The Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India on Friday approved the transfer of a surplus of Rs 2.87 lakh crore to the Central Government for the financial year 2025-26, marginally higher than the Rs 2.68 lakh crore dividend transferred in the previous year.
The decision was taken at the 623rd meeting of the RBI’s Central Board held in Mumbai under the chairmanship of Governor Sanjay Malhotra.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the central bank said the Board approved the transfer of surplus amounting to Rs 2,86,588.46 crore to the government for FY26. The payout came after the RBI increased its contingency risk buffer allocation to Rs 1,09,379.64 crore during the year, compared to Rs 44,861.70 crore in FY25.
The RBI said the Contingent Risk Buffer (CRB) has been maintained at 6.5 per cent of the balance sheet size, within the revised Economic Capital Framework range of 4.5-7.5 per cent.
The central bank’s balance sheet expanded 20.61 per cent year-on-year to Rs 91.97 lakh crore as of March 31, 2026.
The RBI’s gross income rose 26.42 per cent over the previous year, while expenditure before risk provisions increased 27.60 per cent.
Net income before risk provisioning and transfer to statutory funds stood at Rs 3,95,972.10 crore in FY26 against Rs 3,13,455.77 crore in the previous fiscal.
The surplus transfer is expected to provide additional fiscal space to the Centre and support the government’s revenue position in FY27.
The Board also reviewed the global and domestic economic situation and discussed risks to the economic outlook, the RBI said.
Deputy Governors Swaminathan J, Poonam Gupta, Shirish Chandra Murmu and Rohit Jain attended the meeting along with other members of the Central Board.