When it comes to the RBI Grade B exam, one area that often confuses aspirants is the RBI Circulars. Many aspirants ask which ones they must read? The RBI website is full of notifications, guidelines, and circulars, and it’s impossible to cover everything. But the reality is that circulars are super important. They highlight the focus areas of RBI at a given point in time. And from these focus areas, questions are framed, both in Phase 1 (objective) and Phase 2 (descriptive). In fact, around 4 to 5 questions can directly come from circular-based themes. That’s why ignoring them is risky. In this blog, I’ll share the 40 most important RBI circulars you should focus on for the 2025 exam. Read carefully, note them down, and cover at least their summaries. That much is enough to give you an edge.
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What are RBI Circulars?
RBI circulars are official instructions released by the Reserve Bank of India. They guide banks and financial institutions on how to operate within the rules. These circulars act as the backbone of the financial system, setting standards for monetary stability, digital lending, KYC norms, and more. They make sure every institution follows a uniform and transparent framework.
Main Components of RBI Circulars
Here are the main aspects of RBI Circulars:
Regulatory Framework: Issued under laws like the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, and the Payment & Settlement Systems Act, 2007, they carry statutory weight.
Consolidation and Updates: Older rules are compiled and updated into a single Master Circular to keep instructions clear and consistent.
Focus Areas: The topics reflect RBI’s priorities, like financial inclusion, risk management, customer protection, and digital innovation.
Impact on the Financial Sector: Circulars affect lending policies, mergers, foreign investment, and even technology standards across banks.
Application: They apply to all financial institutions, like commercial, cooperative, and rural banks.
Importance for Stakeholders: For bankers, they are the rulebooks. For students and aspirants, they show where the RBI’s focus lies and often become sources for exam questions.
RBI Important Circulars for RBI Grade B Exam 2025
RBI circulars are purposeful. Each addresses a specific theme, like KYC, Digital Lending, Priority Sector Lending, or Urban Cooperative Banks. These themes can reappear in varied forms in the exam. That’s why studying a curated list is far more productive than aimlessly navigating RBI’s website.
Master the circulars below, and you’ll have built a strong base for Phase 1 and Phase 2.
| RBI Master Circulars & Directions (2025) | ||
| No. | Master Circular/Direction | Date of Release |
| 1 | Master Direction on Regulation of Payment Aggregator (PA) | Sep 15, 2025 |
| 2 | Reserve Bank of India (Co-Lending Arrangements) Directions, 2025 | Aug 06, 2025 |
| 3 | Reserve Bank of India (Non-Fund Based Credit Facilities) Directions, 2025 | Aug 06, 2025 |
| 4 | Reserve Bank of India (Investment in AIF) Directions, 2025 | Jul 29, 2025 |
| 5 | Master Circular – Credit facilities to Scheduled Castes (SCs) & Scheduled Tribes (STs) | Jun 16, 2025 |
| 6 | Master Direction – Reserve Bank of India (Electronic Trading Platforms) Directions, 2025 | Jun 16, 2025 |
| 7 | Master Direction on Framework of incentives for Currency Distribution & Exchange Scheme for bank branches including currency chests | Apr 25, 2025 |
| 8 | Master Directions – Compounding of Contraventions under FEMA, 1999 | Apr 22, 2025 |
| 9 | Master Direction on Penal Provisions in reporting of transactions / balances at Currency Chests | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 10 | Master Direction – Scheme of Penalties for bank branches and currency chests for deficiency in rendering customer service to the members of public | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 11 | Master Direction on Counterfeit Notes, 2025 – Detection, Reporting and Monitoring | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 12 | Master Direction – Facility for Exchange of Notes and Coins | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 13 | Master Direction – Reserve Bank of India (Interest Rate on Deposits) Directions, 2025 | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 14 | Master Circular on SHG-Bank Linkage Programme | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 15 | Master Circular – Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 16 | Master Circular – Credit facilities to Scheduled Castes (SCs) & Scheduled Tribes (STs) | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 17 | Master Circular – Lead Bank Scheme | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 