RBI Balance Sheet Expands 20.6% To ₹91.97 Lakh Crore, Surplus Rises To ₹2.87 Lakh Crore In FY26

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reported a sharp increase in its balance sheet size during FY26, reflecting growth in investments, foreign assets and gold holdings.

According to the RBI’s Annual Report 2025-26, the balance sheet expanded by 20.6 percent year-on-year to Rs 91.97 lakh crore as of March 31, 2026, from Rs 76.25 lakh crore a year earlier.

The increase amounted to Rs 15.72 lakh crore during the financial year.

Investments And Gold Drive Asset Growth

On the asset side, domestic investments recorded the highest growth, rising 44.9 percent.

Gold holdings also witnessed a significant jump of 63.8 percent in value, while foreign investments increased by 7.9 percent.

The RBI said domestic assets accounted for 29.1 percent of total assets at the end of FY26, compared with 25.7 percent a year ago. Foreign currency assets, gold and overseas financial assets together made up the remaining 70.9 percent.

Higher Liabilities During The Year

On the liabilities side, revaluation accounts increased by 63.4 percent.

Currency notes issued by the RBI rose 11.8 percent, while deposits increased by 11.6 percent. Other liabilities also grew by 21.1 percent during the year.

The growth reflects increased financial activity and the expansion of the central bank’s operations.

Surplus Rises To Rs 2.87 Lakh Crore

The RBI reported an overall surplus of Rs 2,86,588.46 crore for FY26, up 6.7 percent from Rs 2,68,590.07 crore in the previous year.

Income during the year increased 26.4 percent, while expenditure rose 102.4 percent.

The central bank transferred Rs 1,09,379.64 crore to its Contingency Fund as a provision. No transfer was made to the Asset Development Fund.

Gold Reserves Gain In Value

The RBI’s total gold holdings increased slightly to 880.52 metric tonnes from 879.58 metric tonnes a year earlier.

However, the value of gold held by the Banking Department surged 63.6 percent to Rs 7.06 lakh crore. The increase was mainly due to rising global gold prices and the depreciation of the Indian rupee against the US dollar.

Meanwhile, expenditure on printing currency notes declined to Rs 4,875 crore in FY26 from Rs 6,373 crore in the previous year, while employee expenses increased to Rs 10,136 crore.