Reinforced concrete block masonry (RCBM) is commonly used in seismic regions instead of unreinforced masonry due to its better load resistance and ductility characteristics. The RCBM assemblages are conventionally provided with single layer of reinforcement at the centre of the walls. Due to this arrangement, providing confinement and lateral restraint to the vertical reinforcement bars in RCBM is challenging. In this study, twenty-one RCBM panels were constructed and tested under cyclic compression loading to evaluate the buckling characteristics of vertical reinforcement bars and effectiveness of different lateral ties configurations. The grout properties were also varied to study its influence on the cyclic compression behaviour of RCBM panels. The outcomes of the testing revealed that the single layer of vertical bars restrained with or without lateral ties did not exhibit any axial buckling under cyclic compression loading, leading to an inference that the surrounding grout has provided adequate restraint to these vertical bars. Using the experimental data, cyclic stress-strain curves and associated engineering parameters were derived for the tested RCBM panels.