Jammu and Kashmir banks disbursed Rs 43,017 crore to 10.07 lakh beneficiaries, prioritising agriculture and financial inclusion.
Banks in Jammu and Kashmir disbursed approximately Rs 43,017 crore to 10.07 lakh beneficiaries in the first half of FY2025-26, with administrative emphasis on sustaining and improving lending to the priority sector-notably agriculture, housing, education, and social infrastructure-and on enhancing outreach to unbanked areas, improving the credit-deposit ratio, increasing credit to Self-Help Groups, and supporting enrolment and claim settlement under social security schemes.

Crisil raises GDP forecast to 7% driven by private consumption and policy measures supporting demand.
Crisil raised its real GDP growth forecast to 7 per cent for the current financial year, driven by 8 per cent first-half growth, stronger manufacturing and services output, and private consumption fueled by lower food inflation. Policy measures-GST rate rationalisation, income tax reductions, and repo rate cuts-are identified as supporting private consumption and potentially stimulating a belated rebound in private investment, while government investment is expected to stabilise amid an anticipated second-half slowdown.

Banking regulation consolidated: thousands of circulars repealed and replaced by 244 master directions to simplify compliance.
RBI repealed 5,673 obsolete circulars and subsumed 9,446 circulars into 244 function-wise master directions; regulated entities must refer to applicable MDs for compliance. The consolidation focused on classification, repeal, and limited retention of non-fitting circulars without substantive regulatory change. Future guidance will be issued as MD amendments or new MDs, with colour-coded additions and entity-specific allocations, including new digital banking MDs.

Survika Traders Private Limited strengthens transparency, compliance, and data protection in its NBFC lending operations and customer support improvements.
Survika Traders Private Limited, an RBI-registered NBFC under the NBFC-ND framework, commits to regulatory compliance, data protection, transparent pricing, and responsible lending. It reinforces AML and KYC checks, increases independent audits, and implements stronger encryption and privacy safeguards. The company employs AI-driven credit assessment using GSTN, bank statements, and bureau data while seeking to minimize data collection. Multilingual local support, a no-hidden-charges policy, and clearer disclosures accompany loan products-MSME, personal, supply chain finance, and a digital lending platform-within an iterative improvement model driven by social feedback and audit findings.

India's forex reserves fell USD 4.472 billion to USD 688.104 billion due to a drop in gold and currency valuations.
India's foreign exchange reserves contracted by USD 4.472 billion to USD 688.104 billion for the week ended November 21, driven by a USD 1.69 billion fall in foreign currency assets, a USD 2.675 billion decrease in the valuation of gold reserves, a USD 84 million reduction in Special Drawing Rights, and a USD 23 million decline in the reserve position with the IMF, with foreign currency asset figures reflecting valuation effects of non US currencies.

Cross-border payments: authorised PA-CB aggregator plans 10x volume growth, adding a Compliance Desk and AI FX analytics.
In-principle authorisation to operate as a cross-border online payment aggregator (PA-CB) underpins a plan to scale volumes tenfold by strengthening banking partnerships, expanding corridors, investing in platform integrations, and maintaining a compliance-first approach supported by a dedicated Compliance Desk, an AI-driven FX analytics tool, multi-currency settlement capabilities, and institutional-grade security certifications.

Banker Ajay Jain joins Arihant Capital as MD & CEO to lead investment and merchant banking expansion and client engagement.
Arihant Capital Group appointed Ajay Jain as Managing Director & CEO of its Investment Banking and Merchant Banking division to strengthen leadership, expand advisory services, enhance client engagement and accelerate growth; his qualifications and prior senior roles are cited as supporting his mandate to drive innovation and build long-term client relationships.

Your Money, Your Right campaign helps citizens reclaim unclaimed financial assets through district camps and digital procedures.
The ' , ' (Your Money, Your Right) campaign organises district and mega camps to facilitate the digital restoration of unclaimed financial assets-bank deposits, insurance claims, dividends, shares and mutual fund credits-using a 3A framework of Awareness, Accessibility and Action. The Department of Financial Services coordinates with RBI, IRDAI, SEBI, IEPFA, PFRDA and state banker committees to provide outreach materials, standard operating procedures and multilingual guidance, aiming to complete outreach within a defined quarter and reclaim notified balances such as those in the Deposited Education and Awareness fund.

RBI data modernisation improves timeliness and scope of macroeconomic statistics for policy making and forecasting.
RBI is modernising dissemination and expanding scope of macroeconomic statistics to support FIT policy-making: upgrading DBIE with APIs and improved tools, publishing monthly tables on Flow of Financial Resources and Outstanding Credit to the Commercial Sector to reflect bank and non-bank financing, accelerating BoP releases toward monthly aggregates, revising enterprise and household surveys to cover emerging sectors and panels, and employing diverse models, high-frequency indicators, and stakeholder consultations to improve inflation and growth forecasts while monitoring bias and forecast performance.

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank expands branches and has applied for a Universal Banking Licence to broaden services.
Ujjivan Small Finance Bank opened two micro banking-led branches in West Bengal offering group and individual loans as part of a national expansion strategy, accompanied by enhanced digital channels (Ujjivan EZY, Hello Ujjivan, video banking, UPI, IMPS, NEFT, RTGS). The bank reported deposit and loan book growth, higher quarterly disbursements and stable asset quality, and has applied for a Universal Banking Licence.

