Chapter IIIB — Non-Banking Institutions and Financial Institutions
Section 45NB: Disclosure of information
Reviewed by CA Nikhil Gupta · Last reviewed 18 September 2026
Section 45NB permits disclosure/publication of information obtained under Chapter IIIB in the circumstances and manner the statute allows, notwithstanding ordinary confidentiality concerns where the statutory test is met.
Operative provisionOfficial sources mappedProvision-specific decode
Finin2min - Section 45NB in 2 minutes
Statutory structure and clause / subsection decode
This map separates the operative limbs of this provision so thresholds, powers, conditions and exceptions are not collapsed into a single summary.
45NB(1)
Information relating to a non-banking financial company obtained by RBI under Chapter IIIB is subject to the statutory confidentiality rule.
Disclosure exceptions
The section permits disclosure only through its enumerated statutory routes; analyse each proposed recipient/purpose against the actual exception.
Professional use
Do not treat possession of supervisory information as authority to publish it. Record the precise exception or consent/statutory route relied on.
Worked practical example
Facts. A supervisor cannot assume that all inspection findings are public merely because RBI holds them; Section 45NB and any other confidentiality rule determine what may be disclosed.
Compliance points and common mistakes
- Do not decide the issue from the heading alone. Map the facts to the operative words of Section 45NB and to each relevant subsection, clause, proviso or explanation shown above.
- Keep the statutory question separate from the operational overlay. Before disclosure, identify the statutory purpose, recipient/publication route and any confidentiality restrictions under other applicable law.
- Do not convert an exception, exemption or discretionary RBI/Government power into an automatic entitlement. Record the authority, conditions and effective date.
- Where the provision is historical, omitted or repealed, state that status prominently and do not present it as a current compliance obligation.
Connected provisions and instruments
Section 45NB has no universal instrument dependency in this package. Add an RBI circular or direction only when its subject, entity and effective date cover the issue being analysed.
Questions and answers
What is the purpose of Section 45NB?
Disclosure of information: Section 45NB permits disclosure/publication of information obtained under Chapter IIIB in the circumstances and manner the statute allows, notwithstanding ordinary confidentiality concerns where the statutory test is met.
Which statutory limb should be checked first?
45NB(1) - Information relating to a non-banking financial company obtained by RBI under Chapter IIIB is subject to the statutory confidentiality rule.
What is the next legal boundary?
Disclosure exceptions - The section permits disclosure only through its enumerated statutory routes; analyse each proposed recipient/purpose against the actual exception.
What record should support the conclusion?
Section 45NB file evidence: Keep the decision note authorising disclosure and the information set actually released.
Primary sources
- Department of Financial Services - consolidated RBI Act (states amendments through Finance Act, 2022)
- India Code - Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934
Source control for Section 45NB: use the official consolidated RBI Act for the statutory text and footnotes, then separately reconcile any post-Finance Act 2022 amendment, commencement notification or RBI instrument relevant to the event date.