Theforeign reserves of India are holdings of cash, bank deposits, bonds, and otherfinancial assets denominated in currencies other than India's national currency, theIndian rupee. Theforeign-exchange reserves are managed by theReserve Bank of India (RBI) for theIndian government, and the main component is foreign currency assets.
Foreign-exchange reserves act as the first line of defense for India in case of economic slowdown, but acquisition of reserves has its own costs.[1] Foreign exchange reserves facilitate external trade and payment and promote orderly development and maintenance of foreign exchange market in India.[2]
India's total foreign exchange (forex) reserves stand at around US$704.89 billion on 27 September 2024, with the foreign currency assets (FCA) component at around US$616 billion,gold reserves at around US$65.7 billion,special drawing rights (SDRs) with theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF) of around US$18.547 billion and around US$4.3 billion reserve position in the IMF, as per the RBI's weekly statistical supplement published on 08 September 2023.[3][4] TheEconomic Survey of India in 2014-15 stated India could target foreign exchange reserves of US$750 billion-US$1 Trillion.[5]
India's foreign exchange reserves are mainly composed of theUnited States Dollar in the forms of United Statesgovernment bonds andinstitutional bonds.[6][7] with nearly 7.34% of forex reserves in gold. The FCAs also include investments inUnited States Treasury bonds, bonds of other selected governments and deposits with foreigncentral andcommercial banks. As of September 2021, India holds fourth largest foreign-exchange reserves in the world afterChina,Japan, andSwitzerland.[8][9]
TheReserve Bank of India Act and the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 set the legal provisions for governing the foreign exchange reserves. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) accumulates foreign currency reserves by purchasing from authorized dealers in open market operations. Foreign exchange reserves of India act as a cushion against rupee volatility once global interest rates start rising.[10]
The Foreign Exchange Reserves of India consists of below four categories;[11][12]
