Reserve Bank of India (Forward Contracts in Government Securities) Directions, 2025
UR
- Applies toBanks, Primary Dealers and other entities RBI allows to trade in bond forward contracts
- StatusIn force
- RBI text changedRBI updated this document on September 22, 2026. BankPulse is re-reading it. BankPulse checked all 43 points on this page against RBI's new text on 11 October 2026. Every quoted line is still in RBI's text.
- IssuedFeb 21, 2025
- Amendmentsnone tracked
- Length43 points in 3 sections · 4 min read
The four dates on this rule
- PublishedFeb 21, 2025The day RBI put this document out. This is the same day as the Issued date on this rule.
- Starts to applyMay 02, 2025The day this rule starts to apply, as RBI's own text states it.
- Time to get ready70 daysThe room between the day it was published and the day it starts to apply.
- Last date to actNot statedNo date to act by was found in this document. Other dates may sit inside single paragraphs.
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What it says
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Must know
1. Covers bond forwards in India
It covers forward contracts on government bonds done over the counter in India.
2. Residents and eligible non-residents
A resident, or an eligible non-resident investor, may deal in bond forwards.
3. Which banks can be market-makers
Most Scheduled Commercial Banks can be market-makers; four small categories cannot.
4. Primary Dealers can be market-makers
A Standalone Primary Dealer can also act as a market-maker.
5. Market-maker long and short limits
A market-maker can go long or covered-short in bond forwards without any cap.
6. Uncovered shorts have a cap
Uncovered short positions must close within the short-sale rule's own time limit.
7. A market-maker must be involved
Every bond forward needs a market-maker or an authorised central counterparty on one side.
8. Who counts as a user
A non-retail user under RBI's own derivatives rules can trade as a user here.
9. Resident users can go long
An eligible resident user can go long in bond forwards without any limit.
10. Users may only hedge shorts
Users may only take a covered short position to hedge, nothing else.
11. Market-makers can ask for proof
A market-maker can ask a user for papers proving a short is covered.
12. Exit if cover is lost
A user must exit its short if it stops holding the bond behind it.
13. Physical settlement route
A physically settled deal must clear through CCIL or an approved clearing agency.
14. Cash settlement route
A cash-settled deal can be settled directly or through an approved clearing arrangement.
15. Market-makers report same day
A market-maker must report every deal to CCIL's Trade Repository before it shuts for the day.
16. Report unwinds and defaults too
Unwinding a deal, passing it on, direct settlement and any default must also be reported.
17. Who reports a user's trade
If a user settles through CCIL, its clearing member reports the trade for it.
18. Books must match CCIL's records
Market-makers must reconcile their books against CCIL and get them audited regularly.
19. RBI can demand information
RBI can ask any dealer or ETP operator for information or an explanation.
20. Usual prudential norms still apply
Traders must keep following their own regulator's capital and exposure norms for this business.
21. Mark positions to market
A market-maker must have a sound method for marking its positions to market.
22. Uncleared deals need margin
A deal not cleared through a central counterparty needs margin exchanged both ways.
23. Other regulators' rules still bind
A dealer must also follow any other regulator's applicable rules for this business.
24. RBI can bar a dealer
RBI can stop a person or firm from dealing in bond forwards for up to one month.
25. A hearing comes first
RBI must give the person a chance to be heard before banning them.
Do it
1. Exiting a position early
A trader can exit a deal by unwinding it or passing it to another eligible party.
2. Same hours as rupee derivatives
Bond forwards trade in the same market hours as rupee interest rate derivatives.
3. CCIL sets the reporting format
CCIL decides the reporting format, with the Reserve Bank's approval first.
4. Covered-short bonds can be lent
A bond held to cover a short position can still be used in a repo or lent out under GSL.
5. Bonds still count for SLR
A bond covering a short position still counts toward the entity's SLR requirement.
Background
1. Called the 2025 Directions
This rulebook is the 2025 Directions for forward deals on government bonds.
2. Started 2 May 2025
The rule started on 2 May 2025.
3. What a bond forward is
A bond forward is a deal to buy a bond on a future date at a price fixed today.
4. What cash settlement means
In cash settlement, only the cash value of the deal changes hands.
5. What a covered short is
A covered short means the seller already holds the bond it must deliver.
6. What a market-maker is
A market-maker is an entity that quotes prices to users and to other market-makers.
7. What OTC market means
The OTC market covers every bond forward deal not done on an exchange, ETPs included.
8. What physical settlement means
In physical settlement, the seller actually hands over the bond for payment.
9. What an uncovered short is
An uncovered short is any other short position that is not covered.
10. What a user is
A user is anyone dealing in bond forwards who is not a market-maker.
11. FIMMDA sets market conventions
FIMMDA sets the settlement basis and market conventions for these deals.
12. RBI may publish anonymised data
RBI can publish anonymised data about bond forward trading in the public interest.
13. RBI can make it public
RBI can also make the ban public.