Current Affairs - September 2026 Comprehensive Review

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering key national and international news, banking appointments, financial schemes, defence exercises, sports records, and regulatory updates from September 2026.

18th BRICS Summit (2026)

The annual leaders' summit hosted on 12–13 September 2026 at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, India, under the chairship theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability' (RICS).

Jim O'Neill

The British economist at Goldman Sachs who coined the acronym 'BRIC' in 2001 in his publication 'Building Better Global Economic BRICs'.

New Development Bank (NDB)

The multilateral development bank established by BRICS nations under an agreement signed in 2014 at Fortaleza, Brazil, officially launched in July 2015 in Shanghai, China, with an authorized capital of $\$100\text{ billion}$ and K. V. Kamath as its first President.

BRICS Partner Country Category

A formal non-member partnership status instituted at the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia (2024), comprising 10 nations: Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

India's BRICS Chairmanship Years

The four years in which India has held the chairship of the BRICS grouping: $2012$ (4th Summit, New Delhi), $2016$ (8th Summit, Goa), $2021$ (13th Summit, Virtual/New Delhi), and $2026$ (18th Summit, New Delhi).

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India (September 2026)

India's total tally of $45$ inscribed World Heritage Sites, categorized into $37$ Cultural sites, $7$ Natural sites, and $1$ Mixed site.

UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List Additions (September 2026)

Four properties added to India's Tentative List (bringing the national total to $73$): The Painted Haveli Towns of Shekhawati (Rajasthan), Colonial Penal Settlement of Andaman Islands, Nicobarese Cultural Continuity in the Central Group of Nicobar Islands, and Rangpur-Sivasagar Historic Ensemble (Assam).

Dr. Dinesh Sharma

BJP Rajya Sabha MP and former Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh appointed by President Droupadi Murmu as the Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 5 September 2026, succeeding Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi (Retd.).

26th SCO Summit

The meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, chaired by President Sadyr Japarov under the theme '25 Years of the SCO; Together for Sustainable Peace, Development and Prosperity'.

International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early, and Forced Marriage

A United Nations-designated international observance on 27 November, spearheaded by Sierra Leone and formally backed by 65 countries, including India.

Artemis Accords (71st Member)

Turkey, which officially joined the US-led international non-binding principles for the peaceful exploration and use of the Moon, Mars, and other celestial bodies as the $71\text{st}$ signatory nation.

Artemis Accords (72nd Member)

Djibouti, which signed the accords at NASA Headquarters in Washington, USA on 14 September 2026 through Ambassador Mohamed Siad Douale, becoming the $72\text{nd}$ country and the $8\text{th}$ African nation to join.

Giorgia Meloni

Prime Minister of Italy whose administration reached $1,413\text{ days}$ in power consecutively, making her Italy's longest-serving Prime Minister since World War II (excluding Benito Mussolini's fascist era).

Call to Action for 6G Leadership and Security

A multilateral initiative focused on secure, competitive, and next-generation wireless technology that India joined alongside the United States and 24 other nations in September 2026 as the $26\text{th}$ participating country.

9th Rashtriya Poshan Maah (2026)

The national nutrition campaign running from 9 September to 8 October 2026, launched at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, by Union Minister Annpurna Devi under the theme 'Hamari Anganwadi, Hamari Jimmedari'.

Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar 2026 (SSSS v5.0)

The 5th edition of the week-long coastal and ocean conservation campaign launched by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh from 12 to 19 September 2026, centering on International Coastal Cleanup Day (17 September 2026).

Dehra Ozone-Based Drinking Water Treatment Project

Himachal Pradesh's first ozone-gas water disinfection and treatment initiative, established in the Dehra area of Kangra district with an allocation of $\text{Rs. } 46\text{ crore}$.

UPI Person-to-Merchant (P2M) MDR Framework

The NPCI directive effective 15 October 2026 setting a $0.4\%$ Merchant Discount Rate on eligible P2M UPI transactions above $\text{Rs. } 2,000$, with a maximum cap of $\text{Rs. } 300$ for transactions of $\text{Rs. } 75,000$ and above.

