Skip to content
Bankers TutorialLearn Today. Lead Tomorrow.

BANKERS TUTORIAL · RBI · ORIGINAL PRACTICE & ANALYSIS

Practice & review: Bank capital: loss absorption and ratio denominators

Bank capital provides a loss-absorbing funding layer and helps support confidence in an institution’s resilience. Capital ratios depend on both the numerator and the defined exposure denominator, so an unchanged capital amount need not imply an unchanged ratio.

01 / 03Learn with a clear direction

2 min read Original learning material · Prepared 14 Oct 2026

The worked question on this page is original educational practice. It is not represented as a question from an official previous-year examination paper.

01 / UNDERSTANDING

Review the question

Create an original capital-ratio exercise with invented inputs and an explicit limit on compliance conclusions. Increase risk-weighted assets while leaving capital unchanged to isolate the effect. An original checkpoint is: What is the ratio after risk-weighted assets increase to 120? Supported answer: 10%. Explain the decisive fact, then alter one condition and solve again. This is an original practice method, not a claim that the question appeared in an official past paper.

02 / UNDERSTANDING

The concept in context

Classroom ratios do not determine compliance: actual eligibility, deductions, buffers and requirements must follow the applicable regulatory framework. A useful study check is to name the capital numerator and exposure denominator, then separate conceptual arithmetic from regulatory compliance. Explain why the method fits the stated facts before applying it to a changed situation.

03 / UNDERSTANDING

A worked learning case

A fictional bank has eligible classroom capital of 12 and risk-weighted assets of 100, giving a ratio of 12%. If the capital amount stays 12 while risk-weighted assets rise to 120, the ratio becomes 10%. No loss has been assumed, but the larger denominator reduces the measured ratio. These invented figures do not describe regulatory compliance.

ORIGINAL EDUCATIONAL PRACTICE

Try it before you check.

What is the ratio after risk-weighted assets increase to 120?

Show the answer and reasoning

10%.

Dividing the unchanged capital amount of 12 by risk-weighted assets of 120 gives 0.10, or 10%. The earlier 12% ratio used a denominator of 100. This demonstrates that growth or reclassification of exposures can change a ratio even when the capital numerator is stable, without establishing any current regulatory threshold.

Two traps to watch for.

  • Treating capital as the same thing as immediate cash liquidity.
  • Reading a ratio change without checking its denominator.

YOUR TOPIC-SPECIFIC LEARNING MAP

Learn from the attempt

  1. Name the capital numerator and exposure denominator.

  2. Recalculate both initial and changed ratios.

  3. Separate conceptual arithmetic from regulatory compliance.

Explain the idea, apply it to a new situation, then check what changed in your reasoning.

BANKERS TUTORIAL · SOURCE NOTES

Keep the source alongside your notes.

Official links provide subject context and authoritative reference material. This guide’s explanation, scenario and question are original Bankers Tutorial learning content.

  1. www.rbi.org.in https://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/DataDefinition.aspx
  2. www.rbi.org.in https://www.rbi.org.in/commonperson/english/Scripts/FAQs.aspx

For RBI preparation, check the current official notice before relying on changing dates, rules or examination requirements.

← Back to Previous papers & practiceExplore the RBI study guide →

KEEP YOUR LEARNING CONNECTED

Continue with a related idea.

EXPLORE YOUR NEXT STEP

Invest in your preparation.

Explore the course content, preview available lessons and choose your learning path.

Browse all courses