India’s foreign exchange reserves rebounded sharply in the week ended April 3, 2026, rising by $9.063 billion to $697.121 billion, according to the latest data from the Reserve Bank of India. This comes after a steep decline in the previous week ended March 27, when the reserves had fallen by $10.288 billion to $688.058 billion.
Reserves rebound after recent pressure
The latest increase comes amid continued volatility triggered by the West Asia conflict, which had earlier dragged reserves down after they touched a record high of $728.494 billion in the week ended February 27, 2026.
The rupee has remained under pressure since the onset of the crisis, prompting the central bank to intervene in the forex market through dollar sales, along with certain policy steps to manage the currency’s
decline.
Foreign currency assets edge higher
Foreign currency assets (FCA), the largest component of the reserves, rose by $1.784 billion to $552.856 billion during the week. These assets, expressed in dollar terms, reflect the impact of movements in non-US currencies such as the euro, pound and yen held in the reserves.
Gold drives the bulk of gains
Gold reserves saw a sharp increase of $7.221 billion to $120.742 billion, accounting for a significant portion of the overall rise in reserves during the week.
SDRs and IMF position
Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) increased by $58 million to $18.707 billion, the central bank said. Meanwhile, India’s reserve position with the IMF remained unchanged at $4.816 billion at the end of the reporting week.
