Home › Circulars › RBI/2022-23/140

GSTN Added as Financial Information Provider Under AA Framework

No longer current — withdrawn, no replacement on file yet

Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2022-23/140 · issued 23 Nov 2022 · ~2 min read

Quick answerRBI has included GSTN as a Financial Information Provider under the Account Aggregator framework, allowing lenders to access GST returns (GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B) with customer consent to enable cash flow-based lending to MSMEs.

What changed

RBI amended the Master Direction on Account Aggregators to include GSTN as a Financial Information Provider. GST returns (GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B) are now recognized as financial information under the AA framework. The Department of Revenue will regulate GSTN for this purpose.

What it means for you

Banks and NBFCs can now use the AA framework to access GST return data of MSME borrowers with their explicit consent. This enables more accurate cash flow-based lending decisions, reducing reliance on collateral or traditional financial statements. It opens up credit access for small businesses that have strong GST compliance but limited formal financial history.

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 AA integration systems to accept GSTN as a new FIP and process GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B data.
Train credit underwriting teams on how to interpret GST return data for cash flow-based lending to MSMEs.
Ensure customer consent mechanisms explicitly cover sharing of GST returns via the AA framework.
Review existing MSME loan products to leverage GST data for faster, more accurate credit assessments.

Who it affects

All regulated entities (banks, NBFCs) using the Account Aggregator framework, MSME borrowers seeking cash flow-based loans, Credit underwriting and risk management teams, IT and digital banking teams handling AA integrations

❓ Common questions

Regulatory timeline

Decoded by BankPulse 2026-06-18 05:22 IST
repealed_by — Consolidation of Regulations — Withdrawal of circulars (28 Nov 2025)
Status change: withdrawn 03 Aug 2026, 04:00 IST

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

What specific GST data can lenders access under this change?

Lenders can access GSTR-1 (outward supplies) and GSTR-3B (summary return) data through the AA framework, but only with the borrower's explicit consent.

Does this change apply to all regulated entities immediately?

This circular has since been withdrawn (per RBI’s official withdrawal register, effective 28 Nov 2025) and no longer creates a live obligation. At the time, it took effect from November 23, 2022, and entities were required to update their AA systems to include GSTN as an FIP. Check the current consolidated Account Aggregator Directions for what applies today.

How does this benefit MSME lending?

GST return data provides real-time, transaction-level cash flow visibility, enabling lenders to assess creditworthiness based on actual business activity rather than just collateral or audited financials.

📜 This document’s life story (1 recorded event, each backed by RBI’s own words)

Repealed by RBI/2025-26/100 — Consolidation of Regulations — Withdrawal of circulars (28 Nov 2025)

RBI’s words: “Official withdrawal register entry #207: DoR.FIN.REC.82/03.10.123/2022-23 — "Inclusion of Goods and Service Tax Network (GSTN) as a Financial Information Provider under Account Aggregator Framework" d”

📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI

RBI/2022-23/140
 DoR.FIN.REC.82/03.10.123/2022-23
 November 23, 2022
 To All Regulated Entities of the Bank
 Madam/Dear Sir,
 Inclusion of Goods and Service Tax Network (GSTN) as a Financial Information Provider under Account Aggregator Framework
 Please refer to the Master Direction – Non-Banking Financial Company - Account Aggregator (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2016 dated September 02, 2016 .
 2. With a view to facilitate cash flow-based lending to MSMEs, it has been decided to include Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) as a Financial Information Provider (FIP) under the Account Aggregator (AA) framework. Department of Revenue shall be the regulator of GSTN for this specific purpose and Goods and Services Tax (GST) Returns, viz. Form GSTR-1 and Form GSTR-3B, shall be the Financial Information.
 3. Accordingly, the select instructions contained in the Master Direction referred to above have been amended, as detailed in the Annex .
 Yours faithfully,
 (J.P. Sharma)
 Chief General Manager
 Annex
 1. In paragraph 3(1)(ix), after clause (r), the following clause shall be inserted:
 "(s) Goods and Services Tax (GST) Returns, viz., Form GSTR-1 and Form GSTR-3B” and extant clause (s) shall be renumbered as (t);
 2. In paragraph 3(1)(x), the following term shall be added at the end of the paragraph:
 “Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance”;
 3. In paragraph 3(1)(xi), the following term shall be added after the term, pension fund:
 “Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN)”.

Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2022-23/140 · issued 23 Nov 2022. 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=12412&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.