Bank Deposits and Credit on 15 October 2026: Reading RBI's Scheduled Banks' Statement
Every two weeks, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) publishes a short table that works like a snapshot of India's banking system. It shows how much money people and businesses have kept with banks, how much banks have lent, and how much they hold in government securities.
On 30 October 2026, RBI released this table, the "Scheduled Banks' Statement of Position in India", for 15 October 2026. Here is what it shows, and how to read it without overreading it.
What RBI released
The statement is one table, with all amounts in ₹ crore. It covers two groups:
Scheduled commercial banks, which RBI says include regional rural banks (RRBs), small finance banks (SFBs), payments banks (PBs) and local area banks (LABs).
All scheduled banks, which adds scheduled co-operative banks.
For each group there are three columns: 15 October 2026 (the latest date), 30 September 2026 (the previous reporting date) and 17 October 2025 (roughly one year earlier).
RBI also lists how many banks are in the data for the current fortnight: 120 scheduled commercial banks, 26 scheduled state co-operative banks and 55 scheduled primary (urban) co-operative banks.
One note matters for comparisons. RBI says the year-ago figures "relates to corresponding reporting Friday of previous year (as per old fortnight definition)", and that this will continue until the statement as on 30 November 2026. So the year-ago column is a close match, not an exact like-for-like date.
The numbers at a glance
For scheduled commercial banks (₹ crore, from RBI's table):
Item | 17 Oct 2025 | 30 Sep 2026 | 15 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
Deposits (other than from banks) | 2,38,83,215.06 | 2,83,95,079.41 | 2,78,75,909.91 |
of which demand deposits | 29,73,701.61 | 37,35,930.17 | 32,99,047.77 |
of which time deposits | 2,09,09,513.45 | 2,46,59,149.24 | 2,45,76,862.14 |
Bank credit (excluding inter-bank advances) | 1,92,35,754.48 | 2,29,94,852.36 | 2,27,42,777.30 |
Investments (at book value) | 68,85,074.23 | 74,69,975.65 | 75,38,268.55 |
Borrowings from RBI | 8,733.00 | 6,451.00 | 630.00 |
Cash | 87,746.70 | 86,558.00 | 79,196.03 |
Balances with RBI | 8,27,461.41 | 7,93,844.20 | 7,98,762.38 |
In simpler terms (derived, rounded): on 15 October 2026, deposits were about ₹278.8 lakh crore and bank credit about ₹227.4 lakh crore.
Reading the main lines
Deposits (other than from banks)
This is money kept with banks by the public, businesses and others, not by other banks. It has two parts:
Demand deposits can be withdrawn any time, such as savings and current account balances.
Time deposits are kept for a fixed period, such as fixed deposits.
Time deposits make up most of the total.
Bank credit
This is what banks have lent, excluding loans to other banks. Most of it is loans, cash credits and overdrafts (₹2,22,80,879.35 crore on 15 October 2026). The rest is bills purchased and discounted.
Investments
Almost all of this is in Central and State Government securities: ₹75,38,093.46 crore of the ₹75,38,268.55 crore total. RBI says this line includes Treasury Bills, among other items. If you want to know how those are sold, see our explainer on T-bill auctions.
Borrowings from RBI, cash and balances with RBI
Borrowings from RBI were ₹630 crore on 15 October 2026. RBI notes that since July 2014, transactions under repo, term repo and the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) appear in this line. Cash in hand and balances kept with RBI are shown separately.
Food credit
RBI also gives food credit, which is lending to public food procurement agencies such as the Food Corporation of India. For scheduled commercial banks it was ₹1,00,092.68 crore on 15 October 2026, against ₹96,286.36 crore on 30 September 2026.
What the derived numbers show
These are simple calculations on RBI's figures for scheduled commercial banks. They are not RBI's own statements.
Over the fortnight (30 September to 15 October 2026)
Deposits fell by ₹5,19,169.50 crore, about 1.8%. Most of the fall was in demand deposits, which dropped by ₹4,36,882.40 crore (about 11.7%). Time deposits fell by ₹82,287.10 crore (about 0.3%).
Bank credit fell by ₹2,52,075.06 crore, about 1.1%.
Investments rose by ₹68,292.90 crore, about 0.9%.
Note that 30 September is the last day of a quarter. A single fortnight can swing for many reasons, and RBI's release does not give any.
Against roughly a year ago (17 October 2025 to 15 October 2026)
Deposits were up about 16.7%.
Bank credit was up about 18.2%.
Investments were up about 9.5%.
Because the year-ago column uses the old fortnight definition, treat these as indicative.
Credit-to-deposit ratio
Dividing bank credit by deposits gives a rough idea of how much of each ₹100 of deposits has been lent out. On these figures it was about 80.5% on 17 October 2025, 81.0% on 30 September 2026 and 81.6% on 15 October 2026.
What the data does not tell you
No reasons. The release is a table with notes. It does not explain why deposits or credit moved.
No sector split. It does not say who borrowed. For that, RBI publishes separate data on sectoral deployment of bank credit.
No interest rates. It shows amounts, not what banks charged or paid.
No market call. Banking data is one input among many. It says nothing on its own about where stock prices go next, just as a single reading of the India VIX does not.
FAQ
What is RBI's Scheduled Banks' Statement of Position?
It is a fortnightly RBI table showing the main liabilities and assets of scheduled banks in India, such as deposits, bank credit, investments, cash and balances with RBI, in ₹ crore.
How much did scheduled commercial banks hold in deposits on 15 October 2026?
Deposits other than from banks were ₹2,78,75,909.91 crore, about ₹278.8 lakh crore (derived).
What is the difference between demand and time deposits?
Demand deposits can be withdrawn at any time, like savings and current account balances. Time deposits are kept for a fixed period, like fixed deposits.
Why is the year-ago comparison only indicative?
RBI says the year-ago figures follow the old fortnight definition until the statement as on 30 November 2026, so the dates do not match exactly.
Sources
About the author: Nishi Jain is a full-time trader in Jaipur and ex-JioBlackRock. Updates on Telegram: t.me/nishijain_com
This article is for information only and is not investment advice. Figures are from RBI's press release dated 30 October 2026; refer to the original for the full table and notes.
