Issue: 1279
· ITR processing picks up pace:
60% of 3.2 crore returns already processed.
· SBI Life cuts reliance on
bancassurance as agency channel gains traction.
· India's Services Exports Rise
to USD 421.3 Billion in FY 2025-26, Led by Telecommunications, Computer and
Information Services and Business Services.
· Bank of India aims to raise
$1.2 billion through FCNR-B deposits, plans additional $2 billion overseas borrowing.
· Private bank attrition eases
in FY26 amid digitisation-led workforce cuts.
India's forex reserves jump $1.08 billion to $676.237 billion: India's forex reserves jumped by USD 1.08 billion to USD 676.237 billion during the week ended July 17, according to the RBI data released on Friday. In the previous reporting week, the overall forex kitty had jumped by USD 964 million to USD 675.157 billion. Forex reserves had expanded to an all-time high of USD 728.494 billion during the week ended February 27 this year before the onset of the Middle East conflict, which led to several weeks of a drop as the rupee came under pressure and the RBI had to intervene in the forex market through dollar sales. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also made multiple public appeals starting May 11 to countrymen to conserve forex by cutting down on foreign travel, limiting fuel use and refraining from gold buys for a year.
(Moneycontrol)
India secures lower 10% US
forced-labour tariff under new Section 301 regime: India has secured a lower 10
per cent US tariff under Washington’s new Section 301 forced-labour regime,
placing it on par with competitors such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia,
Malaysia and Pakistan and below the 12.5 per cent rate that will apply on some
other economies, including Vietnam, after New Delhi tightened its import rules
to prohibit goods made with forced labour. For most Indian exporters the
overall tariff burden will remain broadly unchanged as the new forced labour
levy, applicable on 60 trading partners, replaces the temporary 10 per cent
global tariff imposed under Section 122, which expires on July 24. Most Indian
exports will thus continue to face an additional 10 per cent duty over and
above the applicable MFN tariff (the normal US customs duties).
(Business Line)
India's private sector
activity fell to 4-year low in July: Flash PMI: India’s private sector
activity slowed to a four-year low in July as growth in sales and output
weakened amid renewed tensions in West Asia and rising inflationary pressures,
according to HSBC’s flash Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) survey released on
Friday. Compiled by S&P Global, the index fell to 54.3 in July from a final
reading of 57.1 in June. The reading was the lowest since March 2022, when it also
stood at 54.3. However, the index remained above the 50 mark, which separates
expansion from contraction, for the 60th consecutive month.
(Business Standard)
BNP Paribas Cardif seals
buyout of 26% stake in IndiaFirst Life from Warburg Pincus: BNP Paribas Cardif, the
insurer of BNP Paribas Group, has entered into a definitive agreement to
acquire a ~26% stake in IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Limited from Warburg
Pincus, according to an official announcement on July 24. "By
combining Bank of Baroda’s strong branch network, IndiaFirst Life’s
multi-channel distribution strength and BNP Paribas Cardif’s global
bancassurance expertise, product innovation and insurance capabilities, the
shareholders aim to accelerate IndiaFirst Life’s next phase of growth,"
the announcement said.
(Moneycontrol)
Bank of Baroda Q1FY27: Net
profit falls 72% after Rs 5,680 cr one-time settlement, NII rises 9.5%: Bank of Baroda reported a
standalone net profit of Rs 1,278 crore for the June quarter, down 71.86%
year-on-year from Rs 4,541.4 crore in the same period last year. The loss comes
after the state-owned lender booked a one-time exceptional loss of Rs 5,680.2
crore linked to an out-of-court settlement by its Abu Dhabi branch. According
to the Q1 report, the country’s second-largest public sector bank’s core
operations showed steady momentum. Net interest income for Q1 FY27 rose 9.5% to
Rs 12,524 crore, up from Rs 11,435 crore in the corresponding quarter of the
previous fiscal.
