Subhayan Chakraborty, Ajay Modi And Dev Chatterjee

Stories by Subhayan Chakraborty, Ajay Modi And Dev Chatterjee

Will attacks on ships in Red Sea affect India?

Will attacks on ships in Red Sea affect India?

Rediff.com   26 Dec 2023

'Given that the situation is quickly escalating, such attacks will affect the flow of crude in the short term from West Asia' Subhayan Chakraborty and Dhruvaksh Saha report.

What changes new Telecom Bill will bring

What changes new Telecom Bill will bring

Rediff.com   22 Dec 2023

Officials said the bill has provided a clear legal basis for spectrum allocation, which till now was allocated or auctioned by the government based on the interpretation of various laws and judgements.

India may buy more oil from UAE in the coming months after COP talks

India may buy more oil from UAE in the coming months after COP talks

Rediff.com   11 Dec 2023

India is expected to ramp up its purchase of crude oil from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the coming months following discussions between the two countries on the sidelines of the ongoing COP28 summit in Dubai, multiple sources in the know said. The UAE has historically been India's third-largest source of crude. It has suffered the largest drop in shipments since Indian refiners began to binge on Russian crude in 2022.

Next spectrum auction likely in February

Next spectrum auction likely in February

Rediff.com   7 Dec 2023

The next spectrum auction will be held in late February 2024 and the reserve price for most bands will remain the same as the 2022 auction, department of telecommunications (DoT) officials have said. The government expects operators to go for low bands beginning in 600 megahertz (MHz), licences for many of which are lapsing soon. Back in September 2021, the government had decided that spectrum auctions should be held annually.

Adani Group net profit up 107% in first half of FY24 but sales slow down

Adani Group net profit up 107% in first half of FY24 but sales slow down

Rediff.com   1 Dec 2023

The net profit of the listed Adani group companies more than doubled year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in the first half of 2023-24 (H1FY24), even as their revenue declined in this period. The nine firms posted a 107.7 per cent jump in net profit at Rs 23,929 crore in April-September compared to the year-ago period. Net sales, on the other hand, were down 14 per cent to Rs 1.49 trillion in H1FY24, data collated by Business Standard showed.

Stock rally puts Gautam Adani back in world's 20 richest billionaires list

Stock rally puts Gautam Adani back in world's 20 richest billionaires list

Rediff.com   30 Nov 2023

Led by a $6.5 billion surge in personal net worth on Tuesday, Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani Group, is back in the top 20 of the world's richest list and is now ranked 19th globally. Adani is also now India's second richest with a net worth of $66.7 billion as of Tuesday, per the Bloomberg Rich List, while Mukesh Ambani, chair of Reliance Industries, is ranked number one in India and number 13 in the world with a net worth of $89.5 billion.

Religare board rallies behind chairperson Saluja, defends her share sale

Religare board rallies behind chairperson Saluja, defends her share sale

Rediff.com   21 Nov 2023

The board of Religare Enterprises Ltd (REL) has rallied behind its embattled chairperson Rashmi Saluja, saying she had turned around the financial services company whose market cap has increased to about a billion dollars from under $100 million in March 2018. The board -- which is fending off an Rs 2,200 crore open offer by the Burman family -- said accusations had not only targeted Saluja but the entire Religare management that has made Religare debt free. "Our story has been one of resurgence under the guidance of the Board of Directors led by Saluja, executive chairman.

Booked in Mahadev betting case, Dabur Group's Burmans deny charges

Booked in Mahadev betting case, Dabur Group's Burmans deny charges

Rediff.com   15 Nov 2023

The Burman family, which runs Dabur Group, has denied any involvement or role in an illegal cricket-betting app as alleged by the Mumbai police in a complaint filed last week. The family said vested interests were behind the police complaint and they wanted to scuttle their (Dabur's) move to acquire Religare Enterprises, a financial services company. "We have not received any formal communication on any such FIR

Vedanta in talks to raise upto $2.5 bn to repay overseas bondholders

Vedanta in talks to raise upto $2.5 bn to repay overseas bondholders

Rediff.com   9 Nov 2023

Vedanta Resources (VRL), the diversified mining company headquartered in London, is giving final touches to a plan to raise up to $2.5 billion (about Rs 20,800 crore) as debt repayment deadlines near. The company owned by billionaire Anil Agarwal plans to do this by a combination of instruments, including issuing preference shares in the holding company to a slew of offshore investors from West Asia, and taking on another loan to refinance older debt at a higher interest rate. VRL, which is the group's holding company, is also looking to sell part of its 63.71 per cent stake in the Indian listed subsidiary Vedanta Ltd to meet funding requirements, said a banker close to the development.

From Adani to Torrent, India Inc taps overseas funds for local M&As

From Adani to Torrent, India Inc taps overseas funds for local M&As

Rediff.com   1 Nov 2023

Foreign banks and private credit funds are queuing up to fund acquisitions by Indian companies who are buying out their local rivals. The Adani Group, Torrent Group, and the Hindujas have approached several foreign banks and private equity (PE) firms to fund their acquisitions. Global investors have about $2 trillion of funds to invest, and about $100 to $150 billion is set aside for India, according to an estimate by JP Morgan.

