Reserve Bank of India Governor Sanjay Malhotra outlined the central bank's policy achievements in 2025 and set priorities for 2026, emphasizing balanced interventions designed to maintain stability while supporting growth in a challenging global environment. In his year-end message to staff on December 31, Malhotra highlighted that policy measures were carefully calibrated against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainties, uneven growth, and volatile financial markets.

New Year Priorities and Staff Guidance

Governor Malhotra asked RBI staff to persist with regulatory calibrations and sharpen supervision in the new year. In his annual message to staffers, he emphasized that customer centricity and financial inclusion "must remain at the heart" of the central bank's work.

"We must persist with strengthening the monetary policy framework, sharpening supervision, calibrating regulation, deepening financial markets, and improving payments and currency management," Malhotra said in the message.

The Governor noted that staff responsibilities will continue to expand in 2026, marked by a rapidly evolving economic and financial landscape shaped by technological change, geoeconomic shifts, and rising public expectations.

Regulatory Framework Overhaul

The RBI made significant strides in regulatory simplification during 2025, implementing a structured framework for regulation formulation. The central bank consolidated a substantial number of regulatory instructions, streamlining the compliance landscape for financial institutions.

Malhotra noted that these regulatory reforms strengthened the financial sector, enhanced credit flow, improved competitiveness and efficiency of regulated entities, and reinforced consumer centricity.

Monetary Policy Actions

The RBI implemented an accommodative monetary policy stance throughout 2025, reducing the repo rate on four occasions. This progressive easing brought the benchmark interest rate down significantly over the course of the year.

The inflation performance remained within the RBI's comfort zone, while economic growth maintained robust momentum during the January-September period.

Operational Improvements and Customer Focus

The central bank enhanced its internal governance and customer service delivery mechanisms during 2025. Malhotra highlighted that "a vital dimension of our work this year was the emphasis on customer service and grassroots engagement."

The RBI also implemented re-KYC camps and unclaimed deposits campaigns as part of its customer-focused initiatives.

Institutional Values and Future Outlook

Malhotra emphasized that technical excellence must be coupled with commitment to the central bank's "core institutional values" of integrity, independence, efficiency, humility and a deep sense of public service. He told staff that the RBI's strength "has always flowed from its people and from a shared belief that our work, though often unseen, makes a meaningful difference to the nation."

The Governor stressed that achieving 2026 objectives would require enhanced analytical capabilities, technology adoption, and process improvements, while maintaining focus on customer centricity and financial inclusion as central to the RBI's mission.

The Reserve Bank of India has released the comprehensive bank holiday calendar for January 2026, revealing that banking services will remain suspended for 16 days during the month. This includes 10 scheduled holidays for regional festivals and national observances, along with 6 regular weekend closures across second and fourth Saturdays plus all Sundays.

January 2026 Holiday Breakdown

Banks across multiple states and Union Territories will observe varied closure schedules based on regional celebrations and national holidays. The month begins with New Year celebrations and concludes with Republic Day, ensuring diverse banking operations across different states.

Complete January 2026 Bank Holiday Schedule

The detailed calendar encompasses regional festivals, religious observances, and national celebrations that will affect banking operations throughout January.

Weekend Closures and Banking Policy

All scheduled and non-scheduled banks observe public holidays on second and fourth Saturdays along with regular Sunday closures, as per RBI notification. The weekend closure schedule for January includes specific dates that contribute to the total 16-day closure period.

Digital Banking Services Continuity

Despite physical branch closures during the 16-day holiday period, customers retain complete access to digital banking services. Online banking platforms, UPI payment systems, net banking, ATM networks, and mobile applications remain operational throughout all holiday periods, ensuring uninterrupted financial transactions when branches remain closed.

The Reserve Bank of India releases bank holiday calendars annually, categorizing closures under Negotiable Instruments Act, Real-Time Gross Settlement Holiday, and Banks' Closing of Accounts. Customers should plan their banking requirements in advance, particularly during extended holiday periods, to ensure smooth financial operations throughout January 2026.