Reserve Bank of India (Small Finance Banks – Credit Information Reporting) Directions, 2025 (Updated as on July 01, 2026)

RBI/DOR/2025-26/187
DOR.FIN.REC.No.106/20.16.056/2025-26
November 28, 2025

Previous Versions

Reserve Bank of India (Small Finance Banks – Credit Information Reporting) Directions, 2025 (Updated as on July 01, 2026)

Table of Contents

Chapter-I Preliminary
A. Short Title and Commencement
B. Applicability
C. Definitions
Chapter-II Membership of CICs
Chapter-III Credit Information Reporting and Dissemination
A. Data formats
B. Reporting timelines and updation
C. Reporting guidelines
D. Rectification of rejected data and review of Data Quality Index (DQI)
E. Correction of Credit Information Report
F. Use of credit information reports in credit appraisal
G. Display of information
H. Applicability of other instructions issued by Department of Regulation
Chapter-IV Technical Working Group
Chapter-V Customer Service and Grievance Redressal
A. Strengthening of customer service
B. Framework for compensation to customers
C. Reserve Bank- Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021
D. Appointment of Internal Ombudsman
Chapter-VI Best Practices
Chapter-VII Repeal and Other Provisions
A. Repeal and saving
B. Application of other laws not barred
C. Interpretations
Annex I
Annex II
Annex III
Annex IV
Annex V
Annex VI

Introduction

These directions aim to establish a standardised framework for reporting and dissemination of credit information; safeguard the confidentiality and security of sensitive credit data; provide mechanisms for consumers to access their credit information and grievance redressal on matters related to credit information reporting.

Accordingly, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 11 of the Credit Information Companies (Regulations) Act, 2005 (hereinafter referred to as CICRA), the Reserve Bank of India (‘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

1. These Directions shall be called the Reserve Bank of India (Small Finance Banks – Credit Information Reporting) Directions, 2025.

2. These Directions shall come into force with immediate effect, unless otherwise specified.

B. Applicability

3. These Directions shall be applicable to all Small Finance Banks [hereinafter collectively referred to as ‘Credit Institutions (CIs)’ and individually referred to as ‘Credit Institution (CI)’].

C. Definitions

4. In these Directions, unless the context otherwise requires, the terms herein shall bear the meaning assigned to them below:

• (1) ‘Company’ means a company defined under section 3 of the Companies Act, 1956 or corresponding section under the Companies Act, 2013.
• (2) ‘Credit Information Companies (CICs)’ means companies that have been granted a certificate of registration under section 5 of the CICRA. The CICs registered with RBI under Section 5 of the CICRA are:

• (3) ‘Specified User (SU)’ shall have the same meaning assigned to it under clause (l) of section 2 of CICRA and those notified under regulation 3 of the Credit Information Companies Regulations, 2006, hereinafter referred to as “CIC Regulations” (as amended from time to time).

5. Words or expressions used in these Directions and not defined herein, but defined in CICRA, 2005, the Credit Information Companies Rules, 2006 (hereinafter referred to as ‘CIC Rules’) and the CIC Regulations, shall have the same meanings as assigned to them in these Statute/ Rules/ Regulations. Any other words or expressions used and not defined in these directions or aforesaid Statute/ Rules/ Regulations and defined in Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 or Banking Regulation Act, 1949 or the Companies Act, 2013 shall have the same meanings as assigned to them in these Acts.

Chapter-II Membership of CICs

6. A CI shall become member of all the CICs registered with the RBI.

7. One-time membership fee charged by the CICs from a CI to become their members shall not exceed ₹10,000 each.

8. The annual fees charged by the CICs from a CI shall not exceed ₹5,000 each.

Chapter-III Credit Information Reporting and Dissemination

A. Data formats

9. The reporting of credit information by a CI to the CICs, shall be undertaken in standardised data formats as prescribed in Annex I. These standardised data formats would be a non-proprietary reporting format and shall be known as ‘Uniform Credit Reporting Format’ (UCRF) as denoted below:

• (1) Form 1: Uniform Credit Reporting Format (Consumer) – for consumer segment.
• (2) Form 2: Uniform Credit Reporting Format (Commercial) – for commercial segment.
• (3) Form 3: Uniform Credit Reporting Format (MFI) – for microfinance segment.

