The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has invited public comments on draft amendment directions aimed at revising the methodology for identifying Non-Banking Financial Companies in the Upper Layer (NBFC-UL) and including government-owned NBFCs within this category.

The draft proposals include amendments to norms on NBFC registration, scale-based regulation, and concentration risk management. Stakeholders, including NBFCs and the general public, can submit their feedback until May 4, 2026, through the RBI’s ‘Connect 2 Regulate’ portal or via email.

As part of the proposed changes, the RBI plans to replace the existing two-pronged methodology—based on asset size and parametric scoring—with a simpler and more transparent asset size criterion. NBFCs with assets of Rs 1 lakh crore and above may be classified under the Upper Layer.

Additionally, the central bank has proposed extending Upper Layer classification to eligible government-owned NBFCs, aligning with its objective of maintaining a neutral regulatory framework irrespective of ownership.

The draft also suggests allowing NBFC-UL entities to use state government guarantees as a credit risk transfer instrument without limits, subject to specified conditions.