{
  "name": "India Cost-to-Income Ratio (operating efficiency)",
  "description": "System-wide cost-to-income ratio of Indian scheduled commercial banks by fiscal year -- operating expenses as a share of net total income (net interest income + other income). Lower is better. Figures rounded and approximate.",
  "unit": "percent of net total income",
  "source": "RBI Report on Trend & Progress of Banking in India / Financial Stability Report aggregates and bank disclosures",
  "source_url": "https://www.rbi.org.in/",
  "page": "https://bankpulse.ai/dashboards/cost-to-income/",
  "reviewed_by": "Vikram Jain, Chartered Accountant",
  "updated": "2026-06-19T07:18:02+05:30",
  "series": [
    {
      "fiscal_year": "FY21",
      "cost_to_income_pct": "~47",
      "note": "Pandemic year; controlled opex but softer income keeps the ratio mid-40s"
    },
    {
      "fiscal_year": "FY22",
      "cost_to_income_pct": "~47",
      "note": "Recovery in income broadly matched by rising tech & staff costs"
    },
    {
      "fiscal_year": "FY23",
      "cost_to_income_pct": "~48",
      "note": "Wage revisions, branch & digital investment nudge costs up"
    },
    {
      "fiscal_year": "FY24",
      "cost_to_income_pct": "~48",
      "note": "Strong income from wider margins offsets higher operating spend"
    },
    {
      "fiscal_year": "FY25",
      "cost_to_income_pct": "~48",
      "note": "Efficiency broadly stable; deposit-cost pressure caps income gains"
    }
  ],
  "by_bank_group": [
    {
      "group": "Public-sector banks",
      "cost_to_income_pct": "~49",
      "note": "Large scale, but high wage & pension costs"
    },
    {
      "group": "Private banks",
      "cost_to_income_pct": "~45",
      "note": "Leaner cost base, heavier tech & branch-expansion spend"
    },
    {
      "group": "System (all SCBs)",
      "cost_to_income_pct": "~48",
      "note": "Weighted blend of the two groups"
    }
  ],
  "disclaimer": "All figures rounded and approximate; recent years provisional and revised; varies by bank, bank group and income definition. Source text never reproduced verbatim."
}