Skip to main content

Withdrawal of ₹2000 Banknotes from Circulation

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced withdrawal of ₹2000 denomination banknotes from circulation.

When and why was banknote of ₹2000 introduced?

  • The ₹2000 denomination banknote was introduced in November 2016 under Section 24(1) of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, 1934.
  • It was introduced primarily to meet the currency requirement of the economy in an expeditious manner after the withdrawal of legal tender status of all ₹500 and ₹1000 banknotes in circulation at that time. 

Why and when was printing of ₹2000 banknote stopped?

  • The objective of introducing ₹2000 banknotes was met once banknotes in other denominations became available in adequate quantities. 
  • Therefore, printing of ₹2000 banknotes was stopped in 2018-19.

What is the status of ₹2000 banknotes in circulation?

The total value of ₹2000 banknotes in circulation has declined from ₹6.73 lakh crore at its peak as on March 31, 2018 (37.3% of Notes in Circulation) to ₹3.62 lakh crore constituting only 10.8% of Notes in Circulation on March 31, 2023. 

Why is RBI withdrawing banknote of ₹2000?

  • It has been observed that ₹2000 denomination is not commonly used for transactions. 
  • The stock of banknotes in other denominations continues to be adequate to meet the currency requirement of the public.
  • About 89% of the ₹2000 denomination banknotes were issued prior to March 2017 and are at the end of their estimated life-span of 4-5 years. In pursuance of the “Clean Note Policy” of RBI, it has been decided to withdraw the ₹2000 denomination banknotes from circulation.

What are the implications of withdrawal of ₹2000 banknote?

  • The banknotes in ₹2000 denomination will continue to be legal tender.
  • Public can continue to use ₹2000 banknotes for their transactions and also receive them in payment. However, they are encouraged to deposit and / or exchange these banknotes.
  • RBI has advised banks to stop issuing ₹2000 denomination banknotes with immediate effect.

Where can ₹2000 banknote be deposited and / or exchanged?

  • Public may deposit ₹2000 banknotes into their bank accounts and / or exchange them into banknotes of other denominations at any bank branch. 
  • Deposit into bank accounts can be made in the usual manner, that is, without restrictions and subject to extant Know Your Customer (KYC) norms and other applicable statutory provisions.
  • To ensure operational convenience and to avoid disruption of regular activities of bank branches, exchange of ₹2000 banknotes into banknotes of other denominations can be made upto a limit of ₹20,000/- at a time at any bank.
  • Business Correspondents (BCs) can exchange ₹2000 banknotes upto a limit of ₹4000/- per day for an account holder.
  • The facility for exchange of ₹2000 banknotes up to the limit of ₹20,000/- at a time shall also be provided at the 19 Regional Offices (ROs) of RBI having Issue Departments (i.e. ROs at Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Belapur, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna and Thiruvananthapuram).

What is the start and end date for deposit and / or exchange of ₹2000 banknote?

The facility for deposit and / or exchange of ₹2000 banknotes shall be available for public from May 23, 2023 to September 30, 2023.

What if any bank refuses to exchange / accept deposit of ₹2000 banknote?

  • For redress of grievance in case of deficiency of service, the complainant / aggrieved customer may first approach the concerned bank. 
  • If the bank does not respond within a period of 30 days after lodging of the complaint or if the complainant is not satisfied with the response / resolution given by the bank, the complainant can lodge the complaint under the Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RB-IOS), 2021 at the Complaint Management System portal of RBI (cms.rbi.org.in).

How withdrawal of ₹2000 banknote is different from demonetization of ₹500 and ₹1000?

  • During demonetization, the banknotes of ₹500 and ₹1000 ceased to be legal tender, however, ₹2000 continues to be a legal tender.
  • The demonetization was in accordance with Section 26 of RBI Act, whereas withdrawal of ₹2000 is in accordance with Section 27 of RBI Act. 
  • Demonetization of ₹500 and ₹1000 banknotes comprised around 86% of banknotes in circulation (in value terms), while withdrawal of ₹2000 will impact just about 10.8% (₹3.62 lakh crore) of banknotes in circulation as on March 31, 2023.
  • Demonetization of ₹500 and ₹1000 banknotes was with the intention to curb black money, whereas withdrawal of ₹2000 is because these notes have served the intended purpose and are now not much in usage.


