

Next year’s shift to risk-based deposit insurance could help depositors make better banking choices
It is heartening that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to adopt a risk-based framework for deposit insurance to replace a one-size-fits-all one which does not distinguish between banks on the basis of their individual risk profiles. This decision was taken on Friday and it follows RBI’s monetary policy statement of October 2025, in which the central bank had proposed a model that abandons a flat premium rate in favour of payments that vary by risk—in this case, of a regular bank failing to meet its obligations to depositors. With this shift slated to come into effect from 2026-27, financially sound banks can expect to save on the price they pay.
In general, it should incentivize banks to manage their risks better, thereby improving the overall soundness of India’s banking industry. Currently, Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) charges all banks a flat premium of 12 paise for every ₹100 of assessable deposits. This framework, in vogue since 1962, goes against the basic principle of insurance that says the premium—or price for the service—must be related to the degree of risk; higher premium rates for life coverage in war zones, for instance.In the context of banks, the best way to keep deposits secure is by means of a banking system that has no bank failures.
But that is a utopian ideal. Like fiat money without an issuer, it does not exist. Modern banking is based on a fractional reserve system, under which banks retain a fraction of their deposits and lend the rest.
But bank deposits are repayable on demand, while the loans they extend are not. In the real world, thus, occasional bank failures are unavoidable. Yet, for the system’s survival, depositors must trust that their bank will be
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