Current Affairs - Banking - Discussion

The State Bank of India (SBI), in the VII Phase of sale of Electoral Bonds, has been authorised to issue and encash Electoral Bonds through its 29 Authorised Branches w.e.f. January 01 - 10, 2019. Electoral bonds are alternatives to cash donations made to political parties that were introduced in 2018 as part of the government's efforts to bring transparency in political funding. These are short-term bonds that are valid for 15 calendar days, where the holders do not earn any interest (coupon rate). In the last six phases till November 2018, electoral bonds aggregated up to Rs 1,056.73 crore from purchases made by citizens or entities.