References

Reserve Bank of India. (2023, May 19). 'FAQ - ₹2000 Denomination Banknotes – Withdrawal from Circulation; Will continue as Legal Tender'. Retrieved from https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/FAQView.aspx?Id=157

Reserve Bank of India. (2023, May 19). 'Notification - ₹2000 Denomination Banknotes – Withdrawal from Circulation; Will continue as Legal Tender'. Retrieved from https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=12505&Mode=0

Reserve Bank of India. (2023, May 19). 'Press Release - ₹2000 Denomination Banknotes – Withdrawal from Circulation; Will continue as Legal Tender'. Retrieved from https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/BS_PressReleaseDisplay.aspx?prid=55707


Follow at - Telegram   Instagram   LinkedIn   Twitter   Facebook

Comments

Popular Posts

Framework for recognition of Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO) for Payment System Operators (PSOs)

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had released the framework for recognition of Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO) for Payment System Operators (PSOs). What is the need of Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO) for Payment System Operators (PSOs)? Industry self-governance helps in industry-wide smooth operations and ecosystem development. RBI’s Payment and Settlement Systems Vision 2019-21 had, therefore, envisaged the setting up of an SRO for PSOs. Accordingly, the framework for recognition of SRO for PSOs was released in October 2020. What shall be the role of SRO for PSOs? An SRO is a non-governmental organisation that sets and enforces rules and standards relating to the conduct of member entities in the industry, with the aim of protecting the customer and promoting ethical and professional standards.  The SRO is expected to resolve disputes among its members internally through mutually accepted processes to ensure that members operate in a disciplined environment and even accept penal ...

Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 – Part-V – Section 45B to 45JA

The Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 provides the statutory basis of the functioning of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). In a series of articles, we will briefly go through the provisions of RBI Act, 1934. This is the fifth article in the series.  Chapter IIIA - Collection and Furnishing of Credit Information Section 45B – Power of Bank to collect credit information RBI may collect credit information from banking companies and furnish it to any banking company in accordance with section 45D. Section 45C – Power to call for returns containing credit information RBI may direct any banking company to submit statements relating to credit information. Section 45D – Procedure for furnishing credit information to banking companies A banking company may apply to RBI to provide credit information. RBI shall furnish the requested credit information without disclosing the names of the banking companies which have submitted the information. RBI may levy fees of up to Rs.25 for furnishing credit...

RBI’s Monetary Policy (December 05, 2025): In A Nutshell

The bi-monthly monetary policy of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was announced on December 05, 2025. Here are some of the highlights of the monetary policy announcement. Rates   Change Rate Policy repo rate Reduced by 25 bps 5.25% Standing deposit facility (SDF) rate 5.00% Marginal standing facility (MSF) rate 5.50% Bank rate 5.50% Monetary policy stance Monetary policy stance unchanged as ‘neutral’. Domestic Economy  Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth accelerated to 8.2% in Q2, buoyed by strong spending during the festive season which was further facilitated by the rationalisation of the goods and services tax (GST) rates.  Real GDP growth for 2025-26 is projected at 7.3%. For the first time since the adoption of flexible inflation targeting (FIT), average headline inflation for a quarter at 1.7% in Q2, breached the lower tolerance threshold (2%) of the inflation target (4%). It dipped further to an all-time low of 0.3% in October 2025. The underlying inflation pressu...

Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 – Part-II – Section 17 to 19

The Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 provides the statutory basis of the functioning of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). In a series of articles, we will briefly go through the provisions of RBI Act, 1934. This is the second article in the series.  Section 17 – Business which the Bank may transact RBI shall be authorized to carry on and transact the several kinds of business hereinafter specified, namely – 17(1) – Accept deposit without interest from the Central / State Government, local authorities, banks and any other persons. 17(1A) – Accept deposit, repayable with interest, from banks or any other person under the Standing Deposit Facility Scheme, as approved by the Central Board, for the purposes of liquidity management.   Bills of Exchange (B/E) & Promissory Note (PN) Bearing 2 or more good signatures, one of which shall be of B/E & PN arising out of Maturing within 17(2)(a) Purchase, sale and rediscou...

Systematically Important Banks (SIBs)

Some banks are identified as systematically important and are subjected to higher capital requirements. When are banks termed as systematically important? What are the additional capital requirements for such banks? And which are the systematically important banks in India? What are Systematically Important Banks (SIBs)? Systematically Important Banks (SIBs) are perceived as banks that are ‘Too Big To Fail (TBTF)’.  Why additional policy measures are required for SIBs? The perception of TBTF creates an expectation of government support for these banks at the time of distress. Due to this perception, these banks enjoy certain advantages in the funding markets. However, the perceived expectation of government support amplifies risk-taking, reduces market discipline, creates competitive distortions, and increases the probability of distress in the future. These considerations require that SIBs should be subjected to additional policy measures to deal with the systemic risks and moral ...