RBI move may push govt NBFCs into Upper-Layer NBFC category

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Mumbai: State-owned non-banking financial companies, including , , Indian Railway Finance Corp, and Housing & Urban Development Corp, are likely to be classified as Upper-Layer NBFCs under the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) proposed shift to an asset-size-based threshold, financial experts said.
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Last week, the RBI proposed a significant overhaul of its framework for identifying Upper-Layer NBFCs (NBFC-UL), suggesting a move to a more transparent classification based on absolute asset size. Under the proposal, any NBFC with assets of ₹1 lakh crore qualify as Upper Layer, replacing the existing methodology that combines a top-ten asset ranking with a complex parametric scoring model.

Critically, the central bank has also proposed removing the long-standing carve-out that shielded government-owned NBFCs from Upper-Layer classification-a change that would bring large state-owned entities under the same heightened oversight as their private peers, and marks a meaningful step toward ownership-neutral regulation.

The numbers make clear why these entities would comfortably cross the proposed threshold. As of December 2025, PFC had an asset base of ₹12 lakh crore, while REC stood at over ₹6 lakh crore. The government has separately proposed merging the two to create a large, consolidated power-sector lender. IRFC had assets of nearly ₹5 lakh crore and approximately ₹1.3 lakh crore.
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      “Identification of Upper-Layer NBFCs by asset size provides clarity to all stakeholders, and the inclusion of government-owned entities on the basis of size indicates a more harmonised approach to classification,” said A M Karthik, senior vice president and co-group head, financial sector ratings, at .

      Layer may Get Thin for Govt NBFCs, too
      A rule for all RBI has proposed to not exclude government entities from rules that define an Upper Layer NBFC

      However, questions linger at the other end of the spectrum. It remains unclear whether entities such as and PNB Housing Finance-both currently in the Upper Layer-could fall out of the classification under the revised framework, given that their asset bases may not comfortably exceed the ₹1 lakh crore floor.

      Also Read |

      Exit from the Upper Layer is not straightforward. “Regulatory clarity is needed on the exclusion of certain NBFCs from the Upper-Layer category, because under the earlier norms there was a five-year lock-in once an entity was classified as Upper Layer. From the regulator’s perspective, those that could reach Upper-Layer status within five years would likely be expected to remain on the list,” said a senior NBFC official.

      Also Read |

      Entities designated as NBFC-UL are subject to enhanced regulatory requirements, and the list is reviewed annually. As per the RBI’s January 2025 classification, the current Upper-Layer roster includes , , , Tata Sons (as a core investment company), , L&T Finance, Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services, Aditya Birla Finance, , Piramal Capital & Housing Finance, , , Sammaan Capital, , and .
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