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Study series

Knowledge

Banking, financial and economic awareness, one topic at a time. Each part explains the topic in depth with diagrams and charts, sums up what to remember for the exam, and ends with a quiz.

Series A

RBI, Monetary Policy & Central Banking

How India's central bank came to be, what it does, and how it steers money, credit and inflation: the core of financial awareness and the ESI paper.

Useful forRBI Grade BSBI POIBPS POIBPS Clerk

Published20 of 20
  1. Part 1 · Series AHistory and Evolution of the Reserve Bank of IndiaHow the RBI grew from a 1926 commission's idea into India's central bank: the 1934 Act, the 1949 takeover, bank nationalisation, the 1991 crisis, inflation targeting and the e-rupee.33 min read →
  2. Part 2 · Series AFunctions and Responsibilities of the RBIWhat the RBI actually does: monetary policy, bank regulation, forex, currency, development, government and bank banking, payments and the Ombudsman, with the law behind each.36 min read →
  3. Part 3 · Series AHow Monetary Policy Works in IndiaHow the RBI sets and runs monetary policy: the inflation target, the MPC and its votes, policy tools, liquidity and the call rate, transmission to loans, stances and the 2019–2026 rate cycle.32 min read →
  4. Part 4 · Series ARepo Rate, Reverse Repo Rate and Standing Deposit FacilityHow the RBI's policy rates work: repo transactions, the LAF corridor, the old reverse repo floor, the Standing Deposit Facility, MSF and Bank Rate, with worked examples and the latest rates.30 min read →
  5. Part 5 · Series ACash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR)CRR and SLR explained: NDTL, the law, daily maintenance and penalties, eligible SLR assets, rate history, the 2025 CRR cut, incremental CRR, FALLCR, with worked examples and the latest rules.33 min read →
  6. Part 6 · Series AMonetary Policy Committee: Structure and Decision-MakingInside India's Monetary Policy Committee: Sections 45ZB to 45ZO, how members are chosen, the meeting cycle, all three batches, the voting and dissent record, the 2026 decisions and the Fed and BoE.32 min read →
  7. Part 7 · Series AInflation Targeting in IndiaIndia's inflation target in depth: the road from the Patel Committee to the 2026 renewal, why headline CPI, the 2022 failure, the 2025 lows, credibility and how India compares abroad.27 min read →
  8. Part 8 · Series AConsumer Price Index vs Wholesale Price IndexCPI and WPI compared: who compiles them, the new 2024 and 2022-23 base years, weights, how YoY inflation and base effects work, why the two diverge, and the September 2026 prints.30 min read →
  9. Part 9 · Series AMonetary Transmission MechanismHow a repo rate change reaches loans, deposits, bonds and the rupee: BPLR to EBLR, RBI pass-through data for 2022–26, lags, why India transmits slowly, and the October 2026 hike.33 min read →
