The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) balance sheet expanded by 8.20 per cent year-on-year, reaching Rs 76.25 lakh crore as of March 31, 2025, according to the central bank’s Annual Report for 2024-25 released on Thursday. The increase contributed to a significant dividend payout of Rs 2.69 lakh crore to the central government.The report noted that the increase on the asset side was led by a 52.09 per cent rise in gold holdings, a 14.32 per cent jump in domestic investments, and a 1.70 per cent increase in foreign investments.Income for the year saw a notable rise of 22.77 per cent, while expenditure went up by 7.76 per cent.“The year ended with an overall surplus of Rs 2,68,590.07 crore as against Rs 2,10,873.99 crore in the previous year, resulting in an increase of 27.37 per cent,” the RBI stated.The RBI’s balance sheet reflects the operations linked to its core functions, including currency issuance, monetary policy implementation, and reserve management.The balance sheet size increased by Rs 5,77,718.72 crore from Rs 70,47,703.21 crore on March 31, 2024 to Rs 76,25,421.93 crore on March 31, 2025, the report said.On the liabilities side, the growth was attributed to a 6.03 per cent increase in notes issued, a 17.32 per cent rise in revaluation accounts, and a 23.31 per cent increase in other liabilities.As of March 31, 2025, domestic assets made up 25.73 per cent of total assets, while foreign currency assets, gold (including gold deposit and gold held in India), and loans and advances to financial institutions outside India constituted 74.27 per cent. This compares with 23.31 per cent and 76.69 per cent, respectively, as of March 31, 2024.A provision of Rs 44,861.70 crore was made and transferred to the Contingency Fund (CF), the report added.