RBI issued Fourth Amendment Directions on August 25, 2026, across five bank categories — Commercial Banks, Small Finance Banks, Regional Rural Banks, Urban Co-operative Banks, and Rural Co-operative Banks — each amending their respective "CRR and SLR" Directions, 2025 (updated June 19, 2026). The underlying relief being amended: an exemption from CRR/SLR maintenance for fresh FCNR(B) deposits (3–5-year tenors) mobilized between June 8, 2026 and September 30, 2026, and fresh NRE term deposits (3+ year tenors, including renewals) mobilized between June 19, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
The amendment shortens both windows, changing the end-date from September 30, 2026 to August 31, 2026, effective immediately. Mechanically, each notification amends two specific sub-paragraphs (numbering varies by category — e.g., 20(8)/20(9) for Commercial Banks; 21(5)/21(6) for Urban/Rural Co-op Banks). Legal basis: Section 35A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, read with Section 42 of the RBI Act, 1934 and Sections 18 & 24 of the BR Act (Rural and Urban Co-op Banks additionally cite Section 56 AACS).
Net effect: banks across these five categories lose the CRR/SLR exemption on such FCNR(B)/NRE deposits a month earlier than originally scheduled — aligning with the parallel deposit-interest-rate amendments issued the same day.
