Issue: 1261
· Paytm's European arm secures
payment institution licence in Luxembourg.
· Tax department steps up
scrutiny of charitable trusts over disclosure mismatches.
· 9 former Axis Bank execs take
top leadership roles across financial sector.
· 1st in nearly a decade: ICICI
Bank plans to raise $500 mn via dollar bonds.
· ESIC plans to build own
medical education system with new university.
· Sebi weighs shift to
rupee-denominated fees from US dollars for FPIs, FVCIs.
· Govt to soon start work on
new legal framework for AI: IT Secy Krishnan.
India takes on US over
12.5% tariff plan, calls forced-labour findings legally flawed: India is set to challenge the
proposed US tariffs on exports with the US Trade Representative next week,
contending that the findings on forced labour are legally flawed and would
affect American businesses and consumers. Representatives from the
commerce ministry as well as industry bodies, such as APEDA, FICCI, CII and
ACMA, are scheduled to present India's counter to the USTR proposal to impose
tariffs at a public hearing on July 8. India has already, in written
submissions, said that the USTR's findings do not take into account the
country's robust domestic legal regime reflecting a structured and progressive
approach combining statutory prohibitions, institutional mechanisms, and
ongoing policy measures aimed at reducing vulnerability to forced labour.
(Moneycontrol)
India sets $1 trillion
export target for FY27, eyes 17% growth in merchandise exports: Urging industry to make
exports a key priority and utilise the free trade pacts, Commerce and Industry
Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday set a $1 trillion target for exports this
fiscal. Merchandise exports are expected to grow by 16-17% this fiscal to $530
billion, and services exports by 11-12% to $470 billion, he further said. Addressing
a meeting of the Board of Trade, the minister said that exports have continued
to perform well so far this fiscal. In the first quarter, merchandise exports
have grown by 15% year-on-year and services exports by 11%, he said. "We
must achieve $1 trillion in exports this fiscal. It is an ambitious target, but
it can be done," he underlined. India's total exports in FY26 were $860
billion, of which merchandise exports were worth $441.78 billion and services
exports were $421 billion.
(Business Today)
Central banks bought 41
tonne of gold in May, says WGC: Central banks bought a net 41
tonne of gold in May, with Poland, China, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan making
significant purchases in the month. “Central banks were back in buying mode in
May – and with a little more spring in their step. … purchases once again
concentrated among a familiar cast of buyers,” said Marissa Salim, Senior
Research Lead, APAC of the World Gold Council (WGC).
(Business Line)
India's services PMI falls
to 17-month low in June amid weaker demand: Growth in India’s services
sector slowed to a 17-month low in June as challenging market conditions
weighed on sales, output and hiring, a monthly private survey showed on Friday.
The HSBC India Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), which tracks monthly
changes in services activity, fell to 57.4 in June from 59.8 in May. The June
reading was the lowest since January 2025, when the index stood at 56.5. “Behind
the softer increase in services output was the slowest expansion in new order
intakes in over two-and-a-half years. Several firms indicated that challenging
market conditions and reduced client interest in their services dampened
sales,” the survey said.
(Business Standard)
HDFC SKY spotlights capital
efficiency in fintech: As India’s retail investing
landscape matures, HDFC SKY, the investment platform of HDFC Securities, is
highlighting capital efficiency as the next frontier in online investing
through its Hold-Transfer-Release (HRT) mechanism. The development comes amid a
broader shift in the fintech industry, where platforms are increasingly
competing on fund management capabilities alongside user experience and
pricing. For years, online brokerages focused on lowering entry barriers with
intuitive interfaces, low brokerage charges and seamless onboarding. However,
as retail investors become more sophisticated, attention is turning to how
efficiently trading platforms manage investors’ capital. HDFC
SKY’s HRT mechanism seeks to address this by allowing funds to remain in a
customer’s bank account until a trade is executed. The required amount is
automatically blocked or debited only when the transaction takes place,
enabling investors to continue earning interest on unused balances while
reducing the need for manual fund transfers before each trade.
