Business, Economy & Banking Current Affairs MCQs

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On November 7, 2025, National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) launched a revamped Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPI) portal and a new Foreign Venture Capital Investor (FVCI) portal in Mumbai. The portals were inaugurated by Dr. Ruchi Chojer, Executive Director, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), during NSDL’s 9th Designated Depository Participants Conference. The unified digital platform merges FPI and FVCI registrations into a single interface, replacing earlier multiple logins and manual procedures. FPI refers to foreign entities investing in Indian equities, bonds, and mutual funds, while FVCI focuses on venture capital and unlisted Indian startups. The initiative aims to simplify compliance, enhance transparency, and ease market access for global investors.

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Recently, Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL) received a licence to explore and mine a tungsten block in Andhra Pradesh. Tungsten is a chemical element with the symbol W and atomic number 74. It is a naturally occurring transition metal found in minerals like wolframite and scheelite, not as a pure metal. It has the highest melting point of all metals at 3410 °C and the lowest vapor pressure at that temperature. It also has the highest tensile strength above 1650 °C and remains solid at room temperature.

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The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation launched the National Industrial Classification (NIC) 2025 during the 75th anniversary of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) in Udaipur. NIC-2025 is a new six-digit system replacing the five-digit NIC-2008 to classify all economic activities in India. It updates earlier versions from 1962 to reflect India’s changing economy and aligns with the United Nations International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) Revision-5. It adds new sectors like cloud services, blockchain, renewable energy, waste management, platform services, and AYUSH. It also includes new classes for logistics, real estate, food services, and environmental remediation.

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The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has launched the second “Non-intrusive Usage of Data to Guide and Enable (NUDGE)” initiative to strengthen voluntary compliance regarding foreign assets. The campaign focuses on correct reporting in Schedule Foreign Assets (FA) and Foreign Source Income (FSI) in Income Tax Returns (ITRs). The first NUDGE campaign (November 2024) led 24,678 taxpayers to disclose ₹29,208 crore in foreign assets and ₹1,089.88 crore in foreign-source income. CBDT receives foreign asset data under Common Reporting Standards (CRS) and Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) to identify discrepancies.

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The Reserve Bank of India has released the National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI) 2025–30 as a five-year plan called Panch-Jyoti. The strategy is approved by the Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC). It sets 5 strategic objectives supported by 47 actionable steps to expand financial access. Financial inclusion means access to banking, payments, savings, credit, and insurance in a safe and affordable way. The pillars focus on better financial services, women-centred inclusion, linking livelihoods with finance, financial education, and strong consumer protection.

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SEBI introduced SWAGAT-FI (Single Window Automatic & Generalised Access for Trusted Foreign Investors) to simplify Indian securities market access for low-risk foreign investors. It provides a unified registration for Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) and Foreign Venture Capital Investors (FVCIs), reducing repeated compliance and documentation. Low-risk investors include government-owned funds, central banks, sovereign wealth funds, regulated public retail funds, insurance companies, and pension funds. SWAGAT-FIs can invest in listed equities and debt as FPIs, and unlisted companies and startups as FVCIs.

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Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) launched Past Risk and Return Verification Agency (PaRRVA) to improve transparency in financial markets. PaRRVA is a new system to verify and authenticate past performance claims made by regulated market intermediaries. It was launched on a pilot basis by Care Ratings in collaboration with National Stock Exchange (NSE). It applies to SEBI-registered Investment Advisers, Research Analysts, and Algorithmic (Algo) Stock Brokers.

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The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) India–NCB Carbon Uptake Report was released on the 63rd Foundation Day of the National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB). NCB was established in 1962 as India’s apex research and development organisation for the cement and building materials sector. Its main objective is to promote scientific research and innovation related to cement manufacturing and building materials. NCB functions under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.

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According to recent 2025 data, the three countries with the largest rare earth oxide (REO) reserves are China, Brazil, and India. India has the world’s third-largest rare earth reserves with about 6.9 million tonnes of Rare Earth Oxide (REO). It ranks after China with 44 million tonnes and Brazil with 21 million tonnes of reserves. Despite this, India produced only 2,900 tonnes of rare earths in 2024, ranking seventh globally. China led production with 270,000 tonnes, followed by the United States with 45,000 tonnes. India holds 6–7% of global reserves but contributes less than 1% of global production.

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Government of India launched the Market Access Support (MAS) Intervention under the Export Promotion Mission (EPM). Market Access Support (MAS) is implemented under the NIRYAT DISHA sub-scheme of EPM, approved by the Union Cabinet on 12 November 2025. It aims to strengthen international market access for Indian exporters, especially MSMEs, first-time exporters, and priority sector firms. Export Promotion Mission (EPM) is jointly run by Department of Commerce, Ministry of MSME, Ministry of Finance, Indian Missions abroad, Export Promotion Councils (EPCs), Commodity Boards, and industry associations.