The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday announced it will conduct Open Market Operation (OMO) purchase auctions of Government of India securities worth ₹1,00,000 crore to manage liquidity conditions in the financial system.
The central bank said the purchases will be carried out in two tranches of ₹50,000 crore each, scheduled for March 9, 2026, and March 13, 2026 respectively.
The move follows a review of current liquidity and financial market conditions, the RBI said in a statement.
Securities to be purchased
Under the first tranche on March 9, the RBI will buy multiple government securities through a multi-security auction using the multiple price method.
The securities eligible for purchase include:
— 6.01% Government Security 2030 (maturing July 21, 2030)
— 6.10% Government Security 2031 (maturing July 12, 2031)
— 7.18% Government Security 2033 (maturing August 14, 2033)
— 6.19% Government Security 2034 (maturing September 16, 2034)
— 6.33% Government Security 2035 (maturing May 5, 2035)
— 6.92% Government Security 2039 (maturing November 18, 2039)
— 7.30% Government Security 2053 (maturing June 19, 2053)
The aggregate purchase amount for the auction is ₹50,000 crore, with no security-wise allocation specified.
Auction timeline and settlement
Eligible participants must submit their bids electronically on the E-Kuber system, the RBI’s core banking platform, between 9:30 am and 10:30 am on March 9, 2026. The results of the auction will be announced the same day.
Successful participants must ensure the availability of securities in their Subsidiary General Ledger (SGL) accounts by 12 noon on March 10, 2026, the RBI said.
The apex bank also said that it reserves the right to determine the quantum of individual securities it will purchase, accept offers for less than the total notified amount, or buy marginally higher or lower than the aggregate amount due to rounding adjustments.
It may also accept or reject any or all the offers, either fully or partially, without assigning any reasons, according to the release.
liquidity management
An OMO purchase occurs when a central bank, such as RBI, buys government securities from commercial banks and financial institutions.
This allows the apex bank to inject liquidity into the banking system by buying government bonds from the market, helping stabilize financial conditions and support credit flow in the economy.
In December 2025, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said that the monetary policy committee (MPC) of the central bank has decided to conduct OMO purchases of government securities. ₹1 lakh crore, according to PTI.
