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RBI Acts & the statutory framework — the laws behind the rules
Quick answerEvery RBI circular ultimately rests on an Act of Parliament. The RBI Act 1934 and Banking Regulation Act 1949 are the twin pillars; FEMA, SARFAESI, the Payment & Settlement Systems Act, the IBC and others give RBI and lenders specific powers. This index maps the statutory backbone the way bankers encounter it and links each Act to the official rbi.org.in Acts page alongside the BankPulse view that explains the same area in plain English. We link to RBI and reproduce no statutory text; this index itself carries no numbers.
Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934
The RBI’s founding statute - the source of monetary policy, note issue, CRR and the Bank’s regulatory powers.
Banking Regulation Act, 1949
The core law governing how banks are licensed, capitalised, managed and supervised in India.
Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999
The framework for cross-border transactions, LRS and the rules behind every forex remittance.
SARFAESI Act, 2002
Lets secured lenders enforce collateral without court intervention - the backbone of NPA recovery.
Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007
The statutory basis for RBI’s authority over UPI, NEFT, RTGS and all payment systems.
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016
The time-bound resolution regime that reshaped how stressed corporate debt is resolved.
Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act, 2005
Governs credit bureaus (CIBIL etc.) and the credit-information ecosystem lenders rely on.
Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881
The law behind cheques and the dishonour provisions banks apply every day.
Every link points to the official RBI Acts page at rbi.org.in. BankPulse is independent and not affiliated with the RBI. Plain-English explainers live in the glossary and the Master Direction crosswalk. Editorial accuracy is reviewed by Vikram Jain. See the full RBI Data Universe.