Finance
India’s foreign exchange reserves climbed by $8.053 billion in the week ending January 23, reaching an all-time high of $709.413 billion, according to data provided by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday.
The previous record high for the country’s foreign exchange reserves was $704.89 billion, set in September 2024.
According to RBI data, the value of Foreign Currency Assets (FCA), the largest component of reserves, rose by $2.367 billion to $562.885 billion in the week ending January 23.
The value of gold held in reserves rose by $5.635 billion to $123.088 billion. The value of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) grew by $33 million, reaching $18.737 billion. The Reserve Position with the IMF increased by $18 million to $4.703 billion, as per the Central bank data.
Last week, foreign exchange reserves climbed by $14.167 billion, reaching $701.360 billion.
Meanwhile, India remains the world’s largest remittance receiver, with inflows totaling $135.4 billion in FY25, helping to maintain external account stability, according to the Economic Survey 2025-26. Despite tightening global financial circumstances, India has continually drawn sizable gross investment inflows, accounting for 18.5% of GDP in fiscal year 25.
According to UNCTAD data, India remained the top beneficiary of gross FDI inflows in South Asia, outpacing major Asian rivals such as Indonesia and Vietnam. India ranked fourth internationally in Greenfield investment announcements in 2024, with over 1,000 projects, and it emerged as the leading destination for Greenfield digital investments between 2020 and 2024, drawing $114 billion.
Gross FDI inflows increased to $64.7 billion between April and November 2025, up from $55.8 billion in the same period in 2024. In terms of adequacy, the reserves are sufficient to cover approximately 11 months of goods imports and approximately 94% of outstanding external debt at the end of September 2025, providing a satisfactory liquidity buffer, according to the Survey.
Source: IANS
