Business, Economy & Banking Current Affairs MCQs

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State Bank of India launched CHAKRA, meaning Centre of Excellence, to finance sunrise sectors vital for India’s economic growth. It will act as a knowledge-based platform supporting technology-driven and sustainable industries. CHAKRA focuses on renewables, data centres, electric mobility, batteries, semiconductors, green hydrogen, decarbonization, and smart infrastructure. The centre aims to boost investments, global value chain integration, and Net Zero targets. It will promote technology and Artificial Intelligence innovation and provide advisory support. CHAKRA will collaborate with policymakers, banks, industry, startups, and global institutions.

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Union Budget 2026–27 announced the Mahatma Gandhi Gram Swaraj Initiative to strengthen traditional rural industries. It focuses on khadi, handloom, and handicrafts sectors across India. The initiative aims to improve global market access, branding, and strong market linkages. It seeks to make traditional industries more competitive and economically sustainable. The programme ensures stable livelihoods for artisans and weavers. It targets weavers, village industries, rural youth, and beneficiaries of One District One Product (ODOP).

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India has taken over as Chair of the Kimberley Process (KP) for the year 2026. The Kimberley Process is a global partnership of governments, civil society, and the diamond industry to stop the trade in conflict diamonds. The Kimberley Process has 60 participants representing 86 countries and covers over 99% of global rough diamond trade. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) ensures each rough diamond shipment carries a conflict-free certificate in tamper-proof containers.

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Reserve Bank of India issued draft revised guidelines for the Lead Bank Scheme for public comments. Lead Bank Scheme was introduced in December 1969 on the recommendation of the Nariman Committee. The objective of scheme is to coordinate banks and development agencies to increase bank finance to priority and other sectors. It also promotes the role of banks in overall rural development. Under the scheme, one bank is assigned as the Lead Bank for each district. The Lead Bank coordinates credit institutions and Government efforts at district level.

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Union Minister Piyush Goyal launched seven new interventions under the Export Promotion Mission to support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises for global markets. The Export Promotion Mission (EPM) is a flagship initiative of the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, announced in the Union Budget 2025–26. The Mission aims at inclusive export growth, social justice and empowerment of small exporters. It leverages nine Free Trade Agreements covering about 70 percent of global Gross Domestic Product and two-thirds of global trade. It follows two pillars: Niryat Protsahan for financial support and Niryat Disha for trade ecosystem support.

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L&T Finance Ltd has launched a specialised programme called “Spoorthi” for women entrepreneurs to provide targeted financial support. The programme offers extended loan tenors up to 25 years for house property loans or Loan Against Property (LAP) for business expansion and working capital. Industrial LAP tenors of up to 12 years are also available, with enhanced eligibility norms, including higher debt-to-income ratios for greater financial flexibility. L&T Finance aims to leverage women borrowers’ strong repayment discipline to scale businesses and secure personal assets, promoting an inclusive financial ecosystem.

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Bank of Baroda raised ₹10,000 crore by issuing long-term green infrastructure bonds, becoming the first bank in India to issue domestic green bonds. The 7-year bond was issued on the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) through the Electronic Book Provider (EBP) platform. The issue had a ₹5,000 crore base size with a ₹5,000 crore greenshoe option, and received bids worth ₹16,415 crore, showing strong investor demand. The bank fixed a 7.1% annual coupon rate despite market volatility.

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Project Insight (PI) is an AI-driven tax administration system in India that tracks financial transactions and detects tax evasion. It is implemented by the Income Tax Department (ITD), Ministry of Finance, Government of India. It aims to enhance voluntary tax compliance by nudging taxpayers to report accurate income and strengthen tax enforcement by identifying high-risk evasion cases.

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Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises implements MSE-CDP (Micro and Small Enterprises Cluster Development Programme) to improve productivity and competitiveness of MSEs (Micro and Small Enterprises). The scheme provides financial assistance to set up Common Facility Centres (CFCs) and upgrade infrastructure in industrial clusters. It is a demand-driven scheme with proposals from States and Union Territories based on needs. 242 CFCs have been approved across India including 6 in Punjab, while 513 clusters approved under SFURTI (Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries) since 2015–16.

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National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) launched its first public Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT), now listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). InvIT (Infrastructure Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle similar to mutual funds/Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) for infrastructure assets. It allows investors to directly invest in infrastructure projects like highways. InvITs pool funds from investors, list on stock exchanges, and distribute income to unit holders. InvITs are regulated by Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) under InvIT Regulations, 2014.