No longer current — withdrawn, no replacement on file yet
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2011-12/311 · issued 22 Dec 2011 · ~1 min read
Quick answerRBI released final guidelines for banks to adopt Internal Rating Based (IRB) approaches for credit risk capital charge from April 1, 2012. Banks must submit a letter of intent and board approval between April and June 2012, followed by RBI scrutiny and parallel run before final approval.
What changed
RBI issued final guidelines for IRB approaches after incorporating stakeholder feedback on the August 2011 draft. Banks can now apply to migrate from standardized approach to IRB for credit risk capital calculation starting April 1, 2012.
What it means for you
Banks adopting IRB can use their own internal risk ratings to determine capital requirements, potentially lowering capital charges for well-managed portfolios. However, compliance requires robust credit risk systems and continuous improvement, with RBI conducting detailed scrutiny and parallel runs before final approval.
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
Assess your bank's preparedness against the final IRB guidelines attached to this circular.
Obtain board approval and submit a letter of intention along with a self-assessment report to RBI between April 1 and June 30, 2012.
Prepare for a detailed RBI scrutiny and parallel run if initial assessment is satisfactory.
Ensure continuous enhancement of credit risk management processes and systems post-approval.
Who it affects
All commercial banks (excluding RRBs and Local Area Banks), Credit risk management teams, Risk and compliance departments
repealed_by — Consolidation of Regulations — Withdrawal of circulars (28 Nov 2025)
Status change: withdrawn03 Aug 2026, 04:00 IST
Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).
What is the deadline for submitting the letter of intention?
Banks must submit the letter of intention and board approval along with a self-assessment report between April 1, 2012 and June 30, 2012.
What happens after the initial submission?
RBI will assess the bank's preparedness based on the documents. If satisfied, the bank can submit a detailed application as per Section G of the guidelines, followed by scrutiny and a parallel run before final approval.
Are RRBs and Local Area Banks eligible for IRB approaches?
No, this circular applies to all commercial banks excluding Regional Rural Banks and Local Area Banks.
📜 This document’s life story (2 recorded events, each backed by RBI’s own words)
RBI’s words: “a few consequential changes (deletion / amendments) to the Basel III Capital Regulation”
Repealed byRBI/2025-26/100 — Consolidation of Regulations — Withdrawal of circulars (28 Nov 2025)
RBI’s words: “Official withdrawal register entry #1391: DBOD.No.BP.BC.67/21.06.202/2011-12 — "Implementation of the Internal Rating Based (IRB) Approaches for Calculation of Capital Charge for Credit Risk" dated De”
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2011-12/311
DBOD.No.BP.BC.67/21.06.202/2011-12
December 22, 2011
The Chairmen and Managing Directors /
Chief Executive Officers of All Commercial Banks
(excluding Regional Rural Banks and Local Area Banks)
Dear Sir/Madam,
Implementation of the Internal Rating Based (IRB) Approaches for
Calculation of Capital Charge for Credit Risk
Please refer to our circular DBOD.No.BP.BC.23/21.06.001/2009-10 dated July 7, 2009 , inter alia, advising banks that they can apply for migrating to Internal Rating Based Approach (IRB) for calculation of capital charge for Credit Risk from April 1, 2012 onwards.
2. The draft guidelines for computing credit risk capital charge under IRB were accordingly issued on August 10, 2011 to seek comments and suggestions from all the stakeholders. Based on the comments/suggestions received on the draft guidelines, the final guidelines on IRB as prepared are attached in Annex .
3. Banks intending to move to any of the IRB approaches for computing capital charge for credit risk are advised to assess their preparedness for the same with reference to these guidelines. If a bank feels that it is prepared to adopt IRB approaches as per these guidelines, it may submit a letter of intention and its Board’s approval for adoption of IRB approach for credit risk to RBI (Chief General Manager-in-Charge, Reserve Bank of India, Department of Banking Operations and Development, Central Office, 12th Floor, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, Mumbai – 400001), along with a gist of self assessment report between April 1, 2012 and June 30, 2012. RBI will make initial assessment of the bank’s preparedness based on these documents and if satisfied, RBI will allow the bank to give detailed application for moving to IRB approaches as mentioned in Section G of the guidelines. Bank’s application will then be followed up with a detailed scrutiny by the RBI and depending on the result of the scrutiny and parallel run; RBI may consider giving final approval to the bank for moving to IRB approaches.
4. It may also be mentioned here that to get the final approval from RBI, the banks will not only have to ensure that they comply with these guidelines but there will also be continuous endeavour from them to improve their credit risk management processes and systems.
Yours faithfully,
(Deepak Singhal)
Chief General Manager-in-Charge
Encl - As above
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2011-12/311 · issued 22 Dec 2011. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 03 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=6887&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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