Extortion and money laundering probe: NIA searches in Jharkhand targeting alleged proscribed group operatives and related evidence.
The National Investigation Agency conducted searches in Chatra district targeting suspects and overground workers linked to TSPC, a splinter of a proscribed organisation, in an investigation into alleged extortion and money laundering; mobile phones and SIM cards were seized. The investigation, originally registered by local police in 2016, was taken over by the NIA in 2018, and the agency has filed chargesheets against 21 accused while inquiries continue.

Money laundering probe uncovers assets linked to ex-transport constable and associates after searches revealed bank and property records.
A federal probe into alleged money laundering arising from a Lokayukta FIR found documents, bank-account details and property records showing that a former transport-department constable allegedly acquired movable and immovable assets in the names of family members, friends and companies with close associates as directors, focusing on asset tracing, beneficial ownership and instruments used to disguise the origin of proceeds.

Inter-agency coordination on bank fraud investigations to expedite probes and institutionalize regular banker-CBI consultations.
Meeting by the Department of Financial Services aimed to strengthen inter-agency cooperation between PSBs and the CBI to expedite bank fraud investigations by creating regular banker-CBI consultation platforms, streamlining complaint filing and review processes, and clarifying operational support needs. The meeting noted positive effects of Prevention of Corruption Act amendments protecting bonafide banking decisions, reviewed insolvency and asset recovery mechanisms, and introduced an asset tracing IT application for PSB evaluation.

Rural bank credit expansion urged to prioritise agricultural allied activities and digital onboarding, with emphasis on SHG enterprise support.
The Union Finance Minister directed RRBs to increase ground-level agricultural and allied-activity credit, expand credit to women SHGs with sponsor-bank and NABARD/SIDBI support, accelerate technology upgrades (Internet Banking, Mobile Banking, UPI) by end-December 2024, saturate beneficiaries under social security schemes, promote digital transactions and branch expansion in rural areas, and maintain asset quality, corporate governance and coordinated capacity-building to support enterprise development and rural financial inclusion.

India International Trade Fair draws record visitors; awards presented across states, sectors, foreign pavilions and cleanliness initiatives.
India International Trade Fair concluded with more than one million visitors and awards across state exhibits, thematic state presentations, foreign pavilions, ministries and public sector entities, empowering India initiatives, and private sector participants. The fair emphasised cleanliness under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, awarding Swachh Pavilion medals and commendations, and organisers acknowledged media coverage and law enforcement for an incident free event.

Board governance obligations: Boards must ensure technology, risk, customer protections and KYC compliance to sustain bank resilience.
Boards must exercise active governance to steer banks through rapid technology-driven transformation by fostering responsible innovation, critically scrutinising management, and aligning strategy with risk appetite. Oversight must focus on business model resilience and mitigation of concentration risks, underpinned by risk management and data integrity through robust real-time systems and tailored stress-testing. Boards should ensure transparency over third-party dependencies, enforce customer-centric KYC implementation and grievance mechanisms, and prioritise talent retention and capability upgradation to preserve operational continuity and regulatory compliance.

Digitalisation and productivity: digital public infrastructure and fintech reforms aim to boost productivity while balancing risks.
The address argues that digitalisation and AI can materially raise productivity if integrated into the real economy and measured using disaggregated growth accounting (KLEMS) to capture ICT capital, human capital and intangibles. It documents India's financial digitalisation-widespread bank digital services, UPI, Account Aggregators, OCEN, ONDC and TReDS-yielding efficiency gains, broader inclusion and MSME finance improvements. The Reserve Bank's approach balances innovation and risk through infrastructure, pilots (including CBDC), the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub and the Unified Lending Interface, guided by five priorities: inclusion, DPI, customer protection and cybersecurity, sustainable finance, and global cooperation.

Financial inclusion expansion urged to operationalise FI schemes and boost rural credit through targeted RRB reforms and digital adoption.
The Finance Minister directed Southern Region RRBs and their sponsor banks to expand credit under flagship schemes, scale up agriculture credit with focus on allied activities (dairy, animal husbandry, fisheries), mobilise CASA deposits for sustainable growth, accelerate financial inclusion by achieving FI scheme targets and operationalising inoperative accounts, and to design customised MSME credit products while collaborating with SIDBI on digital platforms, co-lending and refinance arrangements. Administrative measures included reviewing RRB recruitment rules and seeking State views on amalgamation on the principle of One State One RRB.

FIU cooperation enhances AML/CFT information sharing, IT system collaboration, and public-private partnership exchange.
Enhanced cooperation between India and Qatar FIUs concentrates on operational collaboration to combat money laundering and terrorist financing through comparative assessment of IT systems, strategic analysis tools, and methods for effective information exchange. India's FIU presented its public-private and private-private partnership initiatives and experience with virtual digital asset service providers. The FIUs reaffirmed cooperation under an existing memorandum on information exchange and pursued practical collaboration via on site visits, capacity building, and potential knowledge transfer on technical systems and partnership frameworks.

