RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra reiterated India's cautious stance on cryptocurrencies due to concerns over monetary sovereignty and capital flows, while actively promoting underlying technologies like distributed ledger technology and tokenisation. He also addressed the global rise in public debt and hardening bond yields, attributing it to increased government and private spending, including that driven by AI, and noted the implications of global interest rates on India's monetary policy.
India's Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran stated that the country's balance of payments (BoP) pressure is expected to remain a continuous challenge due to rising imports, commodity dependence, high global interest rates, and intense competition for capital.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expressed strong confidence in India achieving over 10 per cent economic growth, advocating for increased technology adoption and innovation. She urged overcoming scepticism and highlighted technology's transformative role in agriculture and public sector reforms, while also launching a new fund and book at an IIT Madras event.
Rising bond yields in the US and other advanced economies are making it increasingly difficult for Indian equities to attract foreign portfolio investors (FPIs), leading to pressure on valuations and potentially lower returns for domestic investors.
India's private equity (PE) industry is transitioning from a 'spray and pray' approach to a more selective investment model, focusing on established businesses, greater strategic influence, and operational transformation to generate definitive returns, according to industry leaders Renuka Ramnath and Amit Chandra.
'India needs to create eight-nine million jobs annually to absorb the growth in the working-age population.' 'Failure to create productive jobs could squander the demographic advantage that we enjoy right now.'
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has expressed intent to invest an additional $25 billion in India, with an ultimate goal of reaching $100 billion in investments, Union Minister Piyush Goyal announced. This comes as both nations plan to enhance cooperation in shipping, ports, energy, and emerging technologies, against a backdrop of expanding bilateral trade.
RBI Deputy Governor Poonam Gupta stated that India's economic growth momentum remains strong despite various global and domestic shocks, attributing this resilience to a diversified growth base and improved policy responses. She highlighted the economy's 7.8 per cent growth in Q1 and continued momentum into Q2, suggesting potential upgrades to growth forecasts.
India's industrial production growth decelerated to 6.7 per cent in September, down from 7.8 per cent in August, primarily due to a contraction in mining activity and a slowdown in manufacturing, according to government data. Experts attribute the moderation to a high-base effect, anticipation of festive sales, and concerns over rising inflation.
Arundhati Bhattacharyya, Salesforce President and CEO for South Asia, highlighted how cloud and AI are democratising capabilities, offering India a unique opportunity to leapfrog in the technology revolution. Speaking at the IMC Chamber of Commerce, she emphasised that AI will create more jobs by addressing unmet business demands and could significantly boost India's GDP, with NITI Aayog estimating a USD 500-600 billion addition by 2035. She urged Indian businesses to transform using technology, focus on data, redesign work, and invest in skills, stressing that AI is not just for large corporations.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will persist in its efforts to prevent excessive volatility in the rupee, which has significantly depreciated against the US dollar due to global uncertainties, despite India's strong macro-economic fundamentals.
French Prime Minister Sbastien Lecornu said police arrested 1,200 protesters on Saturday, and 150 personnel were injured as demonstrations across the country over the rising cost of living turned violent.
If the new MDR regime is rolled out from the middle of this month, as scheduled, it should count as one of the boldest political actions by the Modi government on an economic-policy issue, and a signal that it is less worried about erosion of political capital it draws from one of its key constituencies, notes A K Bhattacharya.
NITI Aayog has called for a fundamental overhaul of urban governance in India, advocating for empowered city governments, directly elected mayors with five-year terms, and greater financial autonomy for urban local bodies to manage the country's rapidly growing urban population.
Mukesh Ambani fought back tears as his three children, Akash, Isha, and Anant Ambani, took the stage at the stock market listing of Jio Platforms Ltd, marking an emotional moment that signals the next generation's readiness to lead one of India's largest corporate empires.
Palghar police have appealed to victims of a ponzi scheme run by Rich 2 Money Private Limited to register complaints. The Economic Offences Wing has identified 48 defrauded investors, losing Rs 5.91 crore, with the company promising high returns on investments in share markets and F&O trading.
Avenue Supermarts (DMart) reported lower-than-expected Q2FY27 performance, with revenue growth of 18.4 per cent year-on-year but visible margin pressure, leading to a 4.5 per cent stock drop. The company faces challenges from lower-margin sales, operating cost pressures, and aggressive store expansion, impacting profitability despite improved same-store sales growth.
Info Edge (India) Ltd, the parent company of Naukri.com, is undergoing a significant leadership change as founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani prepares to return as managing director and group chief executive officer. This transition follows Hitesh Oberoi's decision to step down from his executive roles after nearly 27 years with the company, though he will remain on the board as a non-executive, non-independent director.
