The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has initiated two important annual statistical surveys for the financial year 2025–26, aimed at enhancing the quality and accuracy of India's external sector statistics.
The surveys focus on mutual funds’ overseas financial positions and exports of computer software and IT-enabled services (ITES), both of which play a significant role in India’s increasingly globalized economy.
The move reflects the central bank’s continued efforts to strengthen data collection mechanisms and improve macroeconomic assessment through a modernized digital reporting framework.
With India's financial markets becoming more integrated with global markets and the country maintaining its position as a leading exporter of IT services, comprehensive and timely data collection has become increasingly important for policymakers and regulators.
The first initiative launched by the RBI is the Survey on Foreign Liabilities and Assets of Mutual Funds for 2025–26. The survey seeks detailed information regarding the overseas financial liabilities and assets held by mutual funds as of the end of March 2026.
The information collected through this exercise will help the central bank compile more accurate external sector statistics, which are critical for assessing India's international investment position, balance of payments, and overall financial stability.
Mutual funds have emerged as a key component of India's financial ecosystem, with increasing participation in international markets through overseas investments and foreign asset allocations. Tracking these exposures enables regulators to better understand cross-border capital flows and assess potential risks arising from global market movements.
The RBI has stated that the aggregated findings from the survey will be published in the public domain, enhancing transparency while providing valuable insights into the international exposure of India's mutual fund industry.
Mutual fund entities are required to submit their responses using the prescribed reporting schedule available on the RBI website or through the Centralised Information Management System (CIMS) portal.
The deadline for submission of responses is July 7.
To ensure a smooth transition to the new reporting platform, the central bank has also provided alternative submission mechanisms through email and existing reporting systems. This dual-mode approach is intended to reduce operational challenges during the migration to the CIMS-based reporting framework.
In addition to the mutual fund survey, the RBI has launched its annual Survey on Computer Software and IT-Enabled Services (ITES) Exports for 2025–26.
India remains one of the world's largest exporters of software and digital services, making accurate data collection in this sector essential for economic analysis and policymaking. The survey seeks detailed information relating to software exports, IT-enabled services, business process outsourcing (BPO) activities, and other technology-driven services exported by Indian enterprises.
The information gathered through the survey will contribute to the compilation of external sector statistics and support broader macroeconomic analysis related to trade in services.
India's technology services industry continues to be a major contributor to export earnings, employment generation, and foreign exchange reserves. The software and ITES sector has evolved significantly over the past decade, expanding beyond traditional outsourcing services into advanced areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, data analytics, and digital transformation consulting.
Given the sector's growing importance, the RBI's annual survey plays a crucial role in capturing emerging trends, export performance, and changes in service delivery models.
Reporting entities participating in the survey are required to submit their responses by July 15 using updated formats available on the RBI website or through the CIMS portal. Similar to the mutual fund survey, respondents can also utilize email-based and online submission options during the transition period.
Both surveys are being conducted through the RBI's Centralised Information Management System (CIMS), which represents a major step toward digitization and modernization of regulatory reporting.
The CIMS platform offers several advantages over traditional reporting systems, including built-in validation checks, automated acknowledgements, improved data accuracy, and faster processing of submissions.
The platform is designed to gradually replace older Excel-based reporting systems that have traditionally been used for regulatory data collection. By leveraging digital technologies, the RBI aims to streamline reporting processes, reduce manual errors, and improve the overall efficiency of data management.
Reliable and comprehensive data remains the foundation of effective policymaking. Surveys such as these help the RBI and other policymakers assess trends in capital flows, international investments, service exports, and external sector performance.
The data generated through these exercises supports decisions related to monetary policy, exchange rate management, financial stability monitoring, and broader economic planning. As India continues to deepen its integration with the global economy, robust statistical systems become increasingly vital for maintaining economic resilience and informed decision-making.
The FY26 surveys also align with the RBI's broader objective of building a technology-driven reporting ecosystem capable of supporting real-time and data-driven economic analysis.
The RBI's launch of the FY26 surveys on mutual funds’ foreign liabilities and assets and software and IT-enabled services exports marks another important step toward strengthening India's external sector data architecture.
By adopting the CIMS-based digital reporting framework, the central bank is modernizing data collection processes while improving accuracy, transparency, and efficiency.
The surveys will provide valuable insights into India's international financial exposure and technology export performance, supporting evidence-based policymaking and reinforcing the country's economic monitoring capabilities in an increasingly interconnected global environment.