Banking system liquidity surged to a record 9.7 trillion rupees ($102.66 billion) after India drew $127 billion in foreign-currency deposits from non-residents under a special scheme, with the funds swapped directly with the Reserve Bank of India.
Also Read: Indian banks slash FCNR deposit rates by up to 310 basis points
The RBI has several tools to tighten liquidity, including forex swaps, bond sales and an increase in cash reserve ratio.
Bank executives who met the RBI favoured forex swaps, said the sources, who requested anonymity as they are not authorised to speak with the media.
The central bank did not respond to a Reuters request for comments.
“A unanimous suggestion by the members was to conduct more dollar/rupee sell/buy swaps, as that will remove rupee liquidity without having any major impact on other asset classes,” one of the sources said.In a sell/buy swap, the central bank sells dollars to banks and receives rupees in the first leg of the transaction, before reversing the deal in the second leg.
Traders said the RBI could conduct sell/buy swaps for up to a one-year tenor to match the dates of maturing short dollars in its forward book, which will effectively bring forward those maturities.
Also Read: Indian banks raise over $136 bn via RBI forex swap, FCNR(B) deposits dominate inflows
According to the latest estimates, the RBI has outstanding forward dollar positions of about $45 billion maturing within one year. Conducting sell/buy swaps would allow the central bank to absorb a similar amount of surplus.
While suggesting this route, lenders urged the central bank to refrain from tweaking banks’ cash reserve ratio, as that would impact bank margins, the sources said.