India's online retail market concluded 2025 with electronic retail (e-retail) gross merchandise value (GMV) reaching $65-66 billion, a 19-21 per cent increase, according to a report by Bain & Company and Flipkart. This growth is significantly driven by GenZ shoppers and the rapid expansion of quick commerce, which has emerged as a global leader.
India's quick-commerce (qcom) industry is facing significant profitability challenges in metro markets due to saturation and intense competition, with the number of dark stores already exceeding profitable capacity, according to a Bernstein report.
FSN E-Commerce Ventures, the parent company of Nykaa, anticipates its consolidated net revenue for Q4 FY26 to achieve high 20 per cent year-on-year growth, marking its strongest performance in 12 quarters, fueled by accelerated growth in both its fashion and beauty verticals.
Quick commerce platforms are experiencing a significant increase in demand for ready-to-eat food items as urban households face disruptions in cooking gas supply and a temporary outflow of migrant domestic help.
'It would be similar to what happened during COVID-19.' 'They are not just losing income, but being pushed into distress.'
Ola Electric Mobility Ltd is redirecting 575 crore from its initial public offering (IPO) proceeds, originally earmarked for research and product development, towards debt repayment and organic growth initiatives, signalling mounting pressure on the electric-vehicle maker.
Following a ban on real-money gaming, Dream Sports, the parent company of Dream11, is strategically expanding its portfolio across 11 companies, including a new venture into wealth management and stockbroking, with a focus on serving a mass user base through AI-first solutions, cofounder Harsh Jain confirmed.
'There are certain sovereign AI domains where we must build capabilities using our own data, our own language models, and make our own attempts at global models.'
When it comes to raising funds, women entrepreneurs receive a disproportionately small share.
Country's startups are carving a unique path by prioritising local, application-led innovation over the global pursuit of scale.
Mastercard and Visa are introducing passkeys that will allow users to authenticate card payments with face scans or fingerprints, eliminating the need for one-time passwords (OTPs).
This would imply a 29 per cent year-on-year rise, significantly lower than growth rates seen in recent years.
Ecommerce (ecom) and quick commerce (qcom) platforms are expected to lead gig worker hiring in calendar year 2026 (CY26), adding nearly 1 million workers on the back of sustained demand for last-mile deliveries, higher order volumes, and continued expansion of dark stores into non-metropolitan cities, industry experts have said.
Investors and startup executives are calling for extending the period for an entity to be recognised as a startup from 10 to 15 years for deep-tech companies.
Calling the decision a win for the people of Karnataka, a Rapido spokesperson said it was not just a legal victory but a milestone moment for urban mobility in the state.
'As long as apps show impossible delivery times, delivery and packaging workers will be pressured to meet unsafe, unhealthy standards.'
As India's biggest Unified Payments Interface (UPI) app PhonePe prepares to list, the updated draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) shows the impact of regulations on the business, and concentration of payments-linked revenue even as UPI lacks MDR (merchant discount rate).
Eternal, the parent company of Zomato and Blinkit, on Wednesday reported a 72.8 per cent jump in its net profit for the third quarter of financial year 2026 (Q3FY26), on the back of a robust momentum in its quick commerce business. The firm's net profit rose to Rs 102 crore in Q3FY26 against Rs 59 crore it reported during the same period a year ago.
'It's a very, very large opportunity -- not just for India, but even for Uber globally.'
'Headcount expansion is more likely in revenue-linked and product-critical teams than in broad based hiring.'
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