In August 2021, Nick Read, chief executive of Vodafone Plc at the time, did not mince his words while speaking about the India business in an earnings call. Replying to an analyst's question on Vodafone Idea, a venture with the Aditya Birla Group that had piled on huge debts and worrisome losses, Read described it as a highly stressed situation that "they (Vodafone Idea) are trying to navigate... "We, as a group, try to provide them as much practical support as we can, but I want to make it very clear, we are not putting any additional equity into India.''
'There's significant interest from both existing and new sponsors who recognise the value of associating with Olympic athletes.'
As he took the bow at the end of the Lakme Fashion Week x FDCI show, many in the crowd cheered for him with an inkling that the magic and the beauty they just witnessed on the ramp was perhaps for the last time. But no one in the fashion fraternity thought that Bal would pass away so soon.
India's largest cement firm, Ultratech Cement, has joined the race to acquire the Holcim stake in Ambuja Cements and its subsidiary, ACC. UltraTech - part of the Aditya Birla Group - submitted a non-binding bid on Wednesday. Swiss multinational Holcim, which manufactures building material, is exiting India by selling its 63.19% stake in Ambuja Cements. According to banking sources, UltraTech has submitted a plan to Holcim, outlining divestiture details that would meet the norms set by anti-trust body Competition Commission of India.
Debt-ridden telecom operator Vodafone Idea on Tuesday approved the allotment of equity shares worth Rs 16,133 crore to the government, which post-allocation has become the largest shareholder with a 33.44 per cent stake in the company. The shares have been allocated to the government in lieu of conversion of interest dues arising from deferment of adjusted gross revenue and spectrum auction payments, the company said in a regulatory filing. "...it is hereby informed that the board of directors of the company has, at its meeting held today approved the allotment of 16,133,198,899 equity shares of face value of Rs 10 each at an issue price of Rs 10 per equity share aggregating to Rs 161,331,848,990 to the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management, Government of India," the filing said.
Among other scrips, which would be shifted to the trade-to-trade segment include 3i Infotech, Bartronics India, Ramky Infrastructure and Zenith Birla (India) Ltd.
Though Google's investment is minuscule and will not move the needle, it will attract other investors to the company and be a morale booster. Pursuing Vodafone Idea would potentially pit Google against Facebook and an increasingly dominant Jio.
Collapse of the mobile operator could translate into total loss of nearly Rs 44,000 crore for the AV Birla group.
The case based on "random materials" like loose sheets, papers, e-mail print outs is "merit less" as they are "inadmissible materials" having "no evidentiary value under the law, the court said.
'In phases when smaller stocks do well, an equal-weight index performs better than its market cap-weighted peer.'
Economist Ajit Ranade chatted with our readers on March 1, and explained how the Budget affects us all.
Like other food and grocery chains, Birla Retail is aggressively pushing its private labels and large packs to woo customers. Besides offering value, private labels push retailers' margins.
The year was rich in content as far as Web series were concerned.
Debt-ridden Vodafone Idea is planning to begin 5G rollout in six months in select cities and places where 5G device concentration is high, a senior company official said on Friday. Vodafone Idea CEO Akshaya Moondra said the company expects capital expenditure of the company to be in the range of Rs 50,000-Rs 55,000 crore over the next three years with focus on expanding and strengthening 4G coverage.
While Airtel may be pushed to to No 3, Jio will find it mighty difficult to beat the new entity.
But as voters gear up for crucial assembly and parliamentary polls on May 13, all eyes are on the high-stakes battle in Pulivendula, an assembly constituency that has been a Reddy family stronghold for over four decades.
Reliance Industries, the Tata group, Bharti Airtel and Aditya Birla are among Indian conglomerates that have hedged their revenue and costs linked to the US dollar, giving them financial cover as the rupee fell past 80 against the greenback on Tuesday.
Omkeshwar Singh, Head, Rank MF, a mutual fund investment platform, answers your queries.
The US-India Business Council (USIBC) in coordination with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (Ficci) is preparing a list of invitees for the business summit to be addressed by visiting US President Barack Obama.
'The problem is that the bubble may not only be in valuations, but also in investors' minds.'
Wondering if you did the right thing with your mutual fund investments?
'Currently, our individual first premium would be in the Rs 3,000-Rs 3,200 crore range. We want to take that to about Rs 6,000 crore in three years.'
An average Indian couple spends around 2x on weddings versus education (pre-primary to graduation).
The Adani Group led in adding net fixed assets, which are up more than 90 per cent since September 2019 or before COVID-19.
Debt-ridden telecom operator Vodafone Idea on Thursday said its board has approved raising of up to Rs 14,500 crore, including Rs 4,500 crore from promoter entities. An amount of Rs 10,000 crore would be raised by way of sale of equity or through debt instruments such as ADR, GDR and FCCBs. In a regulatory filing, the company said the board has cleared issuance of up to 338.3 crore equity shares of face value of Rs 10 each at an issue price of Rs 13.30 per equity share for an aggregate consideration of up to Rs 4,500 crore.
rediffGURU Ulhas Joshi answers your mutual fund queries.
The Sensex closed the day at 27,490, higher by 479 points and the Nifty ended at 8331.95, up 150.45 points.
Omkeshwar Singh, Head, Rank MF, a mutual fund investment platform, answers your queries.
Omkeshwar Singh, Head, Rank MF, a mutual fund investment platform, answers your queries.
Omkeshwar Singh, Head, Rank MF, a mutual fund investment platform, answers your queries.
Take the Rediff Biz Quiz and find out how much you know about wives of corporate czars.
Chief executive officers (CEOs) across sectors have expressed intentions to expand capacities, expecting the government's target to invest a record Rs 11.11 trillion on infrastructure development will act as a catalyst for a jump in consumer demand. "With the government planning a capex of Rs 11.11 trillion, private sector investment will come in a big way. Companies will be preparing for it right from today," H M Bangur, chairman of Shree Cement, told Business Standard. For the past few years, the investment scene in India has been dominated by government capital expenditures; private investments in the manufacturing sector have remained muted.
Omkeshwar Singh, Head, Rank MF, a mutual fund investment platform, answers your queries.
Don't go for family floater plans; though convenient they cost you more.
India Inc believes that given the current economic slowdown, it could not have been any better
Bandhan Financial Services, the first microfinance institution in the country to win a bank licence, is also one of the youngest entities to be allowed to enter the banking space.
Ending days of suspense, the Reserve Bank on Wednesday granted banking licences to infrastructure financing firm IDFC and microfinance institution Bandhan from among 25 applicants that included corporate heavyweights ADAG Group, Aditya Birla Group and Bajaj Group.