RBI: All banks, financial companies and other regulated entities use the flow portal from May 1, RBI directive

New Delhi| The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked all banks, financial companies and other regulated entities to use the flow portal to submit any application involving authorizations, licenses and approvals from May 1, 2025. In an official statement released on Monday, the RBI said, “Since May 01, 2025, regulated entities are advised to use the flow to submit applications for regulatory authority, license, approval to the Reserve Bank using the application forms already available in the portal”

It also said, “All regulated entities are advised to follow the above instructions”. Instructions related to accessing the portal, submitting applications and tracking etc. are available on the portal itself Flow means platform for regulatory application, verification and authorization. It is a secure, web-based portal launched by RBI on May 28, 2024. PRAVAAH (Platform for Regulatory Application, Validation, and Authorization) aims to provide a single, secure and streamlined platform. Where individuals and companies can apply for various permissions from RBI.

Since its launch, PRAVAAH has received nearly 4,000 applications and requests. However, RBI observed that some banks and financial companies were still submitting applications using old methods outside the portal. To ensure faster processing and improve transparency, RBI has now made it mandatory for all regulated entities to use only the PRAVAAH portal.

This rule applies to scheduled commercial banks (including small finance banks, local area banks and regional rural banks), urban co-operative banks, state co-operative banks, central co-operative banks, all India financial institutions, non-banking financial companies (including housing finance companies), Applies to primary dealers, payment system operators and credit information companies.

The PRAVAAH portal provides all the required application forms. Users can easily find instructions on how to submit and track their applications directly on the platform. RBI has also provided a user manual, a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and video tutorials for assistance separately. The central bank aims to make the process of obtaining regulatory approval faster, more transparent and efficient.