Collateral-free personal loans with flexible tenure and digital processing support easier repayment planning and quick access to funds.
A collateral-free personal loan product offers flexible repayment planning, with tenure options ranging from 12 months to 108 months, to reduce monthly instalments and support budgeting for planned and urgent expenses. The product is offered through a fully digital application process with minimal documentation and quick approval, subject to eligibility and verification. It is available to salaried and self-employed individuals, with interest rates varying according to credit profile, eligibility, and repayment behaviour, and terms are communicated upfront to support informed borrowing.

Toffee exports surge alongside renewed India-Italy trade ties and social media "Melodi" wordplay.
India's toffee exports were reported to have increased sharply over 12 years, rising from Rs 49.68 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 132 crore in 2025-26. The disclosure followed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's public thanks for being gifted "Melody" toffees, reviving the "Melodi" wordplay online. The visit was also linked to efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation in trade, defence, clean energy and technology.

Prepaid payment instrument authorisation marks RBI-backed entry into regulated digital wallets, prepaid cards, and stored-value payments.
RBI authorisation has been granted to ZikZuk Technologies Private Limited to operate as a Prepaid Payment Instrument issuer under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, placing the company under direct regulatory oversight in India's payments ecosystem. The authorisation enables regulated digital payment products, including digital wallets, prepaid cards, and stored-value solutions, within the PPI framework. The reported scope includes General Purpose PPIs, Special Purpose PPIs, and PPIs for Foreign Nationals and NRIs under the UPI One World framework.

Transatlantic tariff deal secures tariff caps and trade stability amid legal uncertainty over US measures.
The European Union approved a tariff deal with the United States capping tariffs on most EU exports at 15 per cent and reducing tariffs on US industrial goods to zero, after intense internal debate and trilogue negotiations. European lawmakers added protections in case the United States backtracks, while the arrangement was presented as a way to preserve stability in transatlantic trade and provide business certainty. Concerns remained because US courts had questioned the legal basis for certain tariff measures.

Asian Productivity Organization governance meeting in New Delhi to review Vision 2030, budget proposals and election procedures.
India is hosting the 68th Session of the Asian Productivity Organization Governing Body in New Delhi from 20 to 22 May 2026, with senior delegates, observers and invitees participating in annual governance discussions. The meeting will cover the APO Vision 2030 framework, the preliminary budget for the 2027-28 biennium, Secretary-General election procedures, election of the APO Chair and Vice Chairs, the Annual and Financial Report, budget proposals, institutional reforms and key policy and procedural recommendations.

Political remarks and apology demand follow Congress MP's comments against top leaders, with talk of possible suo motu cognisance.
Political remarks made by a Congress MP against the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the RSS drew strong criticism from BJP leaders, who described the language as politically immature and reflective of mental bankruptcy. The BJP demanded an unconditional apology and expressed concern over the use of such statements, while one leader suggested that the remarks could invite suo motu cognisance.

Aadhaar identity proof dispute targets its use for citizenship, domicile, address and voter registration verification.
A public interest plea seeks directions that Aadhaar be used strictly as identity proof and not as proof of citizenship, domicile, residential address or date of birth. It also challenges its use in voter registration Form-6 as proof of residence and date of birth, contending that the existing verification mechanism is inadequate and calls for an overhaul of electoral verification, including a proposed high-powered monitoring committee.

Entitlement Certificate process under Assam SGST reimbursement scheme covers online application, tracking, approval, and certificate download.
Application and online processing framework for grant of an Entitlement Certificate under the Assam Industries (SGST Reimbursement for Eligible Units) Scheme, 2021, including taxpayer profile creation, login, password management, application submission, document upload, acknowledgement generation, and status tracking through the departmental portal. The portal also provides a tracking facility based on acknowledgement number, year, month, or date of application, with status display against the application until approval. Upon approval, the user may download the Entitlement Certificate from the status page.

GST reimbursement workflow requires taxpayer registration, annexure filing, certificate upload, refund application and online status tracking.
GST reimbursement under the Assam Industries (Tax Reimbursement for Eligible Units) Scheme is processed through the Commissionerate of Taxes portal by taxpayer registration, login and profile creation, including first-time password change and access to the dashboard. The portal directs the user to the relevant reimbursement workflow for the 2017 or 2021 scheme and enables selection of the appropriate annexures for filing. For reimbursement under the 2021 scheme, the taxpayer must complete Annexure-8 and Annexure-9 with unit particulars, eligibility and certificate details, exemption period and bank particulars, then upload the prescribed certificates and submit the application for jurisdictional approval.

Digital signature certificate setup in GST portal requires Java, emSigner, token login, and certificate-based electronic signing.
Digital Signature Certificate use in the GST portal depends on system preparation, including a compatible Windows environment, Internet Explorer 11, Java installation, and the emSigner utility. The Java exception site list must include the local port address used by the signer service, and the emSigner service must be running before the portal can recognise the token-based signature setup. The process then moves through token insertion, GST officer login, and selection of the relevant certificate for electronic signing after entry of the token PIN or password.

