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Weekly One Liner

Banking & Economy Affairs
(1-7 March 2019)
Dear readers,

Weekly One Liner is a collection of important Banking & Economy Affairs news and events that occurred in the first week (1-
7th) of March 2019. This file is important for all upcoming Banking & Insurance exams.

RBI related news

1. RBI imposes Rs 8 crore fine on 3 banks for non-
compliance in Swift operations
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a
fine of 8 crores on 3 banks viz. Karnataka
Bank, United Bank of India and Karur Vysya
Bank for non-compliance of directions on Swift
messaging software.
• A fine of 4 crores was imposed on Karnataka
Bank, 3 crores on United Bank of India and one
crore on Karur Vysya Bank.
About SWIFT
• SWIFT stands for Society for Worldwide Interbank
Financial Telecommunications.
• SWIFT is the world’s largest electronic payment
messaging system to transmit financial messages
between banks globally.
• It supplies a standardized language that
institutions use to communicate payment
instructions and other info to each other.
• SWIFT assigns each financial organization a unique
code that has either 8 characters or 11 characters.
The code is called interchangeably the bank
identifier code (BIC), SWIFT code, SWIFT ID.
• SWIFT does not hold any funds or securities, nor
does it manage client accounts.
2. RBI imposes fine on Dena Bank, Central Bank
• RBI has imposed a monetary penalty of ₹ 2
crore on Dena Bank and ₹1 crore on Central
Bank of India.
• Reserve Bank of India has imposed a penalty of
Rs 2 crore on Dena Bank for non-compliance
with the banking regulator's directions issued
on February 20, 2018.
• Central Bank of India said RBI has imposed an
aggregate penalty of ₹ 1 crore due to some
reconciliation related lapses.

Banking & Insurance

3. Government announces new Rs 20 coin
• The Finance Ministry on March 6 announced in
a gazette notification to roll out Rs 20 coin for
the first time in the country.
• The new coin will be shaped like a
"dodecagon" - a 12-edged polygon.
Key features of Rs. 20 coin
• The outside diameter of new Rs 20 coin will be
27mm (millimeters) and it will weigh 8.54 grams.
• The outer ring of Rs 20 coin will be 65 percent
copper, 15 percent zinc and 20 per nickel, the
inner disc will be 75 percent copper, 20 percent
zinc and five percent nickel.
Obverse:
• The face of the coin will bear the Lion Capitol of
Ashoka Pillar with the legend "Satyamev Jayate"
inscribed below, flanked on the left periphery with
the word "Bharat" in Hindi and on the right
periphery with the word "INDIA" in English.
Note:
• The government is also planning to release new
coins of Re 1, Rs 2, Rs 5 and Rs 10. However, the
govt has not announced the exact date for the
issuance of these new series coins.
• According to the notification the new Rs 10 coin
will have a outside diameter of 27 mm and weigh
7.74 gm, while the Rs 5 coin will have a diameter of
25 mm and weight of 6.74 gms.

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• The new series one rupee and two rupees coin will
weigh 3.09 gm and 4.07 gm, while the diameter
would be 20 mm and 23 mm respectively.
Note:
• The Reserve Bank of India had issued the first 10-
rupee coin nearly 10 years ago in March 2009.
Since then, there have been 13 iterations of the
coin.
• As per Coinage Act, 1906, the Government of
India has the sole right to mint coins and the
responsibility for coinage vests with the
Government. The designing and minting of coins in
various denominations is also the responsibility of
the Government.
• Coins are minted at the four India Government
Mints at Mumbai, Alipore (Kolkata), Saifabad
(Hyderabad), Cherlapally (Hyderabad) and Noida
(UP).
• The coins are issued for circulation only through
the Reserve Bank in terms of the RBI Act.
4. PM releases new series of coins for Divyang kids
• The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March
07, 2019 released the new series of visually
impaired friendly circulation coins, in New
Delhi.
• Rs.1, Rs.2, Rs.5, Rs.10 and Rs.20 are the various
denominations of coins released as part of the
new series.
• The coins were released at a function at 7, Lok
Kalyan Marg, where visually impaired children
were specially invited.
• The Prime Minister thanked the National
Institute of Design for the design, Security
Printing and Minting Corporation of India
Limited and the Ministry of Finance for the
introduction of new coins.
