The Reserve Bank of India issued the Payments Banks (Cash Reserve Ratio and Statutory Liquidity Ratio) Amendment Directions, 2026 on 22 January 2026, with immediate effect, to align liquidity regulations with recent amendments to banking laws and rules. Exercising powers under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 and the RBI Act, 1934, the amendments revise the 2025 CRR–SLR framework for payments banks by expanding references to include “other development financial institutions” as defined in the RBI Act, refining terminology, and correcting reporting formats. Institutional listings in Annex I and Annex II are updated and broadened, ambiguous phrasing such as references under “Cash in hand” is removed, and the term “specified” is replaced with “notified” to underscore RBI-determined requirements. Importantly, a new reporting item is introduced to capture amounts deposited under the Standing Deposit Facility Scheme. Overall, the changes are technical and clarificatory, aimed at statutory consistency, improved transparency in liquidity reporting, and uniform compliance.
RESERVE BANK OF INDIA
RBI/2025-26/199
DOR.RET.REC.396/12.01.001/2025-26 | Dated: January 22, 2026
Reserve Bank of India (Payments Banks – Cash Reserve Ratio and Statutory Liquidity Ratio) Amendment Directions, 2026
Please refer to Reserve Bank of India (Payments Banks – Cash Reserve Ratio and Statutory Liquidity Ratio) Directions, 2025 dated November 28, 2025.
2. Pursuant to the enactment of the Banking Laws (Amendment) Act, 2025, the Banking Regulation (Companies) Amendment Rules, 2025 and the Reserve Bank of India Scheduled Banks’ (Amendment) Regulations 2025 have been published in the Gazette of India dated December 10, 2025 and January 15, 2026 respectively.
3. Accordingly, 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 in this regard, the Reserve Bank being satisfied that it is necessary and expedient in the public interest so to do, hereby, issues the Amendment Directions hereinafter specified.
4. These Directions shall be called the Reserve Bank of India (Payments Banks – Cash Reserve Ratio and Statutory Liquidity Ratio) Amendment Directions, 2026.
5. The provisions shall come into force with immediate effect.
6. These Amendment Directions modify the Reserve Bank of India (Payments Banks – Cash Reserve Ratio and Statutory Liquidity Ratio) Directions, 2025 dated November 28, 2025 as under:
(i) In paragraph 19 (1), the words “other development financial institutions as defined in section 2 (cccii) of the RBI Act, 1934” shall be inserted.
(ii) In paragraphs 26 (6) (v), the words ‘under “Cash in hand” ‘ shall be deleted.
iii. In Annex I (Form A), the words “National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Export Import Bank of India” shall be substituted with “the Exim Bank, the National Housing Bank, the National Bank, the Small Industries Bank, the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development or the other development financial institution”.
iv. In Annex II (Form VIII),
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- The words “Export-Import Bank of India and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development” shall be substituted with “Exim Bank, National Bank, National Housing Bank, Small Industries Bank, National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development and other development financial institutions as defined in section 2 (cccii) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934“
- The word “specified” shall be substituted with “notified” and words “from time to time” shall be deleted.
- a new item “Amount deposited with the Reserve Bank, under Standing Deposit Facility Scheme” shall be inserted.
Yours faithfully,
(Manoranjan Padhy)
Chief General Manager