B. Reporting timelines and updation

10. A CI shall adhere to following guidelines on reporting timelines and updation:

• (1) A CI shall submit data on credit information of its borrowers (including historical data) to all CICs.
• (2) 1A CI shall keep the credit information collected / maintained by it, updated regularly on the following basis or at shorter intervals as mutually agreed upon between the CI and CIC:
  • (i) A CI shall submit credit information as on 9th, 16th, 23rd and last day of the month (hereinafter referred to as the reference dates) to CICs.
  • (ii) A CI shall submit the full file containing credit information records as on the last day of the month to the CICs, by 5th day of the next month. Full file for this purpose shall include all active accounts in the books of the CI and the accounts wherein relationship between the borrower and the CI has ended since the last reporting reference date.
  • (iii) For other submissions during the month, i.e., credit information records as on 9th, 16th and 23rd day of the month, a CI shall only furnish ‘incremental accounts’ to CICs. The CI shall submit such credit information to CICs within four (4) calendar days from the above-mentioned dates. Incremental accounts for this purpose shall include details in respect of the following accounts:
    • Accounts opened since the last reporting reference date;
    • Accounts wherein the relationship between the borrower and the CI has ended since the last reporting reference date;
    • Accounts where there is a change from the last reporting reference date because of any action/ transaction initiated by the borrower, and the same shall include instances of repayment, change in outstanding balance, updates in demographic details, related party, guarantors, ownership of account, account type; and
    • Accounts where interest and / or instalment of principal is overdue
      Explanation: Accounts with change only in days past due from the last reporting reference date shall also form part of the reporting.
  • (iv) An illustration on timelines for reporting is given in Annex-VI.
  • (v) CICs shall report on the DAKSH portal, a list of CIs which fail to adhere to the data submission timelines to Department of Supervision, Reserve Bank of India, Central Office at half yearly intervals (as on March 31 and September 30 each year) for information and monitoring purposes.
• (3) A CI shall ensure that the records submitted to CICs are updated regularly and that no instances of repayment, including that of the last instalment, are left unreported.

C. Reporting guidelines

11. The CICRA provides statutory backing for sharing of credit information by a CI with CICs, subject to conditions stipulated therein. Therefore, with CICRA coming into force, the requirement of a ‘consent clause’ has become redundant and a CI need not insist upon obtaining such consent from borrowers.

12. A CI shall adhere to, inter alia, the following guidelines when reporting credit information in the UCRF:

• (1) In the commercial reporting segment, corporate identification number (CIN) and credit history of the directors of the company (based on DIN number) shall be reported.
• (2) A CI shall report cases where compromise settlements have taken place and the reason for such compromise settlement, in the prescribed data formats to CICs.
• (3) With respect to part instalment overdue, a CI shall submit data as it is, while qualitative information on what filters to apply based on amount and period would be done by the SU and others who make use of the data.
• (4) A CI shall use 'settled' status for denoting only specific situations where due to financial inability to repay as per original terms and conditions, either a principal or an interest waiver or both is provided to the customer.
  Explanation: A CI needs to be aware of such a situation prior to extending fresh credit to such customers. Cases of wrong debits or contested charges shall not be reported as 'settled' but as 'disputed'.
• (5) The information on Commercial Papers (CPs) issued by the companies shall be reported on a fortnightly basis to the CICs by a CI which has been designated as the Issuing and Payment Agent (IPA) for the particular CP issue. If there are multiple IPAs for a single CP issue, each IPA to such issue shall report to the CICs the details pertaining to the portion of the issue which is with them. This information shall be reported in the commercial data format in the fields as mentioned in Annex II. The IPA shall also report any default in the redemption of the relevant CP issue to the CICs. In view of reporting requirement of IPA, it is clarified that an investing CI need not report the information on CPs to the CICs.
• (6) The information regarding Unhedged Foreign Currency Exposure (UFCE) of individual borrowers shall be reported on a fortnightly basis to the CICs by the lending CI (in the case of solo lenders) / consortium leader (in the case of consortium arrangements) / largest lender (in the case of multiple lending arrangements).
• (7) The cases admitted with National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) / National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 shall be reported under the suit-filed cases in the Uniform Credit Reporting Format, while reporting to the CICs.
• (8) The reporting of Relationship Segment (RS) data by a CI to CICs is mandatory for all accounts opened on or after July 01, 2018.
  Explanations:
  • (a) The reporting of shareholders’ information under the ‘relationship’ field of the RS in the Commercial data format should be done only for those shareholders who are ‘Beneficial Owners’ as defined under the Reserve Bank of India (Small Finance Banks – Know Your Customer) Directions, 2025, as amended from time to time.
  • (b) The RS details are important in establishing cross-linkages across the three modules, viz., Consumer, Commercial and MFI, while providing comprehensive credit information of a borrower to CIs by CICs.
  • (c) A timeline for reporting of the remainder legacy data would be reviewed by the Technical Working Group (TWG) and the CIs would be advised in due course. CICs shall furnish the list of CIs not adhering to the instructions on reporting of RS data to the Department of Supervision (DoS), Central office, on a monthly basis.
• (9) Guidelines for cross reporting, e.g., where individual is borrower and corporate is coborrower, or vice versa, shall be clearly intimated by CICs. The formats have fields to incorporate the data where consumer data will be reported in the consumer data format and co-borrower will be reported in commercial data format.
• (10) 2A CI shall report Central KYC (CKYC) number of its borrowers to CICs, wherever the same is available with it or as and when CKYC number is made available (in the case of fresh applicants for CKYC number).

13. Data of Self Help Group (SHG) members

• (1) A CI financing SHGs shall report the SHG member level data to CICs in the Uniform Credit Reporting Format (MFI) as mentioned in Annex I.
• (2) The structure of the credit information in respect of SHG members to be collected and reported by a CI to CICs is set out below: