New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das on Friday said that interest rate cut at this stage will be ‘premature, and very, very risky’. Speaking at the fireside chat at the India Credit Forum event in Mumbai by Bloomberg, Governor Das warned against any premature interest rate cuts when inflation risk is still there. RBI still maintains a growth forecast of 7.2 per cent for FY25 and expecting the inflation to moderate by November.

“We are not behind the curve. Indian growth story remains intact. India is poised to grow at 7.2 per cent. Growth is steady and resilient, inflation is moderating with certain risk, so a rate cut at this point will be premature and very, very risky,” Das said

While inflation is expected to moderate, Governor Das also said that there are ‘significant risks’ to the growth outlook. During the October monetary policy announcement, RBI had maintained the status quo on rate and changed stance to ‘Neutral’ from ‘Withdrawal of Accommodation.’

“There can be differences of opinion, but the broad expectations of the market are quite aligned with our policies,” he said, countering criticisms that the RBI may be behind the curve in managing the economic outlook.

He further elaborated on India’s overall economic resilience, highlighting the country’s stable macroeconomic fundamentals and strong confidence from international investors. According to Das, these factors have helped maintain the stability of the Indian rupee, which has depreciated only modestly in response to global market movements.

He assured that while private credit poses global risks, India’s regulatory framework for non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) ensures stability. Das’s remarks come amid broader discussions about India’s economic momentum, with the nation recently overtaking China in population and maintaining a faster economic growth rate than its neighbour.

He emphasized that India’s growth story remains intact, even as the country navigates inflationary pressures and global economic challenges. Answering to the question on Private credit, the RBI governor further said that it is posing certain risks to every central bank but there is no danger for India.

“So far as India is concerned, it’s not a problem at the moment in the sense that private credit in the Indian context is mostly offered by the non-banking financial companies which are regulated by the reserve bank,” he added.

Reflecting on the RBI’s contributions over the past few years, Das highlighted several key initiatives that have strengthened India’s financial sector. He pointed to the RBI’s proactive stance in regulating the banking sector, stating that the RBI is maintaining a close vigil over the credit markets and taking action whenever necessary.

The governor underscored the RBI’s role in enhancing the stability of banks, reducing the gap between credit and deposit growth, and supporting the rapid rise of non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), which now account for roughly 30 per cent of India’s credit market.

Pointing out regarding KYC issues, Das said, “I think there are some complaints about KYC related issues, know your customer related issues and knowing the, you know, knowing the ultimate, the beneficial ownership of investments. Now, this is not something which is our creation, but this is a FATF requirement.”

KYC norms are essential for ensuring that funds entering India are from legitimate sources, given the complexities of global financial markets. “We get often representations about issues relating to procedural issues, relating to know your customer. That is the KYC-related issues. And that is being addressed not just by us, but also by the securities market regulator, particularly for foreign portfolio investors. It’s more to do with the securities market regulator, the SEBI, which is dealing with it,” he added.

India’s central bank governor Shaktikanta Das said an interest rate cut at this stage would be “very, very risky” and he’s in no hurry to join the wave of easing by global policymakers.
While inflation is expected to moderate, there are “significant risks” to the outlook, Das told Bloomberg News Deputy Editor-in-Chief Reto Gregori at the India Credit Forum in Mumbai on Friday.Inflation and growth dynamics are well balanced, he said, but policymakers need to remain vigilant about price pressures.
The Reserve Bank of India has kept its key interest rate unchanged for almost two years, although signaled last week it may be preparing to ease after changing its policy stance to neutral. That comes as central banks around the world follow the US Federal Reserve in reducing interest rates, with Thailand the latest to surprise with a cut this week.
Responding to a question about global central bank easing, Das said “we will not miss the party, we don’t want to join any party.”
Indian bonds extended losses after his comments, with the 10-year yields rising as much as 4 basis points — the most in two weeks — to 6.82%.
Das pushed back against some analyst views that the RBI was “behind the curve” in cutting rates. Market expectations were aligned with the central bank actions, he said, citing last week’s policy decision that was predicted by most economists.
“The governor’s comments show rate cuts may not happen before February, or it may get even delayed if actual inflation does not align with the target,” said Gaurav Kapur, chief economist at IndusInd Bank Ltd. “Given the comfort on growth, the monetary policy committee can continue to focus on price stability.”
Das’s comments on Friday were his first public reaction since data this week showed inflation accelerated more than expected in September. Das said October’s inflation rate will remain elevated before moderating in November.
That’s made the timing of a rate cut uncertain, with several economists pushing out their rate-cut forecasts from December to next year.
“A rate cut at this stage can be very premature and can be very, very risky,” Das, 67, said. “When your inflation is 5.5% and your next print is also expected to be high, you can’t be cutting rate at that stage.”
Not joining the party
Das has repeatedly said the RBI wants to see inflation settling around the 4% target level on a durable basis before considering a cut. Deputy Governor Michael Patra has indicated that won’t happen until the fiscal year that starts April 1.
“We would rather like to wait and watch,” Das said. “If we want to join the party we want to do it on a durable basis. When we have confidence, inflation figure is durably aligned with our target 4% that may be a situation where we can think of” easing, he added.
Future monetary policy action will depend on incoming data as well as the inflation outlook for the next six months to a year, the governor said.
Das’s relatively hawkish comments come against the backdrop of recent evidence showing India’s world-beating growth is starting to taper off and company profits are weakening.
The RBI is more bullish about growth prospects, though, compared with the market consensus and even the government. Das last week kept the central bank’s forecast for the current fiscal year unchanged at 7.2%, while the government’s own projection is a more subdued 6.5%-7%.
On the currency, the governor on Friday reiterated the RBI isn’t trying to manage the exchange rate and the rupee has been depreciating in response to the overall movement of the dollar.
The RBI is building its foreign exchange reserves as a “safety net” to protect against any instability from volatile capital flows, he said. The central bank has no specific target for building reserves, he added.
India’s foreign exchange reserves are the world’s fourth largest, recently crossing the $700 billion mark as the RBI soaks up dollar inflows to keep the rupee stable.
Contract extension
A long-time bureaucrat, Das, took the helm at the central bank in December 2018 after his predecessor Urjit Patel resigned unexpectedly. Das’s second term contract comes to an end in December this year, and neither the government nor Das have given any indication whether he will remain in the post after that.
Asked about his future, Das was typically coy, saying he’s preoccupied with his current work at the RBI and hasn’t given any thought about whether he’ll stay on in the position if he’s offered another extension.
“At the moment, that is certainly not in my mind,” he said. The central bank must finalize a few draft guidelines, and announce an interest rate decision before Das’s current term comes to an end in early December.
“Already my table is full, so I have no time to really think of what next,” he said. “We will see.”

