Issue: 1194
· Financial Intelligence
Unit-India (FIU-IND) and PFRDA signed MoU to enhance information sharing and
coordination.
· Financial Intelligence
Unit-India (FIU-IND) and SEBI sign MoU to combat money laundering and financial
crimes.
· RBI proposes revised
framework for identifying Upper Layer NBFCs; large entities (Rs. 1 lakh crore+
assets) to face tighter oversight.
· IMF Spring Meetings highlight
global risks, including debt pressures and financial market volatility.
RBI asks state oil refiners
to curb spot dollar buying: Report: RBI has urged state-run oil
refiners to curb spot dollar purchases and tap a special credit line for their
foreign exchange needs, three sources said, reviving measures used earlier in
the Ukraine war to ease pressure on the rupee. A surge in oil prices and heavy
foreign portfolio outflows have battered the Indian currency. It has fallen
more than 3% to record lows this year, making it Asia's worst-performing major
currency. Using the special credit
facility would reduce dollar demand from refiners, helping ease pressure on the
rupee, two of the sources said. Refiners are major buyers of dollars to pay for
oil imports. The state-run refiners have been asked to access the credit line
via the State Bank of India, the sources said. SBI is India's largest bank and
is state-backed.
(Moneycontrol)
German government halves
2026 growth forecast to 0.5% amid Iran war, source says: The German government has
halved its growth forecast for 2026 and has ?also cut its growth prediction for
2027, while raising its inflation projections, a ?source told Reuters on
Thursday, as theIran war drives up oil and gas prices. For this year, the
government expects 0.5% growth, down from 1.0% previously expected, and 0.9%
growth for next year, down from 1.3%, the ?source said. The downward revision
follows a cut by Germany's leading economic institutes, ?which slashed their
joint 2026 growth forecast to 0.6% from 1.3% ?projected in the previous
forecasts and lowered their 2027 forecast to 0.9% from 1.4%.
(Reuters)
Currency in circulation
surged 11.9% in FY26, most in five years: Currency in circulation (CIC)
surged 11.9 per cent year-on-year by the end of the financial year 2025-26
(FY26) — the highest since the Covid year of 2020-21 — to Rs. 41.68 trillion,
due to revival of the cash-driven rural economy and persistent precautionary
demand. In absolute terms, CIC grew by Rs. 4.44 trillion in FY26, the highest
since the post-demonetisation year of 2017-18. In 2017-18, CIC grew by Rs. 4.94
trillion as the RBI infused cash into the economy after the November 2016
demonetisation exercise rendered 86 per cent of the cash in circulation invalid
by withdrawing the then Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 banknotes.
(Business Standard)
HDFC Bank to invest Rs
1,000 cr in HDFC Life to boost solvency: HDFC Bank is injecting Rs
1,000 crore into HDFC Life Insurance. This investment will increase HDFC Bank's
ownership to over 50%. The capital infusion aims to strengthen HDFC Life's
financial position. The insurer's solvency ratio is expected to rise
significantly. This move prepares HDFC Life for future growth and evolving
regulations.
(Economic Times)
Currency policy is costing
India: Managing rupee harder in open economy: In the discourse on Indian
economic policy, a recurring tension exists between the desire for
administrative control and the requirements of a sophisticated market economy.
This is currently visible in the exchange rate actions of the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI). For months, the RBI has engaged in a strenuous effort to prevent
the depreciation of the rupee. In doing so, it appears willing to sacrifice the
long-term project of financial sector development. This trade-off is
problematic for two reasons: (i) it undermines the institutional foundations of
the Indian economy, and (ii) every currency defence turns into interest rate
hikes, which is not appropriate at the present moment for the economy. What
first needs to be recognised is that the exchange rate is overvalued. A real
effective exchange rate of 100 is no longer an appropriate measure of the
equilibrium exchange rate, as much has happened in recent years, especially the
deceleration in exports and the withering of net capital inflows. To
reestablish balance of payments equilibrium, the exchange rate needs to
depreciate.
(Economic Times)
HDFC Bank's governance,
financial metrics hold well: InGovern Research: Proxy advisory firm InGovern
Research said on Thursday that despite the abrupt resignation of HDFC Bank’s
former part-time chairman, Atanu Chakraborty—which had sparked concerns around
governance at India’s largest private sector bank—the bank’s governance
standards and financial metrics remain strong, and investors have no reason to
worry about its financial strength or leadership. “The incident was a
governance stress-test at a big bank, not a breakdown. The response matches how
global peers and leading banks manage leadership exits: leadership continuity,
external review, and clear communication, rather than panic-driven change,” the
report by InGovern said.
(Business Standard)
RBI to conduct Rs.
2 trillion VRRR to absorb surplus liquidity in system: The Reserve Bank of India will conduct a
seven-day variable rate reverse repo (VRRR) on Friday for a notified amount of
Rs 2 trillion, "in view of the surplus transient liquidity conditions prevailing",
the central bank said. The liquidity surplus in the banking system — as
measured by banks parking funds in the RBI’s liquidity adjustment facility
window — was Rs 5.2 trillion on Wednesday. The surplus has been over Rs 5
trillion for the last few days.
