Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2025-26/231 · issued 10 Mar 2026 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI has amended the ARC Master Direction to clarify how quarterly profits are counted in Owned Fund. Profits must be limited-review audited, reduced by average dividends of last three years, and current year losses fully deducted.
What changed
Paragraph 4(11)(i)(c) of the Master Direction is replaced with a detailed formula for including quarterly profits in Owned Fund. Eligible profit is net profit up to quarter t minus 0.25 times average dividend paid over last three years. Quarterly profits require limited review or audit by statutory auditors. Any losses in the current year must be fully deducted from Owned Fund.
What it means for you
ARCs must now follow a stricter, formula-based approach to include quarterly profits in Owned Fund, ensuring capital adequacy is not overstated. The deduction of average dividends and full deduction of current year losses will reduce the amount of profit that can be counted, potentially impacting capital ratios. This aligns ARC capital treatment with prudential norms seen in other regulated entities.
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 Owned Fund computation models to incorporate the new formula for quarterly profits.
Ensure quarterly financial statements are subjected to limited review or audit by statutory auditors before including profits.
Calculate and deduct average dividend paid over the last three financial years from eligible quarterly profits.
Deduct any current year losses in full from Owned Fund without offsetting against future profits.
Review capital adequacy positions immediately to assess impact of the revised Owned Fund calculation.
Who it affects
All Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs), Statutory auditors of ARCs, ARC compliance and finance teams
Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).
What is the formula for eligible quarterly profit under the new direction?
Eligible profit up to quarter t (EP_t) equals net profit up to quarter t (NP_t) minus 0.25 times average dividend paid over the last three financial years (D).
Do we need auditor certification for quarterly profits included in Owned Fund?
Yes, the financial statements must be subjected to limited review or audit on a quarterly basis by the statutory auditors.
How are current year losses treated in Owned Fund computation?
Losses in the current year must be fully deducted from Owned Fund, with no provision for offsetting against future profits.
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2025-26/231
DOR.CAP.REC.No.421/21.01.002/2025-26
March 10, 2026
All Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs)
Dear Sir / Madam,
Reserve Bank of India (Asset Reconstruction Companies) Amendment Directions, 2026
The Reserve Bank had issued the Reserve Bank of India (Asset Reconstruction Companies) Directions, 2025 (hereafter referred as the ‘Master Direction’) on November 28, 2025, as amended from time to time. There is a need to further amend the same to provide clarification on the components being reckoned in the computation of Owned Fund.
2. Accordingly, in exercise of the powers conferred under Sections 3, 9, 10, 12, and 12A of the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 (54 of 2002), and of all the powers enabling it in this behalf, the Reserve Bank being satisfied that it is necessary and expedient in the public interest so to do, and in order to ensure prudent and efficient functioning of Asset Reconstruction Companies, hereby, issues the following Amendment Directions.
3. These Directions shall be called Reserve Bank of India (Asset Reconstruction Companies) Amendment Directions, 2026.
4. These Amendment Directions shall come into force with immediate effect.
5. These Amendment Directions modify the Master Direction as under:
Paragraph 4(11)(i)(c) shall be replaced by:
“(c) free reserves (excluding revaluation reserve) including quarterly profits .
Inclusion of quarterly profits shall be subject to the following conditions:
(i) The financial statements shall be subjected to limited review / audit on a quarterly basis by the statutory auditors.
(ii) Such profits shall be reduced by average dividend paid in the last three years and the amount which can be reckoned for inclusion would be arrived at as under:
EP t = NP t - 0.25 *D*t
Where:
EP t = Eligible profit up to quarter ‘t’ of the current financial year, t varies from 1 to 4
NP t = Net profit up to quarter ‘t’
D = average dividend paid for / pertaining to the last three financial years
Losses in the current year shall be fully deducted from Owned Fund;”
Yours faithfully,
Sunil T S Nair
Chief General Manager
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2025-26/231 · issued 10 Mar 2026. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 02 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=13316&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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