RBI Financial Inclusion Index Rises to 70 in FY26; Final SNFA Prudential Norms Issued

22 July 2026National

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reported its composite Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index) rose to 70 in March 2026, up from 67 in March 2025. The RBI also issued final Prudential Norms on Specified Non-Financial Assets (SNFA) acquired by Regulated Entities, effective 1 October 2026, barring Regulated Entities from selling an SNFA back to the defaulting borrower, its promoters or related parties — tightening resolution of distressed loans under the Resolution of Stressed Assets Directions, 2025.

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RBI Governor (2026): Sanjay Malhotra | RBI established: 1 April 1935, HQ Mumbai | FI-Index base FY2021 = 53.9; scale 0-100 | Dimensions: Access, Usage, Quality

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RBI's FI-Index climbed to 70 in March 2026 (from 67); new SNFA prudential norms (effective 1 Oct 2026) bar selling distressed assets back to defaulting borrowers.

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RBI's Financial Inclusion Index Rises to 70 in FY26; Final Prudential Norms Issued on SNFA

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the composite Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index) for FY 2025-26, which rose to 70 in March 2026 from 67 in March 2025, indicating continued improvement in the depth and quality of financial inclusion in India. The FI-Index is a comprehensive single-value measure (on a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 denotes complete financial exclusion and 100 full inclusion) capturing access, usage and quality of financial services across banking, investments, insurance, postal and pension sectors. Prudential norms on SNFA: The RBI also issued final 'Prudential Norms on Specified Non-Financial Asset (SNFA) acquired by Regulated Entities' under the Resolution of Stressed Assets Directions, 2025, tightening the framework governing the resolution of distressed loans. The norms take effect from 1 October 2026. Under the revised norms, Regulated Entities (REs) are prohibited from selling or transferring SNFAs back to the defaulting borrower, its promoters, related parties, or entities acting on the borrower's behalf — closing a route by which defaulters could reacquire assets surrendered in resolution.

GK ByteRBI established: 1 April 1935 under the RBI Act, 1934; nationalised 1 January 1949 | HQ: Mumbai (initially Kolkata, shifted 1937) | First Governor: Sir Osborne Smith; first Indian Governor: C.D. Deshmukh | FI-Index first published: August 2021, base year FY 2016-17, scale 0-100, no base year for comparison

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RBI Financial Inclusion Index Rises to 70.0

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that India's Financial Inclusion (FI) Index rose to 70.0 in March 2026, up from 67.0 in March 2025, reflecting deeper access to formal financial services. The FI-Index captures three weighted parameters — Access (35%), Usage (45%) and Quality (20%) — on a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is complete exclusion and 100 is full inclusion.

GK ByteRBI FI-Index first published 2021 | RBI established 1 April 1935; nationalised 1949 | RBI Governor: Sanjay Malhotra | RBI HQ: Mumbai | Usage carries the highest weight (45%)

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