1. SEBI Board Decisions: Startup, IPO, PSU and FPI Relief
- SEBI's board eased ESOP retention, CCS lock-in and promoter contribution rules.
- PSU delisting and FPI compliance for G-secs were simplified.
- Moves also support reverse flipping.
Daily Current Affairs: 19 June 2025
Current affairs of 19 June 2025: G7 Summit Kananaskis 2025: No Joint Communique, Divisions Show; UN Ocean Conference 2025 in Nice: High Seas Treaty Notes; Operation Sindhu: India’s Evacuation From Iran Begins, and 13 more topics. Key facts for every exam, with a quiz.
In this issue: 16 topics
Banking & Finance
- SEBI Board Decisions: Startup, IPO, PSU and FPI Relief
- SEBI Reforms for REITs, InvITs and Merchant Bankers
- FM Sitharaman Asks Fintechs to Fight Cyber Fraud
- CeFCoM: SEBI’s Safe Payment Route for Advisers
- FAB Adopts Intellect eMACH.ai Lending for Digital Credit
- SWIFT ISO 20022 Migration: Indian Banks Lag Before Nov 2025
- StanChart Under RBI Scrutiny Over Derivative Sales to SMEs
Economy
International Affairs
- G7 Summit Kananaskis 2025: No Joint Communique, Divisions Show
- UN Ocean Conference 2025 in Nice: High Seas Treaty Notes
- Operation Sindhu: India’s Evacuation From Iran Begins
- India-Croatia Talks: Modi-Plenkovic Push Defence, Space, Ports
- India-Canada Reset: High Commissioners Return After Two Years
Agriculture & Rural
- Agri-Drones and Digital Tools: Boosting Farm Productivity
- Seed Act Amendment Planned to Stop Spurious Seeds
Reports & Indexes
Banking & Finance
2. SEBI Reforms for REITs, InvITs and Merchant Bankers
- Privately placed InvIT minimum allotment cut to a uniform ₹25 lakh.
- HoldCos can offset negative cash flows against SPV cash, with disclosures.
- SEBI revoked its December 2024 hive-off rule for merchant bankers.
3. FM Sitharaman Asks Fintechs to Fight Cyber Fraud
- FM Sitharaman urged fintechs at the Digital Payments Awards 2025 to counter digital arrests, deepfakes and scams.
- UPI merchant payments worked in seven countries by then.
- Fintech market was projected at $400 billion by FY29, growing about 30% yearly.
4. CeFCoM: SEBI’s Safe Payment Route for Advisers
- SEBI urged investors to pay registered advisers and research analysts through the Centralized Fee Collection Mechanism (CeFCoM).
- CeFCoM has run since October 1, 2024, managed by BSE Ltd. with MF Utilities India Pvt. Ltd.
- A 'SEBI Check' tool from October 1, 2025 will verify UPI handles and bank accounts.
5. FAB Adopts Intellect eMACH.ai Lending for Digital Credit
- First Abu Dhabi Bank, the UAE's largest bank, will implement Intellect Design Arena's eMACH.ai Lending platform.
- FAB moves from manual credit processes to fully automated digital lending.
- The platform links with more than 10 internal subsystems.
- FAB targets full automation of debt collection within five years.
6. SWIFT ISO 20022 Migration: Indian Banks Lag Before Nov 2025
- Only SBI had fully moved to SWIFT ISO 20022; four other banks were partly migrated.
- Global adoption of ISO 20022 stood at 43%.
- The November 2025 deadline is seen as final with no extension likely.
7. StanChart Under RBI Scrutiny Over Derivative Sales to SMEs
- Standard Chartered came under RBI scrutiny over lapses in selling derivatives and weak risk controls.
- The concern arose after target redemption forwards were sold to SMEs.
- A target redemption forward is a derivative product that can cause significant losses.
Economy
8. Crisil: Gold Is Pushing Up India’s Core Inflation
- Gold drove 17% of core inflation's rise; core was 4.2% in May 2025 while headline CPI was 2.8%.
- Crisil suggests excluding gold from core inflation.
- Gold carries only a 2.3% weight in the core basket.
International Affairs
9. G7 Summit Kananaskis 2025: No Joint Communique, Divisions Show
- The 50th G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada ended without a joint communique for lack of consensus.
- Modi and Carney agreed to reinstate High Commissioners.
- Canada holds the G7 presidency for 2025; the group has no permanent secretariat.
10. UN Ocean Conference 2025 in Nice: High Seas Treaty Notes
- UNOC 2025 was held in Nice, France, on 9-13 June, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, focusing on SDG 14.
- BBNJ (High Seas Treaty) had 56 ratifications; 60 are needed, then 120 days to enter into force.
- India had not yet ratified BBNJ; ratification was under way.
- India hosted the second Blue Talks in New Delhi before UNOC 2025.
11. Operation Sindhu: India’s Evacuation From Iran Begins
- India launched Operation Sindhu to bring home its nationals amid the escalating Israel-Iran conflict.
- The first batch had 110 students, mostly from Jammu & Kashmir, evacuated from northern Iran.
- The route ran through Yerevan in Armenia, with a special flight via Doha reaching New Delhi.
12. India-Croatia Talks: Modi-Plenkovic Push Defence, Space, Ports
- PM Narendra Modi held talks with Croatian PM Andrej Plenkovic in Zagreb on defence, space, infrastructure and technology.
- Croatian companies were invited to join India's Sagarmala Project.
- Defence cooperation will cover long-term production, training and military exchanges.
13. India-Canada Reset: High Commissioners Return After Two Years
- India and Canada agreed to bring back High Commissioners in New Delhi and Ottawa after a two-year diplomatic freeze.
- The decision came when PM Modi met Canada's new PM Mark Carney at the G-7 Summit in Kananaskis.
- Both sides will resume engagement across several sectors, trade talks included.
Agriculture & Rural
14. Agri-Drones and Digital Tools: Boosting Farm Productivity
- Garuda Aerospace opened a Chennai facility to make over 100,000 drones by 2026, and 300 Centres of Excellence were inaugurated.
- The Drone Didi scheme targets 15,000 drones for women-led SHGs by 2026.
- Agri Stack pilots cover 436 districts with digital IDs and geotagged crop surveys.
15. Seed Act Amendment Planned to Stop Spurious Seeds
- Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan confirmed plans to amend the Seed Act against spurious seeds.
- The revised Seed Bill is targeted for the Winter Session of Parliament.
- Stricter penalties and mandatory registration of all seed varieties are expected.
Reports & Indexes
16. QS World University Rankings 2026: India’s Best Showing
- India had 54 institutions in QS World University Rankings 2026, up from 46 in 2025.
- IIT Delhi rose to joint 123rd; IIT Madras jumped 47 places to 180th.
- MIT stayed first for the 14th year.
Test yourself
15 questions from the news of 19 June 2025, with answers and explanations.
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