Business, Economy & Banking Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Recently, Gujarat became the third Indian state to cross 1 crore registered investors, as per National Stock Exchange (NSE) data. Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh had already crossed this mark. These three states together form 36 per cent of India’s total investor base, showing their big role in equity markets. As of May 2025, India has nearly 11.5 crore registered investors. North and East India saw growth of 24 per cent and 23 per cent in the past year, while South grew 22 per cent and West 17 per cent.

Notes:
Recently, European Union ministers approved Bulgaria to adopt the Euro from January 1, 2026, making it the 21st member of the eurozone. Bulgaria is located in southeastern Europe, occupying the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. It shares borders with Romania to the north, Turkey and Greece to the south, North Macedonia to the southwest, and Serbia to the west. It is bounded by the Black Sea on the east. The Balkan Mountains cross the central part of the country.

Notes:
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has urged integration of the 8th Economic Census preliminary work with the 16th Population Census. The Economic Census aims to capture a full count of all entrepreneurial activities in India at a specific point in time. It is conducted by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) to strengthen data-driven policymaking. The census provides detailed data on ownership patterns, employment numbers, and geographic spread of economic activities.

Notes:
Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Rural Development to promote Bima Sakhi Yojana in rural India. The MoU was signed during the financial inclusion conclave ‘Anubhuti’ held in Goa in July 2025. Bima Sakhi Yojana is a performance-based stipendiary scheme launched by Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) for women empowerment. Selected women receive training and monthly stipends for three years — ₹7,000 in the first year, ₹6,000 in the second, and ₹5,000 in the third. The scheme aims to appoint two lakh Bima Sakhis across India over the next three years.

Notes:
Recently, the Government launched the Revised SHAKTI Policy 2025 for transparent coal allocation. SHAKTI stands for Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala (Coal) Transparently in India. It ensures transparent coal linkages for all power producers, including Central Generating Companies (GENCOs), State GENCOs, and Independent Power Producers (IPPs). It replaces the SHAKTI Policy, 2017 by simplifying coal linkage into only two windows. The policy promotes competition, efficiency, pit-head thermal capacity, and affordable power. It boosts coal availability, mining, and revenue for coal-bearing states.

Notes:
Recently, the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) launched the “Saksham Niveshak” campaign. It is a 100-day national drive running from 28th July to 6th November 2025. IEPFA works under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. The campaign aims to help shareholders reclaim unclaimed dividends held by companies. It guides investors to update their Know Your Customer (KYC) and nomination details. Companies are encouraged to proactively contact shareholders to recover pending dividends.

Notes:
Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that its Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI) rose to 493.22 in March 2025. This is a sharp increase from 465.33 recorded in September 2024, showing rapid growth in digital transactions. The Digital Payments Index is a tool created by RBI to measure the extent of digitisation of payments across India. It was first launched in January 2021 to track and encourage the adoption of digital payment systems. It is the first-of-its-kind index to map the nationwide spread of digital transactions. The base year for the index is March 2018, with the score for that year set at 100.

Notes:
IDFC FIRST Bank launched RemitFIRST2India, a zero-fee digital remittance platform for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to send money to India. It was introduced in partnership with SingX and currently operates from Singapore and Hong Kong. The service offers competitive foreign exchange (forex) rates, real-time transaction tracking, and fully digital, paperless transfers to any Indian bank account. Existing NRI customers can use it via the bank’s mobile app, while new users have a simple online onboarding process. The initiative reflects the bank’s customer-first approach, focus on digital innovation, and commitment to ethical, socially responsible, and inclusive banking.

Notes:
The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways announced that India became the third-largest automobile industry in the world with a market size of ₹22 lakh crore. Globally, the United States ranks first with ₹78 lakh crore, followed by China with ₹49 lakh crore. India’s automobile sector contributes 7.1% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 49% to manufacturing GDP. It is a key driver of India’s manufacturing and economic growth. In FY25, two-wheelers dominated the domestic market with 76.57% share, while passenger cars held 16.80%.

Notes:
Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) became the first Indian company to join the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM). ICMM is a UK-based collaborative group of leading mining and metals companies. It aims to boost the industry’s contribution to sustainable development and promote strong environmental and social performance. ICMM works with various stakeholders to improve understanding of the benefits, costs, risks, and responsibilities of the mining and metals industry in today’s world.