Mumbai, May 22 : The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday approved a transfer of Rs 2.87 lakh crore as surplus to the Central Government for the financial year 2025-26, marking one of the highest dividend payouts by the central bank.
The decision was taken during the 623rd meeting of the Central Board of Directors of the RBI, chaired by Governor Sanjay Malhotra in Mumbai.
"The Central Board approved the transfer of surplus of Rs 2,86,588.46 crore to the Central Government for the accounting year 2025-26," the RBI said in its release.
The RBI said its gross income increased by 26.42 per cent during FY26 compared to the previous year, while expenditure before risk provisions rose 27.60 per cent.
According to the central bank, net income before risk provisions and transfer to statutory funds stood at Rs 3,95,972.10 crore in FY26, up from Rs 3,13,455.77 crore in FY25.
The RBI's balance sheet also expanded by 20.61 per cent to Rs 91,97,121.08 crore as on March 31, 2026.
The central bank said it decided to transfer Rs 1,09,379.64 crore towards the Contingent Risk Buffer (CRB) for FY26, compared to Rs 44,861.70 crore in the previous year, while maintaining the CRB at 6.5 per cent of the balance sheet size.
"The Board reviewed the global and domestic economic scenario, including risks to the outlook," the RBI said.
Deputy Governors Swaminathan J, Poonam Gupta, Shirish Chandra Murmu and Rohit Jain, along with other directors of the Central Board, attended the meeting.