Employer health insurance plans now require clearer disclosures, faster claims and portability of accrued benefits for employees.
The master circular consolidates guidance to require clearer disclosure via customer information sheets, faster and more predictable cashless claim handling, and continuity of credits like waiting periods and no-claim bonuses when moving between insurers or from group to individual cover; it also encourages broader inclusion of conditions and flexible benefit design such as mental health, chronic illness and voluntary top-ups, prompting employers to review policy wording and communicate preserved entitlements to employees.

Banking and Financial Services funds concentrate exposure to banks, insurers and NBFCs-assess manager mix, sector risks, liquidity and costs.
A Banking and Financial Services Fund concentrates equities in banks, insurers, asset managers and NBFCs to capture sector trends; investors must assess the manager's stock mix and diversification because holdings composition drives volatility and risk transmission. Key considerations include regulatory and credit risks, liquidity of underlying stocks, concentration and cost implications from turnover, and use of risk-adjusted performance to evaluate consistency. Treat such funds as tactical or strategic allocations within an equity sleeve, prefer multi-year horizons or SIPs to average entry points, and confirm disclosures, top holdings, exit terms and tax treatment before investing.

Citi supports launch of 10 St. Judes centres in Navi Mumbai providing accommodation and holistic support to families.
Citi India provided both capital expenditure and operational expenditure support for 10 St. Judes residential centres within ACTREC, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, a 12-storey, 234-unit complex projected to provide free accommodation and services to over 700 families annually; the centres offer safe lodging, nutritious meals, counselling, educational assistance, and transportation, and represent the largest facility operated by St. Judes as part of Citi's ongoing partnership and corporate social responsibility initiatives.

EnKash launches co-branded prepaid wallet infrastructure enabling RBI-compliant open-loop wallets and integrated payment gateway for B2C businesses.
EnKash offers a turnkey, API-driven co-branded prepaid wallet infrastructure that enables businesses to issue RBI-compliant open-loop wallets, integrate an embedded payment gateway for real-time fund loading, and access end-to-end wallet issuance, transaction processing, and compliance automation under the provider's licence-backed regulatory framework.

Auction for re-issue of government securities using multiple-price method with non-competitive allotment and RBI e-bid windows.
Re-issue auction of four Government securities will be conducted by the Reserve Bank of India via a price-based multiple-price auction, with the Government able to retain additional subscriptions up to Rs.2,000 crore per security; up to 5% of each notified amount is reserved for non-competitive bids. Bids must be submitted electronically on the RBI E-Kuber system within specified time windows, and securities are eligible for When Issued trading under RBI guidelines.

Government securities re-issue auction for four papers via price-based multiple-price method with non-competitive quota.
The Government announced re-issue auctions on November 28, 2025 for four securities-5.91% GS 2028 (Rs.9,000 crore), 6.28% GS 2032 (Rs.11,000 crore), 7.24% GS 2055 (Rs.7,000 crore) and 6.98% GOI SGrB 2054 (Rs.5,000 crore)-conducted by the Reserve Bank of India using a price-based auction under the multiple-price method, with the Government able to retain up to Rs.2,000 crore additional per security and results announced the same day with payment on December 1, 2025.

Rupee gains after central bank selling in NDF markets and lower crude prices amid foreign outflows.
Suspected RBI intervention through dollar selling in non-deliverable forward markets, together with dollar sales by banks and importers and softer crude prices, produced a sharp intraday appreciation of the rupee, anchoring it within a narrow range despite ongoing pressures from foreign outflows, a widening trade deficit and a stronger dollar index.

Veefin appoints Niraj Vedwa as Senior Advisor to accelerate expansion into broader transaction banking and governance enhancement.
Veefin Solutions appointed Niraj Vedwa as Senior Advisor to its Advisory Board to guide expansion from Supply Chain Finance into a broader Transaction Banking suite, advising on product depth, governance maturity, and global expansion. Vedwa will support institutional partnerships, product vision execution, and enterprise transformation across Trade Finance, Cash Management, Digital Lending and Corporate Digital Banking, emphasizing advisory and governance functions to accelerate Veefin's platform scaling and international market presence.

Nucleus Software certified Great Place To Work for trust-driven culture, employee development, and enhanced employer branding in fintech.
Nucleus Software received Great Place To Work certification based on independent evaluation and employee feedback, reflecting a focus on trust, fairness, collaboration, and people-first leadership. The company links the certification to ongoing initiatives in learning, diversity and inclusion, leadership development, well-being, and innovation-led career growth, and positions the recognition as strengthening its employer brand in the global fintech market while reinforcing the connection between workplace culture and product quality.

Rupee rebounds as RBI sells in NDF markets; forex reserves rise on higher gold values while equities see FII selling.
The rupee strengthened to 89.20 after banks and importers sold dollars and the RBI intervened by selling in non-deliverable forward markets to keep the dollar within a managed intraday range; reserves rose by USD 5.543 billion mainly due to higher gold valuations.