(Financial Express)
LIC’s policyholder payouts
near Rs 5 lakh crore in FY26: Life Insurance Corporation of
India (LIC) paid Rs.4.96 lakh crore in benefits to policyholders during FY26,
equivalent to 93% of its net premium income for the year. Total benefits paid
by the country’s largest life insurer rose 19% year-on-year from Rs.4.16 lakh
crore in FY25. The increase in total benefits paid was primarily driven by an
18% y-o-y rise in maturity claims and periodical benefits to Rs.2.80 lakh
crore, the largest payout category. Annuity and pension payouts increased 16%
to Rs.25,641 crore. Interim bonus payments more than doubled to Rs.8,357 crore
in FY26 from Rs.3,076 crore in FY25. Pension and group scheme withdrawals
jumped 34% to Rs.1.10 lakh crore.
(Financial Express)
RBI imposes Rs 66.7 lakh
penalty on Bank of Baroda, GIC Housing Finance: Reserve Bank of India imposed
a penalty of Rs 63.60 lakh on Bank of Baroda after it was found that the bank
had collected a higher rate of interest in certain loan accounts and for not
uploading KYC records onto the Central Records Registry within the prescribed
timeline. “The action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance. The
bank had collected interest at a rate higher than the contracted rate in
certain loan accounts. And for non-compliance with certain provisions of
directions issued by RBI on ‘Fair Practices Code for Lenders’ and ‘Know Your
Customer (KYC),” RBI said in a release. In another statement RBI also imposed a
fine of Rs 3.10 lakh on GIC Housing Finance Limited (the company) for
non-compliance with provisions of the ‘Reserve Bank of India (Know Your
Customer (KYC)) Directions’ issued by RBI. The statutory inspection of the
company was conducted by the National Housing Bank (NHB) with reference to its
financial position as on March 31, 2025.
(Financial Express)
HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and
Axis Bank set for Q1FY27 results on July 18: Banking stocks will be in
limelight this month as key large cap banks
are set to announce their quarterly financial results over the next few
weeks. Lenders across the country will put out their Q1FY27 results on exchanges,
and investors will especially eye the statements of heavyweight HDFC Bank. The
country’s largest private lender will post its financial results for the first
quarter of financial year 2027 on Saturday, July 18.
(Financial Express)
HDFC Bank develops own AI
platform, fraud monitoring system: HDFC Bank is transforming into
a tech powerhouse, developing its own AI platform, Neev, and a real-time fraud
detection system. These in-house solutions, built by a dedicated engineering
team, aim to combat rising banking frauds and enhance customer security. By
investing in proprietary technology and engineering talent, the bank is
positioning itself for future competition in the evolving financial landscape.
(Economic Times)
Centre orders removal of
seven apps misused to remotely disable e-rickshaws: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
(MeitY) issued a notice to Google Android and Apple iOS to remove 7
applications from their App Store for misuse of apps for shutting down
batteries in e-rickshaws/vehicles, including the removal of Chinese apps - BAT-BMS,
Lossigy, and Epoch-i-ion. The major crackdown by the Centre came after videos
surfaced showing some e-rickshaws being remotely rendered inoperable through a
shutdown feature enabled by a Bluetooth connection linked to the Chinese smartphone
application BAT-BMS. According to cybersecurity experts, such acts are an
offence under the IT Act 2000 and are punishable by law.
(Business Line)
PM Modi to launch Rs.1
trillion projects in Rajasthan, Gujarat on Saturday: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday will
inaugurate the country's first greenfield integrated refinery-cum-petrochemical
complex in Balotra, Rajasthan, and a semiconductor assembly and test facility
in Sanand, Gujarat. Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for
projects worth about Rs.1.06 lakh crore during his visit to the two states. The
refinery project at Pachpadra in Rajasthan's Balotra was to be launched in
April by Modi, but a day before the inauguration, a major fire broke out, due
to which the inauguration was postponed.".
(Business Standard)
IndusInd Bank
loan book grew in Q1, a first since accounting lapse: Private sector lender IndusInd Bank
reported 3.3 per cent growth in its net advances for the quarter ended June 30
to Rs.3.26 trillion — the first increase in its loan book after declining for
four straight quarters. On a year-on-year (Y-o-Y) basis, however, the loan book
contracted 2.3 per cent. According to the Q1 business update shared by the
lender, deposits were up 4.5 per cent to Rs.4.15 trillion. The share of low-cost
deposits — current account and savings account (CASA) deposits — fell to 29.5
per cent at the end of June from 31.5 per cent a year ago.
