Poonam Gupta takes charge as RBI Deputy Governor for three years 

In a move that signals continuity and intellectual heft at India’s central bank, Dr. Poonam Gupta has formally taken charge as the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Her appointment, announced by the Government of India on April 2, 2025, is for a term of three years or until further orders.

A respected economist with a formidable track record in global financial institutions, public policy, and academic research, Dr. Gupta now shoulders a portfolio that spans the Monetary Policy Department, Financial Markets Operations, Research, Statistics, International Affairs, Financial Stability, Strategy, and Communication. Essentially, she now oversees many of the RBI’s nerve centres for economic strategy and market operations.

Before joining the RBI, Dr. Gupta served as Director General of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), one of India’s premier think tanks. At NCAER, she led work on critical areas like macroeconomic stability, international finance, public debt, and state-level fiscal dynamics. Her policy acumen also found a national platform when she served on the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, and as the Convener of the Advisory Council to the 16th Finance Commission.

Her appointment is notable not just for the economic weight she carries, but also for the international perspective she brings. She spent nearly two decades at the IMF and World Bank, working on emerging markets, development finance, and sovereign policy frameworks. Earlier, she taught economics at institutions including the Delhi School of Economics, the University of Maryland, and the Indian Statistical Institute. She also held senior research positions at ICRIER and NIPFP.

Author of several research papers and the edited volume “Emerging Giants: China and India in the World Economy”, Dr. Gupta holds a PhD and Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Maryland, and another Master’s from the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi.

As the RBI grapples with balancing growth and inflation, deepening financial markets, and navigating global headwinds, Dr. Gupta’s appointment is expected to infuse the central bank with both experience and intellectual rigour.