**Executive Summary**
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will conduct a USD/INR Buy/Sell swap auction of USD 5 billion for a tenor of thirty-six months on December 16, 2025. This is a continuation of what was announced in Press Release 2025-2026/1635 dated December 05, 2025. Market participants must submit bids in terms of the premium they are willing to pay. The results of the auction will be announced on the same day.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Auction Details:**
* Auction Date: December 16, 2025
* Auction Time: 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM
* Swap Amount: USD 5 billion
* Near Leg/Spot Date: December 18, 2025
* Far Leg Date: December 18, 2028
* Tenor: Thirty-six months
* **Bidding Process:**
* Bids must be placed in terms of the premium in paisa terms (up to two decimal places).
* The auction will be a multiple-price based auction.
* The auction cut-off will be based on the premium.
* Minimum bid size is USD 10 million and in multiples of USD 1 million thereafter.
* Multiple bids are allowed, but the aggregate amount should not exceed the notified auction amount.
* Bids should be submitted through email only on their letterhead (signed and scanned) in the prescribed form along with the excel sheet provided therein within the auction window to Financial Markets Operations Department
* Prescribed form can be obtained from RBI website (https://rbi.org.in/en/web/rbi/forms).
* **Eligibility:**
* Authorized Dealers Category – I (AD Category- I) banks are eligible to participate.
* **Settlement:**
* The bank will sell US dollars to the Reserve Bank at FBIL Reference Rate of the auction date.
* Settlement of the first leg will be on spot basis from the date of transaction.
* The Reserve Bank will credit the rupee funds to the current account of the successful bidder and the bidder needs to deliver US dollars into the RBI's nostro account.
* **Other Conditions:**
* Swaps under the auction cannot be cancelled or modified.
* The banks would be exempted from the ISDA requirements for the purpose of these swaps.
* RBI reserves the right to decide on the quantum of US dollar amount to be accepted, accept offers for less than the aggregate amount, accept marginally higher amounts due to rounding, or reject any/all offers.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Authorized Dealers Category – I (AD Category- I) banks**
* **Impact:** Eligible to participate in the USD/INR Buy/Sell swap auction to manage their USD/INR positions and liquidity.
* **Action Required:**
* Prepare and submit bids according to the specified terms, including premium, minimum bid size, and submission method.
* Furnish settlement details to RBI back office latest by preceding day of the auction.
* Ensure availability of US dollars and rupee funds for settlement of the swap.
* Adhere to all operational guidelines and eligibility criteria.
Key Entities Referenced
Reserve Bank of India: The central bank conducting the USD/INR Buy/Sell swap auction to inject liquidity.
USD/INR Buy/Sell Swap Auction: The specific type of auction being conducted by the RBI to inject liquidity, involving the exchange of USD and INR with a future reversal.
Annex: Document containing the operational guidelines, eligibility criteria, and other details of the USD/INR Buy/Sell Swap Auction.
Press Release 2025-2026/1635 dated December 05, 2025: The initial press release announcing the USD/INR Buy/Sell Swap auction.
Authorized Dealers Category – I (AD Category- I) banks: The eligible entities that can participate in the USD/INR Buy/Sell Swap auction.
प्रेस प्रकाशनी PRESS RELEASE
भारतीय ररज़र्व बैंक
RESERVE BANK OF INDIA
वेबसाइट
:
www.rbi.org.in/hindi
संचार वर्भाग, केंद्रीय कायाालय, शहीद भगत ससिंह मागा, फोटा, म िंबई - 400 001
Website : www.rbi.org.in Department of Communication, Central Office, Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg, Fort,
ई-मेल/email : helpdoc@rbi.org.in Mumbai - 400 001 फोन/Phone: 022 - 2266 0502
December 08, 2025
RBI to inject liquidity through long term USD/INR Buy/Sell Swap auction
As announced vide the Press Release 2025-2026/1635 dated December 05,
2025, the Reserve Bank will be conducting a USD/INR Buy/Sell swap auction of USD
5 billion for a tenor of thirty-six months.
The details of the auction are as under:
Swap Amount Near Leg/Spot
Auction date Auction Time Far Leg Date
(USD Billion) Date
December 16, 10.30 AM to December 18, December 18,
5
2025 11.30 AM 2025 2028
The market participants would be required to place their bids in terms of the
premium that they are willing to pay to the Reserve Bank for the tenor of the swap,
expressed in paisa terms up to two decimal places. The auction cut-off would be
based on the premium. The auction would be a multiple-price based auction, i.e.,
successful bids will get accepted at their respective quoted premium.
Operational guidelines, eligibility criteria and other details are given in the Annex.
(Brij Raj)
Press Release: 2025-2026/1657 Chief General Manager2
Annex
(i) Authorized Dealers Category – I (AD Category- I) banks will be the eligible entities to participate in
the auction.
(ii) The swap is in the nature of a simple buy/sell foreign exchange swap from the Reserve Bank
side. A bank shall sell US dollars to the Reserve Bank and simultaneously agree to buy the same
amount of US dollars at the end of the swap period.
(iii) The auction cut-off would be based on the premium amount in paisa terms up to two decimal
points. The market participants would be required to place their bids with the premium that they are
willing to pay to the Reserve Bank for the tenor of the swap expressed in paisa terms up to two
decimal places. Successful bids will get accepted at their respective quoted premium.
(iv) Once the auction window is closed, all the bids would be arranged in descending order of the
swap premium quoted and the cut-off premium would be arrived at the premium corresponding to
the notified US dollar amount of the auction. Successful bidders would be those who have placed
their bids at or above the cut-off premium. All bids lower than the cut-off premium would be rejected.
(v) There will be provision of pro-rata allotment should there be more than one successful bid at the
cut-off premium.
(vi) Under the swap auction, minimum bid size would be USD 10 million and in multiples of USD 1
million thereafter. The eligible participants are allowed to submit multiple bids. However, the
aggregate amount of bids submitted by single eligible entity should not exceed the notified amount of
auction.
(vii) In the first leg of the transaction, the bank will sell US dollars to the Reserve Bank at FBIL
Reference Rate of the auction date. The settlement of the first leg of the swap will take place on spot
basis from the date of transaction and the Reserve Bank will credit the rupee funds to the current
account of the successful bidder and the bidder needs to deliver US dollars into the RBI’s nostro
account. In the reverse leg of the swap transaction, rupee funds will have to be returned to the
Reserve Bank along with the swap premium to get the US dollars back.
(viii) The banks desirous of participating in the proposed auction should furnish their settlement
details to RBI back office (Ph:022-22611069; E-mail) latest by preceding day of the auction.
(ix) The banks would be exempted from the ISDA requirements for the purpose of these swaps.
(x) Swaps under the auction, once undertaken with the Reserve Bank, cannot be cancelled and no
request for any modification or revision to the same would be entertained.
(xi) The result of the auction will be announced on the same day.
(xii) The eligible participants should submit their bids through email only on their letterhead (signed
and scanned) in the prescribed form along with the excel sheet provided therein within the auction
window to Financial Markets Operations Department (Ph: 022-22634924/22634925/22634893). The
prescribed form can be obtained from RBI website (https://rbi.org.in/en/web/rbi/forms). No Requests
for extension of auction window will be entertained.
(xiii) RBI reserves the right to:
• Decide on the quantum of US dollar amount to be accepted in the swap auction.
• Accept offers for less than the aggregate notified US dollar amount.
• Accept marginally higher than the notified US dollar amount due to rounding-off effects.
• Accept or reject any or all the offers either wholly or partially without assigning any reason.