HomeCirculars › RBI/2005-2006/423

CRR Floor Removed, Exemptions Continue at 5%

No longer current — withdrawn, no replacement on file yet
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2005-2006/423 · issued 22 Jun 2006 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI removed the statutory minimum CRR of 3% on June 22, 2006, giving itself power to set CRR without floor or ceiling. The CRR rate stays at 5% of demand and time liabilities, and existing exemptions for inter-bank liabilities, ACU balances, CBLO transactions, and OBU liabilities continue.

What changed

The statutory minimum CRR of 3% of total demand and time liabilities was eliminated following the RBI (Amendment) Act 2006. RBI can now prescribe CRR without any floor or ceiling rate. The CRR rate remains unchanged at 5%, and the same four categories of liabilities continue to be exempt from this requirement.

What it means for you

Banks no longer have a statutory floor on CRR, giving RBI full flexibility to adjust reserve requirements for monetary stability. The immediate impact is nil as the rate stays at 5% and exemptions remain, but future CRR changes can be more aggressive without legal constraints. Banks should monitor RBI's monetary policy stance closely for potential CRR hikes or cuts.

Historical instruction — do not use for current compliance. This is what was required at the time; it no longer reflects current RBI requirements. If no replacement rule is linked above, that only means none is recorded on our register yet — it does not prove no later applicable rule exists. Confirm on the official RBI source below.

What banks were required to do at the time

Who it affects

All Scheduled Commercial Banks (excluding RRBs), Treasury and ALM departments, Compliance and regulatory reporting teams

❓ Common questions

Regulatory timeline

Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).

Does this circular change the current CRR rate?

No. The CRR rate remains at 5% of demand and time liabilities. Only the statutory minimum floor of 3% has been removed.

Which liabilities are exempt from CRR under this circular?

Liabilities to the banking system in India, credit balances in ACU (US$) accounts, CBLO transactions with CCIL, and demand/time liabilities of Offshore Banking Units (OBUs).

When did these changes take effect?

Both the removal of the 3% floor and the continuation of exemptions are effective from June 22, 2006.

📜 This document’s life story (1 recorded event, each backed by RBI’s own words)
Withdrawn by CRR Exemption on Select Liabilities Withdrawn, New Norms Effective
RBI’s words: “It has been decided to withdraw the above circular with immediate effect.”
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2005-2006/423 DBOD.No.BC. 93 /12.01.001/2005-2006 June 22, 2006 To All Scheduled Commercial Banks (excluding Regional Rural Banks) Dear Sir, Maintenance of CRR on Exempted Categories Please refer to paragraph 2.3.7 of our Master Circular RBI/2005-06/70/DBOD.Ret.BC.18/12.01.001 dated July 19, 2005 on CRR and SLR. 2. In terms of the instructions contained therein, every Scheduled Commercial Bank is exempted from maintaining average CRR on the following liabilities, subject to the maintenance of statutory minimum CRR of 3 per cent on its total demand and time liabilities as computed under section 42(1) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934: (i) Liabilities to the banking system in India as computed under Clause (d) of the Explanation to Section 42(1) of the RBI Act, 1934; (ii) Credit balances in ACU (US $) Accounts; (iii) Transactions in Collateralized Borrowing and Lending Obligation (CBLO) with Clearing Corporation of India Ltd. (CCIL); and (iv) Demand and Time Liabilities in respect of their Offshore Banking Units (OBUs). 3. A reference is invited to our circular DBOD.No.Ret.BC.91/12.01.001/2005-2006 dated June 22, 2006 regarding enactment of the Reserve Bank of India (Amendment) Bill 2006 and its coming into force with effect from June 22, 2006. Consequent upon the amendment to sub-section (1) of Section 42 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, the statutory minimum CRR requirement of 3 percent of total demand and time liabilities no longer exists. 4. Further, consequent upon the amendment to sub-section (1) of Section 42 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, the Reserve Bank having regard to the needs of securing monetary stability in the country, can prescribe the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) for scheduled banks without any floor rate or ceiling rate. Accordingly, Reserve Bank of India has decided to continue with the status quo on the rate of CRR required to be maintained by Scheduled Commercial Banks at 5 per cent of their demand and time liabilities, in terms of our circular DBOD.No.Ret.BC.91/12.01.001/2005-2006 dated June 22, 2006. It has also been decided to exempt the liabilities referred to at paragraph 2 (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) on the previous page from the above CRR requirement of 5 per cent of the demand and time liabilities of Scheduled Commercial Banks. 5. A copy of the relative notification DBOD.No.Ret.BC.92/12.01.001/2005-2006 dated June 22, 2006 is enclosed. Yours faithfully, (T.B.Satyanarayan) DBOD.No.BC. 92 /12.01.001/2005-2006 June 22, 2006 NOTIFICATION Consequent upon the amendment to sub-section (1) of Section 42 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 (2 of 1934), the statutory minimum Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) requirement of 3 per cent of the total demand and time liabilities in respect of Scheduled Commercial Banks no longer exists with effect from June 22, 2006. Further, consequent upon the amendment to sub-section (1) of Section 42 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, the Reserve Bank having regard to the needs of securing monetary stability in the country, can prescribe the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) for scheduled banks without any floor rate or ceiling rate. In terms of these powers, Reserve Bank of India has decided to continue with the status quo on the rate of CRR required to be maintained by Scheduled Commercial Banks at 5 per cent of their demand and time liabilities. In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (7) of Section 42 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, the Reserve Bank of India hereby exempts every Scheduled Commercial Bank from the maintenance of CRR at 5 per cent on the following liabilities with effect from June 22, 2006: (i) Liabilities to the banking system in India as computed under Clause (d) of the Explanation to sub-section (1) of Section 42 of the RBI Act, 1934; (ii) Credit balances in ACU (US $) Accounts; (iii) Transactions in Collateralized Borrowing and Lending Obligation (CBLO) with Clearing Corporation of India Ltd. (CCIL); and (iv) Demand and Time Liabilities in respect of their Offshore Banking Units (OBUs). (Anand Sinha) Executive Director
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2005-2006/423 · issued 22 Jun 2006. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
🧰 Tools — save, print, templates & related

💬 Banker Discussion

Discuss this circular with fellow bankers — reply, upvote what helps, report what doesn’t belong. Be professional; no client data. Views are the commenter’s own, not BankPulse’s.

Loading comments…
BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 05 Aug 2026 · status cross-checked against RBI’s official withdrawal register (refreshed weekly).
Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=2919&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
Public beta — plain-English informational summaries. Always verify against the official RBI source (circular number cited on every page) before making compliance, credit, treasury, audit, or operational decisions. · Join our WhatsApp channel ↗