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Secretary Chanchal Kumar outlined the critical factors for the media and entertainment sector's next growth phase, including robust intellectual property, sustainable revenue models, and disciplined investments. Speaking at the CII Big Picture Summit, he emphasised the government's role in fostering an environment for creative enterprises and addressing challenges posed by digital platforms and AI. The CII White Paper also projected a USD 100 billion Indian M&E sector, advocating for stronger IP and regulatory reforms.
J&K Bank MD and CEO Amitava Chatterjee defended the surcharge on UPI transactions above Rs 2,000, stating it is necessary for the system's long-term sustainability. He also discussed the shift of household savings to mutual funds, the bank's profit growth, and India's consumption-based economy.
The Indian Cabinet has approved Fairfax Financial Holdings' Rs 52,878 crore bid to acquire a 60.72 per cent stake in IDBI Bank, marking the country's largest foreign direct investment in the financial sector.
AI-managed services firm RapidCanvas, with a significant employee base in India, announced on Friday that it has raised USD 29 million (approximately Rs 275 crore) in Series B funding. The round was led by Vertex Ventures SEA and India, with participation from Hitachi Ventures and existing investors. The company plans to use the funds to expand its go-to-market teams, partner network, and grow its employee base and engineering teams in India, the US, and Brazil, while also investing in product development.
A report by IIT Bombay suggests that the proposed Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) framework for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions needs rationalisation before implementation to safeguard public trust in the digital payments system, highlighting that UPI's long-term economic benefits outweigh potential incremental income from merchant fees.
Union Minister Rajnath Singh has accused the Congress and its allies of attempting to instigate a 'Bangladesh-like regime change' in India, leveraging youth energy for political confrontation and anarchy, rather than constructive nation-building.
India's private sector capital expenditure is projected to reach approximately 3.2 trillion in the financial year 2026-27, up from 2.6 trillion in FY26, according to a Reserve Bank of India bulletin report, indicating sustained confidence despite global uncertainties.
Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma has pledged personal funds, ranging from Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crore, to Indian entrepreneurs developing their own artificial intelligence models. This initiative aims to foster indigenous AI capabilities and reduce reliance on foreign models, echoing Sharma's past success in mobile payments.
Jantar Mantar, a historic protest site in New Delhi, is facing de-notification by Delhi Police, raising concerns about its future as a space for public dissent. The site has been central to numerous significant movements, from Anna Hazare's anti-corruption fast and the Nirbhaya protests to recent agitations over NEET paper leaks and wrestlers' grievances. Its proximity to power centres made it a crucial platform for citizens to voice concerns and demand accountability, a role now threatened by its potential loss of status.
African digital financial services platform, Airtel Money, has successfully debuted on the London Stock Exchange, marking the exchange's largest initial public offering (IPO) in several years with an implied market capitalisation of about USD 7 billion.
That means making it easier to invest, protecting investors through predictable rules, and avoiding policy reversals after investments have been made, notes Rajeswari Sengupta.
They had bought Rs 29,631 crore worth of shares in August.
India's real estate sector recorded an unprecedented $9.5 billion in capital inflows during Q3 2026, primarily driven by foreign investors' strong interest in data centres, according to a CBRE Group report.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw warned of increased global turbulence from tech disruptions, AI, and financial risks in the coming years. He stated that India is strengthening its economic and technological resilience to protect its growth from external shocks. India is focusing on domestic manufacturing and design in critical tech areas while maintaining global integration, with trust becoming as crucial as cost in supply chains.
India's GST Council has approved changes allowing small online sellers to register in states without physical premises by using an e-commerce operator's warehouse as their principal place of business, aiming to boost national sales for small businesses.
Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran affirmed India's robust economic position amidst global uncertainty, emphasising that energy security, advanced manufacturing jobs, and investment in human capital are 'critical' for sustaining the nation's long-term growth.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to India this week underscores the complex dynamics of global energy policy, as Washington re-evaluates sanctions on Russian oil buyers amidst India's continued reliance on Russian crude.
Indian factories saw an 8 per cent decline in gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) in FY25, marking the first drop since the pandemic, despite achieving record high employment generation, according to the latest Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) data.
India needs to move beyond ease and cost of doing business and focus on the "speed of doing business" as the next leg of reforms to sustain economic growth and private investment, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) President R Mukundan said.
Jio Platforms Limited (JPL) believes satellite broadband services are unlikely to achieve significant scale or compete effectively on price in India's highly connected and affordable market, despite developing its own satellite constellation solutions and flagging it as a potential disruptor.
India's Goods and Services Tax (GST) receipts, after accounting for refunds, surged by 18.1 per cent annually to approximately 1.77 trillion in September, marking its fastest growth in six months. This increase was primarily driven by a significant rise in tax revenue from imports, which grew 26 per cent annually.
Isha Ambani, a director on the board of Jio Platforms, revealed that a failed attempt to upload a college assignment in 2009-10 due to poor internet connectivity in Mumbai sparked the idea and subsequent conversations that led to the creation of Jio.
