Why Does The RBI Want Money From the Bank? Has India Hit Recession?

In a recent liquidity operation, Indian banks parked ₹ 90,931 crore with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) via a 4-day Variable Rate Reverse Repo (VRR) auction, well short of the notified target of ₹ 1,00,000 crore (i.e. ₹ 1 trillion). 

This shortfall highlights evolving dynamics in the banking system’s liquidity, the choices banks make in deploying surplus funds, and the RBI’s delicate balancing act in steering short-term interest rates.

This article explores:
 

• What VRR / VRRR auctions are and why the RBI uses them
   
• The specific episode of the 4-day auction and participation trends
   
• Broader liquidity conditions and evolving RBI tools
   
• Implications for money markets, banks, and monetary policy
   
• Challenges, risks, and possible future directions
   
• A concluding assessment
   

Understanding VRR / VRRR Auctions

Before delving into the event, it’s useful to recap how these auctions work and why they are critical tools in India’s monetary operations.

What are VRR and VRRR?
 

• VRR (Variable Rate Repo): The RBI injects liquidity into the banking system. Banks bid to borrow funds from the RBI at variable interest rates. This is used when the system is tight.
   
• VRRR (Variable Rate Reverse Repo / Reverse VRR): The RBI absorbs excess liquidity. Banks bid to deposit funds with the RBI at variable rates. This is used when surpluses in the banking system become large.
   

Because the return (or cost) is determined by competitive bidding rather than a fixed interest rate, these auctions give the RBI flexibility to fine-tune short-term rates.

In effect, VRR/VRRR are operating under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) framework: the RBI ensures that overnight and short-tenor rates evolve within its corridor defined by the Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) rate (floor) and Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate (ceiling).

Why these auctions matter
 

1. Liquidity management: In times of surplus, VRRR helps mop up excess funds and prevent rates from collapsing below desired levels. In times of tightness, VRR provides banks needed funding.
    
2. Interest rate anchoring: By controlling how much surplus is soaked up (or deficit filled), the RBI can nudge interbank rates closer to the policy (repo) rate, aiding transmission of monetary policy.
    
3. Signalling tool: The size, tenor and frequency of auctions send signals to markets about the RBI’s stance and its comfort with liquidity levels.
    

Thus, how banks respond to these auctions is a reflection both of prevailing liquidity dynamics and of their expectations about short-term interest rates or risk.

The 4-Day VRR Auction: Banks Park ₹ 90,931 Crore

Context and participation

According to the Business Standard article, banks placed ₹ 90,931 crore in the RBI’s 4-day VRR reverse repo auction, falling short of the notified ₹ 1,00,000 crore target. The auction was conducted under conditions of surplus liquidity in the banking system.

This under-subscription underscores that even when liquidity is ample, banks may hesitate to park all surplus funds with the central bank, preferring alternative avenues or anticipating more profitable short-term opportunities.

Auction Participation vs. Notified Amount

Here is a comparative table summarising this and similar auctions to shed light on trends:
 

Note: Figures are drawn from recent RBI and market news reports; “subscription rate” refers to the proportion of bids submitted relative to notified.

Before this table, we see that banks are cautious in fully committing surplus funds to short-term central bank instruments. After the table, we observe that this pattern points to a delicate interplay of return expectations, alternative liquidity uses, and rate expectations.

By comparing across tenors, the table illustrates how shorter-term auctions tend to see more conservative uptake, even when surpluses are large, reflecting banks’ desire to retain flexibility or chase better yields elsewhere.

Broader Liquidity Conditions & RBI Strategy

Liquidity surplus and structural shifts

In mid-2025, India’s banking system has often been running a liquidity surplus of over ₹ 2.5–3.0 lakh crore. That surplus is driven by a mix of factors: lower credit off­take, government cash inflows, RBI’s open market operations, and a cut in the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) which adds durable liquidity.

Given this backdrop, the RBI has started to scale back daily VRR injections (previously used to counter episodes of tightness) and instead lean more on VRRR operations to absorb excess funds.

Shifts in RBI’s operational tools
 

• The RBI discontinued daily VRR auctions effective June 11, 2025, citing the surplus liquidity environment.
   
• It reintroduced 7-day VRRR auctions (e.g. ₹ 1,00,000 crore on June 27) to mop up excess liquidity.
   
