August 1 - August 31, 2019
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(August 1 - August 31, 2019) 1 (August 1 - August 31, 2019) Current Affairs - Monthly Edition PDF (August 1 - August 31, 2019) 1. BANKING & FINANCE 2. BUSINESS & ECONOMY 3. INTERNATIONAL 4. INDIAN AFFAIRS 5. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 6. ENVIRONMENT 7. BILLS & ACTS 8. DEFENCE 9. AWARDS AND HONOURS 10. SPORTS 11. ARTS & CULTURE 12. OBITUARY 13. SUMMITS & CONFERENCE 14. SCHEMES 15. APPOINTMENTS / RESIGN 16. IMPORTANT DAYS 17. BOOKS & AUTHORS 18. AGREEMENTS, MOU 19. INDEX / LIST 20. VISITS BY PM / PRESIDENT 21. FESTIVALS 22. QUIZ CORNER 2 (August 1 - August 31, 2019) BANKING & FINANCE foreign as well as Chinese banks. The bank has been facilitating Indians RBI relaxes ECB norms working in China in their remittance. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has further relaxed the norms related to external commercial borrowing (ECB). It loosened the end-use restrictions RBI cuts 35bps repo rate in August policy with regard to working capital, general corporate purpose and repayment The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a 35 basis points (bps) cut to of rupee loans. The move comes after RBI received feedback from the benchmark repo rate on 7th August. The announcement was made after stakeholders. As per the relaxation, all the eligible borrowers are allowed to the RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das-led third bi-monthly policy review by the raise following ECBs from recognised lenders with a minimum average Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) for 2019-20. This reduction is the fourth maturity period of 10 years for working capital purposes and general in a row since Shaktikanta Das took over as the governor in December 2018. It corporate purposes. The foreign branches and overseas subsidiaries of Indian is the lowest since April 2010. banks are exempted. The interest rate cut will address the growth concerns by boosting aggregate It also permits borrowing for on-lending by NBFCs for the above maturity demand and target private investment as a priority. and end-uses. Borrowers are allowed to raise ECBs with a minimum average MPC's decisions: maturity period of 7 years for repayment of rupee loans that can be availed RBI has reduced its GDP growth forecast for 2019-20 from 7% to 6.9%. The domestically for capital expenditure. reverse repo rate under the Liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) was revised to 5.15% whereas the policy repo rate under LAF has been reduced by 35 basis RBI allows Bank of China to offer regular banking services in India points (bps) from 5.75% to 5.40%. The Marginal standing facility (MSF) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed Bank of China to offer regular rate and the Bank Rate has been revised to 5.65%. The RBI will set a Central banking services in the country. Commercial banks, like SBI, HDFC Bank, Payment Fraud Registry to track frauds in the payment systems. Punjab National Bank and ICICI Bank, are in the Second Schedule. Banks falling RBI plans to issue detailed guidelines on permitting banks to on-lend under this schedule have to adhere to the norms of the RBI. The Bank of China through NBFCs. The move aims to increase credit flow to certain priority Limited included in the Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, sectors which contribute significantly to the economic growth in terms of 1934.The RBI told Jana Small Finance Bank Limited included in the Second exports and employment. Schedule. The Royal Bank of Scotland plc' changed to 'NatWest Markets Plc' in NEFT system will be made available on a 24x7 basis from December 2019. the Second Schedule. National Australia Bank' ceased to be a banking company Reason for India's GDP growth reduction: within the meaning of the Banking Regulation Act excluded from the Second The reason for India's GDP reduction is a slowdown in consumption demand, Schedule. government spending and the lack of quality jobs. Bank of China The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered Indias GDP growth rate It is one of the four biggest state-owned commercial banks in China. Bank of for FY20 to 7% from 7.3% on 23 July. It cited reasons as poor demand China is legally separate from its subsidiary Bank of China. conditions. GDP growth in the fourth quarter of FY19 slowed down to 5.8%, whereas it was 6.6% in the third quarter, which is the slowest quarterly GDP Reserve Bank of India growth rate in five years. The Reserve Bank of India is India's central banking institution, which controls Also the growth in the eighth infrastructure sectors was just 0.2% in June. It the issuance and supply of the Indian rupee. The Monetary Policy Committee constitutes of 40.27% of the index of industrial production. was established in 2016 controlled monetary policy in India. Policy Rates: Policy Repo Rate: 5.40% State