• Global financial technology company, OBOPAY, announced the launch of a new generation pre-payment instrument in partnership with Federal Bank and Mastercard.
• The OBOPAY card can be availed by all the business entities including corporate, distributor – retailer ecosystem, colleges, factories etc.
• The card includes 'Split transaction' feature which provides payment flexibility to users.

• The Reserve Bank of India imposed a fine of Rs 1 crore on Indian Bank for violating cybersecurity norms on 11 December 2018.
• This penalty has been imposed in the exercise of powers vested in RBI under the provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
• RBI said that this action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance.

• A book titled 'We are Displaced' was released in India on 9 January 2019.
• The author of the book is Malala Yousafzai.
• The book gives a description of her experiences of traveling around the world and visiting refugee camps.
• Malala Yousafzai got the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.

• The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind received the first copy of the book 'Making of New India: Transformation under Modi Government' from the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 27 November 2018.
• The book has been edited by Dr Bibek Debroy, Dr Anirban Ganguly, and Kishore Desai.
• It contains 51 essays on themes ranging from economy to diplomacy, education to public health. 

• The 42nd Indian Social Science Congress was inaugurated by Manipur Governor Dr. Najma Heptulla in Bhubaneswar on 27 December 2018.
• The theme of the congress is ‘Human Future in Digital Era’.
• Indian Social Science Congress is the annual meet of social scientists organized by Indian Social Science Academy (ISSA).

As part of Shanghai Cooperation Organization initiatives, SCO Peace Mission Exercise is conducted biennially for SCO member states. The joint exercise for the year 2018 will be conducted from 22 August to 29 August 2018 at Chebarkul, Chelyabinsk, Russia. This will be a historic occasion due to the maiden participation of India post becoming a full member of the SCO in June 2017.

• The government of India appointed Atul Sahai as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the New India Assurance on 4 December 2018.
• He has been appointed for a period of five years.
• At present, he is the General Manager at Oriental Insurance.
• New India Assurance Company is a public sector insurance company and its headquarters is in Mumbai.

According to the 2018 Henley Passport Index, The Japanese passport is now the strongest in the world. Japanese citizens can travel without a visa or gain a visa on arrival in 190 destinations. The Singapore passport, which allows travel to 189 destinations without a prior visa, is at second rank. Germany, South Korea, and France are placed at third rank. India ranks at 81st position.

• Four unnamed Himalayan peaks near Gangotri glacier have been named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
• The peaks are located at 6,557, 6,566, 6,160 and 6,100 metres on the right flank of Gangotri glacier.
• Located near Sudarshan and Saifi peaks in Raktvan valley, the peaks have been named Atal-1, 2, 3 and 4.

• Ishwar Sharma who is the under-11 UK national yoga champion has been named as the British Indian of the Year for his achievements in the field.
• He has won many titles in both individual and artistic yoga, most recently a gold medal representing Great Britain at the World Student Games 2018 in Winnipeg, Canada, in June.