Digital Payments in Focus: UPI value moderated to ₹28.9 lakh crore in June (from a record ₹29.9 lakh crore in May) while annual growth stayed strong at ~20% YoY; volume slipped month-on-month to 22.72 billion, but the daily average hit a new high of 757 million—showing UPI’s push into low-value payments. Cross-Border UPI Upgrade: NPCI partnered with HSBC India and J.P. Morgan Payments to enable real-time FX conversion and settlement for international UPI transactions, letting users see the exact INR amount at checkout as UPI expands across countries including Bhutan. Fuel Costs & Aviation Relief: India cut domestic ATF by ₹5/litre to about ₹110/litre, easing a major airline cost, alongside revised export duties from July 1 (diesel/ATF down, petrol up) to protect domestic supply. Bhutan Development & Skills: Bhutan’s first batch of Climate Studies PhD graduates received certificates from CNR, building local expertise for climate-resilient agriculture and food systems. Census Modernisation: Bhutan is preparing PHCB 2027 as its first fully digital census using CAPI to improve data quality and speed. Entrepreneurship Push: Bhutan launched a National Entrepreneurship Strategy 2026 to tackle inactive licenses and help startups scale through regulatory, finance and market-access reforms. Tourism & Integrity: A Thimphu regional meet discussed measuring anti-corruption effectiveness, while Bhutan’s tourism investment drive and GI product launches aim to boost incomes and heritage-linked trade.