Pan-India solar inverter distribution expands market access, service support, and adoption across residential and commercial rooftop segments.
Pan-India distributorship agreement was entered into for FIMER's string inverter portfolio, with Redington Solar appointed as the distribution partner to extend nationwide market access for solar inverter products. The arrangement is intended to strengthen reach across commercial and industrial customers, solar developers, EPCs, rooftop installers, and residential users, including support for 3KW and 5KW inverter solutions under the PM Surya Ghar initiative as well as other commercial inverter offerings. The partnership provides single-point distribution support covering product availability, competitive pricing, credit assistance, logistics, commissioning assistance, and after-sales service.

GST tax deduction at source applies to specified government payments, with monthly deposit, return filing, and certificate issuance requirements.
Section 51 GST TDS applies to specified government deductors from 1 October 2018, requiring registration before payment to suppliers above the prescribed contract threshold. Intra-State supplies attract 1% CGST and 1% SGST, while inter-State supplies attract 2% IGST, with tax computed on the taxable value excluding GST and cess shown in the invoice. Deductors must maintain records, generate CPIN challans, deposit tax, file FORM GSTR-7 within ten days after month-end, and issue FORM GSTR-7A certificates.

GST tax deduction at source: registration, deduction, payment, monthly return filing and TDS certificate requirements for deductors.
Tax deduction at source under the GST Act applies to specified government entities and public bodies making payment for taxable supplies above the prescribed threshold. The tax deductor must register online in FORM GST REG-07, deduct tax at the applicable rate from taxable supply value, deposit the amount through the GST portal by the due date, file monthly return in FORM GSTR-7, and issue FORM GSTR-7A certificate to the deductee. The guideline also covers treasury and non-treasury payment procedures, amendment of registration and return details, transitional cases, and default consequences including interest, late fee and penalty.

Green Technology and Innovation Strategic Partnership deepens India-Nordic cooperation on clean energy, sustainability and trusted technologies.
India and the Nordic countries agreed to elevate their relationship to a Green Technology and Innovation Strategic Partnership, focusing on clean energy, sustainability, innovation, emerging technologies and trusted technologies. The partnership is intended to combine innovation, scale and talent while advancing shared commitments to democracy, the rule of law, multilateralism and a rules-based global order. The leaders also discussed trade and investment ties, research collaboration, Arctic and polar research, skill development, talent mobility and cooperation in multilateral fora.

Information Security Management Systems certification strengthens police data protection, cyber resilience, and confidentiality of sensitive digital infrastructure.
Karnataka State Police Data Center has been awarded ISO/IEC 27001 certification for Information Security Management Systems, recognising compliance with internationally accepted standards for information security, data protection, cyber security practices and information management processes. The certification is said to strengthen confidentiality, integrity and availability of sensitive information and critical digital infrastructure, while improving cyber resilience, protection against unauthorised access, and the security, privacy, transparency and accountability of data management.

India-UK trade agreement implementation could ease whisky tariffs and support export growth, jobs and market access.
Swift implementation of the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement is being sought by the Scotch Whisky Association, which expects the pact to support exports to India. The agreement has been signed and ratified in the UK, but operationalisation has encountered delays linked to proposed steel import restrictions. Officials are working on a creative solution so the agreement can be formalised at an early date, while the wider trade deal is presented as reducing whisky tariffs and supporting growth, jobs and export opportunities.

Input tax credit refund filing now requires Annexure-B through the offline utility with invoice-wise HSN/SAC reporting and GSTR-2B validation.
Annexure-B for refund applications involving accumulated Input Tax Credit must be furnished through the prescribed offline utility on the GST portal for specified refund categories, including exports without payment of tax, supplies to SEZ units or developers, inverted tax structure claims, and export of electricity. The utility requires invoice-wise HSN/SAC-wise reporting, separate line items for different input categories, correct disclosure of taxable value, tax amount, blocked credit status, and proper reporting of ITC reversals. The generated JSON is to be uploaded for validation against GSTR-2B, subject to the system rules for validation, duplicate checks, and file limits.

State Domestic Product estimation discussions focus on reconciling methodologies, data sources, and comparable GSDP estimates.
Annual joint discussions between the National Accounts Division and State/UT economics and statistics directorates are held to reconcile differences in State Domestic Product estimates compiled independently by the States/UTs and the national accounts authorities. The current exercise covers current price Gross State Domestic Product estimates for FY 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 on the revised base year 2022-23, with sectoral groups examining revised methodologies and data sources to arrive at comparable SDP estimates.

Industry-government collaboration drives reforms, export growth and digital infrastructure expansion for stronger competitiveness and resilient growth.
Industry-government collaboration is urged to improve ease of doing business, strengthen competitiveness and accelerate reforms through resilience, productivity, supply-chain strength and export growth. Investment in data centres, cloud services and digital infrastructure is promoted, with cloud services from India or Indian data centres to the rest of the world described as enjoying 100 per cent tax-free status till 2047. Export-led growth, value addition, industrial parks, a single-window system and integrated digital access are presented as key operational priorities.

Rupee depreciation driven by oil prices, capital outflows and dollar strength raises inflation and external pressure.
Sharp depreciation of the Indian rupee is attributed to elevated crude oil prices, sustained foreign portfolio outflows, widening trade deficits and broad US dollar strength. India's heavy dependence on imported oil increases dollar demand, while rising gold imports and higher overall imports widen the current account gap and add pressure on the currency. Reserve Bank of India intervention can smooth volatility, but it cannot fully offset structural pressure from oil costs and capital outflows.