New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed four non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), including two microfinance institutions (MFIs), to halt the sanction and disbursal of new loans starting on concerns over their excessive interest rates and non-compliance with established financial regulations.

According to RBI, Asirvad Micro Finance Limited (Chennai), Arohan Financial Services Limited (Kolkata), DMI Finance Private Limited (New Delhi), and Navi Finserv Limited (Bengaluru) were directed to cease and desist from sanction and disbursal of loans, effective from close of business of October 21, 2024.

These business restrictions aim to address several supervisory concerns observed during inspections and data analysis. “This action is based on material supervisory concerns observed in the Pricing Policy of these companies in terms of their Weighted Average Lending Rate (WALR) and the Interest Spread charged over their cost of funds, which are found to be excessive and not in adherence with the regulations as laid down in the Master Direction – Reserve Bank of India (Regulatory Framework for Microfinance Loans) Directions, 2022 dated March 14, 2022 (updated as on July 25, 2022) and Master Direction – Reserve Bank of India (Non-Banking Financial Company-Scale Based Regulation) Directions, 2023, dated October 19, 2023 (updated as on March 21, 2024).

These are also found to be not in conformity with the provisions laid down under Fair Practices Code issued by the Reserve Bank,” read the RBI statement. The companies were found to be charging excessive interest rates, which did not comply with the guidelines outlined in the RBI’s regulations for microfinance loans and non-banking financial companies.

The RBI had previously urged regulated entities to ensure fair and transparent pricing, especially for small-value loans, but irregularities persisted despite these warnings. “Over the last few months, the Reserve Bank has been sensitising its Regulated Entities through various channels on the need to use their regulatory freedom responsibly and ensure fair, reasonable and transparent pricing, especially for small-value loans.

However, unfair and usurious practices continued to be seen during onsite examinations as well as from the data collected and analysed offsite,” added the statement.The companies were also found to be in violation of income recognition and asset classification norms, which led to problems like “evergreening” of loans, where new loans were used to repay old debts.

“In addition to usurious pricing, these NBFCs were variously found to be in nonadherence with the regulatory guidelines on the assessment of household income and consideration of existing/proposed monthly repayment obligations in respect of their microfinance loans. Deviations were also observed with respect to Income Recognition & Asset Classification (IR&AC) norms resulting in the evergreening of loans, conduct of gold loan portfolio, mandated disclosure requirements on interest rates and fees, outsourcing of core financial services, etc,” added the statement.

Other compliance failures included issues with managing gold loan portfolios, disclosing interest rates and fees, and outsourcing core financial services. While the RBI has restricted new loan approvals, these companies are still permitted to manage existing customer accounts and continue their loan recovery processes in line with the rules. The restrictions will not affect current borrowers, allowing for ongoing collections and servicing of existing loans.

The RBI will review the restrictions once the companies take suitable corrective measures to adhere to regulatory guidelines. This includes revising their pricing policies, improving risk management processes, and enhancing customer service and grievance redressal mechanisms.

New Delhi: Dominance of fossil fuels in electricity generation in India will end by the end of the decade said Reserve Bank of India in its latest report. The report also noted that the renewable energy is expected to cross 50 per cent share in electricity generation globally. It added that the energy transition has accelerated in recent years, with the pace of clean technology deployment and capital investment surging to record levels.

“The era of fossil fuels’ dominance is coming to an end, with renewables expected to cross 50 per cent share of electricity generation globally by the end of this decade” said RBI. It added that the rise of cleaner power generation offers a valuable window to address “hard-to-abate” sectors such as steelmaking and aviation, where low-carbon alternatives are still in their nascent stages. The central bank also highlighted that the importance of increasing investments in low-carbon energy.

“Cleaner power generation can drive bulk of the aggressive emissions cuts that are urgently needed, enabling more time to tackle ‘hard-to-abate’ areas like steelmaking and aviation, where cost competitive low-carbon solutions have yet to scale” added RBI.

The report pointed out that for every dollar invested in fossil fuels, an average of three dollars needs to be allocated to renewable energy in the coming years, a substantial increase from the current ratio, where both sectors receive equal investment. A tripling of renewable energy capacity by 2030 is seen as essential to meeting net-zero emission targets by mid-century.

“On the energy supply side, for every US dollar that goes to fossil fuels, an average of USD 3 needs to be invested in low-carbon energy over the remainder of the decade” RBI said. The RBI highlighted that a fully decarbonized global energy system by 2050 will come at an estimated cost of USD 215 trillion, the report projects.

However, the report remains optimistic about the ongoing efforts in greening the financial sector, stressing that finding the right balance between public policy interventions and market-based competition will be key to achieving this ambitious energy transition. The central bank also noted that financial inclusion has seen significant improvement as the world continues to advance toward a more sustainable energy future.