HomeCirculars › RBI/2010-11/81

Master Circular on Operational Guidelines for Primary Dealers (2010)

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Issued by RBI: 01 Jul 2010  ·  Decoded by BankPulse: 20 Jun 2026, 14:06 IST
⏱ ~2 min read
📄 Official RBI source ↗
Quick answerRBI consolidated all operational guidelines for Primary Dealers (PDs) into a single master circular as of July 1, 2010. It covers regulations for standalone PDs and additional rules for banks doing PD business departmentally, including underwriting, trading, risk management, and compliance.

What changed

RBI issued a master circular consolidating all existing guidelines/instructions/circulars for Primary Dealers up to June 30, 2010. It brings together regulations for standalone PDs and banks undertaking PD business departmentally, with separate sections for each. The circular also references a separate master circular on risk management and capital adequacy for standalone PDs.

What it means for you

This consolidation simplifies compliance for PDs by providing a single reference document. Banks doing PD business departmentally must follow bank-specific capital adequacy and risk management rules, while standalone PDs have their own separate guidelines. The circular reinforces RBI's oversight of the G-Sec market, aiming to strengthen market infrastructure and liquidity.

What you must do

Who it affects

Standalone Primary Dealers, Banks authorized to undertake PD business departmentally, RBI's Department of Internal Debt Management (IDMD)

Does this master circular replace all previous PD guidelines?

Yes, it consolidates all guidelines/instructions/circulars issued up to June 30, 2010 into one document for ease of reference.

Are the capital adequacy rules for standalone PDs covered in this circular?

No, those are issued separately in Master Circular IDMD.PDRD.02/03.64.00/2010-11 dated July 1, 2010.

What additional requirements apply to banks doing PD business departmentally?

They must follow bank-specific capital adequacy and risk management norms, maintain separate books and accounts, and comply with Section II of this circular.

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AI-drafted · 3-model AI consensus fact-check · under the editorial review of Vikram Jain · decoded & published by BankPulse · 20 Jun 2026, 14:06 IST
Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=5820&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by Vikram Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; never reproduces RBI text verbatim.