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Wednesday, March 11, 2026

11/03/26, The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has limited the maximum dividend banks can pay to their shareholders at 75% of profit after tax (PAT).


The new norms will come in effect from the financial year (FY) 2026-27. Following the consultations with stakeholders, the RBI has issued the Reserve Bank of India (Commercial Banks - Prudential Norms on Declaration of Dividend and Remittances of Profits) Directions, 2026.

Under these norms, the regulatory capital of the bank should not fall below the applicable regulatory capital requirement even after the payment of dividends. Further, a foreign bank operating in India in branch mode should have positive PAT for the period for which the profits are to be remitted to the Head Office.

The RBI has also issued prudential norms on declaration of dividend for small finance banks, local area banks, payment banks, and regional rural banks. Meanwhile, the combined net profit of all scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) grew 14.8% year-on-year to Rs 4.01 lakh crore during FY25, with the return on assets (RoA) at 1.4% and return on equity (RoE) at 13.5%.

The RBI revised the limit upwards from 40% earlier. The move is expected to benefit banks with a high capital adequacy ratio (CET 1). Additionally, the banks can only pay 0% to 100% of the Adjusted profit after tax ( Adjusted PAT= Reported PAT- 50% of the net NPA). This ensures the bank is well liquidated with provisions for bad debts. However, the total amount of dividends paid should not exceed 75% of the reported PAT.

Banks with high CET1 ratios can now distribute higher dividends and can attract investors who have a growth and efficiency mindset. While banks with lower CET 1 ratios may continue to deliver lower dividend payouts.

source: Reserve Bank 

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11/03/26, The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has limited the maximum dividend banks can pay to their shareholders at 75% of profit after tax (PAT).

The new norms will come in effect from the financial year (FY) 2026-27. Following the consultations with stakeholders, the RBI has issued th...