NABARD significantly stepped up its financial support to India’s cooperative credit architecture during 2025-26, with direct refinance to District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) crossing Rs 33,700 crore, while expenditure under PACS computerisation and the Cooperative Development Fund also increased during the year.
According to NABARD’s audited financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2026, direct refinance to DCCBs stood at Rs 33,785.65 crore, up from Rs 27,767.64 crore in 2024-25. The increase was Rs 6,018.01 crore in a single year.
NABARD’s refinance portfolio also included Rs 1,81,068.83 crore in production and marketing credit and Rs 2,89,283.02 crore in medium- and long-term project loans at the end of March 2026.
The refinance segment covers institutions including State Cooperative Banks (StCBs), State Cooperative Agricultural and Rural Development Banks (SCARDBs) and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), among others.
The accounts also highlight the growing financial commitment towards PACS computerisation, a key intervention for modernising the grassroots tier of the cooperative credit system.
Under the Centrally Sponsored Project for PACS Computerisation, NABARD recorded Rs 83.22 crore under expenditure/adjustments during 2025-26. The project account had an opening balance of Rs 17.48 crore, while additions/refunds during the year stood at Rs 65.55 crore.
The figures point to a substantial scale-up in financial activity around the computerisation initiative, which is aimed at strengthening the digital infrastructure supporting the cooperative credit network.
NABARD’s Cooperative Development Fund (CDF) also saw a sharp rise in spending. Expenditure increased to Rs 105.25 crore in 2025-26 from Rs 54.55 crore in 2024-25, an increase of nearly 93 per cent.
The CDF balance stood at Rs 300 crore at the end of March 2026. NABARD’s total promotional expenditure under various development funds amounted to Rs 280.32 crore, including Rs 116.95 crore under the Producers’ Organisation Development Fund, Rs 15.12 crore under the Farm Sector Promotion Fund and Rs 37.66 crore under Gramya Vikas Nidhi.
Another key indicator is the Short-Term Cooperative Rural Credit Fund, whose deposits rose to Rs 35,000 crore as on March 31, 2026, from Rs 32,079.11 crore a year earlier. NABARD paid Rs 1,662.89 crore as interest on these deposits during 2025-26.
Overall, NABARD’s advances under its standalone financial statements rose to Rs 9,30,822.88 crore, including Rs 1,98,551.75 crore under RIDF and Rs 53,574.88 crore under NABARD Infrastructure Development Assistance.
The figures underline NABARD’s continuing role in financing and strengthening the cooperative rural credit ecosystem, particularly through DCCB refinance, PACS digitisation and dedicated cooperative development funding.
