Business, Economy & Banking Current Affairs MCQs

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The World Trade Organization (WTO) recently praised India’s liberalised Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme for boosting participation of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in international trade. The AEO programme operates under the World Customs Organisation (WCO) SAFE Framework of Standards to secure and facilitate global trade. WCO adopted the SAFE Framework in June 2005 to strengthen international supply chain security. AEO is one of the three pillars of the SAFE Framework and promotes customs–trade partnership. It was launched by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) as a pilot in 2011 and revised in 2016. It is implemented by the Directorate of International Customs under CBIC.

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will exempt the government-backed SWAMIH Fund from tightened rules for Alternate Investment Funds (AIFs). SWAMIH stands for Special Window for Affordable and Mid-Income Housing and was set up in 2019 to rescue stressed real estate projects. The fund provides debt financing for stalled housing projects and is managed by SBICAP Ventures Ltd, a State Bank of India (SBI) Group company. The fund is sponsored by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched HaRBInger 2025 – Innovation for Transformation, its fourth global hackathon. It aims to use emerging technologies to create innovative, secure, and user-friendly financial solutions. The main goal is to protect customer identity and build trust in the financial system. The theme for HaRBInger 2025 is “Secure Banking: Powered by Identity, Integrity, and Inclusivity.”

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the 2024-25 census on Foreign Liabilities and Assets (FLA) on October 29, 2025. The census covered Indian entities’ cross-border assets and liabilities. Out of 45,702 entities, 41,517 reported Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Overseas Direct Investment (ODI) in their March 2025 balance sheets. The United States and Singapore together contributed over one-third of India’s total FDI. Other major contributors were Mauritius, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Total FDI stood at ₹68.76 lakh crore, higher than ₹61.88 lakh crore in 2023–24. The share of FDI was 20 percent from the United States, 14.3 percent from Singapore, 13.3 percent from Mauritius, 11.2 percent from the United Kingdom, and 9 percent from the Netherlands.

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India’s unemployment rate declined to 5.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2025, down from 5.4 per cent in the first quarter. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) reported this based on monthly labour force and unemployment data. Rural unemployment rate stood at 4.4 per cent during July to September 2025. Urban unemployment rate was higher at 6.9 per cent in the same period. Female participation in the labour force rose to 33.7 per cent from 33.4 per cent. Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in Current Weekly Status (CWS) increased marginally to 55.1 per cent from 55 per cent. The data reflects gradual improvement in employment and workforce engagement in India.

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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 Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced interlinking the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) with fast payment systems of other countries to improve cross-border payments. This move supports the G20 Roadmap to make international remittances cheaper, faster, transparent and easier. RBI and NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) are working with the European Central Bank to link UPI with TIPS (TARGET Instant Payment Settlement), the Eurosystem’s instant payment platform. The UPI–TIPS link will enable cross-border money transfers between India and the European Union, benefiting users on both sides.

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Amaravati is set to become India’s first integrated Financial City, boosting national economic infrastructure. The Financial City will bring major public sector banks and financial institutions into one planned hub. Finance Minister Sitharaman and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stones for several nationalised banks and financial institutions in Amaravati. The project will create over 6,500 direct jobs and accelerate Andhra Pradesh’s economic revival.

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Fino Payments Bank became the first payments bank to receive in-principle approval from Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to convert into a Small Finance Bank (SFB). This approval allows Fino to accept larger deposits and offer loans and credit to individuals and small businesses. Fino applied under RBI’s “on tap” licensing guidelines for private sector SFBs. Payments banks can apply for SFB status after completing five years of operations and meeting regulatory norms. Fino started as a payments bank in 2017 and applied nearly two years ago for conversion. Fino plans to start lending within one year after approval. It serves over 16 million customers through more than 2 million merchants.

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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.