AI-driven cooperative banking summit spotlights digital innovation, cybersecurity, regulatory compliance and sector-wide collaboration in urban cooperative banks.
The Bharat Cooperative Banking Summit & Awards 2026 is a three-day forum for urban cooperative banks focused on AI-driven cooperative banking, digital innovation, cybersecurity, regulatory technology, operational resilience and regulatory compliance. It brings together senior leaders, policymakers, regulators, fintech partners and technology providers for collaboration, knowledge exchange and alignment with evolving digital and regulatory expectations. The awards segment recognises excellence in leadership, innovation, governance, financial inclusion, digital transformation and service within the cooperative movement.

Zero Coupon Bond notification requires mandatory advance filing of Form No. 2 with prescribed details and supporting documents.
Form No. 2 is the prescribed electronic application under rule 7 of the Income-tax Rules for notification of a Zero Coupon Bond under section 2(112) of the Act. Filing is mandatory before issue, must be made at least three months in advance, and is issue-specific. It is to be filed by an infrastructure capital company, infrastructure capital fund, infrastructure debt fund, or public sector company with the required details and supporting annexures.

Client code modification reporting requires monthly online filing by stock exchanges for cash and derivative transactions.
A monthly statement is required from stock exchanges reporting modified client code transactions in cash and derivative market transactions. The form must be filed online by all stock exchanges through the income tax e-filing portal, and its smart-form format captures basic exchange details. The format also incorporates commodity derivative details previously associated with Form 3BC, which has been rendered redundant, while no other changes are made to the Cash Market and Derivative Market tables.

Stock exchange reporting rules require monthly filing of client code modification statements through the e-filing portal.
Form No. 1 is a mandatory monthly statement to be furnished by a stock exchange for transactions in which client codes have been modified after registration in the system. It applies to both cash and derivative markets, must be filed within 15 days from the end of each relevant month, and is submitted only online through the Income Tax e-Filing portal. Once filed and acknowledged, it cannot be edited, and submission requires a valid PAN.

Tax Year transition and repeal savings preserve continuity while the Income-tax Act, 2025 simplifies compliance and reorganises filings.
The Income-tax Act, 2025 replaces the Income-tax Act, 1961 as a streamlined and modernised code, while preserving the underlying tax policy, continuity of pending matters, and the existing compliance architecture. The new Act substitutes the concept of Assessment Year with Tax Year, applies prospectively from 1 April 2026, and continues the old Act for tax years beginning before that date. Transitional provisions preserve rights, liabilities, pending proceedings, tax payments, return filing, reassessment, appeals, deductions, and losses under the repealed Act, while the new Act reorganises forms, withholding provisions, and compliance statements in simplified and consolidated form.

Anticipatory banking drives India hub expansion for stronger engineering, data, and cloud support across digital banking platforms.
Expansion of a global capability center in India to strengthen engineering, data intelligence and cloud architecture support for a digital sales and service platform used by financial institutions. The India hub is intended to deepen technical capacity for platform development, security, scalability and reliable digital banking delivery, while supporting the company's move toward anticipatory banking through data-driven and AI-enabled capabilities.

Startup incubation and investor access drive Galgotias Investo Pitch 2026 with grants for early-stage ventures.
Galgotias University organised "Galgotias Investo Pitch 2026" to support innovation and entrepreneurship by connecting startups with investors, industry leaders, incubation stakeholders, and government representatives. The event focused on startup scaling, venture capital access, business incubation, mentorship, market entry, and the use of artificial intelligence for scalable and cost-effective business growth. The University also announced an endowment grant for twelve early-stage startups as part of its continued support for the startup ecosystem.

Bancassurance partnership drives digital-first insurance access, streamlined underwriting, and broader financial inclusion across underserved markets.
Strategic bancassurance partnership between Axis Max Life Insurance Limited and YES BANK has been reaffirmed as a long-running distribution alliance focused on digital-first delivery and hyper-personalized protection solutions. The collaboration combines the insurer's protection expertise with the bank's branch network and digital infrastructure to deliver insurance through streamlined customer journeys, including video consultations and agile underwriting, across protection, savings, education planning, retirement planning and wealth creation needs. The partnership is also directed toward expanding insurance access in underserved markets and supporting the objective of "Insurance for All by 2047".

LNG supply disruption and force majeure risk could keep global gas prices elevated for years.
Damage to Qatar's Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas terminal has disrupted a major part of the country's LNG export capacity and may trigger force majeure on long-term supply contracts. The facility is complex, costly to repair, and likely to require a prolonged shutdown and staged restoration because LNG plants must be warmed and cooled slowly. The supply shortfall is likely to keep global LNG prices elevated and may shift some markets toward coal.

RoDTEP benefits restored for exporters as West Asia crisis raises freight costs and disrupts maritime trade.
Restoration of RoDTEP benefits was announced for eligible export products from February 23, 2026 to March 31, 2026, with the rates and value caps applicable on February 22, 2026 restored in full. The measure responds to the West Asia crisis and the resulting disruption to global trade, including higher freight costs, rising insurance premiums, and maritime logistics challenges affecting export consignments moving to or through the region.

