No longer current — withdrawn, no replacement on file yet
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2012-13/449 · issued 19 Mar 2013 · ~1 min read
Quick answerRBI reduced Bank Rate by 25 bps to 8.50% effective March 19, 2013, as announced in the Mid-Quarter Review. Penal interest rates on reserve shortfalls linked to Bank Rate also dropped by 25 bps.
What changed
The Bank Rate was lowered from 8.75% to 8.50%, a 25 bps cut effective March 19, 2013. Consequently, penal interest rates on reserve requirement shortfalls, which are tied to the Bank Rate, were revised downward by the same margin.
What it means for you
Banks will face lower penal charges for reserve shortfalls, reducing a minor cost pressure. The Bank Rate cut signals a slightly accommodative monetary stance, though its direct impact on lending rates is limited as it mainly serves as a penal rate reference.
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
Update internal systems to reflect the new Bank Rate of 8.50% for penal interest calculations.
Communicate the revised penal rates to treasury and operations teams handling reserve maintenance.
Review reserve maintenance processes to avoid shortfalls and associated penalties.
Who it affects
All scheduled commercial banks, Local area banks, Treasury and reserve management teams
❓ Common questions
Regulatory timeline
Stated effective dateeffective March 19, 2013
Decoded by BankPulse2026-06-18 16:02 IST
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 new Bank Rate effective from March 19, 2013?
The Bank Rate has been reduced by 25 basis points from 8.75% to 8.50%.
How are penal interest rates on reserve shortfalls affected?
Penal rates linked to the Bank Rate also decreased by 25 bps: from Bank Rate plus 3% (11.75%) to 11.50%, and from Bank Rate plus 5% (13.75%) to 13.50%.
📜 This document’s life story (1 recorded event, each backed by RBI’s own words)
Repealed byRBI/2025-26/100 — Consolidation of Regulations — Withdrawal of circulars (28 Nov 2025)
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2012-13/449 · issued 19 Mar 2013. 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=7900&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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