HomeCirculars › RBI/2009-10/385

Basel II Prudential Floor Extended Indefinitely

No longer current — withdrawn, no replacement on file yet
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2009-10/385 · issued 07 Apr 2010 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI extends the prudential floor for Basel II capital adequacy beyond March 31, 2010, until further notice. Banks must ensure Basel II minimum capital stays above 80% of Basel I requirements for credit and market risk.

What changed

RBI decided to continue the prudential floor indefinitely, removing the earlier March 31, 2010 deadline. Foreign banks in India and Indian banks with overseas operations must keep their Basel II minimum capital above 80% of Basel I requirements. All other commercial banks (excluding LABs and RRBs) must also comply with the floor as per the Master Circular.

What it means for you

Banks cannot yet fully transition to Basel II without a safety net; the floor ensures capital levels remain robust during parallel run. This adds a compliance burden, especially for internationally active banks, as they must maintain higher capital than Basel II alone would require. Lenders should factor this into capital planning and risk management strategies.

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 Local Area Banks and Regional Rural Banks), Foreign banks operating in India, Indian banks with overseas branches

❓ Common questions

Regulatory timeline

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

What is the prudential floor mentioned in this circular?

It requires banks to maintain Basel II minimum capital at least 80% of the minimum capital computed under Basel I for credit and market risk.

Does this circular apply to all banks?

No, it applies to all scheduled commercial banks except Local Area Banks and Regional Rural Banks.

Is there a new deadline for the parallel run?

No, RBI has decided to continue the prudential floor until further advice, so the parallel run remains ongoing without a fixed end date.

📜 This document’s life story (2 recorded events, each backed by RBI’s own words)
Extended by Basel II Parallel Run Extended to March 2013 with 80% Floor
RBI’s words: “Please refer to our circular DBOD.BP.BC.No.87/21.06.001/2009-10 dated April 7, 2010”
Repealed by RBI/2025-26/100 — Consolidation of Regulations — Withdrawal of circulars (28 Nov 2025)
RBI’s words: “Official withdrawal register entry #1735: DBOD.BP.BC.No.87/21.06.001/2009-10 — "Prudential Guidelines on Capital Adequacy and Market Discipline - New Capital Adequacy Framework (NCAF) - Parallel Run a”
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2009-10/385 DBOD. BP.BC.No.87/21.06.001 / 2009-10 April 7, 2010 All Scheduled Commercial Banks (excluding Local Area Banks and Regional Rural Banks) Dear Sir, Prudential Guidelines on Capital Adequacy and Market Discipline – New Capital Adequacy Framework (NCAF)   -  Parallel run and prudential floor Please refer to paragraph 2.4 of our Master Circular dated February 8,  2010 on the captioned subject in terms of which the banks were advised to have parallel run of the revised framework along with the then current framework (Basel I). Further, in terms of  paragraph 4.1.2 ibid the  banks were also advised that the minimum capital maintained by  them  shall be subject to the prudential floors indicated therein. 2. On a review of the implementation so far, it has been decided to continue with the prudential floor until further advice. Accordingly, the foreign banks in India and Indian banks having operational presence outside India would continue to have the parallel run beyond the specified date (i.e., March 31, 2010) and ensure that their Basel II minimum capital requirement continues to be higher than 80 % of the minimum capital requirement computed as per Basel I framework for credit and market risk. 3. All other commercial banks (except LABs and RRBs) would also continue to ensure compliance with the prescribed prudential floor in terms of  paragraph 4.1.2 of the Master Circular on NCAF. 4. All other guidelines contained in paragraph 2.4 of the aforesaid circular on parallel run should be adhered to by all the banks. Yours faithfully, (B Mahapatra) Chief General Manager
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2009-10/385 · issued 07 Apr 2010. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=5575&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.
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