Outlook Business Desk
Key government departments, banks and regulatory bodies in India will, starting October 1, 2025, roll out important updates covering banking fees, pension regulations, cheque processing, railway bookings and postal services, affecting customers, pension holders, and the public.
From October 4, 2025, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will shift cheque processing to a continuous clearing system with settlement upon realisation. The transition will be implemented in two phases: phase one until January 2, 2026, and phase two starting January 3, 2026.
From October 1, 2025, Punjab National Bank (PNB) will revise its service charges, including locker fees, standing instruction failures, nomination fees, and stop payment instructions. Locker fees have increased depending on size and branch, while stop payment charges remain unchanged.
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will roll out updated guidelines for online booking of general tickets, affecting Aadhaar-verified users, which will take effect from October 1, 2025, to prevent misuse by fraudulent actors.
India Post will revise Speed Post service charges, with changes taking effect from October 1, 2025. Updates include separate GST display, enhanced security, and OTP-based delivery verification, ensuring parcels are handed over safely only after one-time password confirmation for greater reliability.
Meanwhile, YES Bank will update its smart salary account charges, with the revisions taking effect from October 1, 2025. Changes include ATM withdrawal limits, cash transaction fees, debit card charges, and penalties for returned cheques, requiring account holders to review updates carefully.
HDFC Bank has notified its Imperia customers that new eligibility rules for maintaining Total Relationship Value (TRV) will come into effect from October 1, 2025. Customers enrolled in the Imperia programme on or before June 30, 2025, must meet these updated criteria to retain their status.
The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) will revise fees for services provided by Central Recordkeeping Agencies (CRAs) for National Pension System (NPS), NPS Lite, NPS Vatsalya, Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), and Atal Pension Yojana (APY), with the updated charges taking effect from October 1, 2025, for both online and offline accounts.
Non-government National Pension System (NPS) subscribers will be allowed to invest up to 100% in equities under a single plan, with this change taking effect from October 1, 2025. They can also maintain multiple schemes under a single PRAN across CRAs such as CAMS, Protean, and KFintech, providing greater flexibility under the new Scheme Framework.