---
title: "RBI Reference Rate API: Official INR Rates as JSON"
description: "Get official Reserve Bank of India exchange rates as JSON: 6 currencies vs INR, history back to 2003. REST endpoint + zero-dependency npm SDK, free tier included."
canonical: https://allratestoday.com/blog/rbi-exchange-rate-api/
source: AllRatesToday (https://allratestoday.com/) — Markdown mirror of the page above; index of all pages at https://allratestoday.com/llms.txt
generated: 2026-10-14T19:16:49.296Z
---

**Reserve Bank of India** publishes an official table of exchange rates once per business day — the reference rates — covering 6 currencies against the INR. These are the *published central bank rates* used for accounting, tax filings, audits, and compliant invoicing in India — not moving market prices. This guide shows how to pull them as JSON: via a REST endpoint or the zero-dependency [`rbi-exchange-rate`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/rbi-exchange-rate) npm package, with history back to 2003.

  USD → INR — official Reserve Bank of India reference rate Weekly observations, Aug '25 – Aug '26 · Indian rupees per 1 US dollar

*Source: Reserve Bank of India published rates · chart data from the AllRatesToday API (`/api/v1/central-bank/rbi/history?source=USD&target=INR`).*

Want today’s numbers rather than code? The [RBI exchange rate API](https://allratestoday.com/central-bank-rates-api/rbi/) page shows the latest published table, refreshed every business day.

## What the RBI publishes

Since 10 July 2018 the reference rates are computed and announced by **Financial Benchmarks India Ltd (FBIL)**; the RBI stopped its own daily press release after 9 July 2018 but still lists the same rates in its Reference Rate Archive. So “RBI reference rate” and “FBIL reference rate” are the same daily numbers — this API reads them from the RBI archive and keeps the publication date on every row.

- **6 currencies** against the INR, in one table per business day.
- **History back to 2003** — queryable by exact date or as a daily time series.
- **The bank's own publication date** on every response, so a rate is always citable.
- **No weekend or holiday gaps to trip over** — requests for non-publication days resolve to the most recent published table and are flagged explicitly.

## Why official rates, not market rates

A live mid-market feed answers "what is USD/INR trading at right now?" — the right tool for checkouts and dashboards. But accountants, auditors, and tax authorities ask a different question: "which rate were you *required* to use for this date?" That answer comes from the central bank's published table, and it never changes after publication.

The RBI reference rates are the standard rupee benchmark in Indian regulatory and accounting contexts, with one of the deepest official histories of any central bank — back to 2003.

## Get the latest table (REST)

```
curl "https://allratestoday.com/api/v1/central-bank/rbi/latest" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
```

The response is the bank's most recent published table — one row per published pair in the bank's own quoting direction, the publication date (`rate_date`), and a freshness flag. Live example captured 2026-10-09:

```
{
  "bank": "rbi",
  "name": "Reserve Bank of India",
  "rate_date": "2026-10-09",
  "age_days": 1,
  "stale": false,
  "cadence": "daily",
  "rates": [
    {"base": "AED", "quote": "INR", "type": "reference", "value": 26.3049},
    {"base": "EUR", "quote": "INR", "type": "reference", "value": 108.4728},
    {"base": "GBP", "quote": "INR", "type": "reference", "value": 127.8859},
    {"base": "IDR", "quote": "INR", "type": "reference", "value": 0.0054012},
    {"base": "JPY", "quote": "INR", "type": "reference", "value": 0.6108},
    {"base": "USD", "quote": "INR", "type": "reference", "value": 96.6149}
  ],
  "disclaimer": "Official rates as published by the named central bank. On weekends/holidays the most recent published rate_date is returned."
}
```