5. Bad assets and bankruptcy code: Lenders recover
almost half of Rs 1.43-lakh crore defaulting
advances
• Lenders have recovered about half the
defaulting advances of Rs 1.43 lakh crore stuck
in 82 cases that have been resolved so far in
the past two years, signalling that the
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) has
become increasingly effective in extricating
funds from bad assets.
• The law came into effect in December 2016.
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6. NBFCs with Rs 1,000 crore assets want
public deposit access
• Non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) with
assets exceeding Rs 1,000 crore want the
central bank to allow them to accept public
deposits.
• Industry leaders have been making this
demand with the regulator to allow the access
of public deposit for large NBFCs that have
been in operation for a long time and have
proven track records,” said Raman Agarwal,
chairman, Finance Industry Development
Council (FIDC).
• There are more than 10,000 NBFCs and
around 100 are allowed to accept public
deposits. NBFCs with assets of at least Rs 500
crore are considered systemically important.
7. IRDAI, NHA form working group to curb fraud in
Ayushman Bharat scheme
• The Insurance Regulatory and Development
Authority of India (IRDAI) and the National
Health Authority (NHA) have formed a
working group on the Ayushman Bharat
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-
PMJAY).
• The joint working group, to be chaired by
Dinesh Arora, Deputy CEO of NHA, will have
10 members from both the organisations.
• In six months, it will submit a report on how to
detect and deter fraud through a common
repository and capacity-building.
8. SBI, Hitachi arm to roll out digital payment’s
platform
• State Bank of India (SBI) and Hitachi Payment
Services Pvt Ltd launched their merchant-
acquiring joint venture, SBI Payment Services
Pvt Ltd (SBIPSPL), in Mumbai, for establishing
a digital payments platform for India and other
countries in the region.
• The joint venture (SBI has a 74 per cent stake,
and the balance is with Hitachi Payment
Services) will facilitate expansion of the digital
payments landscape in India via its digital
payments platform.
9. United Bank, HDFC Life sign bancassurance deal
• United Bank of India has signed a
bancassurance deal with private life insurer
HDFC Life Insurance Company.
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• Through this partnership, United Bank’s
customers will be able to take advantage of
HDFC Life’s expertise in life insurance
products, distribution and customer service.
10. Resolution of complaints within 30 days:
• According to insurance ombudsman
regulations, it is mandatory for insurers to
comply with the awards passed by the
ombudsman within a period of 30 days from
the receipt of the award.
11. DBS Bank announces launch of wholly-owned
subsidiary for India
• Singapore’s DBS Bank announced the launch of
its locally incorporated wholly-owned
subsidiary, DBS Bank India Ltd (DBIL), and its
plan to establish over 100 customer touch
points — a combination of branches and
kiosks — across 25 cities in the next 12-18
months.
Note:
• • Apart from jewellery and valuables, one can
• DBS set up a representative office in India in
1994 and opened its first bank branch in 1995.
• It currently operates in 12 cities: Delhi,
Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune,
Nashik, Surat, Kolhapur, Salem, Cuddalore and
Moradabad.
• Earlier DBS was known as The Development
Bank of Singapore Limited.
• DBS Bank headquarter is in Singapore.
12. Reliance AIF to launch its first commodity-focused
fund
• Anil Ambani-led Reliance Alternative
Investment Fund, a wholly-owned subsidiary
of Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management,
plans to mop-up ₹ 700 crore soon with the
launch of its first commodity fund Reliance
Commodity Plus AIF.
• The minimum investment per investor in the
fund has been fixed at ₹ one crore. Initially, the
Appointment
15. Bhagwan Lal Sahni appointed Chairman of the
14. Hasmukh Adhia appointed non-executive
chairman of BoB
• Former Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia was
appointed as non-executive chairman of Bank
of Baroda.
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fund will be open for 45 days and
can be extended depending on the demand,
sources said.
Note:
• Reliance AIF will be the first Indian asset
management company to foray into commodity
derivatives market after it was allowed by the
market regulator SEBI last year.
13. IFFCO Tokio launches India’s first policy to protect
bank locker
• IFFCO Tokio General Insurance Company
announced the launch of Bank Locker
Protector Policy, which is the first policy in
the industry to protect the contents of a bank
locker such as jewellery and other valuables.
