RBI makes RTGS system available 24X7 from December

Mumbai: In a business-friendly move, the Reserve Bank of India on Friday said that Real Time Gross Settlement System (RTGS), used for large value transactions, will be made available round-the-clock from December.

In December 2019, the National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) system was made available on a 24x7x365 basis.

Currently, RTGS is available for customers from 7.00 am to 6.00 pm on all working days of a week, except the second and fourth Saturdays of every month.

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said that to support the ongoing efforts aimed at global integration of Indian financial markets, facilitate India’s efforts to develop international financial centres and to provide wider payment flexibility to domestic corporate and institutions, it has been decided to make RTGS available round-the-clock on all days.

“With this, India will be one of the very few countries globally with a 24x7x365 large value real-time payment system,” he said after the meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).

The round-the-clock RTGS facility will be made effective from December 2020.

From July 2019, RBI stopped levying charges on transactions through NEFT and RTGS, with an aim to promote digital transactions in the country.

RTGS is meant for large-value instantaneous fund transfers while NEFT is used for fund transfers of up to Rs 2 lakh.