SBI wins Global Finance World’s Best Consumer Bank 2026 award.

Dated: 23 October 2026

State Bank of India received Global Finance magazine’s World’s Best Consumer Bank 2026 and Best Bank in India 2026 awards on October 21, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  SBI won the global consumer-bank title for the second consecutive year.
2.  The ceremony took place in Bangkok during the IMF Annual Meeting.
3.  Banco Santander was named World’s Best Bank.
4.  DBS won Best Corporate Bank and BBVA won Best Emerging Markets Bank.
5.  SBI’s YONO platform crossed 10 crore registered users.

Additional Information:
1.  SBI was established on July 1, 1955 after transformation of Imperial Bank of India.
2.  It is headquartered in Mumbai and is India’s largest public-sector bank by assets and deposits.

Japan launches MMX mission to sample Martian moon Phobos.

Dated: 23 October 2026

Japan launched the Martian Moons Exploration mission on October 19, 2026 to collect the first soil samples from Phobos, Mars’s larger moon.

Key Highlights:
1.  An H3 rocket launched the spacecraft from Tanegashima Space Centre.
2.  The mission will reach Mars in August 2027, depart in November 2030 and return in 2031.
3.  France and Germany developed the 25 kg four-wheeled Idefix rover.
4.  The lander will use a drill and vacuum system to collect at least 10 grams.
5.  The $578 million mission involves five space agencies.

Additional Information:
1.  It will test whether the Martian moons formed through giant impact or are captured asteroids.
2.  Phobos is Mars’s larger inner moon and JAXA is Japan’s space agency established in 2003.

SBI and NSE IFSC acquire stakes in CareEdge Global.

Dated: 23 October 2026

CareEdge Ratings agreed in October 2026 to sell a combined 19.8% stake in CareEdge Global IFSC Limited to SBI and NSE IFSC.

Key Highlights:
1.  SBI will acquire 9.9% equity.
2.  NSE IFSC will separately acquire 9.9%.
3.  CARE Ratings will retain an 80.2% majority holding.
4.  CGIL will no longer be a wholly owned CARE Ratings subsidiary.
5.  The transaction is expected to close within two months.

Additional Information:
1.  The CARE Ratings board approved partial divestment on November 12, 2025.
2.  CareEdge Ratings was founded in 1993, is headquartered in Mumbai and is India’s second-largest rating agency.

Deepthi Jeevanji wins 400m gold with Asian Para Games record.

Dated: 23 October 2026

Deepthi Jeevanji won women’s 400m T20 gold at the Asian Para Games on October 20, 2026 with a new Games record.

Key Highlights:
1.  She clocked 56.36 seconds.
2.  Japan’s Niina Kanno won silver in 58.92 seconds.
3.  Akane Kato of Japan took bronze in 1:00.26.
4.  T20 classification covers athletes with intellectual impairments affecting information processing and race tactics.
5.  The 23-year-old athlete is from Telangana.

Additional Information:
1.  She won gold at the 2024 Para World Championships.
2.  She also earned Paralympic bronze in the 400m T20 event.

SEBI revises closing auction and derivatives settlement framework.

Dated: 23 October 2026

SEBI revised the Closing Auction Session framework and derivatives settlement-price method on October 15, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  The closing auction will run from 3:30 pm to 3:40 pm.
2.  Stock and index derivatives will trade until 3:45 pm and cash post-close from 3:50 pm to 4:00 pm.
3.  Main changes take effect on December 7, 2026.
4.  Unexecuted limit and iceberg order transition starts February 8, 2027.
5.  Expiring derivatives settlement uses the last 30 minutes’ volume-weighted average price.

Additional Information:
1.  Cash security reference price uses the last 15 minutes’ VWAP.
2.  SEBI became statutory under the SEBI Act, 1992 and is headquartered in Mumbai.

Canara HSBC Life launches USD-denominated Global Wealth Plan.

Dated: 23 October 2026

Canara HSBC Life Insurance launched the USD-denominated Global Wealth Plan through Policybazaar on October 19, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  It is a non-participating individual unit-linked life insurance-cum-savings plan.
2.  The GIFT City product targets Non-Resident Indian customers.
3.  Investment choices include global equity, debt, gold and silver funds in US dollars.
4.  Variants are Wealth, Wealth Plus and Wealth Forever.
5.  Wealth Plus funds future premiums after the insured’s death, while Wealth Forever provides whole-life cover.

Additional Information:
1.  The plan has zero allocation and administration charges plus loyalty additions and maturity boosters.
2.  Canara HSBC Life was established in 2007 and is headquartered in Gurugram.

India-New Zealand FTA enters into force with zero-duty access.

Dated: 23 October 2026

The India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement entered into force on October 20, 2026 as India’s 17th operational free trade pact.