(Business Standard)
Taiwan market
capitalisation tops $4 trillion on AI boom, overtakes UK: Taiwan overtook the UK in stock market value
as the island’s tech firms regained favor amid hopes for further de-escalation
in the Iran war. Taiwan’s market capitalisation rose to $4.14 trillion as of
Wednesday, making it the world’s seventh largest, according to data compiled by
Bloomberg that show the combined value of companies with a primary listing on
the island. The UK’s market was valued at around $4.09 trillion.
(Business Standard)
Small and midcaps rebound
to pre-West Asia war levels, shows data: Small and midcap stocks staged a sharper
recovery from recent lows, with indices tracking these segments back at pre-war
levels. The Nifty Smallcap 100 index ended on Tuesday at 17,309, up nearly 15
per cent from its recent low of 15,099 on February 23. Similarly, the Nifty Midcap
100 has gained about 12 per cent. Both indices have returned to levels seen
before the US-Iran conflict, which rattled investor sentiment and triggered a
sharp selloff. While the benchmark Nifty 50 has
recovered strongly, it still trades about 4 per cent below its pre-war
levels. Experts attribute the faster rebound in theto relatively attractive
valuations and sharper corrections earlier.
(Business Standard)
SEBI extends not-for-profit
registration validity for Social Stock Exchanges: The Securities and Exchange
Board of India (SEBI) has relaxed key norms for the Social Stock Exchange
(SSE), extending the registration validity for not-for-profit organisations
(NPOs) and lowering the minimum subscription requirement for Zero Coupon Zero
Principal (ZCZP) instruments. In a bid to promote SSEs and facilitate ease of
fundraising by NPOs, SEBI has allowed them to remain registered on the SSE for
up to three years without raising funds, compared with the earlier two-year
limit. “It is being specified that a
NPO may register on a SSE and not raise funds through it for a period of two
years from the date of registration. Such a period of two years may be further
extended by one additional year subject to approval by the SSE,” the regulator
said in a circular on Wednesday.
(Business Line)
IBBI proposes
rules for out-of-court resolution in bankruptcy cases: The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of
India (IBBI) has come out with a discussion paper on creditor-initiated
insolvency resolution process (CIIRP), a new out-of-court mechanism introduced
in the recently-passed IBC Amendment Act 2026. The document provides an orderly
and efficient procedure for creditors to initiate their own claims against
insolvent companies. It also sets out rules for various stakeholders who will
be involved in the CIIRP. The paper has introduced a significant number of new
components to conduct the CIIRP, including the mandate to obtain approval of
51% creditors (by value) to initiate the process. The paper also provides a
timeline of 150 days – that can be extended for another 45 days with the
approval of 66% creditors – for the adjudicating authority to approve the
resolution plan. This is shorter than the statutory limit of 330 days provided
to approve a resolution plan under the conventional insolvency framework.
(Financial Express)
Government
Constitutes AI Governance and Economic Group (AIGEG) to Lead India’s National
AI Governance Strategy: The Ministry of Electronics and
Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, has constituted the AI
Governance and Economic Group (AIGEG), a high-level inter-ministerial body that
will serve as India’s central institutional mechanism for AI governance policy
development and coordination. The Guidelines recommend the
establishment of an inter-ministerial body to steer a whole-of-government
approach to AI governance, with a view to align the actions of ministries,
departments, regulators and advisory bodies around a coherent national
strategy. The AIGEG will be chaired by the Minister
of Electronics and Information Technology, Railways and Information &
Broadcasting, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw.
(PiB)
DEPRESSION
§
A
depression is a severe and prolonged downturn in economic activity. A
depression may be defined as an extreme recession that lasts three or more years
or that leads to a decline in real gross domestic product (GDP) of at least 10%
in a given year.
§ Depressions are far less common than milder
recessions. Both tend to be accompanied by relatively high unemployment and
relatively low inflation.
§ Two major factors characterize a depression.
Consumer confidence falls dramatically as people begin to worry about their job
security and pull back on spending. And investments decrease as businesses and
individuals stop investing, whether that means building a new factory,
developing a new product, or buying stocks.
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 : 93.3370
INR
/ 1 GBP : 126.6340
INR
/ 1 EUR : 110.1041
INR
/100 JPY: 58.7400
EQUITY INDEX
Sensex:
77988.68 (-122.56)
NIFTY:
24196.75 (-34.55)
Bnk NIFTY: 56086.40 (-215.55)
World Hemophilia
Day: April 17 is
primarily recognized globally as World Hemophilia Day, an annual,
internationally observed day to increase awareness about hemophilia and other
hereditary bleeding disorders. It was established by the World Federation of
Hemophilia (WFH) in 1989.
Historical
events: April 17th marks
major global events, including the 1982 proclamation of the Canada Act, the
1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, and the 1964 debut of the Ford Mustang. In
Indian history, this date commemorates the death of philosopher-president Dr.
S. Radhakrishnan (1975) and commemorates the birth of cricketer Muttiah
Muralitharan (1947).
****Have a nice Day****
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