• The RBI has also been conducting variable-rate reverse repo auctions of shorter tenors (e.g. 3-day VRRR) to fine-tune overnight rates.
   
• In tandem, the central bank is adjusting durable liquidity levers such as CRR or OMOs (open market purchases/sales) to modulate long-term balances.
   

This shifting mix signals a more nuanced approach—less reliance on blunt daily injections, more on auction-based absorption, and flexible use of durable tools.

Impact on money market rates and transmission

Because the objective of absorbing surplus is to avoid short-term rates collapsing below policy thresholds, VRRR auctions push up the cost of parking funds, narrowing the gap between interbank rates and the repo rate.

In recent episodes, weighted average call rates (WACR) and tri-party repo rates have shown upticks following VRRR operations.

However, if banks are cautious or unwilling to commit, under-subscription can limit the efficacy of such operations in anchoring rates. Indeed, some VRRR auctions have seen weak response (e.g. 3-day VRRR with 57,450 crore bids against 1,00,000 crore notified) even in a surplus regime.

In short: VRRR ops help prevent rates from moving too far below the floor, but their impact depends heavily on bank participation.

Implications and Challenges

For banks and treasury operations

Banks must decide whether to park surplus funds with the RBI (low risk but possibly lower yield) or deploy them in alternative, riskier short-term instruments (e.g. collateralised markets, interbank loans). The under-subscription suggests many prefer flexibility, anticipating better opportunities or avoiding rigidity.

Additionally, episodes of cash stress (overnight) can discourage banks from over-committing to VRRR auctions. Indeed, Reuters noted that after a sudden spike in overnight rates, banks are likely to be more cautious in future VRRR bids.

Pricing expectations matter: if banks believe short-term yields will rise, they may withhold surplus rather than lock in lower rates via VRRR.

For monetary policy and transmission

The RBI’s ability to steer short-term rates closer to the repo rate depends critically on auction outcomes. Weak uptake undermines the transmission channel and may force the RBI to lean more on other tools (e.g. overnight windows, durable liquidity adjustments).

Moreover, if VRRR auctions raise the short-term cost of funds, this could partially offset earlier monetary easing steps (e.g. rate cuts or CRR reduction). Analysts have warned that excessive liquidity withdrawal could push money market yields up and soften the impact of the repo rate cuts.

For financial markets and bond yields

As liquidity is watered down, money market rates and short-term yields may creep upward. That could influence the yield curve, especially at shorter maturities, and raise funding costs for banks and borrowers. Some reports already point to upward movement in T-bill yields by 5–10 bps following surplus withdrawal moves.

However, the impact on longer-term bond markets may be muted if the central bank offsets pressures via OMOs or keeps an accommodative stance elsewhere.

Risks and potential pitfalls
 

• Under-subscription and limited participation: If banks don’t participate fully, the central bank’s tools lose bite.
   
• Liquidity overshoot or spillover: Aggressive absorption may overcorrect and cause tightness.
   
• Policy time inconsistency: Overuse of auctions for fine-tuning may send confusing signals to markets.
   
• Global spillovers: Volatile external rates or capital flows could strain domestic liquidity, complicating operations.
   
• Effective floor-ceiling anchoring: Ensuring short-term rates remain within the LAF corridor is a delicate balancing act.
   

Conclusion

The recent 4-day VRR operation, where banks parked ₹ 90,931 crore (against a ₹ 1,00,000 crore target), is symptomatic of how surplus liquidity and evolving return expectations are reshaping the dynamics of India’s interbank and central banking operations.

Banks are more judicious now in placing surplus funds with the RBI; they weigh the trade-off between the safety and certainty of central bank absorption versus flexibility and yield opportunities elsewhere. The under-subscription underscores this caution.

For the RBI, the challenge lies in orchestrating its liquidity tools, VRRR auctions, CRR adjustments, OMOs, or overnight windows, in a complementary fashion so as to maintain smooth monetary transmission, anchor short-term rates, and avoid volatility.

Looking ahead, success will depend on how well the RBI calibrates the frequency, tenor, and size of VRRR auctions, and whether banks respond credibly. If under-subscription persists, the central bank may have to lean more on overnight tools or durable measures. Conversely, overzealous absorption could lead to inadvertent tightness.

In short, the 4-day auction episode is a microcosm of an evolving liquidity regime, one that’s less about blunt injections or drains, and more about tactical, calibrated operations in an era of persistent surplus.

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