Business, Economy & Banking Current Affairs MCQs

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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.

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The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, recently promoted the Trade Connect ePlatform at two major Business-to-Business (B2B) trade exhibitions. Trade Connect ePlatform is a digital initiative of Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It aims to transform international trade for Indian exporters, especially Medium, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). It acts as a one-stop hub for international trade-related services and information. It connects exporters, MSMEs, and entrepreneurs with Indian Missions Abroad, Export Promotion Councils, and other government agencies.

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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.

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Recently, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recognized India as a global leader in fast payments through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). In June 2025, UPI processed ₹24.03 lakh crore via 18.39 billion transactions, marking a 32% year-on-year growth from 13.88 billion transactions in June 2024. UPI now accounts for 85% of all digital transactions in India and nearly 50% of global real-time digital payments. It handles over 640 million transactions daily, surpassing Visa’s 639 million transactions per day. This scale was achieved in just 9 years, since UPI’s launch in 2016 by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

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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.

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Recently, the Skill Impact Bond (SIB) was highlighted by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship for delivering measurable social impact. It aims to train 50,000 youth, with at least 30,150 retained in jobs for a minimum of 3 months. More than 23,700 youth have been trained so far across 30 job roles in 13 sectors. Skill Impact Bond (SIB) is India’s first development impact bond focused on employment outcomes. It was launched in November 2021 by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to improve skilling and job placement for youth. It is backed by Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship through the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).

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The Geological Survey of India (GSI) discovered huge gold deposits in Mahgawan Keolari area of Sihora tehsil, Jabalpur district, Madhya Pradesh. Samples confirmed the presence of gold along with valuable metals like iron, manganese, and copper. The deposits span about 100 hectares and are estimated to be in lakhs of tonnes. This is the first gold discovery in Jabalpur, which is already known for iron, manganese, and limestone exports. Earlier, gold was found in Katni, Madhya Pradesh.

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Recently, the Government of India revised the advance registration period for importing steel products on the Steel Import Monitoring System (SIMS) 2.0 portal, except for some items. SIMS 2.0, launched by the Union Ministry of Steel, builds on the 2019 SIMS to provide detailed steel import data to the domestic industry. It gives advance import information to the government and stakeholders, enabling better planning. Database integration helps identify risk areas, improve quality control, and support domestic steel industry growth and policymaking.

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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.

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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.