The Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) has bolstered India’s economic fundamentals and set the stage for sustained growth by focusing on macroeconomics, capital markets, infrastructure, digital finance, and investor protection. In 2025, the 16th Finance Commission presented its report for the period from 2026-27 to 2030-31 to the President of India, outlining key financial strategies. Additionally, a new sub-sector, “Large Ships,” was incorporated into the transport and logistics category.
Funds raised through Sovereign Green Bonds in FY 2024–25 totaled Rs 21,697.40 crore, with allocations made to green projects. The DEA’s monitoring of capital expenditure facilitated infrastructure ministries in surpassing expenditure targets during the same fiscal year. Noteworthy measures were implemented to enhance market integrity and regulatory frameworks, including tightening the public issue framework for SMEs and improving trading and risk monitoring in equity derivatives.
Efforts to deepen and diversify India’s securities markets were undertaken, alongside initiatives to promote financial inclusion. Various digital infrastructure enhancements were introduced, such as the rollout of “Chhoti SIP” and leveraging DigiLocker for mutual fund and demat statement retrieval. Nomination norms for demat accounts and mutual fund folios were revised to prevent the accumulation of unclaimed assets.
To empower investors, new tools like “SEBI Check” were introduced, enabling verification of UPI IDs and bank details of registered intermediaries. A nationwide training initiative for Block Level Panchayat representatives was launched to enhance financial literacy at grassroots levels. Notably, over 100 financial systems were designated as Protected Systems under the Information Technology Act, 2000, to bolster operational resilience.
India’s successful execution of a live Central Bank Digital Currency pilot at scale positioned the country as a global leader in digital finance. The retail Digital Rupee pilot, encompassing 82 lakh users and 11 lakh merchants by November 2025, showcased significant progress in digital currency adoption. The CBDC’s interoperability with UPI further streamlined digital transactions nationwide.
