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RBI Sets Course for Collaborative, Tech-Driven Supervision to Curb Digital Fraud

Governor Sanjay Malhotra emphasized shared analytics to detect mule accounts to strengthen customer protection through near real-time oversight.

Overview

  • Malhotra urged banks and other regulated entities to move beyond tick-box compliance and work with the RBI as partners to safeguard the financial system.
  • He called for industry-wide development of shared analytics and AI/ML tools to pre-emptively flag mule accounts and suspicious flows, with RBIH’s MuleHunter cited as a model.
  • The RBI plans to shift supervision toward off-site, near real-time monitoring using SupTech and AI, while keeping judgment and accountability firmly with supervisors.
  • Enforcement was framed as corrective and a backstop, with June–November 2025 actions covering 134 entities and penalties totaling Rs 6.99 crore.
  • Recent RBI data show reported fraud cases fell to 5,092 from 18,386 year-on-year, even as losses rose to ₹21,515 crore from ₹16,569 crore for April–September, underscoring risks from opaque pricing, weak disclosures and harsh recoveries.