(Financial Express)
Bank credit growth eases to
17.7% in fortnight to July 15: Bank credit growth saw a
slight deceleration to 17.7 percent year-on-year. Deposit growth also moderated
to 12.7 percent in the same period. Outstanding bank credit reached Rs 217.3
lakh crore by mid-July. Deposits stood at Rs 262.9 lakh crore, maintaining a
healthy ratio. Bankers noted steady credit demand, especially from the
corporate sector.
(Economic Times)
Parliamentary panel backs
Sebi board expansion, longer cooling-off period for top brass: A parliamentary panel has
proposed doubling the cooling-off period to two years before the chairperson
and whole-time members of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) can
take up new jobs, to avoid any potential conflict of interest. Standing
Committee on Finance, headed by Bhartruhari Mahtab, backs key provisions of the
Securities Markets Code Bill, including raising Sebi board strength to 15 from
9, and calls for a regulatory framework for virtual digital assets
(Economic Times)
ICICI Bank raises $1
billion through 5-year USD bonds at T+100 bps: ICICI Bank, India’s
second-largest private sector lender, has raised $1 billion through a five-year
senior unsecured US dollar bond, marking its first public dollar bond issuance
since 2017.The deal is also the largest single-tranche US dollar bond issuance
by an Indian issuer so far in 2026.The Rule 144A/Reg S issue was priced at a
spread of 100 basis points (bps) over the five-year US Treasury yield,
tightening by 30 basis points from the initial price guidance of Treasury-plus
130 bps, reflecting strong investor demand. The bonds carry a coupon of 5.46
per cent. The issue attracted orders exceeding $2.3 billion, making it about
2.3 times oversubscribed.
(Business Standard)
Bank of India Q1 profit
grows 36% to Rs.3,068 cr on healthy loan growth: State-owned Bank of India on
Friday reported a 36.23 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) rise in net profit at Rs.3,068
crore for the first quarter of FY27 from Rs.2,252 crore in the year-ago period,
driven by healthy loan growth. Net interest income (NII) for the quarter rose
12.61 per cent Y-o-Y to Rs.6,833 crore from Rs.6,068 crore. Net interest margin
(NIM), however, moderated slightly to 2.52 per cent from 2.55 per cent a year
earlier. On asset quality, gross non-performing asset (NPA) ratio improved to
1.81 per cent from 2.92 per cent and net NPA ratio eased to 0.51 per cent from
0.75 per cent.
(Business Standard)
Odisha to house HCLTech's
first data centre; Rs.15,000 cr AI push planned: India's third largest IT services company HCL
Technologies (HCLTech) on Friday announced to set up a world-class global
technology centre and an AI-optimised data centre in Bhubaneswar to innovate
and deliver AI-led digital solutions to global enterprises. This will be the
company's first AI data centre. The proposed global technology centre and AI
data centre will come up in the upcoming Odisha Sovereign AI Park, being
developed in partnership with Sarvam AI and the Odisha government. The
technology centre expected to start its operations by 2028 will house 5,000
employees.
(Business Standard)
Private investment in
India's space sector crosses $618 million, says govt: Private investment in India's space sector has
crossed $618.5 million, with the government issuing 105 authorisations to
non-government entities (NGEs) as reforms drive greater private participation
in the industry, Space, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh informed
the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Replying to an unstarred question, Singh said
private funding has risen nearly six-fold over the past few years, surging to
$348.5 million in 2023-24 from $100.5 million in 2021-22, before reaching
$618.5 million by March 31, 2026. Of this, $187 million was reported during
2026, while 105 authorisations had been granted to private entities as of July
14, 2026.
(Business Line)
India to roll
out common customer ID for banks, insurers; mutual funds to follow: Report: Indian banks and insurers will launch
a common customer identification system in August, with asset
managers joining later, two regulatory sources and industry executives said,
allowing customers to access financial products without
separately submitting identification documents. The new system, known as Central
Know-Your-Customer 2.0 (CKYC), will only require the customer's
consent for these institutions to fetch data stored at a central registry when
opening an account or updating their details.