  10. Part 10 · Series AOpen Market Operations and Liquidity ManagementHow the RBI adds and drains bank reserves: OMOs, Operation Twist, G-SAP, MSS, forex swaps, the net LAF measure and the liquidity swings of 2025–26, with worked examples.31 min read →
  11. Part 11 · Series ALiquidity Adjustment Facility and Marginal Standing FacilityThe LAF as a system and the MSF in depth: its history from 2000 to 2025, the 7-day main operation, auctions and cut-offs, the SLR dip, window timings, usage data and a bank's liquidity day.35 min read →
  12. Part 12 · Series AHow the RBI Manages Currency in CirculationHow the RBI issues, distributes, cleans and withdraws notes: the law, the minimum reserve, chests, counterfeits, the ₹2000 withdrawal, cash-to-GDP and festive liquidity drains.35 min read →
  13. Part 13 · Series ARBI Balance Sheet ExplainedThe RBI's ₹91.97 lakh crore balance sheet line by line: notes, deposits, revaluation accounts, gold, forex and G-secs, income, the Economic Capital Framework and T-account examples.32 min read →
  14. Part 14 · Series ARBI Surplus Transfer to the GovernmentWhy the RBI pays its profits to the Centre under Section 47: where the surplus comes from, the Malegam and Jalan committees, the 4.5–7.5% CRB, year-wise transfers and the Budget maths.29 min read →
  15. Part 15 · Series ARBI's Role in Financial StabilityHow the RBI keeps India's financial system stable: the FSDC, the Financial Stability Report, macroprudential tools, D-SIBs, PCA, deposit insurance, the IBC and the crises of 2018–2020.33 min read →
  16. Part 16 · Series AExchange Rate Management and Forex InterventionHow the RBI manages the rupee: from the sterling and basket pegs to LERMS and the managed float, intervention tools, REER and NEER, the 2013, 2022 and 2026 episodes, and the impossible trinity.33 min read →
  17. Part 17 · Series AForeign Exchange Reserves of IndiaIndia's forex reserves explained: FCA, gold, SDRs and the IMF reserve tranche, the 2026 record and fall, import cover, Greenspan–Guidotti, the IMF ARA metric, gold repatriation and costs.33 min read →
  18. Part 18 · Series ARBI Regulation of Banks and NBFCsHow the RBI licenses, regulates and supervises banks, co-operative banks and NBFCs: the legal powers, bank types, Basel III, ECL, scale-based regulation, PCA, penalties and ownership rules.38 min read →
  19. Part 19 · Series ACentral Bank Digital Currency (Digital Rupee)India's digital rupee explained: the legal basis, e₹-W and e₹-R pilots, the two-tier token model, programmability, circulation data, risks, and the global CBDC picture.34 min read →
  20. Part 20 · Series AThe Future of Central Banking in the Age of AIHow AI is changing the RBI's work: the FREE-AI framework and its 7 sutras, MuleHunter.AI, SupTech, nowcasting, the 2026 model-risk draft, BIS and FSB warnings, tokenisation and the series wrap-up.33 min read →
Series B

