RBI Governor

Governor of the Reserve Bank of India
Seal of RBI
Incumbent Urjit Patel since 4 September 2016
Appointer	Government of India
Inaugural holder	Osborne Smith
Formation	1 April 1935

The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India is the chief executive of India's central bank and the ex-officio chairperson of its Central Board of Directors. Indian Rupee currency notes, issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), bear the governor's signature. Since its establishment in 1935 by the British colonial government, the RBI has been headed by 24 governors. The term of office typically runs for 3 years.

The inaugural officeholder was the British banker Osborne Smith, while C. D. Deshmukh was the first Indian governor. The position is currently held by Urjit Patel, who took over from Raghuram Rajan on 4 September 2016.