India Inc's capital expenditure to get lift from high capacity usage

India Inc's capital expenditure to get lift from high capacity usage

Rediff.com   31 Oct 2023

Capital expenditure by Indian companies is likely to see an uptick in the upcoming quarters as capacity utilisation has surpassed the critical threshold of 75 per cent, and numerous companies have deleveraged their balance sheets, according to analysts. The first quarter of the current financial year has shown improved profitability, driven by a decrease in input prices. This, according to analysts at Care Ratings, should stimulate a revival in the private capex cycle.

Hindujas tap private credit, foreign banks for RCap buy

Hindujas tap private credit, foreign banks for RCap buy

Rediff.com   20 Oct 2023

The Hinduja group is learnt to be looking at alternative means of financing, including private credit, to fund its Rs 9,661 crore all-cash offer to acquire Reliance Capital. The regulator, Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority of India (Irdai), had earlier rejected the collateral offered by the group to raise funds. The Hinduja group was in talks with Barclays, JPMorgan, Cerberus Capital Management and Apollo Global Management to raise up to $850 million.

India Inc rides merger-demerger wave

India Inc rides merger-demerger wave

Rediff.com   19 Oct 2023

Corporate India is busy restructuring - through mergers, demergers and splits. That seems to be the new normal as CXOs and boards brainstorm on how to create assets and value. The pitch rose significantly during the third quarter of this financial year (FY24), translating into $32.9-billion worth of such deals - the highest quarterly total since the HDFC Bank-HDFC merger announced in FY22 Q2.

Semiconductor, deep tech to be in focus at the India Mobile Congress

Semiconductor, deep tech to be in focus at the India Mobile Congress

Rediff.com   18 Oct 2023

The three-day India Mobile Congress (IMC) will showcase the widening convergence of telecom with new domains, such as semiconductors and deep tech, P Ramakrishna, the forum's chief executive officer, said on Tuesday. With more than 250 global and domestic exhibitors, the seventh edition is expected to draw more than 100,000 visitors this year, he said. There will also be over 5,000 CXO-level delegates and more than 350 speakers.

Lenders unlikely to clear Anil Agarwal's Vedanta spinoff in hurry

Lenders unlikely to clear Anil Agarwal's Vedanta spinoff in hurry

Rediff.com   11 Oct 2023

Indian lenders are unlikely to clear the vertical split of BSE-listed Vedanta Ltd in a hurry, considering that the demerger would reduce the fungibility of cash flows across businesses and increase their volatility, according to analysts. The demerger plan, which would result in six separate listed entities, would require approval from shareholders, lenders and other statutory bodies. "We believe that a separate listing of different businesses would reduce the fungibility of cash flows across businesses and increase the volatility of cash flows.

Asset divestment needed to resolve Vedanta's debt crisis: Analysts

Asset divestment needed to resolve Vedanta's debt crisis: Analysts

Rediff.com   10 Oct 2023

Analysts assert that Vedanta Group's plan to demerge India-listed Vedanta Limited into six listed entities will not resolve the debt problem of its promoter entity, Vedanta Resources (VRL). They suggest that additional asset sales or stake sales by promoters will be necessary to repay the debt. Vedanta is already considering the divestment of its iron-steel division and its copper plant.

Reliance General Insurance gets Rs 922 crore GST notices from DGGI

Reliance General Insurance gets Rs 922 crore GST notices from DGGI

Rediff.com   9 Oct 2023

Reliance General Insurance Company (RGIC), a subsidiary of Reliance Capital, finds itself in a bind as the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) has issued multiple Show Cause Notices (SCNs) amounting to Rs 922.6 crore. This development comes at a time when Reliance Capital is currently undergoing a debt resolution under the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) process in which the Hinduja group has emerged the winner. The Hinduja acquisition is currently awaiting the Supreme Court's approval after the Torrent group, the winner of the first round, challenged the second auction conducted by the lenders of Reliance Capital.

High on G20 bonhomie, India readies 4th summit with African Union

High on G20 bonhomie, India readies 4th summit with African Union

Rediff.com   3 Oct 2023

Keen to capitalise on the growing geopolitical support from African nations after the recently concluded G20 Summit, India is working with the African Union to hold the fourth India-Africa Forum Summit later this year in Kenya's Nairobi, sources said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the mega meet along with as many as 50 African leaders, they added. First held in New Delhi in 2008, the India-Africa Forum Summit marked India's initial diplomatic efforts to seek a comprehensive partnership with the African bloc of nations as a whole, at a time when China had begun its own outreach.

Nirma to tap into own funds, debt to buy Glenmark Life Sciences

Nirma to tap into own funds, debt to buy Glenmark Life Sciences

Rediff.com   25 Sep 2023

Nirma has roped in BCG and KPMG to advise it on the fundraising options for the acquisition. The company had earlier informed banks that it would raise Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 7,000 crore in the current financial year for the acquisition. Bankers said the company will rely on its funds and future GLS dividend to repay its debt for acquisition.

Hurdles in biofuel use: Few vehicles, weak ethanol-blended petrol rollout

Hurdles in biofuel use: Few vehicles, weak ethanol-blended petrol rollout

Rediff.com   25 Sep 2023

The limited availability of flexible (flex)-fuel vehicles in the Indian market and the slow rollout of ethanol-blended petrol by oil-marketing companies (OMCs) remain major obstacles to achieving widespread use of biofuels in the transportation sector in India. Recently, two Union ministers have emphasised India's biofuel potential, arguing that it has the capacity and potential to lead a transition towards widespread biofuel adoption. Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari signalled that this transition is well underway and urged car manufacturers to quickly adapt and introduce new biofuel-run vehicles, lest the government resort to taxing diesel vehicles.