Current Affairs - Business

PayPal has integrated India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) as the first payments system partner on its newly launched global platform, PayPal World. This collaboration significantly enhances UPI’s global reach, enabling seamless cross-border transactions and positioning it as an international standard in digital payments. For PayPal, the integration provides access to India’s rapidly growing digital payment market, while consumers and merchants benefit from instant, secure, and cost-effective transactions. The partnership also strengthens PayPal’s competitive position against other fintech players and sets a precedent for global interoperability between national payment infrastructures and international platforms.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment signed an MoU with Zepto in September 2025 to enhance job opportunities and youth employability through the National Career Service (NCS) Portal. Under this partnership, Zepto will provide 10,000 urban job opportunities, particularly benefiting youth, women, and first-time job seekers. The initiative also focuses on improving employability by formalising gig workers, integrating them with the e-Shram portal, and linking them to social security benefits. This collaboration bridges the gap between informal and formal employment, creating structured opportunities in the gig economy while strengthening social protection and skill development pathways.

Nvidia has committed $100 billion to invest in OpenAI, aiming to deploy 10 GW of AI infrastructure by 2026. This strategic partnership will involve co-optimisation of hardware and software, enabling OpenAI to scale its AI models like GPT and Codex efficiently. The initiative positions Nvidia as the preferred compute and networking partner for OpenAI, strengthening its dominance in the AI chip market. By building dedicated AI infrastructure, OpenAI gains long-term access to the compute power required for next-generation AI models. This historic investment will also influence the global AI ecosystem, prompting other tech companies to rethink their AI infrastructure strategies.

Oil India Limited and Hindustan Copper Limited entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together on the exploration of critical minerals. This collaboration particularly focuses on copper and its associated minerals, which are crucial for industrial growth and energy transition. The agreement also aligns with the objectives of the National Critical Mineral Mission, which is aimed at strengthening India’s mineral security. By engaging in this strategic partnership, Hindustan Copper and Oil India seek to ensure access to essential mineral resources, thereby supporting economic growth and technological advancement in the country.

SEBI has introduced SWAGAT-FI, a specialised framework designed to attract low-risk foreign investors, including sovereign wealth funds and pension funds. This framework aims to provide a more stable and investor-friendly environment by extending the registration period from 3 years to 10 years, thereby ensuring long-term participation in Indian markets. To further ease operations, a dedicated digital portal has been established, significantly reducing onboarding time to just one week. Additionally, it streamlines access to GIFT-IFSC, India’s international financial hub, making the investment process more efficient and transparent. This initiative strengthens India’s financial ecosystem globally.