Banks report ₹21,515 crore of frauds in H1FY26: RBI

“The share of card/internet frauds declined across all bank groups in both number and amount involved during 2024–25. 
| Photo Credit:
Liubomyr Vorona

Banks in India documented 5,092 fraud cases totaling ₹21,515 crore during the first half of FY26, predominantly involving advances-related incidents, as per the Reserve Bank of India’s latest banking trends report. This contrasts with the 18,386 frauds worth ₹16,569 crore reported during H1FY25.

For FY25, the RBI noted a decrease in the total number of frauds following bank reporting, though the cumulative value rose significantly. This uptick stemmed from banks revisiting and reclassifying 122 fraud cases cumulatively valued at ₹18,336 crore.

When assessing frauds by occurrence date in FY25, card and internet-related incidents comprised 66.8% of total cases by volume. In monetary terms, frauds linked to advances constituted 33.1% of the total amount.

Private sector banks accounted for 59% of fraud instances by count during FY25, while public sector banks (PSBs) represented 70.7% of the financial impact. Among private banks, card/internet frauds dominated transaction volumes, whereas advances-related cases accounted for the highest monetary value. PSBs registered advances-related frauds as most prevalent in both volume and value.

Internet frauds

Card and internet fraud incidence declined across all banking segments during 2024–25, both in frequency and financial impact. Conversely, advances-related frauds showed increased prevalence among bank groups (except PSBs by value), largely driven by reclassified cases predominantly tied to advances.

Published on December 29, 2025