Coastal Local Area Bank Limited

India's first Local Area Bank (established December 1999, headquartered in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh) that was formally included in the Second Schedule of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 in September 2026.

Statutory Minimum Initial Capital for Banks in India

The regulatory starting capital mandated by the RBI: $\text{Rs. } 1,000\text{ crore}$ for Universal Banks, $\text{Rs. } 200\text{ crore}$ for Small Finance Banks, and $\text{Rs. } 100\text{ crore}$ for Payments Banks and Private Sector Banks.

MyUPI

An AI-powered customer-support and account-management platform launched by NPCI and RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra at GFF 2026, driven by the 'FiMI' small language model to manage transactions, mandates, and safety blocking.

MSME Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026

Legislation amending the MSMED Act, 2006 to mandate CPSE invoice settlement via TReDS, enable online dispute resolution, and enforce the '90-30-90' timeline (90 days mediation, 30 days referral, 90 days arbitral award).

TReDS (Trade Receivables Discounting System)

An electronic platform regulated by the Reserve Bank of India that facilitates the financing and discounting of trade receivables of MSMEs through multiple financiers and CPSE buyers.

Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 2026

An Act replacing the Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 1891, modernising financial evidence rules by formally recognizing electronic, digital, and cloud-based bank records as admissible legal proof in court.

National Accounts Statistics 2026 Base Year

The revised reference year of $2022\text{--}23$ adopted by MoSPI for national accounts calculations, replacing $2011\text{--}12$ across GDP, IIP, WPI, and the Index of Core Industries.

Demat 2.0

A joint RBI–SEBI pilot launched on 10 September 2026 utilizing Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) and Wholesale Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) for the tokenisation and automated servicing of corporate bonds.

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)

The statutory body established on 28 January 2009 with headquarters in New Delhi to issue and manage Aadhaar, initially chaired by Nandan Nilekani, with Ranjana Sonawane receiving the first Aadhaar card.

Virtual ID (VID)

A temporary and revocable 16-digit random number linked to an individual's Aadhaar that enables identity verification and e-KYC without disclosing the actual 12-digit Aadhaar number.

Unified Fintech Forum (UFF)

The industry body (formerly the Digital Lenders Association of India / DLAI) recognized by the RBI on 10 September 2026 as India's second Self-Regulatory Organisation for the FinTech Sector (SRO-FT).

White Label ATM Operators (WLAOs)

Non-bank entities licensed by the RBI under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 to own and operate ATMs, currently numbering five: EPS, India1 Payments, Hitachi Payment Services, Findi India, and Vakrangee.

EPFO Statutory Wage Ceiling (2026 Revision)

The mandatory coverage limit raised by the Union Cabinet on 16 September 2026 from $\text{Rs. } 15,000$ to $\text{Rs. } 25,000$ per month, increasing the mandatory employee monthly contribution cap to $\text{Rs. } 3,000$ ($12\%$).

7th Global Fintech Fest (GFF 2026)

The international fintech summit held in Mumbai on 8–11 September 2026, themed 'Potential to Impact: Agentic AI | Tokenisation | Quantum: Trusted, Connected, Global Systems for Inclusive Finance'.

Anant Nag

Veteran actor conferred the 56th Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2024 at the 72nd National Film Awards, becoming the second Kannada cinema personality to receive the honour after Dr. Rajkumar.

Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026 (Category-I)

Air quality performance rankings for cities with a population above 10 lakh under the National Clean Air Programme, topped by Lucknow ($198\text{ points}$), followed by Indore ($197\text{ points}$) and Jabalpur ($195\text{ points}$).

Joheirry Mola Dominguez

Contestant from the Dominican Republic who won the 73rd Miss World pageant on 5 September 2026 in Nha Trang, Vietnam, crowned by outgoing titleholder Opal Suchata Chuangsri of Thailand.

Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards 2024

India's highest adventure honours carrying $\text{Rs. } 15\text{ lakh}$ each, awarded to Baljeet Kaur and Skalzang Rigzin (Land Adventure), Rimo Saha (Water Adventure), and Shiv Prasad Chamoli (Lifetime Achievement).

