India's forex reserve jumps $4.37 billion to near record high of $693.32 billion — Here's how much gold RBI holds

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data for the country's foreign exchange (forex) reserves show that the central bank's kitty recorded a $4.37 billion jump to a near record high level of $693.32 billion as of the week ended Friday, 19 December 2025, according to an official bulletin released on 26 December 2025.

India's total foreign exchange reserves in the RBI witnessed a $4.37 billion rise to their $693.32 billion level in the week ended 19 December, compared to their earlier $688.95 billion level in the week ended 12 December 2025, according to the data.

According to a recent ANI report, India's forex reserves hit an all-time high of $704.89 billion in September 2024. Over the last few weeks, RBI's forex kitty has been on the uptrend, edging closer towards the record high.

Forex reserves comprise foreign currency assets, gold, SDRs, and the nation's reserve position in the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is maintained by the central bank of the country.

RBI's foreign currency assets rose by $1.65 billion to $559.43 billion as of the week ended 19 December 2025, when compared to $557.78 billion in the previous week, as per the data release.

RBI's Gold Kitty

Central banks around the world hoard a particular amount of gold reserves in order to serve as a form of financial security and stability during times of geopolitical or domestic uncertainty in the economy. The institutions storing gold also provide a backing to the currency of the nation while also contributing to the overall foreign exchange reserves.

RBI's gold reserves recorded a $2.62 billion jump to $110.36 billion in the week ended 19 December 2025, compared to $107.74 billion in the previous week's holdings.

Other than Gold, there are two other aspects of foreign exchange holdings which contribute to the overall forex reserves. Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) and the Reserve position in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are the two additional holdings in RBI's kitty, which contribute to the country's reserves.

Other forex holdings

RBI's Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) recorded a $10 million rise to $18.74 billion, compared to its earlier $18.73 billion in the previous week, according to the bulletin release.

The data also show that the central bank's reserve position in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) rose by nearly $96 million to $4.782 billion as of the week ended 19 December 2025, compared to $4.686 billion in the previous week ende 12 December 2025.

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