Welcome to Plutus Academy’s Daily Current Affairs — 12 July 2026. Today’s update covers the most important national and international developments, banking and finance news, sports events, key appointments, resignations, and science breakthroughs, curated from credible newspapers, news agencies and government sources (PIB, RBI, IMF, World Bank, Reuters, PTI) for Bank PO, SSC, RRB and UPSC aspirants.
🇮🇳 National News
PM Modi on Two-Day State Visit to New Zealand
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Auckland on a two-day state visit (10–12 July 2026) at the invitation of New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Talks focused on deepening trade ties, the proposed India–New Zealand FTA, education partnerships and Indo-Pacific security cooperation.
India–Australia Launch PACTS for Critical Technologies
India and Australia launched the Partnership on Critical Technologies and Supply Chains (PACTS), replacing the 2020 cyber cooperation framework. It is jointly steered by India’s Deputy National Security Advisor and Australia’s Deputy Secretary (International & Security Group) to build secure, trusted and resilient systems across technology, cyber and defence domains.
Uttarakhand Becomes India’s Sixth Fully Literate State
Uttarakhand was declared India’s sixth fully literate state under the ULLAS (Understanding Lifelong Learning for All in Society) programme, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
India’s First Hydrogen-Powered Train Service Launched
Indian Railways launched the country’s first hydrogen-powered train service, a milestone in the “Hydrogen for Heritage” clean-mobility push, showcasing hydrogen’s role as a zero-emission alternative fuel for rail transport.
₹37,500 Crore Coal & Lignite Gasification Scheme Approved
The Union Government approved a ₹37,500 crore Scheme for Promotion of Surface Coal and Lignite Gasification Projects to convert domestic coal into value-added products, strengthen energy security and cut import dependence.
🌍 International News
NATO Leaders Meet at Ankara Summit
The NATO Summit in Ankara (Turkey) focused on institutionalising long-term allied support for Ukraine — both from individual member states and from NATO as a whole — alongside burden-sharing and defence-industrial cooperation.
Venezuela Earthquake Toll Rises to 4,333
The death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on 24 June rose to 4,333. National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez announced that distribution of new housing to affected families will begin next week.
Iran Says It Has ‘Kept Its Word’ on US Ceasefire
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran has honoured its ceasefire with the United States and confirmed that further negotiations with Washington have been agreed upon.
🏦 News Related to Indian Banking and Finance
Bank Credit Grows 17.65% — Fastest in Nearly Two Years
Bank credit expanded 17.65% year-on-year (as of 31 May 2026), the fastest pace in almost two years, while deposits grew 12.21%, widening the credit–deposit growth gap to 544 basis points.
NPCI Launches ‘Drunix’ Open-Source Blockchain Platform
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched Drunix, an open-source blockchain platform built as an enhanced fork of Hyperledger Fabric, to support tokenization and digital-asset infrastructure in India.
NPCI Working on Unified Agent Protocol (UAP) for AI in UPI
NPCI is developing a Unified Agent Protocol (UAP) to verify and authorise AI agents operating within the UPI ecosystem, and is also planning a unified e-mandate tracking feature so users can see all UPI AutoPay mandates in one place.
UPI Hits Record ₹29.9 Lakh Crore in Monthly Value
UPI recorded 23.2 billion transactions worth ₹29.9 lakh crore in May 2026 (19% value and 24% volume growth YoY). Notably, the combined market share of PhonePe and Google Pay fell below 80% for the first time.
SEBI Drafts New Advertising Code Covering Influencers
SEBI’s draft advertising code proposes bringing financial influencers and virtual avatars under celebrity-endorsement rules, applicable to brokers, mutual funds and investment advisers.
💱 News Related to International Banking and Finance
IMF July 2026 WEO: Global Growth at 3.0% in 2026
The IMF’s July 2026 World Economic Outlook Update projects global growth of 3.0% in 2026 and 3.4% in 2027. Global headline inflation for 2026 was revised up to 4.7% as the disinflation trend stalled; the forecast assumes oil averaging $89 a barrel in 2026. Growth in emerging market and developing economies is seen slowing to 3.8% in 2026 before recovering to 4.5% in 2027.
IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings 2026 in Bangkok
The 2026 Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank Group will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 12–18 October 2026.
🏆 International Sports Events
FIFA World Cup 2026: Argentina Beat Switzerland 3-1 to Reach Semis
Defending champions Argentina defeated Switzerland 3-1 in extra time in the quarter-final on 11 July. Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring (10’), Dan Ndoye equalised (67’), before Julian Alvarez (112’) and Lautaro Martinez sealed the win. Argentina will face England, who beat Norway 2-1, in the semi-final; the other semi-final is France vs Spain.
Wimbledon 2026: Noskova Wins Women’s Singles Title
Czech player Linda Noskova won the Wimbledon 2026 women’s singles title on 11 July at the All England Club, London. The men’s singles final is scheduled for 12 July.
👤 Major National or International Appointments
Neelkanth Mishra — India’s Executive Director at the World Bank
Economist Neelkanth Mishra has been appointed India’s Executive Director at the World Bank for a three-year term, representing India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka on the World Bank Board.
Hitesh Joshi — Chairman of GIC Re
Hitesh Joshi has taken charge as Chairman of General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re), the country’s national reinsurer.
Ajay Rajan — MD & CEO of Protean eGov Technologies; Kumar Shanker — MD of IGL
Ajay Rajan was appointed MD & CEO of Protean eGov Technologies, while Kumar Shanker took over as Managing Director of Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL).
📤 Resignation or Dismissal
UK PM Keir Starmer Resigns; Leadership Contest Under Way
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has resigned after mounting scandals and record-low approval ratings. Nominations for the Labour leadership opened on 9 July; former Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is the frontrunner to become the UK’s sixth PM in seven years. Starmer remains caretaker PM until the contest concludes.
Wes Streeting Quits as UK Health Secretary
Wes Streeting resigned as UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care; James Murray has been named his successor.
🔬 Major Inventions and Discoveries
NASA–ISRO NISAR Satellite Sends First Radar Images of Earth
The NISAR (NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite transmitted its first radar images of Earth’s surface, a landmark for the joint mission that will map land and ice changes globally with centimetre-level precision.
Largest-Ever Gravitational-Wave Catalog Released
Astronomers released the largest gravitational-wave catalog ever, adding 161 new black-hole collisions and taking total detections to 390; an unusual signal has revived hopes of detecting primordial black holes.
NASA–Katalyst ‘Swift’ Rescue Mission Launched
NASA and Katalyst Space Technologies launched a first-of-its-kind rescue mission to boost the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to a higher orbit, extending the life of the veteran space telescope.
📝 Today’s Practice Quiz (SSC / Bank PO Pattern)
Attempt all five questions, then click Submit to see your score and explanations.
For previous days’ current affairs, visit Plutus Academy Current Affairs.