Key points
• The policy offers a cover against various risks
including fire, earthquake, burglary, holdup,
infidelity by a bank staff or any act of
terrorism.
also insure important documents kept in a
locker as an add-on cover. The policy can be
sold both as a retail and a group policy for
banks.
• The policy offers seven options of sum insured
ranging from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 40 lakh and
above.
• The premium rate is affordable with a cover of
Rs 3 lakh available at just Rs 300, which is less
than Rs 1 per day.
• IFFCO Tokio is a joint venture between the
Indian Farmers Fertilizer Co-operative (IFFCO)
and its associates and Tokio Marine and
Nichido Fire Group which is also the largest
listed insurance group in Japan.
• K. Srinivasa Gowda is the Chairman of IFFCO
Tokio Chairman.
• Its headquarters is in Gurugram, Haryana.
National Commission for Backward Classes
• Bhagwan Lal Sahni had been appointed as the
Chairman of the National Commission for
Backward Classes (NCBC).
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• Bhagwan Lal Sahni is a BJP leader from Bihar's
Muzaffarpur district.
Note:
• National Commission for Backward Classes is a
Constitutional body set up through the 123rd
constitutional amendment bill 2018 and 102nd
amendment act under the provisions of Article
338B of Indian Constitution.
New app launched
16. Google launches 'Bolo' app to tutor children to read
Hindi, English
• Google launches a new app 'Bolo' that aims to
help primary school students learn to read in
Hindi and English.
• The app features an animated character 'Diya',
who encourages children to read stories aloud
and helps if the child is unable to pronounce a
word.
• The app currently offers 50 Hindi and 40
English stories from Storyweaver, the open
source digital platform for multilingual
children's stories from Bengaluru-based NGO
Pratham Books.
Economy News
18. OECD reduced the world economic growth
forecasts for the year 2019
• The Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD) has reduced its 2019
forecast for global economic growth to 3.3%
for the current year, down from 3.5% it
predicted earlier.
19. US withdrawal of GSP benefit from India
• The US decision to withdraw duty benefits on
Indian products under the Generalized System
of Preferences (GSP) programme will not have
a significant impact on exports to America, a
top government official said.
• India exports goods worth USD 5.6 billion
under the GSP, and the duty benefit is only
USD 190 million annually, Commerce Secretary
Anup Wadhawan said.
• The withdrawal will become applicable after
60 days of the issue of a notification on the
same and would affect India-US trade.
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• The commission consists of one
chairman and five Members with the term of
three years.
• The NCBC was given constitutional status by
Parliament in 2018, after repealing the
National Commission for Backward Classes
Act, 1993.
17. IRCTC launches payment aggregator IRCTC iPay
• Indian Railway Catering and Tourism
Corporation (IRCTC) has launched its own
payment aggregator system, IRCTC iPay. This a
step towards promoting the government’s
Digital India initiative.
• IRCTC iPay is a prepaid card cum wallet.
• With IRCTC iPay passengers will not need any
third-party platforms as the IRCTC iPay
provides payment options like credit card,
debit card, UPI – Unified Payment Interface,
International Card.
What is GSP?
• Normally, developed countries offer import
duty sops to underdeveloped and developing
ones for import of goods. These incentives are
not available to other developed countries
from whom the goods are being sourced.
• Such a system of preferential treatment to
developing countries is known as generalized
system of preferences (GSP) in trade parlance.
Background
• GSP (Generalised System of Preferences) was
introduced in 1976 as a US trade preference
programme to promote economic development by
allowing duty-free entry for thousands of products
from designated beneficiary countries — both
developing and developed.
20. India Q3 GDP growth moderates to 6.6%, slowest
in 5 quarters
• According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO)
data, India's economic growth slowed to a 5-
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quarter low of 6.6 per cent in October-
December period of this fiscal.
• The CSO revised downward its GDP growth
forecast for 2018-19 to 7% from 7.2%
projected earlier.
• CSO data released earlier this month showed
consumer price index (CPI), a measure of retail
inflation, stood at 2.05% in January.
• India’s factory output measured by index of
industrial production (IIP) recovered to 2.4%
in December from 0.3% in November.
