Global foreign exchange reserves remain a key indicator of a country’s external financial strength and ability to manage international payments and currency-market pressures. China continues to hold the largest foreign-exchange reserve stock, with reserves of around $3.41 trillion according to IMF-based comparisons.
India has also recorded a significant rise in its foreign exchange reserves. RBI data showed India’s reserves increased to $729.33 billion for the week ended August 21, 2026, before reaching a fresh record of $740.80 billion in the week ended August 28.
The latest RBI figures show that India’s reserves comprise foreign currency assets, gold reserves, Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) and its reserve position with the International Monetary Fund.
For the week ended August 28, foreign currency assets stood at about $600.67 billion, while gold reserves were valued at approximately $116.41 billion.
The rise in India’s reserves has been linked to strong dollar inflows, including funds attracted through measures introduced to encourage foreign-currency deposits and overseas borrowing.
Reuters reported that inflows under these schemes exceeded $136 billion between June 5 and August 31, with a large portion coming from non-resident Indian deposits.
Foreign exchange reserves provide central banks with a financial buffer that can help meet external payment requirements and manage periods of volatility in currency markets.
The IMF separately tracks official foreign exchange reserves through its international reserve datasets, with foreign exchange assets distinguished from monetary gold, SDRs and reserve positions.
The $3.41 trillion figure for China and India’s $729.33 billion figure come from different datasets/time points, so they should be presented as a broad comparison rather than a perfectly synchronized ranking. India’s more recent RBI figure of $740.80 billion was reported for August 28, 2026.