LABs must disclose related party exposures from April 2026
Current · Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2025-26/183 · issued 05 Jan 2026 · ~1 min read
Quick answerRBI mandates Local Area Banks to disclose loans and contracts with related parties in financial statements from April 1, 2026. This follows new credit risk management rules and aims to enhance transparency on connected lending.
The rule, in the simplest words
LABs must disclose loans and contracts with related parties in financial statements from April 1, 2026.
The disclosure must be in a prescribed table format, covering loans (sanctioned, outstanding, SMA/NPA classification, provisions) and contracts/arrangements with related parties.
LABs must track and report all related party exposures, including loans and contracts, in their annual financial statements.
How it plays out — a real example
As a payments & clearing officer in Indore, I will ensure that all loans and contracts with related parties are accurately disclosed in our financial statements by April 1, 2026, to maintain transparency and comply with RBI regulations.
What changed
RBI inserted a new sub-sub paragraph (ix) under paragraph 10(5) of the existing Directions, requiring LABs to disclose exposures to related parties in a prescribed table format. The table covers loans (sanctioned, outstanding, SMA/NPA classification, provisions) and contracts/arrangements with related parties.
What it means for you
LABs must now systematically track and report all related party exposures, including loans and contracts, in their annual financial statements. This increases transparency and aligns with the broader credit risk management framework. Banks need to update their reporting systems and ensure compliance by April 1, 2026.
What you must do
Update financial statement templates to include the new related party disclosure table.
Identify and classify all related parties as per the Credit Risk Management Directions, 2025.
Set up data collection processes for loans and contracts with related parties.
Train finance and compliance teams on the new disclosure requirements.
Consider early adoption of the amendments before the April 1, 2026 deadline.
Who it affects
Local Area Banks (LABs), Compliance officers of LABs, Finance and accounting teams of LABs, Auditors of LABs
❓ Common questions
What is the effective date for these new disclosure requirements?
The amendments come into force from April 1, 2026, but banks may choose to implement them earlier.
What specific information must be disclosed for related party loans?
LABs must disclose aggregate value of loans sanctioned during the year, outstanding loans, their proportion to total credit exposure, SMA/NPA classification, and provisions held.
Does this apply to all related parties or only those defined in the Credit Risk Management Directions?
The disclosure applies to related parties as defined in the Reserve Bank of India (Local Area Banks – Credit Risk Management) Directions, 2025.
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2025-26/183 · issued 05 Jan 2026. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
Example: if you are a Compliance officer at a bank this circular applies to (Local Area Banks (LABs), Compliance officers of LABs, Finance and accounting teams of LABs, Auditors of LABs), your first concrete step on “LABs must disclose related party exposures from April 2026” is: “Update financial statement templates to include the new related party disclosure table.” (RBI issued this 05 Jan 2026).
Circular: RBI/2025-26/183 -- LABs must disclose related party exposures from April 2026
Issued: 05 Jan 2026
Action required: Update financial statement templates to include the new related party disclosure table.
Action required: Identify and classify all related parties as per the Credit Risk Management Directions, 2025.
Action required: Set up data collection processes for loans and contracts with related parties.
Action required: Train finance and compliance teams on the new disclosure requirements.
Action required: Consider early adoption of the amendments before the April 1, 2026 deadline.
Owner: ____________ Target date: ____________
Board/committee approval needed? Y / N
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.
💬 Banker Discussion
Discuss this circular with fellow bankers — reply, upvote what helps, report what doesn’t belong. Be professional; no client data. Views are the commenter’s own, not BankPulse’s.
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=13259&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.
Help us keep this accurate
Found an inaccuracy or have an improvement? Tell us. Every report is reviewed by our team before any change is made — nothing goes live unverified.
Public beta — plain-English informational summaries. Always verify against the official RBI source (circular number cited on every page) before making compliance, credit, treasury, audit, or operational decisions. · Join our WhatsApp channel ↗
BANKPULSE · FREE DAILY BRIEF
Get RBI updates for your role
Every important RBI update, decoded in plain English — for your career, exams & financial awareness.
We collect only your email, name and role, used solely to send your brief — never sold or shared. Withdraw anytime via the unsubscribe link in any email. Independent platform, not affiliated with the RBI. Information, not legal advice.
REPORT AN ERROR · BETA
Spotted an error? Earn 500 BankPulse Credits
Help us stay accurate. If your correction is verified true and approved by our founder, you earn 500 BankPulse Credits — redeemable when the platform monetises.
Reviewed by a human before any credit is awarded. We never change the site from crowd input without verification.
WANT A NEW FEATURE · BETA
What would make BankPulse more useful for you?
Tell us what to build next — a tool, a data view, a role page, anything. We read every suggestion.
Thank you — your ideas directly shape what we build.