21. Indian economy expected to grow at 7.3% in 2019-
20: Moody's
• According to the US-based rating agency
Moody's, Indian economy is expected to grow
at 7.3% in 2019-20.
• Moody's growth estimates in based on
calendar year. India, however, measures its
economic growth on the basis of fiscal year
(April-March).
22. PSBloansin59minutes.com emerges largest Fintech
lending platform
• According to a report by global financial firm,
Credit Suisse, web portal
PSBloansin59minutes.com, launched has
emerged as the country’s largest online
lending platform, with loan sanctions
exceeding over Rs 35,000 crore.
• The portal was launched by PM Narendra Modi
in November 2018 in a bid to make banking
transparent and hassle-free.
Key points
• The portal provides credit up to Rs 1 crore to
micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)
in just 59 minutes or less than an hour.
• Upon approval, the loan is disbursed in 7-8
working days.
23. AN Jha replaces Shaktikanta Das as 15th Finance
Commission member
• Former Finance Secretary Ajay Narayan Jha
has joined as a member of the 15th Finance
Commission. Jha has been posted in place of
Shaktikanta Das who had resigned as a
member of the Commission after being
appointed the RBI Governor.
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About 15th Finance Commission
• The 15th Finance Commission was set up in
November 2017.
• N K Singh is the head of the 15th Finance
Commission.
• The Commission is mandated to recommend
distribution of net proceeds of taxes between
the Union and the states, for a period of five
years - April, 2020 to March, 2025, among
others.
24. GST collection in February stands at Rs 97,247 cr
• The GST collection in the month of February
stood at 97 thousand 247 crore rupees.
However, the collection in previous month was
over one lakh crore rupees.
25. NGT slaps Rs 500 crore fine on Volkswagen
• The National Green Tribunal on 07 March
2019, slapped a fine of Rs 500 crore on
German auto major Volkswagen for damaging
the environment through the use of "cheat
device" in its diesel cars in India.
• A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice
Adarsh Kumar Goel directed the carmaker to
deposit the amount within two months.
26. CCEA approves Rs 2,790 cr interest subvention on
loans to sugar mills
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
Thursday approved Rs 2,790 crore interest
subvention for extending loans by banks to
sugar mills, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.
• This is in addition to Rs 1,332 crore already
approved by the Cabinet Committee on
Economic Affairs (CCEA) in June 2018.
27. PM inaugurates IOC's Ennore LNG terminal
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 06 March
2019, inaugurated Indian Oil Corp's Rs 5,150
crore LNG import terminal at the Kamarajar
port in Ennore, Tamil Nadu.
• The Ennore terminal is the first LNG terminal
on the east coast in South India that will serve
customers in the southern and eastern region.
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Agreement
28. World Bank to provide $250 mn to boost rural
income
• World Bank to provide 250 Million dollars for
the National Rural Economic Transformation
Project (NRETP) to boost Rural Incomes across
13 States in India.
• An agreement in this regard was signed
between the World Bank and the Government
of India.
• Wold Bank said in a statement that the loan
will help women in rural households develop
viable enterprises for farm and non-farm
products.
29. India signs loan agreement with World Bank for
Uttarakhand Disaster Recovery Project
• India signed a loan agreement with the World
Bank for 96 Million US dollars for additional
financing of Uttarakhand Disaster Recovery
Project.
• World Bank has been supporting the State
Government since 2014 to restore housing and
rural connectivity and to build the resilience of
communities.
30. India signs loan Agreement with the World Bank
for USD 25.2 Million for Chhattisgarh Public
Financial Management and Accountability Program
• The World Bank and the Government of India
has signed a USD 25.2 Million Loan Agreement
on March 5, 2019 to support Chhattisgarh
Public Financial Management and
Accountability Program.
• The programs is the First Bank-Financed State-
Level Project in Chhattisgarh to support the
State’s Reforms in Expenditure Management,
covering issues like Expenditure Planning,
Investment Management, Budget Execution,
Public Procurement and Accountability.
Schemes
34. PM Modi launches Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi
Mandhan Yojana in Gandhinagar, Gujarat
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 05,
2019 launched the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi
Mandhan (PM-SYM) Yojana at Vastral in
Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
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31. AIIB to provide USD 455 mn for Andhra rural roads
project
• The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
(AIIB) will provide a loan of USD 455 million to
finance the Andhra Pradesh Rural Roads
Project.
