The Reserve Bank’s balance sheet swelled to 91.97 lakh crore rupee at the end of March 2026, up 20.6 per cent year-on-year, due to a rise in domestic investments as well as gold and foreign investments, according to the central bank’s annual report released today.
The balance sheet size increased by 15 lakh 71 thousand 699 crore rupees from around 76 lakh 25 thousand 422 crore as on March 31, 2025, to 91 lakh 97 thousand 121 crore rupees as on March 31, 2026. The increase on the assets side was due to a rise in domestic investments, gold and foreign investments by 44.9 per cent, 63.8 per cent and 7.9 per cent, respectively. On the liabilities side, revaluation accounts, notes issued, deposits and other liabilities increased by 63.4 per cent, 11.8 per cent, 11.6 per cent and 21.1 per cent, respectively, the report said.
Domestic assets constituted 29.1 per cent, while foreign currency assets, gold (including gold deposits and gold held in India), and loans and advances to financial institutions outside India constituted 70.9 per cent of total assets as on March 31, 2026, as against 25.7 per cent and 74.3 per cent, respectively, as on March 31, 2025.
As on March 31, 2026, the report said the total gold held by the Reserve Bank was 880.52 metric tonnes, compared to 879.58 metric tonnes as on March 31, 2025, an increase of 0.94 metric tonnes during the year. It said that of the 880.52 metric tonnes, 312.32 metric tonnes of gold are held as an asset of the Issue Department, compared to 311.38 metric tonnes as on March 31, 2025. The remaining 568.20 metric tonnes, unchanged from March 31, 2025, are treated as an asset of the Banking Department, the RBI said.
It added that the value of gold, including gold deposits, held as an asset of the Banking Department increased by 63.6 per cent from 4 lakh 31 lakh 625 crore as on March 31, 2025, to 7 lakh 6 thousand 162 crore as on March 31, 2026. The increase was attributed to a rise in gold prices and the depreciation of the Indian rupee vis-à-vis the US dollar.
