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RTGS Goes 24x7 from December 14, 2020

Current · Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2020-21/70 · issued 04 Dec 2020 · ~1 min read
Quick answerRBI made RTGS available round the clock from December 14, 2020, enabling customer and inter-bank transactions 24x7 except for a brief end-of-day/start-of-day window. Banks must automate post-hours transactions via STP and inform customers.
The rule, in the simplest words
How it plays out — a real example

A payments & clearing officer in Indore gets a call from a customer at 2 AM who needs to urgently send ₹5 lakh to a family member for a medical emergency. Thanks to the 24x7 RTGS rule, the officer can process the high-value transfer immediately using the bank's STP system, which automatically handles the payment without any manual work, and the money reaches the recipient in seconds.

What changed

RTGS, previously limited to specific hours, became available 24x7 from 00:30 hours on December 14, 2020, for all days of the year. The only exception is the interval between end-of-day and start-of-day processes, whose timings are broadcast through the system. Intra-Day Liquidity facility continues, but any IDL availed must be reversed before end-of-day begins.

What it means for you

Banks can now process high-value payments anytime, reducing settlement risk and improving liquidity management. Customers gain flexibility for urgent transactions outside banking hours. Banks must invest in STP infrastructure to handle automated processing during non-business hours and ensure IDL is settled daily.

What you must do

Who it affects

All member banks participating in RTGS, Bank customers using RTGS for high-value transfers, Bank IT and operations teams managing payment systems

❓ Common questions

When did 24x7 RTGS become operational?

RTGS became available round the clock from 00:30 hours on December 14, 2020.

Are there any downtime periods in 24x7 RTGS?

Yes, there is a brief interval between end-of-day and start-of-day processes, whose timings are broadcast through the RTGS system.

What is required for banks to offer 24x7 RTGS?

Banks need STP-enabled infrastructure to automate transactions after normal banking hours and must inform customers about the extended availability.

📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2020-21/70 DPSS (CO) RTGS No.750/04.04.016/2020-21 December 04, 2020 The Chairman / Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer of member banks participating in RTGS Madam / Dear Sir, 24x7 Availability of Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) System A reference is invited to the Statement on Developmental and Regulatory Policies dated October 09, 2020 wherein Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had announced making available the Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system round the clock on all days. Accordingly, it has been decided to make RTGS available round the clock on all days of the year with effect from 00:30 hours on December 14, 2020. 2. Members are advised as under: RTGS shall be available for customer and inter-bank transactions round the clock, except for the interval between ‘end-of-day’ and ‘start-of-day’ processes, whose timings would be duly broadcasted through the RTGS system. RTGS shall continue to be governed by the RTGS System Regulations, 2013, as amended from time to time. The revised Regulations are available on RBI’s website at: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/Bs_viewRTGS.aspx . Intra-Day Liquidity (IDL) facility shall be made available to facilitate smooth operations. The Intra-Day Liquidity (IDL) availed, if any, shall be reversed before the ‘end-of-day’ process begins. 3. Members are advised to put in place necessary infrastructure to provide RTGS round the clock to their customers. RTGS transactions undertaken after normal banking hours are expected to be automated using ‘Straight Through Processing (STP)’ modes. 4. Members are further advised to disseminate information on the extended availability of RTGS to all their customers. 5. This directive is issued under Section 10 (2) read with Section 18 of Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (Act 51 of 2007). Yours faithfully, (P Vasudevan) Chief General Manager
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2020-21/70 · issued 04 Dec 2020. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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Who does what — compliance checklist
💻 IT / Systems
  • Set up STP-enabled systems to automate RTGS transactions after normal banking hours.
  • Monitor RTGS system broadcasts for end-of-day/start-of-day timing updates.
📜 Compliance
  • Inform all customers about the new 24x7 RTGS availability and any cut-off timings for end-of-day processes.
  • Ensure IDL availed is reversed before the end-of-day process begins each day.
Grouped from the action items above — a single circular may involve more than one team.
Worked example & action-note template

Example: if you are an IT/Systems lead at a bank this circular applies to (All member banks participating in RTGS, Bank customers using RTGS for high-value transfers, Bank IT and operations teams managing payment systems), your first concrete step on “RTGS Goes 24x7 from December 14, 2020” is: “Set up STP-enabled systems to automate RTGS transactions after normal banking hours.” (RBI issued this 04 Dec 2020).

  1. Circular: RBI/2020-21/70 -- RTGS Goes 24x7 from December 14, 2020
  2. Issued: 04 Dec 2020
  3. Action required: Set up STP-enabled systems to automate RTGS transactions after normal banking hours.
  4. Action required: Inform all customers about the new 24x7 RTGS availability and any cut-off timings for end-of-day processes.
  5. Action required: Ensure IDL availed is reversed before the end-of-day process begins each day.
  6. Action required: Monitor RTGS system broadcasts for end-of-day/start-of-day timing updates.
  7. Owner: ____________ Target date: ____________
  8. Board/committee approval needed? Y / N
  9. Evidence filed in compliance register on: ____________
Built only from this circular’s own published fields — not legal advice; always confirm against the official RBI source.

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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=11998&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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