India's inward receipts from international trade in services, incomes, and remittances surged by 56% to $464.189 billion in the first nine months of FY26, according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India. These receipts, known as invisible receipts as they reflect earnings from IT services, tourism and remittances rather than international trade in physical goods, significantly bolstered the country's balance of payments. The RBI released this data in accordance with the International Monetary Fund's balance of payments and international investment position manual.
The services sector, which accounted for two-thirds of total receipts, grew approximately 9% to $310.242 billion during the nine-month period. As reported by The Economic Times, this growth was largely driven by earnings from telecommunication, computer and information services, which were recorded at $152.606 billion for the nine-month period, reflecting a 13% jump from the year-ago period's $135.609 billion. However, income from business services slowed to $77.779 billion for the nine-month period from $91.103 billion in the previous year, while earnings from overseas banking services also declined to $5.695 billion from $4.520 billion.
The secondary income receipts, which reflect inward remittances from people working abroad, personal gifts and money received by charitable institutions, rose 10% to $111.029 billion, according to the RBI data. Under the primary income category, India received $42.917 billion against $41.502 billion in the previous year. However, investment income receipts declined to $28.738 billion against $29.801 billion a year ago. The primary income category includes investment income receipts, which showed this decline despite the overall growth in invisible receipts.
India's net international liability position showed significant improvement in the third quarter, with the country's net financial obligations declining by $10.9 billion during the period. According to The Economic Times, this improvement was driven by Indian residents increasing their overseas assets more than foreigners increased their assets in India. The ratio of India's international assets to liabilities improved to 82.1% as at end-December 2025 from 81.45 three months prior, with the ratio at 74.6% a year ago. Indian residents' overseas financial assets increased by $12.8 billion during the quarter, primarily led by a rise in outward direct investments of $7.6 billion and currency and deposits of $9.4 billion.
The strong performance of invisible receipts reflects India's growing strength in services exports and remittances, as reported by The Economic Times. The data demonstrates the country's increasing contribution to global services trade and its ability to generate earnings from intangible assets. The growth in telecommunication and information services, which are key sectors in India's IT services export portfolio, contributed significantly to the overall increase in invisible receipts during the first nine months of FY26. The improved international financial position further strengthens India's position in global markets and reduces external financial obligations.
