1. RBI STARTS THE PROCESS OF PRINTING Rs. 200 CURRENCY NOTES: Reserve Bank of India has started the process of printing new Rs.200 currency notes. This appears to be the last exercise under the re-monetization steps taken by the government and this step is taken to help ease consumer transactions. For day-to-day transaction purposes, the introduction of Rs.200 notes will add to the comfort of the public at large.

2. RBI SAYS- BANKS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THEFT FROM BANK LOCKERS:Banks are not liable to compensate its customers in case of theft or burglary in safe deposit lockers. This is revealed in an RTI response by RBI and 19 PSU banks. Some banks, in their locker hiring agreements, have made it clear that any item stored in the locker is at the customer’s own risk and he/she may insure the same in his/her own interest.

3. BANKS FACE 60% “HAIRCUT” ON TOP 12 BAD LOANS: Dragging defaulters to the National Company Law Tribunal ( NCLT) and initiating insolvency proceedings will take heavy toll on bank finances. According to CRISIL, banks will have to sacrifice nearly 60% of the value of the loans extended to 12 indebted companies which the banks have referred to the NCLT at the instance of RBI.

4. RBI PROVISIONING “DIKTAT” SHOCKS THE BANKS: The Reserve Bank of India shocked the banks this week by demanding a steep hike in provisioning requirements for loans being referred to the bankruptcy courts, a move likely to take a Rs. 50,000 crore toll on their earnings this fiscal. RBI has instructed banks to set aside 50% of the loan amount as likely losses for all cases referred to the insolvency process. RBI also said that provisioning should be 100% in those cases that do not get resolved in the initial mandatory period for restructuring and instead are forced into liquidation. But banks have been given time of three quarters to spread the provisioning requirements from June 2017 till March 2018.

5. RBI ASKS BANKS TO RESOLVE 55 DEFAULT CASES IN 6 MONTHS OR FACE IBC: The Reserve Bank of India has asked banks to resolve 55 high value cases of Bad Loans within 6 months or face the prospect of being directed to go in for the new insolvency resolution mechanism as a part of the strategy to tackle the bad loans scenario on a war footing basis.

6. FINANCIAL YEAR LIKELY TO BE CHANGED FROM 2018: The financial year in India could commence from January instead of April from the year 2018. The government appears set to make the historic transition to end the 150 year old tradition. Accordingly, the next budget could be presented by the centre in November this year.

7. AADHAAR-PAN LINKING MANDATORY FROM JULY 1^st: Finance Ministry has made itmandatory to link Aadhaar with PAN Number. Individuals having PAN No. will have to link it to their existing Aadhaar Number from July 1^st Every person who has been allotted PAN shall intimate his Aadhaar number to the tax department.