The Reserve Bank of India has completed a reorganisation of its regulatory instructions, repealing 9,445 older circulars and replacing them with 244 consolidated Master Directions covering 11 categories of regulated entities. The exercise was announced on 28 November 2025.
The scope of the consolidation spans the full breadth of institutions that the RBI supervises: commercial banks, small finance banks, payments banks, local area banks, regional rural banks, urban and rural co-operative banks, all-India financial institutions, non-banking financial companies, asset reconstruction companies and credit information companies. Each group now has a defined set of Master Directions as the primary reference point for its regulatory obligations.
STRUCTURE OF THE MASTER DIRECTIONS
The 244 Master Directions are organised thematically.
SCOPE AND STATED AIMS
The consolidation covers not only prudential requirements — capital adequacy, liquidity, and credit risk norms — but also conduct-of-business obligations including know-your-customer rules, fraud classification and reporting standards, and cybersecurity requirements.
The RBI said the exercise was expected to enhance clarity and ease of access and reduce the compliance burden for regulated entities, supporting ease of doing business. The central bank said the Master Directions will serve as the sole library of regulations administered by its Department of Regulation.
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