Live Economic Databy Clarity UPSC
Repo rate5.50%▲SDF5.25%▲MSF5.75%▲Fixed reverse repo rate3.35%▼CRR3.00%▼SLR18.00%▼CPI6.09%▲CFPI8.94%▲WPI11.39%▲GDP growth7.8%▼IIP6.7%▼UR5.0%•GFD4.3%▼Forex reserves$717.1 bn▼INR/USD₹93.77▼

Forex reserves

Released byReserve Bank of India
How often
Every weekEvery Friday about 5:00 PM, for the week ended the previous Friday (Weekly Statistical Supplement)
Next release
Fri 13 NovTomorrow · expected · 5:00 PM
$717.1 bn

30 October 2026, down from $719.7 bn on 23 October 2026.

India's foreign exchange reserves: foreign currency assets, gold, SDRs and the reserve position in the IMF

Source: RBI, released 6 Nov 2026 · Chart: Clarity UPSC

Previous
$719.7 bn23 Oct 2026
Highest
$785.7 bn4 Sep 2026
Lowest
$252.0 bn31 Mar 2009

Higher than 88% of the 129 readings since 31 Mar 2008.

Read with
INR/USD₹93.77CAB−0.5%External debt$778.2 bnREER92.24

Story

The foreign currency, gold and other reserve assets the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) holds.

What is happening now As of 30 Oct 2026

India's foreign exchange reserves were $717.1 billion in the week ended 30 October 2026, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reports. That is $27.3 billion more than a year earlier and $25.9 billion more than at the end of March 2026, but below the $747.6 billion of 25 September; reserves have fallen in each of the five weeks since. Foreign currency assets stood at $591.1 billion and gold at $102.6 billion. Since the end of March, foreign currency assets have risen by $38.8 billion, while the value of gold has fallen by $12.8 billion.

The RBI says strong inflows through a special swap window it opened on 8 June 2026 added to the reserves: $133 billion came in as Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank) deposits from Indians abroad by 31 August. It judges the reserves comfortable, covering 10.6 months of goods imports on 16 October and 92.7% of external debt at the end of June. The RBI says it acts to keep the rupee's movements orderly and to curb excessive swings.

Why it matters

Reserves are India's savings in foreign money. They pay for essential imports such as oil if dollars stop coming in, and they let the country meet payments on its foreign debt. In 1991 reserves fell so low that they would have paid for only about two weeks of imports, and India faced a balance of payments crisis.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) also uses the reserves to steady the rupee: it sells dollars when the rupee is falling fast and buys them when inflows are strong. Large reserves give foreign investors and lenders confidence that India can pay its bills, even when money flows out suddenly.

What it is

Foreign exchange reserves are the foreign currency assets, gold, Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) and reserve position in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) held by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). SDRs are a reserve asset issued by the IMF.

The RBI uses them to steady the rupee and to pay for essential imports in a crisis. Reserves change when the RBI buys or sells dollars and when currency and gold prices move. The RBI reports them every Friday in its Weekly Statistical Supplement.

Read this number

What do the reserves hold?At the end of March 2026 about 80% was foreign currency assets, about 17% gold, and the rest Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) and the reserve position in the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, 1934 lets the RBI place the currency assets in deposits with other central banks and the Bank for International Settlements, and in foreign government debt. The RBI puts safety and liquidity (being able to sell quickly) first, and return second.
Why do reserves change when the RBI is not trading?Reserves are counted in US dollars. Assets held in euros, yen or gold are revalued at current prices, so a weaker dollar or a higher gold price raises the total without any purchase. Interest earned on the reserves adds to them as well. The RBI's own buying and selling of dollars is the other big driver.
How much is enough?The usual test is import cover: how many months of imports the reserves could pay for. The RBI put it at 10.8 months at the end of December 2025. Another test compares reserves with short-term external debt, which equalled 21.9% of reserves at the same date.
The publisher
The Reserve Bank of India is India's central bank. It manages money supply, bank regulation, the rupee and the country's foreign exchange reserves.
Components
Foreign currency assets, gold, SDRs, IMF reserve position
Published
Weekly, Weekly Statistical Supplement
Terms on this page (2)
IMF
International Monetary Fund
RBI
Reserve Bank of India

History

  1. Mar 1991Reserves fall to $5.8 billion at the end of March 1991.
  2. 24 Jul 1991The Budget speech warns that reserves of about ₹2,500 crore would pay for only a fortnight of imports.
  3. Apr 2004Reserves reach $118.5 billion. Between 1991-92 and December 2003, net capital inflows of $119 billion built them up, while the current account ran a combined deficit of $28.4 billion.
  4. Mar 2026Gold makes up 16.7% of reserves, up from 13.9% six months earlier. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) holds 880.52 tonnes of gold, 680.05 tonnes of it in India.

Readings

PeriodValueStatusReleased
30 Oct 2026$717.1 bnFinal6 Nov 2026
23 Oct 2026$719.7 bnFinal30 Oct 2026
16 Oct 2026$721.0 bnFinal23 Oct 2026
9 Oct 2026$726.0 bnFinal16 Oct 2026
2 Oct 2026$734.6 bnFinal9 Oct 2026
25 Sep 2026$747.6 bnFinal2 Oct 2026
18 Sep 2026$765.9 bnFinal25 Sep 2026
11 Sep 2026$780.8 bnFinal18 Sep 2026
4 Sep 2026$785.7 bnFinal11 Sep 2026
28 Aug 2026$740.8 bnFinal4 Sep 2026
21 Aug 2026$729.3 bnFinal28 Aug 2026
14 Aug 2026$716.9 bnFinal21 Aug 2026

For UPSC

Know the four components of reserves, import cover, and the role of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in the currency market.