RBI may give a dividend of Rs 2.7 to 3 lakh crore to the government in FY2026, this claim in the report

The Reserve Bank of India is likely to give a record dividend of Rs 2.7 lakh crore to Rs 3 lakh crore to the government in FY26. The dividend can be as much as 50 percent higher compared to last year. This has been indicated in SEBI-registered analyst front Wave Research's report.

According to the report, the amount of RBI's dividend will be much higher than last year's historic transfer of Rs 2.1 lakh crore. This could have a significant impact on India's fiscal and liquidity position in the coming months. The dividend is likely to be announced by the end of May. The report said, "The RBI is expected to transfer a record surplus to the government in FY26. The estimated dividend amount may be Rs 2.7 lakh crore to Rs 3 lakh crore." 

According to the report, there are three major reasons for the expected increase in surplus transfer. First, the RBI's timely foreign exchange market operations generated strong trading profits. The central bank bought US dollars at around Rs 83-84 and sold them at Rs 84-87. This gave the central bank a significant profit. Second, the RBI's foreign exchange reserves of over US$ 600 billion earned higher interest income due to the rise in global interest rates. This significantly increased the central bank's surplus.

Third, on the domestic front, the RBI earned solid income through open market operations (OMOs), bond holdings and repo transactions. This strengthened its balance sheet and further increased the size of the surplus available for transfer.