18 | Master Circular – Disbursement of Government Pension by Agency Banks | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 19 | Master Circular on Conduct of Government Business by Agency Banks – Payment of Agency Commission | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 20 | Master Circular on Board of Directors – UCBs | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 21 | Master Circular – Basel III Capital Regulations | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 22 | Master Circular- Prudential Norms on Capital Adequacy – Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks (UCBs) | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 23 | Master Circular – Guarantees, Co-Acceptances & Letters of Credit – UCBs | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 24 | Master Circular – Guarantees and Co-acceptances | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 25 | Master Circular – Prudential norms on Income Recognition, Asset Classification and Provisioning pertaining to Advances | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 26 | Master Circular- Income Recognition, Asset Classification, Provisioning and Other Related Matters – UCBs | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 27 | Master Circular – Bank Finance to Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 28 | Master Circular – Housing Finance | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 29 | Master Circular – Housing Finance for UCBs | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 30 | Master Circular – Exposure Norms and Statutory / Other Restrictions – UCBs | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 31 | Master Circular – Management of Advances – UCBs | Apr 01, 2025 |
| 32 | Master Direction – Reserve Bank of India (Prudential Norms on Capital Adequacy for Regional Rural Banks) Directions, 2025 | Mar 25, 2025 |
| 33 | Master Directions – Reserve Bank of India (Priority Sector Lending – Targets and Classification) Directions, 2025 | Mar 24, 2025 |
| 34 | Master Direction – Reserve Bank of India (Access Criteria for NDS-OM) Directions, 2025 | Feb 07, 2025 |
| 35 | Master Direction – Reserve Bank of India (Non-resident Investment in Debt Instruments) Directions, 2025 | Jan 07, 2025 |
| 36 | Master Direction – Reserve Bank of India (Credit Information Reporting) Directions, 2025 | Jan 06, 2025 |
| 37 | Reserve Bank of India (Access Criteria for NDS-OM) Directions, 2024 | October 18 2024 |
| 38 | Master Directions on Cyber Resilience and Digital Payment Security Controls for non-bank Payment System Operators | July 30, 2024 |
| 39 | Master Direction on Treatment of Wilful Defaulters and Large Defaulters | July 30, 2024 |
| 40 | Master Direction – Reserve Bank of India (Credit Information Reporting) Directions, 2025 | July 24, 2024 |
Note: You can access all the PDFs of the RBI Circulars [here] and the directions [here].
If you find covering all the circulars a daunting task, and are searching for the best resources to not only go through RBI Circulars and directions but also the entire syllabus, you can opt for our courses, especially The Foundation Course. These courses systematically and thoroughly cover the circulars.
Grab the Best Courses to Cover Essential Circulars – Click here
Takeaway
Circulars are not just official notifications, they are windows into RBI’s priorities. Covering them helps you catch the themes that RBI is focusing on. From KYC to Digital Lending, from Urban Cooperative Banks to Basel III, these topics are potential question-makers. Don’t skip them. Even a quick read of their summaries can fetch you precious marks in both objective and descriptive papers.
In short, paying attention to circulars and government schemes can give you important extra marks that make a real difference in your overall score.
FAQs
These 40 circulars listed above are good to get started with. But a better way to cover all the circulars in a condensed form is via the foundation course. Cover their summaries instead of reading every detail.
Yes. In Phase 1, they come as direct MCQs. In Phase 2, they may appear as descriptive themes like “Discuss RBI’s approach to Digital Lending.”
About 5 to 6 days are enough. Spend 2 to 3 hours daily and prepare short notes. Focus on major themes like KYC, PSL, Basel III, and Digital Lending.
Yes. The circulars are covered month-wise if you are already enrolled in the RBI Grade B course. There is no need to download them separately from the RBI website.
Make one-page notes for each major theme. Before the exam, quickly flip through these summaries instead of revisiting the long documents.
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