Bank of India and Shanghai becomes first Indian bank to link up Reverse Repo Rate: 5.15% with CNAPS Marginal Standing Facility Rate: 5.65% State Bank of India's Shanghai branch linked to China's National Advanced Bank Rate: 6.00% Payment System (CNAPS).It is the first Indian Bank to operationalize it. The Reserve Ratios: CNAPS, launched in 2008 by the People's Bank of China (PBOC) provides Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR): 4% realtime settlement services for all payments cleared in China. The CNAPS Statutory liquidity ratio(SLR): 18.75% system is complemented by its international counterpart, the CIPS (China International Payments System or Cross-Border Interbank Payment System) Reserve Bank of India Expands biller categories for Bharat Bill Payment launched in 2015 System Main Aim: To boosting international use of the Chinese currency, yuan. The The Reserve Bank of India allows all categories of billers to accept prepaid participants from multiple countries across the globe participated. recharges under the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS).The BBPS currently covers billers in five segments, DTH, electricity, gas, telecom and water bills. State Bank of India The regulator is expected to issue detailed instructions in this regard by the SBI is the only Indian bank to have obtained the license to do business in local end of September 2019.The advantages of the BBPS and harness its full currency .The SBI obtained the PBOC approval in December 2016 for potential decided to permit all categories of billers (except prepaid recharges) implementation of the CNAPS and after successful installation of various who provide for recurring bill payments to participate in BBPS on a voluntary hardware and software, It eliminates the need for tie up and maintenance of basis. Apart from digitization of cash-based bill payments, it will enable accounts with multiple Banks for fund transfer. CNAPS will also be used for standardized bill payment experience, centralized customer grievance cross border RMB payments made through local correspondent banks. redressal mechanism, and standardized customer convenience fee.The SBI opportunity to do business of Bankers acceptance drafts (BAD) started its regulator allowed on-tap authorization of retail payment systems to representative office in 1997 and began its commercial operation in 2006.It is companies looking to function as BBPOU, TReDS and whitelabel ATMs. only Indian bank with license to deal in RMB, the local currency, as well as Reserve Bank of India foreign currency. The total customer credit of nearly $500 million and staff Governor: Shaktikanta Das strength of 40 people that includes 32 Chinese nationals, the bank has always Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India been at the forefront of facilitating India-China trade and investments apart from serving the Indians working in China in the field of IT and others. The SBI announced repo rate cut after RBI policy announcement bank extends bank guarantee facility to Chinese corporates undertaking The State Bank of India (SBI), the country's largest lender, have cut the home various construction, tech, and investment projects. The bank extending term loan rates after RBI's repo rate cut of 35 bps for the fourth time in a row. SBI as well as working capital credit facilities to Indian corporates and companies announced its Marginal Cost based Lending Rate (MCLR) cut by 15 basis promoted by Indians in China to facilitate Indian investment in China. The points (bps) across all tenors. It will be effective from August 10, 2019. The bank has also been an active participant in local syndication arranged by major move is to provide some respite to home loan borrower. After this move, the 3 (August 1 - August 31, 2019) one-year MCLR is reduced to 8.25% per annum, from 8.40% annum. This is State Bank of India MD Dinesh Kumar Khara got an extension by 2 years the fourth consecutive cut in MCLR in FY 2019-20 by SBI. after a review of his performance SBI's repo rate: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, Government of India extended Repo rate-linked Home loan product: the tenure of State Bank of India(SBI) Managing Director (MD)Dinesh Kumar The SBI has been a repo rate-linked home loan product from 1 July 2019. The Khara by another 2 years with effect from August 9, 2019. interest rate on this particular product gets revised automatically whenever He is appointed Managing Director of State Bank of India (SBI) for a period of there is a change in repo rate. three years on August 10, 2016. He holds a Board level position in supervising RLLR: the businesses of SBIs nonbanking subsidiaries. He was engaged in diverse The effective Repo Linked Lending Rate (RLLR) for cash credit/overdraft financial activities such as Asset Management, Life Insurance, General customers has been revised to 7.65%. Insurance, Custodial Services, Primary Dealership,.etc.