TITLE: India's Reserve Bank Issues Second Amendment Directions on Commercial Bank Deposit Interest Rates
BODY:
On July 30, 2026, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued the Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Banks – Interest Rate on Deposits) Second Amendment Directions, 2026, amending the original Directions dated November 28, 2025. The amendment revises instructions pertaining to interest rates on Rupee bulk deposits and the disclosure requirements for deposit interest rates offered by commercial banks.
The RBI amended several key provisions under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. First, banks must disclose interest rates on bulk deposits on their websites at 10:00 am, with a grace period of ten minutes (by 10:10 am) on each business day. Second, the amendment reinforces that interest rates on all deposits, including bulk deposits, must be uniform across all branches and for all customers, with no discrimination between deposits of similar amounts accepted on the same date. Third, the amendment introduces provisions allowing banks to offer differential interest rates on bulk deposits by considering differential run-off rates applicable under the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) framework, as specified in the Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Banks – Asset Liability Management) Directions, 2025. This applies to both domestic Rupee deposits and Rupee deposits of non-residents. The amendments aim to enhance transparency in deposit pricing while providing banks with flexibility to manage liquidity risk through differential pricing aligned with regulatory liquidity requirements.
The Amendment Directions come into effect on October 1, 2026. Commercial banks must ensure compliance with the revised disclosure timelines and interest rate uniformity requirements by this date.