
RBI DG T Rabi Sankar criticises banks' arbitrage trades as rupee weakens

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RBI Deputy Governor T. Rabi Sankar criticized banks for exacerbating the rupee's weakness through arbitrage trades during West Asia tensions. He highlighted that these trades strained dollar liquidity amid significant foreign outflows. Following RBI's restrictions on currency speculation, banks reversed $30 billion in trades. Sankar expressed discontent over banks transferring trades to corporate clients, which is prohibited. RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra noted that while arbitrage positions are crucial for price discovery, excessive volatility can be destabilizing. The rupee has gained 2% since the RBI's intervention, becoming Asia's best-performing currency this year.