Banking & Financial Institutions

How India's banks and lenders are built, how they make and lose money, and how they are kept safe: the banking-awareness core of every bank exam.

Useful forSBI POIBPS POIBPS ClerkRBI Grade B

Published20 of 20
  1. Part 21 · Series BStructure of the Indian Banking SystemHow India's banking system is organised: scheduled and non-scheduled banks, the seven kinds of commercial bank, co-operative banks, DFIs, market shares, branches and how it all evolved.31 min read →
  2. Part 22 · Series BPublic Sector Banks vs Private Sector BanksHow India's 12 public sector banks differ from private banks in law, ownership, governance, market share, bad loans, profits, efficiency and social duties, with the latest FY26 numbers.30 min read →
  3. Part 23 · Series BHow Commercial Banks Create MoneyHow banks create money: loans create deposits vs the money multiplier, M0 to M3 and the NM aggregates, India's 2026 money data, T-account examples and the credit-deposit gap.37 min read →
  4. Part 24 · Series BBanking Business Models: Deposits, Lending and Net Interest MarginHow Indian banks make money: NII, fees and treasury, NIM and cost of funds, CASA, cost-to-income, ROA and ROE, RBI data for 2024–26, rate-cycle effects and the deposit war.34 min read →
  5. Part 25 · Series BNon-Performing Assets (NPAs) and Bad LoansHow Indian banks recognise, classify, provide for and recover bad loans: the 90-day rule, SMA buckets, IRAC provisioning, GNPA, NNPA and PCR, the AQR, write-offs and recovery channels.34 min read →
  6. Part 26 · Series BInsolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC)How India's IBC works: IBBI, NCLT, the CIRP and its timelines, the CoC's 66% vote, Section 29A, pre-packs, the Section 53 waterfall, landmark cases, ten-year outcomes and the 2026 amendments.33 min read →
  7. Part 27 · Series BBasel III Capital Adequacy FrameworkHow Basel III sets bank capital in India: the BCBS and its accords, the three pillars, CET1, AT1 and Tier 2, risk-weighted assets, the 2027 rules, a worked CRAR and the Yes Bank AT1 case.34 min read →
  8. Part 28 · Series BLiquidity Coverage Ratio and Net Stable Funding RatioLCR and NSFR explained: HQLA levels and haircuts, run-off rates, the RBI's 2026 digital-deposit rules, FALLCR, ASF and RSF, worked examples, Indian banks' ratios and the SVB lesson.32 min read →
  9. Part 29 · Series BWhy Banks Fail: Liquidity vs SolvencyWhy banks fail: liquidity vs solvency, maturity transformation, the Diamond–Dybvig run model, contagion, SVB, Lehman, Yes Bank and GTB, and the tools that stop runs, from LOLR to bail-in.33 min read →
  10. Part 30 · Series BDeposit Insurance and DICGCDeposit insurance in India: the DICGC Act, the ₹5 lakh cover and its history, what is covered, the 90-day payout, the new risk-based premium, the fund, the claims and the debate on raising the limit.34 min read →
  11. Part 31 · Series BNon-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs)NBFCs explained: the 50-50 test, how they differ from banks, the types, their size and funding, IL&FS, risk weights, co-lending, gold loans, digital lending and asset quality, with 2026 data.35 min read →
  12. Part 32 · Series BMicrofinance Institutions and Financial InclusionHow India lends to and banks the poor: SHGs, JLGs and NBFC-MFIs, the RBI's 2022 microfinance rules, the 2024–26 slump, MFIN guardrails, Jan Dhan, JAM, the FI-Index and Findex.30 min read →
  13. Part 33 · Series BSmall Finance Banks and Payments BanksIndia's differentiated banks: how SFBs and payments banks were licensed, what they may and may not do, the 11 SFBs and 5 payments banks today, Paytm's exit and the road to universal banking.34 min read →
  14. Part 34 · Series BCooperative Banks and Regional Rural BanksIndia's co-operative banks and RRBs: the urban and rural co-operative structure, dual control, the four-tier UCB framework, PMC Bank, RRB ownership, One State One RRB and record RRB profits.32 min read →
  15. Part 35 · Series BPriority Sector LendingPriority sector lending explained: history, the 2025 Directions and 2026 amendments, targets by bank type, ANBC with a worked example, PSLCs, RIDF shortfall deposits and the critiques.34 min read →
  16. Part 36 · Series BCredit Rating Agencies and Credit BureausHow India's credit rating agencies and credit bureaus work: SEBI and RBI rules, rating scales, risk weights, sovereign ratings, IL&FS, credit scores, weekly reporting and your rights as a borrower.35 min read →
  17. Part 37 · Series BAsset Reconstruction Companies and Bad BanksHow ARCs buy bad loans under the SARFAESI Act, how security receipts and the 15:85 structure work, what NARCL and IDRCL have achieved, and what India can learn from the RTC, Securum and Danaharta.33 min read →
  18. Part 38 · Series BBank Mergers and ConsolidationWhy India merged its banks: the Narasimham logic, SBI 2017, Bank of Baroda 2019, the 2020 mega-merger (27 to 12 PSBs), HDFC–HDFC Bank, rescue mergers, the law, and the talk of a second round.31 min read →
  19. Part 39 · Series BBanking Fraud and CybersecurityBank fraud in India: RBI fraud data by area, PNB and DHFL, the 2026 fraud directions and natural justice, cyber rules, digital scams, customer liability rules for 2027, 1930 and bank.in.33 min read →
  20. Part 40 · Series BRisk Management in BanksHow Indian banks measure and control risk: risk types, the three lines of defence, CRO and CCO rules, ICAAP, stress tests, EL, VaR, ALM gaps, climate and model risk, and a map of the series.34 min read →