Daily Current Affairs: 25 February 2025

Current affairs of 25 February 2025: US-Ukraine Mineral Deal Talks: Security Guarantee Sticking Point; Friedrich Merz to Be Germany’s 10th Post-War Chancellor; India-UK Trade Talks Resume: FTA, BIT and SSA, and 9 more topics. Key facts for every exam, with a quiz.

Take the quiz (10 questions)February 2025

In this issue: 12 topics

Banking & Finance

RBI Draft Bans Prepayment Penalty on Floating-Rate Loans
Banks Lean on CDs as Liquidity Deficit Persists
RBI Eases Urban Co-operative Bank Loan and Housing Limits
e-Rupee Wallets by CRED and MobiKwik: Fintechs Join RBI’s CBDC Pilot

Economy

S&P Global on US Tariffs: Asia-Pacific Retaliation Risk

International Affairs

US-Ukraine Mineral Deal Talks: Security Guarantee Sticking Point
Friedrich Merz to Be Germany’s 10th Post-War Chancellor
India-UK Trade Talks Resume: FTA, BIT and SSA
Is US Equity Market a Bubble? Peak America Debate

Environment & Ecology

Similipal Tiger Reserve: Munda Displacement Row
India’s Carbon Credit Trading Scheme: Sectors and Timeline

Reports & Indexes

Access Now Report: Myanmar Overtakes India in Internet Shutdowns

Banking & Finance

Economy

1. RBI Draft Bans Prepayment Penalty on Floating-Rate Loans

RBI's draft circular proposes no prepayment or foreclosure penalty on floating-rate loans to individuals for non-business purposes.
Floating-rate loans to MSMEs up to ₹7.5 crore would also be free of foreclosure charges.
NBFCs are likelier to be hurt than banks; comments from lenders were due by March 21.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Economy

2. Banks Lean on CDs as Liquidity Deficit Persists

Outstanding certificates of deposit hit a record ₹5.19 trillion on 7 February.
Commercial paper reached ₹4.79 trillion on 15 February, the highest since October 2019.
The banking liquidity deficit lasted 10 consecutive weeks, at ₹2.37 trillion.
RBI planned a $10 billion buy/sell swap on 28 February.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

3. RBI Eases Urban Co-operative Bank Loan and Housing Limits

Small loan limit for UCBs: ₹25 lakh or 0.4% of Tier I capital, up to ₹3 crore per borrower.
50% of UCB loans should be small-value by March 31, 2026.
Housing loan cap per dwelling unit runs from ₹60 lakh (Tier I) to ₹3 crore (Tier IV).

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

4. e-Rupee Wallets by CRED and MobiKwik: Fintechs Join RBI’s CBDC Pilot

CRED and MobiKwik launched e-rupee wallets with Yes Bank, the first fintech-led expansion in RBI's CBDC pilot.
Current limits are ₹10,000 per transaction and ₹50,000 per day.
The e-rupee is a sovereign digital currency issued directly by RBI, unlike UPI, which enables bank transfers.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Economy

5. S&P Global on US Tariffs: Asia-Pacific Retaliation Risk

S&P Global Ratings ranked India, South Korea and Thailand highest in risk of US tariff retaliation.
The Trump administration had already imposed an extra 10% tariff on Chinese imports and 25% on steel and aluminium.
S&P used weighted average tariff rates to assess the risks.
India's large domestic market offers some insulation from external trade shocks.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

International Affairs

International Relations

6. US-Ukraine Mineral Deal Talks: Security Guarantee Sticking Point

US and Ukraine neared a deal giving Washington access to Ukrainian resources for continued support.
Deputy PM Olga Stefanishyna said talks were at final stages.
Zelenskyy wants concrete security guarantees.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

International Relations

7. Friedrich Merz to Be Germany’s 10th Post-War Chancellor

Friedrich Merz is on course to be Germany's 10th chancellor since World War II.
His CDU replaces Scholz's centre-left coalition, shifting policy towards conservative governance.
He pledged to put European unity and security first amid the Trump administration and Russia's war on Ukraine.
Stricter EU budget rules could affect high-spending states such as Italy and Spain.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Economy

8. India-UK Trade Talks Resume: FTA, BIT and SSA

India and the UK formally restarted talks after a year-long pause.
Talks cover an FTA, a Bilateral Investment Treaty and a Social Security Agreement.
Bilateral trade of $20 billion may double or triple within 10 years.
Piyush Goyal and Jonathan Reynolds launched the two-day talks in New Delhi.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Economy

9. Is US Equity Market a Bubble? Peak America Debate

The Shiller CAPE ratio stands at 40x, surpassed only by 2000 (45x) and above the 1929 peak of 32x.
The top 10 S&P 500 stocks make up about 40% of the index versus 25% in 2000.
If a bubble bursts, markets could fall 40-50%; a gradual de-rating is seen as better.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Environment & Ecology

10. Similipal Tiger Reserve: Munda Displacement Row

Munda families of Jamunagarh village in Similipal Tiger Reserve were displaced in 2015 and 2022, reportedly against their will.
Translocation of tigress Zeenat from Maharashtra and the tiger supplementation programme triggered the recent conflict.
The Munda live mainly in the Chhotanagpur Plateau and speak Mundari, an Austro-Asiatic language.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Economy

11. India’s Carbon Credit Trading Scheme: Sectors and Timeline

Intensity targets for nine industrial sectors were due by end-February; carbon credit trading is expected to begin by October 2026.
India's model targets emissions intensity per unit of output, with no direct cap on emissions, unlike the European model.
CCTS has a compliance mechanism, an offset mechanism and MRV (Measurement, Reporting and Verification).
India aims to cut GDP emissions intensity by 45% from 2005 levels by 2030.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Reports & Indexes

Polity & Governance

12. Access Now Report: Myanmar Overtakes India in Internet Shutdowns

Myanmar imposed 85 internet shutdowns in 2024, one more than India's 84, which were 28% of the global total.
Worldwide shutdowns hit a record 296.
In India, Manipur had 21, Haryana 12 and Jammu & Kashmir 12; 41 were linked to protests and 23 to communal violence.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

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Daily Current Affairs: 25 February 2025

In this issue: 12 topics

Banking & Finance

1. RBI Draft Bans Prepayment Penalty on Floating-Rate Loans

2. Banks Lean on CDs as Liquidity Deficit Persists

3. RBI Eases Urban Co-operative Bank Loan and Housing Limits

4. e-Rupee Wallets by CRED and MobiKwik: Fintechs Join RBI’s CBDC Pilot

Economy

5. S&P Global on US Tariffs: Asia-Pacific Retaliation Risk

International Affairs

6. US-Ukraine Mineral Deal Talks: Security Guarantee Sticking Point

7. Friedrich Merz to Be Germany’s 10th Post-War Chancellor

8. India-UK Trade Talks Resume: FTA, BIT and SSA

9. Is US Equity Market a Bubble? Peak America Debate

Environment & Ecology

10. Similipal Tiger Reserve: Munda Displacement Row

11. India’s Carbon Credit Trading Scheme: Sectors and Timeline

Reports & Indexes

12. Access Now Report: Myanmar Overtakes India in Internet Shutdowns

Test yourself