(Business Standard)
SEBI revamps unpaid
securities framework with auto-pledge, auto-release mechanism: The Securities and Exchange
Board of India (SEBI) has overhauled the framework governing unpaid client
securities, introducing a time-bound mechanism that allows stock brokers to
recover outstanding dues while ensuring investors regain full control over
their shares if brokers fail to act within prescribed timelines. The
revised framework, which takes into account the prevailing practice of direct
credit of securities to clients' demat accounts, replaces provisions introduced
in 2019 and subsequently amended in 2022. SEBI said the changes follow
representations from the Brokers' Industry Standards Forum (ISF), which sought
revisions to address operational issues and align the rules with the current
regulatory environment. Under the revised norms,
securities purchased by a client but remaining unpaid will continue to be
credited directly to the client's demat account. However, they will
automatically be pledged in favour of a separate Client Unpaid Securities
Pledgee Account (CUSPA) maintained by the broker.
(Moneycontrol)
Insurance regulator IRDAI
plans overhaul of commission rules to curb mis-selling, sources say: India's insurance regulator is
set to overhaul distributor commissions, proposing payments spread over a
policy's life to curb mis-selling and reduce high distribution costs. This move
aligns India with global practices and aims to ensure customer suitability over
sales volume. A draft framework is expected soon, potentially impacting how
agents are compensated for their services.
(Economic Times)
UIDAI Enables
Free Email Update in Aadhaar through Aadhaar App: In another step towards enhancing
resident convenience, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has
now allowed people to add or update their email ID in Aadhaar directly through
the Aadhaar App, eliminating the need to visit an Aadhaar centre. This is a
free service via the Aadhaar App only, effective 1 July 2026 for a period of
six months, making it easier than ever for residents to keep their Aadhaar
information up to date. By removing the requirement for physical visits, the
initiative underlines UIDAI's commitment to providing people friendly digital
service as part of Digital India initiative towards a Viksit Bharat.
(PiB)
VARIABLE RATE REPO (VRR)
·
Variable Rate Repo (VRR) is a
short-term liquidity tool used by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to provide
funds to the banking system. It's a way for the RBI to add or remove liquidity
from the market, depending on demand.
·
It is a mechanism where the
RBI permits banks to borrow funds at rates determined by the market, differing
from the fixed Repo Rate at which banks borrow directly from the RBI. Typically
lasting up to 14 days, VRR serves as a means to inject short-term liquidity
into the banking system. Conversely, Variable Rate Reverse Repo (VRRR) is
employed to absorb surplus liquidity from the system.
·
The main difference between a
variable rate repo (VRR) and a repo is that the interest rate in a VRR is not
fixed (driven by auction process), but in a repo, the interest rate is fixed.
·
A VRR is a type of repo where
the interest rate is determined through a competitive bidding process. The rate
can change based on economic conditions and the bids submitted by participating
banks.
RBI KEY RATES
Repo
Rate: 5.25%
SDF:
5.00%
MSF
/Bank Rate: 5.50%
CRR:
3.00%
SLR:
18.00%
FOREX RATES (RBI REF. RATE)
INR
/ 1 USD : 95.2408
INR
/ 1 GBP : 127.4109
INR
/ 1 EUR : 109.1475
INR
/100 JPY: 59.2500
EQUITY INDEX
Sensex:
77763.91 (+261.79)
NIFTY:
24270.85 (+95.15)
Bnk NIFTY: 57938.50 (-93.15)
United States independence day: The 4th of July,
also known as Independence Day, celebrates the birth of the United States as an
independent nation. It specifically commemorates the adoption of the
Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776,
marking the 13 American colonies' separation from British rule.
Historical events: July 4 holds
several monumental milestones in Indian history, most notably the successful
recapture of the highly strategic Tiger Hill by the Indian Army during the
Kargil War in 1999. On this same date in 1944, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose
delivered his iconic speech in Burma, rallying the Indian National Army with
the stirring call, "Give me blood, and I shall give you freedom!".
Additionally, it marks the day the revered spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda
attained Mahasamadhi in 1902.
****Have a nice
Day****
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