Non-food bank credit growth hits 18.8% in August 2026: RBI data
Why in the news
The Reserve Bank of India published its Sectoral Deployment of Bank Credit data for August 2026 on 30 September 2026. It shows a sharp pick-up in lending compared with the same period of 2025.
Key facts
- Non-food bank credit grew 18.8% y-o-y as of the fortnight ended 31 August 2026, versus 10.2% a year before.
- Services recorded the highest growth, helped by lending to NBFCs, trade, professional services and commercial real estate.
- Industry credit was led by infrastructure, engineering, basic metals, chemicals, food processing, textiles, construction and petroleum products.
- Personal loans: housing and vehicle loans kept double-digit growth, while credit card dues and gold-jewellery loans slowed.
- Coverage: 41 select scheduled commercial banks, roughly 95% of non-food credit.
Sector-wise y-o-y growth (August 2026 vs August 2025)
| Sector | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture and allied | 17.2% | 7.6% |
| Industry | 18.2% | 7.0% |
| Services | 24.3% | 10.3% |
| Personal loans | 16.9% | 11.9% |
| Non-food credit (total) | 18.8% | 10.2% |
About the release
The RBI issues this monthly release on the sector-wise deployment of credit by scheduled commercial banks. It excludes food credit, which mainly funds foodgrain procurement, so it is a cleaner gauge of lending to the economy.
Exam angle
- Remember the ranking: services, industry, agriculture, personal loans.
- Non-food credit excludes food credit; growth is y-o-y, not month-on-month.
- Expect static questions on the RBI’s data releases and on credit segments.