Key Highlights:
1.  New Zealand removed duties on 100% of Indian goods.
2.  India offered concessions on 70% of tariff lines covering about 95% of New Zealand exports.
3.  Dairy, sugar and edible oils remain excluded.
4.  Indian students may work 20 hours weekly; eligible STEM graduates receive three-year post-study visas.
5.  A route allows 5,000 skilled Indians to work up to three years and 1,000 youths annually to work for 12 months.

Additional Information:
1.  Goods trade in 2025 was $1.23 billion and the 15-year investment target is $20 billion.
2.  Negotiations began in 2010, resumed in March 2025 and the agreement was signed on April 27, 2026.

DCGI approves Dr. Reddy’s Zytorvi for advanced esophageal cancer.

Dated: 23 October 2026

DCGI approved Dr. Reddy’s immunotherapy Zytorvi, or toripalimab, on October 21, 2026 for advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Key Highlights:
1.  It is first-line treatment for unresectable advanced, recurrent or metastatic adult ESCC.
2.  The drug is combined with cisplatin and paclitaxel chemotherapy.
3.  Toripalimab is a monoclonal antibody blocking PD-1 interactions with PD-L1 and PD-L2.
4.  Phase 3 JUPITER-06 showed a 42% reduction in progression or death risk.
5.  Median survival was 17.7 months versus 12.9 months with chemotherapy alone.

Additional Information:
1.  This is Zytorvi’s second Indian indication after nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
2.  Dr. Reddy’s holds commercial rights in 21 countries under a 2023 Junshi Biosciences agreement.

AstraZeneca and Oracle partner for AI-driven clinical research.

Dated: 23 October 2026

AstraZeneca and Oracle Health and Life Sciences announced an AI-enabled clinical-research partnership on October 21, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  The collaboration will optimise trials and connect real-world data with patient care.
2.  Work covers trial recruitment, earlier diagnosis, drug-safety monitoring and life-cycle evidence.
3.  Disease areas include oncology, cardiovascular, renal, metabolic, respiratory, immunology and rare diseases.
4.  Initial projects will run in the United States, Middle East and Europe.
5.  The first programme in Abu Dhabi with M42 focuses on uncontrolled hypertension and recruitment.

Additional Information:
1.  AstraZeneca is a British-Swedish pharmaceutical company formed in 1999 and headquartered in Cambridge.
2.  Oracle is an American technology company founded in 1977 and headquartered in Austin.

Three Indian sites join UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.

Dated: 23 October 2026

UNESCO added three Indian sites from Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Chhattisgarh to its World Heritage Tentative List on October 21, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  The sites are Baratang’s karst-mud-volcano complex, Andaman subduction volcanoes and Sirpur cultural landscape.
2.  Baratang has limestone caves and cool mud volcanoes called Jalki that erupted in 2025 after 20 years.
3.  Barren Island became a GSI Geoheritage site in 2025 and Narcondam is an Important Bird Area.
4.  Sirpur lies in Mahasamund district on the Mahanadi and contains ancient stromatolites.
5.  A site must remain on the Tentative List at least one year before final nomination.

Additional Information:
1.  ASI was established by Alexander Cunningham in 1861 and is headquartered in New Delhi.
2.  Barren Island is South Asia’s only confirmed active volcano.

Reema Nanavaty receives Hillary Rodham Clinton Award.

Dated: 23 October 2026

Indian social worker Reema Nanavaty received the Hillary Rodham Clinton Award in Washington on October 16, 2026 for advancing women’s economic empowerment and security.

Key Highlights:
1.  Hillary Clinton presented the award at Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security.
2.  Other 2026 recipients were Tory Burch and Muhammad Yunus.
3.  Nanavaty’s Hariyali programme connects rural women with renewable energy and livelihoods.
4.  Her food-security programme covers one million households.
5.  She led women’s reconstruction and livelihood work in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.

Additional Information:
1.  She received Padma Shri in 2013 and directs the Self-Employed Women’s Association.
2.  Georgetown University gives the award annually for exceptional women’s-rights leadership.

Maersk begins first India drydocking at L&T Kattupalli.

Dated: 23 October 2026

Maersk scheduled its first planned drydocking in India for Maersk Chattogram at L&T’s Kattupalli Shipyard on October 20, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  The Singapore-flagged vessel marks the first operational milestone in the Maersk-L&T partnership.
2.  Kattupalli Shipyard is located near Chennai.
3.  The agreement was signed during India Maritime Week 2025.
4.  Work includes a 10-year maintenance cycle, special survey and overhaul of hull, machinery and propulsion.
5.  The partnership seeks to develop India as a maritime hub and strengthen domestic shipbuilding supply chains.

Additional Information:
1.  Drydocking removes a vessel from water to inspect and repair submerged parts.
2.  Maersk is headquartered in Copenhagen and L&T, established in 1938, is headquartered in Mumbai.

WWF-India launches nationwide Green Diwali campaign.

