RBI cuts printing costs 23.5% while ₹500 notes dominate value
The RBI managed to cut its currency printing costs by 23.5% in FY2025-26, spending ₹4,875.2 crore instead of FY2024-25's ₹6,372.8 crore, though the total value of banknotes in circulation actually grew to ₹41.23 lakh crore.
Their trick? Printing fewer notes overall and focusing more on higher-value ones like the ₹500 note, which now makes up a huge 85.5% of the total value of notes in circulation.
India's cash-to-GDP ratio rises to 12.1%
Despite all the buzz around digital payments, India's cash-to-GDP ratio rose to 12.1%, showing people still love using physical money.
Meanwhile, use of RBI's e-rupee dropped by 24%.
Looking ahead, RBI plans to upgrade how it manages cash with its Utkarsh 2029 program and will open two new issue offices as part of its 2026-27 agenda for smoother operations.