Bank frauds surge 30% to ₹21,515cr in H1 FY26: RBI
Bank frauds in India just hit a new high—RBI says the total value shot up by 30% to ₹21,515 crore in the first half of FY26, even though the number of cases actually dropped a lot.
So, fewer scams but way more money lost.
Most losses from loan-related frauds
A huge chunk of this year's bank fraud losses came from advances (basically, loans gone wrong), totaling ₹17,501 crore.
This jump is partly because some old cases got re-reported after a Supreme Court decision last year.
Card/internet scams and public banks' big share
While most fraud cases involved cards or online banking, they made up a small share of the total money lost.
Public sector banks took the biggest hit—they accounted for over 70% of all losses.
What's RBI doing about it?
To fight back, RBI rolled out MuleHunter.ai in 23 banks to spot fake accounts and is teaming up with the government on cybersecurity.
They're also pushing for better digital safety and customer awareness so people don't get caught off guard by new scams.