Rbi on bank minimum balance: The Reserve Bank of India has denied any restriction on arbitrary minimum balance by banks. RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said that the central bank leaves the decision to banks how much minimum balance they decide. This statement from RBI has come at a time when ICICI Bank has increased the average monthly balance for the new savings account opening from 1 August 2025 to Rs 50,000.

The minimum balance in metro and urban branches has been increased from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000, while in semi-urban branches, it has been increased from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000 and in rural areas it has been increased to Rs 10,000.

RBI refuses to interfere

However, these changes will only apply to new customers, while the new minimum balance rules for old account holders will not apply until the notification is issued by the bank. If customers do not meet the terms of this average balance, then penalty will be imposed on them by the bank.

Reserve Bank of India Governor Sanjay Malhotra said on Monday that banks are free to fix the minimum balance in savings accounts and it does not fall under RBI regulatory jurisdiction. He said this in a conversation with reporters during a ceremony organized on financial inclusion at Gojiaia Gram Panchayat in Mehsana district of Gujarat.

What did Sanjay Malhotra say?

Asked about increasing the amount of minimum balance required for private bank ICICI’s savings account, Sanjay Malhotra said, “RBI has left the decision to decide the minimum balance on each bank. Some banks have kept it Rs 10,000, some have kept Rs 2,000 and some have given the customers. ICICI Bank has increased the minimum balance limit for those opening new savings accounts from 1 August.

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Minimum balance on saving accounts: Recently, most of the public sector banks have abolished the minimum balance limit on savings accounts. Earlier it was mandatory to keep a certain amount, but the customers have been freed from this mess. However, these conditions are still applicable in many public sector banks. In such a situation, if you are planning to open an account in a bank, then this news can be of your use, because it is very important to know its minimum balance before opening an account in any bank.

What are the rules of which banks

One of the large private sector banks, ICICI Bank has changed the terms of minimum balance for savings account holders, raising this limit to branches of big cities to Rs 50,000, which was earlier Rs 10,000. Similarly, the minimum balance in semi-urban branches has been increased to Rs 25,000, which was earlier Rs 5,000, while in rural branches it has been increased to Rs 10,000, which used to be Rs 2,500 earlier. This rule has come into effect from 1 August.

Actually, every bank has fixed the minimum balance according to its own. This is the amount that you need to keep in your account, and if the balance is reduced by this limit in the month, then the bank imposes penalty on customers. Earlier, the minimum amount for urban areas in most public sectors was fixed from Rs 1,000 to Rs 4,000, but now many banks including Canara Bank, Bank of India and State Bank of India have abolished the condition of minimum balance on savings accounts.

However, this condition is still applicable in private banks. The minimum balance of savings account in HDFC and Kotak Mahindra Bank is Rs 10,000, Rs 5,000 in Bandhan Bank and Rs 12,000 in Axis Bank.

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