IPEF Clean Economy partnership advances cooperation on clean energy deployment and investment facilitation across the Indo Pacific.
India signed three IPEF instruments: the Clean Economy Agreement to promote cooperation on clean energy technology deployment, workforce development, investment facilitation and financing through cooperative work programmes and catalytic funds; the Fair Economy Agreement to strengthen anti corruption, tax transparency, information exchange, asset recovery, and technical assistance for enforcement; and the Overarching Agreement to establish ministerial political oversight and institutional coordination to guide implementation across IPEF pillars.

Anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing recognition strengthens India's compliance standing and access to global financial markets.
FATF adopted India's Mutual Evaluation Report, placing India in the regular follow-up category and recognising measures mitigating ML/TF risks from corruption, fraud and organised crime. It noted India's shift from cash to digital transactions, the JAM Trinity and cash regulation increasing traceability and financial inclusion. Since 2014 legislative and enforcement reforms and coordinated multi-agency action have disrupted terror financing and illicit flows, strengthening the country's AML/CFT framework and improving access to global financial markets and digital payment expansion.

Tax distribution and grants-in-aid reforms sought to guide intergovernmental fiscal allocations and local government funding.
The Commission seeks recommendations on distribution of net proceeds of divisible taxes between Union and States and allocation among States; principles and sums for grants-in-aid from the Consolidated Fund of India for purposes other than specified provisos; and measures to augment State Consolidated Funds to supplement Panchayats and Municipalities based on State Finance Commission recommendations, including review of financing arrangements for disaster management under the Disaster Management Act.

Patent Rules reform streamlines patent prosecution and maintenance, reducing timelines and simplifying extensions and filings.
Notification of the Patent Rules, 2024 introduces procedural reforms to simplify patent prosecution and maintenance, including a Certificate of Inventorship, Form 31 for grace period claims, reduced time for request for examination, revised timing for foreign filing details in Form 8, explicit repeatable extensions and condonation up to six months, an advance electronic renewal fee discount, reduced frequency and limited condonation for Form 27 statements, and clarified pre grant representation procedures with prescribed fees to curb fraudulent oppositions.

IPEF Clean Economy Agreement promotes regional clean energy cooperation, unlocking investment and capacity building for clean transitions.
The Supply Chain Agreement has entered into force and the texts of the proposed Clean Economy Agreement, Fair Economy Agreement, and overarching Agreement on IPEF have been finalised and published after legal review. The Agreement on IPEF creates an IPEF Council and a Joint Commission to oversee collective operation and monitor implementation, while the Supply Chain Agreement establishes three operational bodies to be staffed and to adopt terms of reference. The Clean Economy and Fair Economy Agreements provide cooperative mechanisms-including Cooperative Work Programs and a Catalytic Capital Fund-and technical assistance to promote clean transition, investment, transparency, and anti corruption measures.

PMLA compliance breach prompts monetary enforcement for AML/CFT and KYC failures in payments bank accounts.
Financial intelligence enforcement found deficiencies in a payments bank's record-keeping, transaction monitoring and customer due diligence after information that proceeds from illegal online gambling were routed through its accounts. A Show Cause Notice alleged failures under rules on maintenance of records, customer identification, reporting obligations and AML/CFT/KYC safeguards for payout and beneficiary services. On review of submissions and material on record, the Director exercised statutory authority to impose a monetary penalty as an enforcement measure to address the substantiated compliance lapses.

Central banking cooperation enhances regional resilience through coordinated capital flow, monetary, CBDC, big data, and climate risk policies.
SEACEN serves as a supra national capacity building forum enabling member central banks to coordinate on capital flow management, monetary policy responses to disinflation, CBDC design and trials, big data applications for policy and supervision, and assessment of climate related macro financial risks. Emphasis is on mixed use of capital flow measures and macroprudential instruments, tailored monetary tightening to manage inflation and capital movements, two tier CBDC architectures for payment resilience, deployment of machine learning and suptech with attendant governance challenges, and integrating climate vulnerability into sovereign and financial stability analysis.

AI governance in financial institutions: ensure robust oversight, transparency, accountability and consumer protection for model deployment.
Reserve Bank outlines AI's transformative potential and attendant risks, grouping concerns into Data Bias and Robustness, Governance and Transparency. It sets ten design and operational expectations for financial institutions deploying AI: fairness, transparency, accuracy, consistency, data privacy, explainability, accountability, robustness, monitoring and updating, and human oversight. These measures aim to balance innovation with consumer protection, financial stability, cybersecurity and public trust, supported by RBI initiatives such as payments infrastructure, CBDC pilots, an Innovation Hub and a regulatory sandbox.