High-value bank fraud cases in India rose sharply in the financial year 2025-26, with the number of reported cases involving more than ₹1 crore increasing to 1,330 from 941 a year earlier. According to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data cited by the Ministry of Finance in Parliament, the total amount involved in these frauds stood at ₹46,559.84 crore during FY26, while banks recovered ₹2,788.38 crore.
The figures were disclosed by Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The information was provided in response to an unstarred question raised by MP Vivek K. Tankha, who sought details of bank fraud cases involving more than ₹1 crore over the past five financial years, along with the amount involved and the money recovered.
Fraud cases rise after three-year decline
The latest figures show a significant reversal in the trend seen between FY21 and FY24. High-value bank fraud cases had declined for three consecutive years, falling from 1,066 cases in FY21 to 889 in FY22, 740 in FY23 and 641 in FY24.
However, the number began rising again in FY25, when 941 cases involving more than ₹1 crore were reported. The figure climbed further to 1,330 in FY26, representing a substantial year-on-year increase.
The amount involved has also risen sharply after reaching a low in FY24. In FY21, high-value fraud cases involved ₹97,508.55 crore. The figure declined to ₹34,126.47 crore in FY22, ₹14,312.78 crore in FY23 and ₹9,080.50 crore in FY24.
The amount then increased to ₹30,121.98 crore in FY25 before reaching ₹46,559.84 crore in FY26.
Recovery remains a major challenge
Although banks recovered ₹2,788.38 crore during FY26, the amount remains considerably lower than the total value involved in reported fraud cases. In FY25, ₹1,287.86 crore was recovered against ₹30,121.98 crore involved.
The five-year data also shows significant variation in recovery. Banks recovered ₹510.06 crore in FY21, ₹374.27 crore in FY22, ₹980.09 crore in FY23 and ₹342.48 crore in FY24.
Across the six financial years from FY21 to FY26, a total of 5,607 fraud cases involving more than ₹1 crore were reported. The combined amount involved stood at ₹2,31,710.12 crore, while ₹6,283.14 crore was recovered.
FY26 marks a sharp escalation
The latest figures underline the scale of the challenge faced by banks and financial institutions in detecting and containing large-value fraud. The rise from 941 cases in FY25 to 1,330 in FY26 comes after the number had fallen to its lowest level of 641 cases in FY24.
Similarly, the amount involved increased by more than ₹16,000 crore in one year, from ₹30,121.98 crore in FY25 to ₹46,559.84 crore in FY26.
The data covers fraud cases reported by Scheduled Commercial Banks, excluding Regional Rural Banks, along with All India Financial Institutions, as per RBI data provided by the Ministry of Finance.
What the numbers indicate
The sharp increase in both the number of cases and the amount involved suggests that high-value financial fraud continues to pose a serious risk to the banking system. The recovery figures also highlight the difficulty of tracing and retrieving funds once fraudulent transactions have taken place.
For banks, early detection, stronger transaction monitoring and rapid intervention remain critical because funds involved in fraud can move through multiple accounts and financial channels.
The government’s disclosure in Parliament comes at a time when financial fraud remains a major concern across both traditional banking and digital payment systems. While the latest data does not provide a case-wise breakup of the frauds or identify individual offenders, it highlights the growing financial exposure associated with large-value bank fraud.
With 1,330 cases involving ₹46,559.84 crore reported in FY26 alone, the figures underline the need for stronger preventive controls and faster recovery mechanisms to limit losses from high-value banking fraud.