(Business Standard)
Cabinet clears Bill
prescribing up to 10-year jail, up to Rs.10 crore fine for paper leak convicts: The Union Cabinet on Friday
approved a bill amending ‘The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means)
Act, 2024’ to prescribe jail terms of up to 10 years and penalties of up to Rs.10
crore for individuals convicted in paper leak cases, official sources said. The
bill will be introduced in Parliament on Monday. This development occurred
after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced around midnight on Thursday that a
bill containing provisions for strong action against paper leaks would be
introduced in Parliament next week. According to sources, the bill
will provide for imprisonment of up to 10 years, with a minimum sentence of 5
years for individuals resorting to unfair means.
(Business Line)
SEBI proposes foreign
investments, unhedged short positions for portfolio managers: The Securities and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI) has proposed allowing portfolio managers to invest clients’ funds in
foreign securities and take unhedged short positions through equity
exchange-traded derivatives as part of a comprehensive review of the SEBI
(Portfolio Managers) Regulations, 2020 aimed at expanding investment avenues and
aligning the regulatory framework with evolving market dynamics. The proposals
have been put out for public consultation through a consultation paper on the
draft SEBI (Portfolio Managers) Regulations, 2026. According to the
consultation paper, portfolio managers are currently not permitted to invest
client funds in foreign securities.
(Business Line)
Union Minister
for Finance & Corporate Affairs outlines 5Rs of responsive tax governance;
Calls for greater tax certainty and reduced litigation at the 167th Income Tax
celebrations:
Addressing
the 167th Income Tax Day celebrations, Union Finance Minister Smt. Sitharaman
emphasised that the role of the Income Tax Department has evolved from tax
collection to building a fair, efficient, transparent and taxpayer-centric tax
administration. She described the implementation of the Income-tax Act, 2025 as
a landmark reform that has simplified the law, reduced compliance costs and
strengthened ease of doing business. She outlined the 5Rs of Responsive Tax Governance
- Recognise, Respond, Redress, Reflect and Reform, as guiding principles for
taxpayer service, emphasising that honest taxpayers should experience
convenience, opportunities to correct bona fide errors and a tax administration
that exercises its authority with humility. Stressing that taxpayers are
partners in India's development, she called for a continued focus on reducing
litigation by strengthening tax certainty.
(PiB)
EQUATION OF
EXCHANGE
Ø
The equation of exchange is an economic identity that
shows the relationship between the money supply, the velocity of money, the
price level, and an index of expenditures.
Ø
It says that the total amount of money that changes
hands in the economy will always equal the total money value of the goods and
services that change hands in the economy.
Ø
In its basic form, the equation says that the total
amount of money that changes hands in an economy equals the total money value
of goods that change hands, or that nominal spending equals nominal income.
Ø
The equation of exchange has been used to argue that
inflation will be proportional to changes in the money supply and that total
demand for money can be broken down into demand for use in transactions and
demand to hold money for its liquidity.
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 : 96.5390
INR
/ 1 GBP : 128.5282
INR
/ 1 EUR : 109.8681
INR
/100 JPY: 58.9300
EQUITY INDEX
Sensex:
76059.77 (-331.62)
NIFTY:
23767.45 (-102.15)
Bnk NIFTY: 56693.50 (+101.50)
Historical events: 25 July has
witnessed several significant events in Indian and world history across
politics, science, aviation, and social development. In India, the most notable
event is that on 25 July 2022, Droupadi Murmu was sworn in as the 15th
President of India, becoming the country's first tribal President and the
youngest person to hold the office. Earlier, on 25 July 2007, Pratibha Patil
took oath as India's first woman President, marking a historic milestone in
Indian democracy. 25 July is observed as World Drowning Prevention Day,
established by the United Nations to raise awareness about preventing drowning,
one of the leading causes of accidental deaths worldwide.
****Have a nice Day****
Visit our website www.thebankingupdates.com
For Regular updates, Monthly e-magazines &
Promotion Study materials
CLICK HERE TO
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY/GROUP FOR DAILY UPDATES
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR CHANNEL FOR DAILY
UPDATES & QUIZ
Contact us: # 8261802533
Email: bankingupdates2020@gmail.com
CLICK HERE TO ORDER BANK PROMOTION KIT