In a move that might affect your wallet, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given us a bit more time to exchange those ₹2,000 notes. Good news, right?
Here’s the scoop: The RBI recently decided to extend the deadline for exchanging or depositing ₹2,000 notes at bank branches until October 7, 2023. That’s a sigh of relief for many who were worried about the looming deadline. Your money is safe for now!
The RBI stated, “As the period specified for the withdrawal process has come to an end, and based on a review, it has been decided to extend the current arrangement for deposit/exchange of ₹2,000 banknotes until October 07, 2023.” So, no need to panic.
Even after October 7, you can still exchange these notes, but there’s a twist. You’ll need to head to one of the 19 RBI Issue offices. There’s a limit, though – you can exchange up to ₹20,000 at a time. It’s a good option if you’ve got a stash of these notes lying around.
But that’s not all. If you’re outside India and still holding onto ₹2,000 notes, you can send them through India Post to any of the 19 RBI Issue Offices. Just make sure you follow the RBI and government regulations, have valid identity documents, and undergo the necessary due diligence.
The RBI encourages everyone to exchange or deposit these notes without any further delay. So, don’t procrastinate!
Now, here’s a little backstory: The RBI had announced the withdrawal of ₹2,000 currency bills from circulation back in May, citing its clean-note policy. They asked banks to stop issuing these notes immediately. As per their latest data, around 96% of these notes have already made their way back to the banks. Out of ₹3.56 lakh crore worth of ₹2,000 notes in circulation on May 19, 2023, ₹3.42 lakh crore have been returned.
In simpler terms, there’s not much of this high-denomination note left in the wild – just ₹0.14 lakh crore. So, it’s a limited edition note now!
Here’s the bottom line: The last date to exchange your ₹2,000 notes at regular banks is October 7, and after that, they won’t accept them anymore. But don’t worry, if you still have these notes, you can head to one of the RBI offices or even use India Post to get them exchanged. Your money is safe, folks!