Conflict of interest framework strengthens disclosure, recusal, and investment restrictions for top market regulator officials.
Sebi approved a conflict of interest and disclosure framework for its top officials, bringing the Chairman and Whole Time Members within the definition of insider and requiring disclosure of assets, liabilities, and immovable property in specified formats. The framework also provides for ethics infrastructure, a digital conflict-management system, a whistleblower mechanism, recusal procedures, and uniform restrictions on investments and trading in equity and equity-related instruments for senior officials.

CAPF recruitment and promotion law draws opposition objections as discussion time is allotted in the Rajya Sabha.
The Business Advisory Committee of the Rajya Sabha allotted eight hours for discussion on the proposed Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Bill, 2026, while the Bill was not taken up in the House on the reported day. The proposed umbrella legislation is intended to regulate the recruitment, deputation and promotion of CAPF officers, and several opposition parties objected to its introduction and sought fuller scrutiny of such legislation.

Corporate compliance reform proposals expand CSR flexibility, decriminalise procedural defaults, and streamline mergers and governance.
Proposed amendments to the Companies Act and LLP Act seek to promote ease of doing business, reduce compliance burden, and decriminalise procedural defaults by replacing criminal provisions with civil penalties. The bill also proposes streamlined mergers and amalgamations, hybrid-mode meetings, flexibility in share buy-backs, simplified closure and voluntary exit, and easier compliance for small companies, startups, producer companies, and certain LLPs.

PMLA extradition proceedings advance in Torres jewellery fraud case involving alleged hawala routing and USDT conversion.
Extradition proceedings were initiated under the PMLA against an absconding Ukrainian accused in the Torres jewellery fraud investigation after the Enforcement Directorate approached the special PMLA court for compilation and attestation of papers to prepare a dossier for transmission to foreign authorities. The case concerns allegations that customers were cheated through Platinum Hern Private Limited, operating as Torres Jewellery, by collecting cash in exchange for Moissanite diamonds and other jewellery, with the receipts allegedly routed through hawala operators and converted into USDT cryptocurrency in a money-laundering investigation.

Money laundering attachment over alleged diversion of club funds through fake accounts and routing of proceeds to properties and deposits.
Provisional attachment under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act covered assets worth about Rs 34.51 crore, including movable and immovable properties and fixed deposits linked to persons connected with the United Services Club matter. The Enforcement Directorate alleged that club funds were diverted through fake bank accounts opened in the names of genuine vendors, then routed to personal and joint accounts of the accused and associates. The alleged proceeds of crime were used to acquire properties, create fixed deposits, and channel funds through a trust to accounts linked to a chartered accountant and related entities.

Independent directors must support governance concerns with evidence and record unresolved issues to protect minority shareholder interests.
Independent directors must act responsibly when raising concerns about a company's functioning or proposed actions, and any insinuations affecting governance or minority shareholder interests must be supported by proper evidence. Such concerns should be taken up with the board and, if unresolved, recorded in the minutes of the board meeting. Independent directors may question the company in board-level forums, but they cannot make vague or unsubstantiated allegations and must ensure that minority shareholder interests are protected.

Fiscal discipline and GST compliance in Gujarat are highlighted through surplus targets, controlled debt, higher capital spending and rising tax collections.
Gujarat's fiscal management is said to be maintained under the Gujarat Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2005, with an aim to ensure fiscal stability, accountability and a revenue surplus. The state reportedly remains within prescribed ceilings for fiscal deficit and debt, has not defaulted on debt repayment, and has not taken an overdraft or advance for many years. The discussion also highlights increased capital expenditure, concerns over non-developmental spending and debt burden, and growth in GST taxpayers, return filing compliance and tax revenue.

Paper leak investigation deepens as Bihar Police arrests an alleged gang member linked to the TRE-3 exam case.
Bihar Police's Economic Offences Unit arrested Praveen Kumar Sinha in the BPSC Teacher Recruitment Exam (TRE-3) paper leak case and described him as an active member of the Sanjeev Kumar Singh gang. The statement said the arrest followed a tip-off and that, during interrogation, Sinha claimed he took teacher aspirants to Hazaribagh before the exam and supplied question papers. Officials also said the wider network operates across multiple states and that 293 people have been arrested so far.

Crude oil dependence and West Asia spillovers drive calls for proactive buffering and closer economic monitoring.
India's external dependence on crude oil requires close monitoring of the West Asia crisis and proactive measures to limit adverse spillovers from disrupted energy supplies, trade policy uncertainty and volatility in global commodity and financial markets. India's economic position is described as resilient, supported by adequate foreign exchange reserves, strong growth, sound macroeconomic fundamentals and robust external sector buffers, with an Economic Stabilisation Fund suggested as an additional buffer against external shocks.

Rupee pressure intensifies as it breaches the 94 mark intraday amid crude, equity and global sentiment weakness.
The rupee breached the 94 level against the US dollar in intraday trade for the first time before closing unchanged at 93.53. The movement reflected pressure from global market conditions, including a correction in crude prices, weakening domestic equities, foreign institutional investor outflows and broader geopolitical tensions, while the dollar index remained firm. Intermittent intervention by the Reserve Bank was expected to provide support at lower levels.