted from the average of the actual balances maintained during the half year period, the difference would represent the "demand liability" portion.
(iii) The proportions of demand and time liabilities so obtained for each half year shall be applied for arriving at demand and time liabilities components of savings bank deposits for all reporting fortnights during the next half year.
(3) ‘Approved Securities/SLR securities’: Following securities shall be considered as approved securities (approved securities are commonly known as SLR securities):
(i) Dated securities of the Government of India issued from time to time under the market borrowing programme and the Market Stabilization Scheme;
(ii) Treasury Bills of the Government of India;
(iii) ^1State Development Loans (SDLs) of the State Governments issued from time to time under the market borrowing programme.
(iv) Any other instrument as may be notified by the Reserve Bank of India (as and when prescribed).
Explanation:
(a) For Form A Return and its Annex, a bank should report the total investment in approved securities as per its investment book i.e. including encumbered securities.
(b) For SLR purpose, only unencumbered portion of investment in approved securities would qualify as specified SLR assets. The following SLR securities, however, shall not be considered as encumbered securities for SLR purpose and hence they will also qualify as specified SLR asset:
i. Securities lodged with another institution for an advance or any other credit arrangement to the extent to which such securities have not been drawn against or availed of;
ii. Securities offered as collateral to the Reserve Bank for availing liquidity assistance from Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) up to the permissible percentage of the total Net Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL) in India, carved out of the required SLR portfolio of the bank concerned; and
iii. Securities acquired by banks under RBI-LAF and market repo transactions.
(4) ‘Assets with Banking System’ shall:
(i) include balances with banks in current account, balances with banks and notified financial institutions in other accounts, funds made available to banking system by way of loans or deposits repayable at call or short notice of a fortnight or less and loans other than money at call and short notice made available to the banking system.
(ii) any other amounts due from the banking system which cannot be classified under any of the above items are also to be taken as assets with the banking system.
(5) ‘Average daily balance’ means average of the balances held at the close of business on each day of a fortnight.
(6) ‘Bank credit in India’ shall mean all outstanding loans and advances including advances for which provisions have been made and / or refinance has been received {but excludes rediscounted bills without recourse and advances written off at Head Office level (i.e. technical write off)}.
(7) ‘Banking System’ or ’Bank/s’ wherever it appears in the prescribed Form A Return shall mean the banks and any other financial institutions referred to in sub-clause (i) to (vi) of the Explanation below Section 42(1)(d) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
(8) ‘Cash’ to be maintained by a Regional Rural Bank shall include,
(i) cash in hand,
(ii) the net balance in current accounts with other scheduled commercial banks in India.
(iii) the deposit required under sub-section (2) of Section 11 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 to be made with the Reserve Bank by a banking company incorporated outside India;
(iv) any balance maintained by a scheduled bank with the Reserve Bank in excess of the balance required to be maintained by it under Section 42 of the Reserve Bank of India Act,1934 (2 of 1934);
(v) any balances held by a bank with the RBI under the Standing Deposit Facility (SDF).
(9) ‘Cash in India / Cash in hand’ shall consist of total amount of rupee notes and coins held by bank branches / ATMs / Cash deposit machines maintained by banks in India, including transit cash on the bank’s books as also cash with Business Correspondents (BCs), but shall exclude cash, where physical possession is with outsourced vendors / BCs, which is not replenished in the bank’s ATM and / or is not reflected on the bank’s books.
(10) ‘Corresponding new bank’ shall mean a corresponding new bank constituted under Section 3 of the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act,1970 (5 of 1970); or under Section 3 of the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1980 (40 of 1980).
(11) ‘Deemed Cash’ shall be cash held in India for the purpose of SLR maintenance and shall consist of the following:
(i) Cash in hand as defined in paragraph 6(9) of these Directions.
