The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on November 28, 2025 issued the Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Banks – Miscellaneous) Directions, 2025, consolidating various dispersed regulatory instructions applicable to commercial banks into a single, comprehensive framework. These Directions cover areas ranging from the Depositor Education and Awareness (DEA) Fund, reporting obligations, legal compliance, prohibited activities, market operations, HR norms, taxation-related procedures, and operational standards, creating uniformity across miscellaneous regulatory domains.
The Directions prescribe detailed procedures for transfer and refund under the DEA Fund, disclosure requirements, audit and record-preservation norms, rules for forward contracts in precious metals, reporting of corporate bond transactions, and obligations under FATCA. They also reinforce prohibitions on certain activities (such as association with prize chits or acceptance of deposits through private financiers), set norms for mandatory leave, staff disclosures, and certifications, and emphasise strong compliance with court directives and RBI-issued instructions. Applicability is restricted to commercial banks, with specific clauses applying only to authorised categories such as gold-dealing banks, primary dealers, and private sector banks.
[Notification No. RBI/DOR/2025-26/174]
