Mumbai, May 23 (UNI) India’s foreign exchange reserves declined by USD 4.89 billion (₹31,650 crore) in the week ended May 16, 2025, to stand at USD 685.73 billion (₹58.66 lakh crore), according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday.

Despite the sharp weekly drop, the overall reserves posted a robust year-on-year growth of USD 37.03 billion (₹4.59 lakh crore) and a rise of USD 17.40 billion (₹1.53 lakh crore) since the end of March 2025, reflecting underlying strength in India’s external sector position.

Foreign Currency Assets (FCA), which form the largest component of the reserves, increased marginally during the week by USD 279 million (₹11,019 crore), taking the total to USD 581.65 billion (₹49.75 lakh crore). Since March-end, FCA rose by USD 14.09 billion (₹1.24 lakh crore) and showed an annual gain of USD 12.64 billion (₹2.33 lakh crore).

Gold reserves were valued at USD 81.22 billion (₹6.95 lakh crore), recording a steep weekly fall of USD 5.12 billion (₹42,520 crore). However, gold holdings were still higher by USD 3.04 billion (₹26,538 crore) from end-March and surged by USD 24.02 billion (₹2.18 lakh crore) over the year.

Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) stood at USD 18.49 billion (₹1.58 lakh crore), down by USD 43 million (₹90 crore) over the week. SDRs rose by USD 321 million (₹2,866 crore) since March-end and also recorded a similar annual increase.

India’s Reserve Position in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was reported at USD 4.37 billion (₹37,404 crore), reflecting a weekly decline of USD 3 million (₹59 crore). It was down by USD 52 million (₹451 crore) since March, but up by USD 44 million (₹1,279 crore) compared to the same period last year.

The RBI noted that foreign currency assets exclude its own SDR holdings, investments in bonds issued by IIFC (UK), funds under SAARC and ACU currency swap arrangements, and contributions to Nexus Global Payments.

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