RTI Reply Reveals Details of India’s Gold Reserves, Dollar Transactions and Missing Data on Fraud Recoveries
Nagpur: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) held 880.52 metric tonnes of gold as of March 2026, of which 197.67 tonnes were stored overseas with the Bank of England and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), while 680.05 tonnes remained in India. The remaining 2.80 tonnes were held in the form of gold deposits, according to information disclosed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
However, the RBI refused to disclose details of expenditure incurred on gold storage, security and transportation over the past five years, citing the possibility of harm to national security and economic interests.
The information was obtained by social activist Abhay Kolarkar, who sought details regarding the central bank’s gold reserves, dollar transactions, banking fraud, cybercrime and unclaimed deposits.
RBI Refuses to Share Gold Storage Costs
The RTI response revealed the distribution of India’s gold reserves but did not provide a financial breakdown of the expenses associated with storing, securing and transporting the precious metal.
The RBI maintained that disclosing such information could potentially compromise the country’s security and economic interests.
According to the RBI’s September 2026 Monthly Bulletin, the value of its gold reserves stood at ₹11,10,438 crore as of August 28, 2026.
RBI’s Dollar Transactions Show a Shift
The RTI response also disclosed changes in the RBI’s net dollar transactions over recent financial years.
In 2023–24, the central bank recorded net dollar purchases worth $41.271 billion. In 2024–25, it reported net sales of $34.511 billion, followed by net sales of $53.132 billion in 2025–26.
During 2026–27, the RBI recorded net dollar purchases of $4.165 billion up to July 31.
The figures indicate a shift from net dollar purchases in 2023–24 to substantial net sales over the following two financial years.
No Separate Record of Fraud Recovery
The RBI also stated that it does not maintain separate records of the amounts recovered from losses arising from banking and cyber fraud.
The central bank further said that specific details concerning the total value of unclaimed deposits, the number of accounts involved and losses resulting from cyber fraud were not available in the requested form.
It maintained that under the RTI Act, public authorities are not required to create or compile information that is not already maintained in their records.
The disclosure provides a snapshot of India’s gold holdings and foreign exchange transactions while highlighting gaps in the availability of certain financial and fraud-related information sought by the applicant.