Note:
• AIIB is a multilateral development bank
headquartered in Beijing, China, which began
operations in January 2016.
• India is the second-largest shareholder in the
AIIB and its largest borrower.
32. Centre, ADB sign 926 million loan agreement to
operationalize two lines of Mumbai Metro
• The Centre and the Asian Development Bank
(ADB) have signed a 926 million dollar loan
agreement to operationalize two lines of the
Mumbai Metro Rail System.
• It is the single largest infrastructure project
loan in ADB history approved by the ADB
Board.
33. India & Brunei sign pact to exchange information
on tax, banking matters
• India and Brunei signed an agreement for
exchange of information in tax matters which
will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance.
• The pact enables exchange of information,
including banking and ownership information,
between the two countries for tax purposes. It
is based on international standards of tax
transparency.
Note:
• The capital of Brunei is - Bandar Seri Begawan
• The currency of Brunei is – dollar
• Brunei is a country located in Southeast Asia on
the island of Borneo.
• With an aim to provide to provide assured
monthly pension for workers in the
unorganized sector the scheme was announced
in the interim budget on 01 February 2019.
Objective - The basic objective of the scheme is to offer
financial security in form of Mega Pension to an individual
at the age of 60 by a small investment.
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Benefits of the Scheme
• Monthly pension amount: Once the scheme
matures, the person will be entitled to attain a
monthly pension of Rs. 3000 without fail.
• Beneficiaries, who join the scheme at the age of 18
years, will have to make a monthly payment of Rs.
55 till they attain the age of 60 years.
• Government’s contribution: The amount deposited
by the worker in the pension scheme will get a
Survey & Reports
35. Enhanced Access and Service Excellence (EASE)
Index Report
• The Indian Banks Association (IBA) organized
its conference on ‘Reforms Journey for EASE in
Public Sector Banks (PSBs) in New Delhi.
• EASE index is prepared by the Indian Banking
Association (IBA) and Boston Consulting
Group.
• It is commissioned by the Finance Ministry.
Key points
• It is a framework that was adopted last year to
strengthen public sector banks, and rank them on
metrics such as responsible banking, financial
inclusion, credit offtake and digitisation.
• The Index measures performance of each PSB on
140 objective metrics across 6 themes and
provides all PSBs a comparative evaluation
showing where banks stand vis-à-vis benchmarks
and peers on the Reforms Agenda.
• The report shows visible progress made on each of
4 elements of Government’s 4R’s strategy
including recognition, recovery, recapitalisation
and reforms.
Banking & Economy Terminology
36. TIEA - Tax Information and Exchange Agreement
37. NRETP - National Rural Economic Transformation
Project
38. IBC - Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code
39. GSP - Generalised System of Preferences
40. IFFCO - Indian Farmers Fertilizer Co-operative
41. PMJAY - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana
_________X_____________X_________X______________X_____
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contribution of an equal amount by
the central government.
• Age limitation: Minimum age to invest in the
scheme is 18 years and maximum age is 40
years.
Fund allocation
• The central government allocated Rs 500 crores
for this scheme.
The 6 themes are:
• Responsible Banking
• Credit off-take
• PSB as UdyamiMitra for MSMEs
• Deepening Financial Inclusion & Digitalisation
• Customer Responsiveness
• Developing personnel for brand PSB
Award
• Punjab National Bank has been ranked first
among public sector banks in the
implementation of ‘reforms agenda’, followed
by Bank of Baroda and State Bank of India.
• Punjab National Bank with a score of 78.4 out
of 100 has been ranked first under the theme
of EASE (Enhanced Access & Service
Excellence).
• PNB is followed by BoB (77.8), SBI (74.6),
Oriental Bank of Commerce (69), Canara Bank
(67.5) and Syndicate Bank (67.1).
• Sunil Mehta, the Managing Director and CEO, of
PNB, received the award.
42. NBFC - Non-banking finance companies
43. SWIFT - Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial
Telecommunications
44. NHB – National Housing Bank
45. NGT - National Green Tribunal
46. AIIB - Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
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