RBI dismisses social media claims regarding replacement of CTS chequebooks in 2027

According to a report by TV9 Gujarati, a message is going viral on social media and WhatsApp claiming that ordinary chequebooks will become invalid after December 31, 2026. This viral message also stated that from January 1, 2027, new chequebooks with new security features would become mandatory, claiming that these would include a new alphanumeric code, a new MICR number, and UV security features. Additionally, the message falsely claimed that after this deadline, old cheques worth more than 50,000 rupees would not be accepted.

Regarding all these speculations and misleading claims, an official clarification was issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on November 7, 2026. The RBI has clearly stated that all these claims are baseless and misleading. The central bank has clarified that no decision has been taken to make any changes to the current Cheque Truncation System (CTS) chequebooks.

Warning citizens, the RBI has advised them not to pay attention to such messages circulating on social media and to rely only on official information published by the central bank. Customers do not need to apply for a new chequebook by following these viral social media messages.

According to the bank, the existing chequebook can be used as before as long as pages are available in the chequebook, unless official instructions are issued by a bank or the chequebook is lost.

CTS (Cheque Truncation System) is a digital system operating across India that, instead of sending physical cheques from one place to another, speeds up the clearing process based on the electronic image and data of the cheque, which significantly reduces the time taken for cheque clearing.