Dated: 23 October 2026

WWF-India’s EIACP Resource Partner launched a nationwide Green Diwali campaign from October 20 to November 8, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  The Environment Ministry supports the Mission LiFE-aligned cracker-free campaign.
2.  It focuses on 130 cities under the National Clean Air Programme.
3.  Schools, colleges and resident welfare associations will participate.
4.  The pledge promotes efficient lights, earthen lamps and avoidance of single-use plastic.
5.  The campaign supports waste segregation and local products.

Additional Information:
1.  A WWF-India digital survey helps citizens calculate their carbon footprint.
2.  Mission LiFE was launched at COP26 in 2021 and NCAP began in January 2019.

Veteran Tamil music composer Deva passes away at 75.

Dated: 23 October 2026

Veteran composer Deva, known as Thenisai Thendral, passed away aged 75 in Chennai on October 17, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  His career lasted nearly 40 years and covered more than 400 films.
2.  He composed in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.
3.  He helped bring Chennai’s Gaana folk genre into mainstream South Indian cinema.
4.  His name became closely associated with Gaana music.
5.  He created Rajinikanth’s iconic title-card music.

Additional Information:
1.  His notable films include Avvai Shanmugi, Pammal K. Sambandam and Panchatanthiram.
2.  Thenisai Thendral means Breeze of Sweet Music and reflects his influence on modern Tamil film music.

Pakistan tests Fatah-II extended-range ballistic missile.

Dated: 23 October 2026

Pakistan Army test-launched the Fatah-II extended-range hypersonic ballistic missile on October 15, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  The missile uses advanced avionics and navigation.
2.  It combines inertial navigation with satellite guidance for mid-course correction.
3.  Terminal guidance adjusts the final flight path for precision.
4.  The standard Fatah-II range is 400 km, while the extended version’s range was not disclosed.
5.  It targets military positions and radar installations with conventional warheads.

Additional Information:
1.  This missile type was intercepted by India during Operation Sindoor.
2.  India’s S-400 system can engage aircraft, drones and cruise or ballistic missiles.

Ladakh High Court Bench and four initiatives launched in Leh.

Dated: 23 October 2026

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant inaugurated the Ladakh Bench of the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court and four initiatives in Leh on October 20, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  The paperless IT-enabled bench is at Melongthang, Leh.
2.  A virtual Green Wall represents judicial commitment to environmental conservation.
3.  An e-Filing portal enables remote electronic case filing.
4.  A Document Management System digitises records and an online portal supports transparent recruitment.
5.  The complex has a digitisation centre, filing counter and video-conferencing room.

Additional Information:
1.  Solar systems are planned at 11 locations.
2.  The common High Court serves the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

India ranks third in Ipsos healthcare quality survey.

Dated: 23 October 2026

The Ipsos Quality of Care Perception Index released on October 20, 2026 ranked India third among 32 countries for perceived healthcare quality.

Key Highlights:
1.  Malaysia ranked first and Singapore second.
2.  Vietnam placed fourth and Australia fifth.
3.  In India, 68% rated domestic healthcare quality positively.
4.  About 64% trusted the quality of care and treatment.
5.  Affordability was identified as India’s biggest healthcare challenge.

Additional Information:
1.  The survey covered 22,528 adults from July 13 to August 7, 2026.
2.  Ipsos was founded in 1975, is headquartered in Paris and measures public perceptions.

Punjab targeted to become drug-free by December 2029.

Dated: 23 October 2026

Union Home Minister Amit Shah set December 31, 2029 as the deadline for a drug-free Punjab at a Ludhiana event on October 20, 2026.

Key Highlights:
1.  The target seeks complete elimination of Punjab’s illicit narcotics network.
2.  The murder case of anti-drug activist Parwinder Singh Jhota was transferred to CBI.
3.  Citizens were asked to report trafficking through the NCB helpline.
4.  Central agencies may intervene if State action is inadequate.
5.  NCB is the Home Ministry’s apex drug-law coordination agency.

Additional Information:
1.  NCB was established in 1986 under the NDPS Act and is headquartered in New Delhi.
2.  CBI was established in 1963 and operates under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946.

1 Finance receives India’s first MF Lite AMC approval.

Dated: 23 October 2026

SEBI granted in-principle approval to 1 Finance on October 19, 2026 to establish India’s first MF Lite Asset Management Company.

Key Highlights:
1.  The new company will operate a passive-only mutual-fund business.
2.  Products will be limited to index funds and exchange-traded funds.
3.  Formal scheme launch is targeted for Q4 of FY2026-27, subject to final registration.
4.  Mumbai-based 1 Finance manages more than Rs.17,000 crore in assets under advice.
5.  The Marwadi Chandarana Group backs the firm.

Additional Information:
1.  MF Lite lowers entry barriers, net-worth and compliance requirements for passive AMCs.
2.  The framework excludes active funds where managers select securities.