Reserve Bank of India (Urban Co-operative Banks - Supervisory Returns) Directions, 2026
RBI notification RBI/DoS/2026-27/442 · 31 Jul 2026
RBI notification RBI/DoS/2026-27/442 · 31 Jul 2026
Summary
Check the official recordThe Reserve Bank of India has issued the 2026 Directions governing supervisory returns for Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs). These directions mandate that UCBs establish robust data architecture, IT infrastructure, and governance frameworks to ensure the accuracy, integrity, and timely reporting of data. UCBs are required to submit periodic and ad-hoc returns exclusively through the RBI's online portals, unless otherwise specified. The framework outlines specific timelines for various returns, with defined exceptions for certain forms. Failure to comply with these reporting requirements or the submission of incorrect information may result in penalties under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. These directions supersede previous instructions regarding supervisory returns for UCBs.
What you must do
Key dates
Who is affected
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Exceptions
If you do not comply
RBI/DoS/2026-27/442 DoS.CO.DSG.36/33.01.001/2026-27 July 31, 2026
In exercise of powers conferred under Section 27 and 35-A read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, extant provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, extant provisions of the Banking Regulations (Co-operative Societies) Rules, 1966, and all other provisions / laws enabling the Reserve Bank of India (‘RBI’) in this regard, RBI being satisfied that it is necessary and expedient in the public interest so to do, hereby, these Directions hereinafter specified.
For the purpose of these Directions, ‘Urban Co-operative Banks’ shall mean Primary Co-operative Banks as defined under Section 5(ccv) as applicable to co-operative societies, read with Section 56 of Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
In these Directions, unless the context states otherwise, the terms herein shall bear the meaning assigned to them below: (1) ‘Centralised Information Management System (CIMS)’ refers to an online platform of RBI for return submission, data dissemination, and other related purposes. (2) ‘Supervisory Returns’ refer to all periodic / ad-hoc data submitted to RBI in formats prescribed from time to time, irrespective of the technology platform, periodicity, and the mode of submission.
All other expressions unless defined herein shall have the same meaning as have been assigned to them under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, the Companies Act, 2013, or any statutory modification or re-enactment thereto or other regulations issued by RBI or the Glossary of Terms published by RBI or as used in commercial parlance, as the case may be.
The Board and Senior Management shall include the identification, assessment, and management of data quality risks as part of its overall risk management framework. The framework shall include standards for both in-house and outsourced risks for data-related processes, policies on data confidentiality, integrity, availability, and risk management.
The UCB shall ensure that the risk data aggregation capabilities and risk reporting practices are fully documented and subjected to high standards of validation that are aligned with the UCB’s other independent risk management reviews. Validation of risk data aggregation and risk reporting practices should be conducted by staff with specific Information Technology (IT), data, and reporting expertise. The Board and Senior Management shall ensure that adequate resources are deployed for this purpose.
The Board and Senior Management shall ensure that the ability of the UCB to aggregate and report data at a consolidated level or at any relevant level within the organisation is not hindered by its group structure (e.g., sub-consolidated level, jurisdiction of operation level). Data aggregation and reporting shall be independent of the choices that a UCB makes regarding its legal organisation and geographical presence, subject to the statutory limitations, if any.
While considering any acquisition / divestiture, new product development, IT change initiatives, the due diligence process shall consider the impact of such activities on data aggregation and reporting. In such cases, it shall be ensured that data aggregation and reporting facilities are integrated within the existing reporting framework within a timeframe.
The UCB shall design, build, and maintain the data architecture and supporting IT infrastructure for complete, accurate, and timely data aggregation as well as reporting not only in normal times but also during times of stress or crisis.
The data aggregation and reporting practices shall be considered an essential part of a UCB’s business continuity planning process and subject to a business impact analysis.
Roles and responsibilities shall be established among business owners and the IT team so as to ensure that the data is kept current and aligned with the data definitions and with the UCB’s data reporting policies.
The UCB should ensure that the resources and IT infrastructure are adequate to meet a broad range of on-demand, ad hoc reporting requests, including requests during stress / crisis event and to meet supervisory queries. The UCB should be able to generate subsets of data based on scenarios requested by the Supervisors. For example, the UCB should be able to accurately aggregate data on exposure for a particular period for a specific industry cluster in a district.
All returns / risk reports shall be reconciled with the UCB’s own sources, including accounting data where appropriate, to ensure accuracy, consistency, and completeness of the same.
The UCB shall maintain proper records of sources and aggregation rules for generating returns’ data.
The UCB shall strive to achieve a higher degree of automation in the generation of data for filing of returns.
The UCB should measure and monitor the accuracy of data and develop appropriate escalation channels and action plans to rectify any deterioration in data quality.
RBI has introduced various online portals, links to which are available on RBI website, for filing all applicable online returns by the UCB. The UCB shall submit all the returns through online mode in the formats and in the manner as communicated to them, unless specified otherwise. Returns submitted in hard copy format through hand delivery / post / courier, or in soft copy format through emails, shall not be accepted (i.e., would not be deemed to have been submitted by the UCB), unless prescribed to be submitted in such format. As a contingency measure, in case of non-availability of online portals, the UCB may be advised to submit the returns through email. However, the UCB shall re-submit the return through online mode as soon as the online portal becomes available. The list of returns and periodicity are also available on RBI website.
The UCB is provided with a Super User Credential for User with defined access rights who, in turn, can create other users (with different roles such as maker and checker) with required access rights. The UCB can monitor the status of its returns’ submission on the portal. Return formats, guidance notes on returns filing, validation rules, help documents for submission of data are available on the respective reporting portals.