Most integrations need one pair, not the table. Add `source` and `target` and the API returns a single resolved rate, flagged `derived: false` when the RBI printed the pair itself:

```
curl "https://allratestoday.com/api/v1/central-bank/rbi/latest?source=USD&target=INR" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
```

```
{
  "bank": "rbi",
  "name": "Reserve Bank of India",
  "rate_date": "2026-10-09",
  "source": "USD",
  "target": "INR",
  "rate": 96.6149,
  "rate_type": "reference",
  "derived": false,
  "method": "published",
  "age_days": 1,
  "stale": false,
  "cadence": "daily",
  "disclaimer": "Official rates as published by the named central bank. On weekends/holidays the most recent published rate_date is returned."
}
```

The latest table is available on every plan, including the free tier (300 free requests, no credit card). Since the table changes once per business day, caching it locally makes even a small quota go a long way.

## The npm SDK

```
npm install rbi-exchange-rate
```

```
import { getRate, getLatestRates } from 'rbi-exchange-rate';

// One pair at the official Reserve Bank of India rate
const pair = await getRate('USD', 'INR', { apiKey: 'art_live_...' });
console.log(pair.rate, pair.rate_date);

// The bank's full published table
const table = await getLatestRates({ apiKey: 'art_live_...' });
console.log(table.rate_date, table.rates.length);
```

Zero dependencies, TypeScript types included, and it runs anywhere `fetch` exists — Node 18+, Bun, Deno, and edge runtimes.

## Historical rates for an invoice date

The most common compliance job: an invoice dated months ago needs the official rate *for that date*.

```
import { getRatesForDate, getHistory } from 'rbi-exchange-rate';

// The official table for an invoice date — weekends/holidays return
// the most recent published date, flagged via published_on_requested_date.
const day = await getRatesForDate('2026-06-30', { apiKey: 'art_live_...' });

// Daily series for one pair
const series = await getHistory(
  { source: 'USD', target: 'INR', from: '2026-01-01' },
  { apiKey: 'art_live_...' }
);
```

Historical dates and time series need a [paid plan](https://allratestoday.com/pricing/); the latest table stays free.

## Published vs derived pairs

If the RBI does not print a pair directly, the API resolves it from the bank's table — an inverse, or a cross rate via INR — and flags it `derived: true` with the method used. Official and computed values are never silently mixed, which is exactly the distinction an auditor will ask about.

## FAQ

### Does Reserve Bank of India have an official exchange rate API?

Reserve Bank of India publishes its official rates on its website, but not always in a developer-friendly form. AllRatesToday serves the bank's published table as clean JSON — 6 currencies against the INR, with history back to 2003 — via REST or the rbi-exchange-rate npm package. The latest table is free.

### How often do Reserve Bank of India rates update?

Once per business day. These are published reference rates, not moving market prices — the table changes when the RBI publishes a new one, and every API response carries the bank's own publication date so you can cite it.

### Can I get the Reserve Bank of India rate for a past date, like an invoice date?

Yes. The /central-bank/rbi/rates-for-date endpoint returns the official table for any date back to 2003. Weekends and holidays resolve to the most recent published table and are flagged, so your audit trail stays honest. Historical dates require a paid plan; latest rates are free.

## Official Reserve Bank of India rates, as JSON

The latest table is free — 300 free requests, no credit card.

 [Get your free API key](https://allratestoday.com/register/)

## Related Articles

- [Reserve Bank of India rates API — product page](https://allratestoday.com/central-bank-rates-api/rbi/)
- [All covered central banks](https://allratestoday.com/central-bank-rates-api/)
- [Bank of Canada Exchange Rate API: Official CAD Rates as JSON](https://allratestoday.com/blog/boc-exchange-rate-api/)
- [Bank Negara Malaysia Exchange Rate API: Official MYR Rates as JSON](https://allratestoday.com/blog/bnm-exchange-rate-api/)
- [Central bank API documentation](https://allratestoday.com/docs/#central-bank)
- [Best exchange rate APIs in 2026 — how the official-rate and market-rate providers compare](https://allratestoday.com/best/best-exchange-rate-api/)