Smriti Mandhana

Indian opening batter who became the all-time highest run-scorer and the first woman cricketer to exceed $11,000\text{ runs}$ across all international formats (Tests, ODIs, and T20Is), surpassing Mithali Raj's record of $10,868\text{ runs}$.

2026 US Open Singles Champions

Alexander Zverev (Germany) in the men's singles event (defeating Ben Shelton) and Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) in the women's singles event (defeating Aryna Sabalenka).

ICC Women's Champions Trophy 2027

The inaugural six-team T20I tournament scheduled for 14–28 February 2027, relocated from Sri Lanka to India with matches held in Mumbai and Vadodara.

International Tennis Hall of Fame (Indian Inductees)

Leander Paes and Vijay Amritraj, the first two Indian tennis players inducted into the Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.

20th Asian Games (Aichi-Nagoya 2026)

The continental multi-sport event held from 19 September to 4 October 2026 in Japan under the slogan 'IMAGINE ONE ASIA' and featuring the official mascot 'HONOHON'.

India's Flag-Bearers (Asian Games 2026 Opening Ceremony)

Kabaddi star Pawan Sehrawat (male flag-bearer, replacing shot-putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor) and double Olympic medallist shooter Manu Bhaker (female flag-bearer).

Exercise Veer Guardian-2026

The 2nd edition of the bilateral air combat exercise conducted between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Japan Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF) at Air Force Station Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

Exercise Samudra Laksamana 2026

The 4th edition of the bilateral naval exercise between the Indian Navy (featuring INS Mysore) and the Royal Malaysian Navy, conducted at Lumut, Malaysia, from 8 to 12 September 2026.

Exercise Nomadic Elephant 2026

The 18th edition of the joint military drill between India and Mongolia held in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, with 45 soldiers from each side training in counter-insurgency operations.

Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026

The 2nd edition of the multinational air exercise hosted by the Indian Air Force at Jodhpur, Rajasthan, scheduled from 26 September to 12 October 2026.

Carol Kripanayana Furtado

Banking executive approved by the RBI as Interim Managing Director & CEO of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank for a three-month term starting 1 September 2026, succeeding Sanjeev Nautiyal.

Sugar Stock-Holding Limit (September 2026 Revision)

The Department of Food and Public Distribution mandate reducing the allowable stock limit for sugar dealers from $4,000\text{ quintals}$ to $2,000\text{ quintals}$ between 15 September and 30 November 2026 to curb hoarding.

Child Passport Validity Rules (2026)

MEA regulations providing that an ordinary passport issued to a child below 15 years remains valid for $5\text{ years}$ from issue or until the child turns $18\text{ years}$, whichever comes earlier.

Kavach 4.0 (Moradabad Division)

The latest edition of Indian Railways' indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system approved for deployment across $712\text{ route-km}$ of the Moradabad Division with an expenditure of $\text{Rs. } 170\text{ crore}$.

eSanchit

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) digital platform standing for 'e-Storage and Computerized Handling of Indirect Tax documents', enabling paperless upload of shipping bills, packing lists, and invoices through ICEGATE.

BCCI Title Sponsorship Deal (Muthoot FinCorp)

A commercial title sponsorship agreement valued at up to $\text{Rs. } 150\text{ crore}$ ($\text{Rs. } 4.3\text{ crore}$ per match) running through March 2028, signed between BCCI and NBFC Muthoot FinCorp.

Global Gender Gap Index 2026

The World Economic Forum index where India retained rank $131\text{st}$ out of 145 economies with a $64.5\%$ parity score, while Iceland claimed the top ranking with $93.0\%$ gap closed.

Gondhal

The Marathi film directed by Santosh Davakhar selected as India's official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards (Oscars 2027).

Abhishek Sharma (Fastest Century Blitz)

Indian opening batter who smashed the fastest T20I century by an Indian and among ICC Full Member nations in $30\text{ balls}$ against Afghanistan on 17 September 2026, breaking Rohit Sharma's 35-ball record.