Web Desk — December 3, 2025
The Indian rupee has been officially labeled as one of Asia’s weakest and worst-performing currencies in 2025, capping a year of relentless depreciation that has exposed vulnerabilities in the economy.
Critics, including opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, have lambasted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s economic policies for shattering the facade of a “shining India,” with the rupee’s record lows serving as irrefutable evidence of the BJP’s hollow growth model and deceptive performance. Gandhi recently accused the Modi government of “devastating the Indian economy.”
According to a Bloomberg report, the rupee’s continuous slide has positioned it as Asia’s underperformer, while currencies of Taiwan, Malaysia, and Thailand have appreciated this year. The currency’s woes stem from escalated US tariffs on Indian exports and a massive exodus of foreign investors, pushing it into sustained decline. A proposed hike in H-1B visa fees to $100,000 has further eroded investor confidence, exacerbating the pressure.
The report highlights that foreign investors have withdrawn over $16 billion from Indian stock markets so far in 2025. Despite the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) efforts—spending more than $30 billion in forex reserves since July to stabilize the rupee—the central bank has failed to halt the downturn. The rupee breached a historic low of 90.1325 against the dollar on Wednesday, marking a 4.9% year-to-date decline—the sharpest in Asia—and setting the stage for its largest annual drop since 2022
