RBI data show bank frauds ₹36,014 crore

The Reserve Bank of India said on May 29 that the amount involved in bank frauds reported during fiscal 2024-25 rose to ₹36,014 crore, even as the number of cases declined from the previous year. The figures appeared in the central bank’s annual report for 2024-25, which said the jump in value was driven in large part by a set of older cases that were re-examined and reported again. The RBI’s presentation of the data matters because its fraud series is based on the date a case is reported, not necessarily when the underlying misconduct occurred. That means a rise in one year’s total can reflect fresh reporting decisions as much as fresh frauds. ### Why did the rupee amount rise when the number of cases fell? The RBI said the increase in the amount involved in total frauds reported during 2024-25 was “mainly due” to the removal of fraud classification in 122 cases amounting to ₹18,674 crore that had been reported in previous financial years and were then reported afresh in the current year after re-examination and compliance with a court judgment. That explanation helps reconcile the two headline points in the data: fewer cases, but a much larger aggregate amount. In practice, that means the average reported fraud size rose because a relatively small number of large-value cases had an outsized effect on the annual total. ### Does this mean banks suddenly saw more fraud in 2024-25? (rbi.org.in) The RBI’s own notes say frauds reported in a year could have occurred several years before the year of reporting. The same notes also say the amounts involved are as reported and do not necessarily equal the final loss, because recoveries can reduce losses and the full amount in a loan account is not always diverted. (rbi.org.in) That reporting basis is important in reading the 2024-25 spike. A higher reported amount does not, by itself, establish that banks experienced a comparable jump in newly committed fraud during that year. The RBI’s explanation points instead to the effect of reclassification and re-reporting. ### What kinds of fraud usually dominate these RBI tables? (rbi.org.in) The RBI’s banking publications show a long-running pattern in which private sector banks account for the largest number of fraud cases, while public sector banks contribute the largest share by amount. The central bank has also said frauds occur predominantly in digital payments, including card and internet channels, in terms of number, while advances account for the largest value. (rbi.org.in) The appendix notes in the RBI’s fraud tables add another qualification for recent data. After revised Master Directions on Fraud Risk Management issued on July 15, 2024, banks report only those payment-system transactions that are concluded as fraud committed on the bank. ### Where did the new number appear? The RBI published the figure in its annual report for 2024-25 on May 29, 2025. (rbi.org.in) The annual report section on regulation, supervision and financial stability includes the explanation for the rise in the amount involved in frauds during the year. The central bank also publishes a separate “Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India,” which carries Appendix Table IV.7 on frauds in various banking operations based on date of reporting. (rbi.org.in) The 2024-25 edition of that report was published on Dec. 29, 2025. ### What should readers watch next in the RBI data? (rbi.org.in) Appendix Table IV.7 in the RBI’s banking reports is the place to watch for the category-wise and bank-group breakdown of frauds by number and amount. The RBI’s annual report archive and its “Trend and Progress of Banking in India” publication page carry those updates, with the latest annual report for 2025-26 published on May 29, 2026. (rbi.org.in 1) (rbi.org.in 2)