India’s foreign exchange reserves saw a substantial rise of $14.167 billion in the week ended January 16, pushing the total above the $700-billion mark to $701.36 billion, according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday.
The rise in reserves follows a smaller increase of $392 million in the previous week.
The largest component of the reserves, Foreign Currency Assets (FCA), expanded by $9.65 billion, reaching $560.51 billion. FCA includes major global currencies such as the U.S. dollar, euro, yen and pound, valued in dollar terms.
Gold reserves also contributed significantly, increasing by $4.6 billion to $117.45 billion over the reporting week.
However, the value of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) dipped by $35 million to $18.70 billion, and India’s reserve position with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) declined by $73 million to $4.684 billion.
Previously, on October 17, 2025, India’s forex reserves had reached $702.25 billion, with the all-time high recorded at $704.89 billion in September 2024.
Analysts say rising forex reserves reflect sustained capital inflows, including foreign direct investment commitments, and strengthen the country’s ability to stabilize the exchange rate and support international trade
