Mumbai, Feb 9 (PTI) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday announced amendments to its lending directions for the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector, increasing the collateral-free loan limit for micro and small enterprises (MSEs) to Rs 20 lakh in a move aimed at improving credit access for smaller businesses.

"Banks are mandated not to accept collateral security in the case of loans up to Rs 20 lakh extended to units in the MSE sector. Banks are also advised to extend collateral-free loans up to Rs 20 lakh to all units financed under the Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) administered by KVIC," amended guidelines said.

Banks may, on the basis of good track record and financial position of the MSE units, increase the limit to dispense with the collateral requirement for loans up to Rs 25 lakh as per their internal policy and banks may avail the benefit of Credit Guarantee Scheme cover, where applicable, according to new norms.

However, accepting gold and silver as collateral pledged voluntarily by borrowers for loans sanctioned by the banks up to the collateral free limit, will not be construed as a violation of the mandate, it said.

The amendments have been made to the Master Direction Lending to MSME Sector, which was last updated in July 2025.

According to the RBI, the revised norms are intended to strengthen last-mile credit delivery to micro and small enterprises that often face constraints in providing collateral due to limited asset bases.

In addition to enhancing the collateral-free loan threshold, the amended directions also align MSME lending guidelines with certain regulatory changes that have been notified separately by the central bank.

The RBI said these changes are part of its broader efforts to improve the flow of institutional credit to the MSME sector, which is a key driver of employment and economic activity.

The amended directions will come into effect from April 1, 2026, the central bank said in a press release.

RBI governor Sanjay Malhotra announced this during the monetary policy announcement last Friday.

Prior to this, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget 2026-27 announced that the Self-Reliant India Fund will be topped up by Rs 4,000 crore in 2026-27 to support MSMEs. PTI AA NKD MR

MSME lending: collateral-free loan limit raised to Rs 20 lakh; banks may extend to Rs 25 lakh under internal policy. RBI amended the Master Direction on MSME lending to raise the collateral-free loan limit for micro and small enterprises to Rs 20 lakh, mandating banks not accept collateral for loans up to that amount and advising the same limit for PMEGP units. Banks may, under internal policy and based on borrowers' track record and financial position, dispense with collateral up to Rs 25 lakh and may use Credit Guarantee Scheme cover where applicable; voluntarily pledged gold and silver within the threshold will not breach the mandate. The amendments aim to strengthen last mile credit delivery and align MSME lending with other regulatory changes.