The Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India on Friday approved a record surplus transfer of ₹2.87 lakh crore to the central government for 2025-26, aided by a sharp rise in income and a larger balance sheet.The decision was taken at the 623rd meeting of the RBI’s Central Board held in Mumbai under the chairmanship of Governor Sanjay Malhotra. The Board also reviewed domestic and global economic conditions and assessed risks to the outlook.The central bank said its gross income rose 26.42 per cent year-on-year during FY26, while expenditure before risk provisions increased 27.6 per cent. Net income before risk provisioning and transfers to statutory funds stood at ₹3.96 lakh crore, compared with ₹3.13 lakh crore in FY25.The RBI’s balance sheet expanded 20.61 per cent to ₹91.97 lakh crore as of March 31, 2026.Under the revised Economic Capital Framework, the RBI is required to maintain a Contingent Risk Buffer (CRB) within a range of 4.5 per cent to 7.5 per cent of its balance sheet. Taking into account macroeconomic conditions, financial performance and risk buffers, the Board decided to transfer ₹1.09 lakh crore to the CRB for FY26, sharply higher than ₹44,861.7 crore transferred in the previous year. The CRB was maintained at 6.5 per cent of the balance sheet size.The surplus transfer is expected to provide significant fiscal support to the government at a time when it is balancing capital expenditure needs with fiscal consolidation targets.Deputy Governors Swaminathan J., Poonam Gupta, Shirish Chandra Murmu and Rohit Jain, along with other directors on the Central Board, attended the meeting.Published on May 22, 2026