

Bank liquidity may come under stress as short-term deposit instruments mature
CDs near maturity, they reflect as outflows in the next 30 days, dragging down the LCR.“We expect a sharp decline in LCR for Q4FY2026 driven by huge CD issuance in past months. However, this decline shall be recouped partially with the revised LCR norms effective 1 April, which is driven by lower outflow rates on certain other deposits,” said Gupta.In December 2025, banks raised a total of ₹1.56 trillion through 176 CD issuances, followed by ₹1.48 trillion in January through 111 CDs and ₹2.67 trillion in February, according to data provided by Prime Database.In 2025, banks raised ₹13.4 trillion through 1,446 CD issuances, higher than the ₹12.33 trillion raised via 1,284 issuances in 2024, data from Prime Database showed.The spurt in CD issuances comes as credit growth continues to outpace deposit accretion.
As of 15 February, banks' non-food credit grew 13.4% year-on-year and deposits rose 11.2%, latest Reserve Bank of India data showed.For the quarter ended December (Q3 FY26), State Bank of India’s liquidity coverage ratio fell to 125% from 144% in the prior quarter, reflecting the widening gap between loan growth and deposit mobilization.HDFC Bank’s LCR’s dropped to 116% in Q3 against 120% in Q2, while ICICI Bank’s liquidity buffer dipped to 125% from over 130% in Q2, highlighting the sequential moderation.As of 27 February, banking system liquidity was in a surplus of ₹2.9 trillion, easing short-term funding conditions and lowering money-market borrowing rates. However, market participants believe that despite having surplus liquidity, there will be little respite for banks’ LCR.
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