The Indian government has clarified that consumers will not be charged for UPI transactions, and most merchant transactions will also remain free. This comes amidst speculation following an amendment to the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007. Any future merchant discount rate (MDR) would be nominal, threshold-based, and aimed at ensuring UPI's long-term sustainability and infrastructure development.
In her address to the nation on the eve of the country's 80th Independence Day, the president stressed that just as government and society remain united to ensure national security, everyone must contribute through joint and concerted efforts to safeguard the present and future of students.
Aditya Puri is one of the cleanest examples we have, in Indian corporate history, of a leader who understood early that the measure of his work was not what happened while he was in the chair. It was what would keep happening when he was no longer there, says Suresh M K.
India has managed high government debt-to-GDP, a slowing domestic revenue engine, lower household savings and a more hostile geopolitical environment separately in the past. But together, they threaten to undo the growth narrative on which today's optimism rests, warns Debashis Basu.
After two years of strong gains, smallcap stocks fell sharply in 2025, but the correction may be setting up opportunities for long-term investors.
The reduction in goods & services tax (GST) on individual life and health insurance premiums has been called a "landmark step" for making insurance affordable and inclusive. In a panel discussion at the Business Standard BFSI Insight Summit 2025, Anup Bagchi, managing director (MD) & chief executive officer (CEO) of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance; Mahesh Balasubramanian, MD & CEO of Kotak Life Insurance; Tarun Chugh, MD & CEO of Bajaj Life Insurance; and Ratnakar Patnaik, MD of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), listed what else the industry needs to reach more people.
To enable Indian banks and financial institutions to develop an aircraft-leasing ecosystem at GIFT City, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has sought support from the Ministry of Finance. It has also raised concern over slow progress in developing aircraft leasing in India.
'That way you're not hostage just to US sort of exports to India.'
Engineering and construction major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) reported a 25 per cent rise in net profit attributable to the owners of the company for the January-March quarter of 2024-25, owing to higher revenues and an exceptional gain. For the quarter under review, L&T posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 5,497.3 crore, while revenue rose 10.9 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to Rs 74,392.28 crore.
Flush with liquidity, banks are eager to lend. And, therein lies the problem, warns Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
.jpg)
Thakur, who also represented Shiv Sena in the Rajya Sabha, was 72.
'It would be reasonable to assume that Modi 3.0 would be more focused on projects and schemes which do not require any legislative change or which have the support of its coalition partners,' asserts A K Bhattacharya.
Growth in corporate profits needs to be commensurate with wages to boost the economy, Economic Survey 2024-25 said, noting that sharp disparities between the two pose risk to the economy by curbing demand. The document tabled in Parliament on Friday noted that while the labour share of GVA (gross value added) shows a slight uptick, the disproportionate rise in corporate profitsredominantly among large firmsaises concerns about income inequality.
Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das tells Anup Roy, Raghu Mohan and Niraj Bhatt that it is time for banks to lower interest rates and start lending to cash-starved finance companies after due credit appraisal and proper risk assessment.
Reducing policy rates is not enough. The key is to ensure banks lend to credit-constrained borrowers.
The RBI said there is an upward bias on inflation projection.
'As long as economic growth remains steady, creating jobs and generating stable incomes, the rise in home loans should not create problems.' 'If the growth trajectory changes course over the medium term and interest rates rise along with inflation, the expanding trend in home loans may not sustain.'
Private equity (PE) is set to play a bigger role in banks. Of 21 recommendations accepted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) out of 31 made by its Internal Working Group (IWG), its stance on non-promoter holdings in private banks is seen with excitement, though it doesn't refer to PEs explicitly. On non-promoter holdings in these banks, the RBI said this will be capped at 10 per cent of the paid-up voting equity share capital in the case "of natural persons and non-financial institutions and entities"; and "at 15 per cent for all categories of financial institutions, entities, supranational institutions, public sector undertaking, or the government." While this is a modification of the IWG's stance for the non-promoter holding in banks at up to 15 per cent, it does open up a huge window for PEs, all the same. This is because, while the RBI has remained silent on the eligibility of industrial houses for bank licences, fresh high-quality capital in large amounts can only come from PEs.
From zeroing in on the best means for stake dilution to moving beyond microfinance, Bandhan navigates a tough path. Namrata Acharya reports.
'I think some of us, like Mukesh Ambani, myself and those of us who head industrial units, ought to really focus on what we can really do to make the world a safer place, maybe 50 or 100 years from now.' 'For instance, how can we deal with climate change and global warming, right now?' 'The effects of it may not be felt now; in fact, we may pay a price for it today, but it will help the generations to follow.'
We asked colleagues, present and past, to reflect on a man who has made such a difference to their lives and careers. Here it is then, a rich collection of memories that offer enchanting glimpses of the enigmatic Ajit Balakrishnan.
'As our per capita income increases and various demographic segments emerge, the need for various kinds of protection and risk covers will become even more explicit.'
'Flush with funds, lending became a cash management exercise.' 'Road projects, power generation plants, airports etc were financed left and right with apparently no regard for the projects' ability to repay,' explains S Muralidharan, former managing director, BNP Paribas.
'Over the next two quarters, markets will be guided by observing the earnings resilience of corporates during the second lockdown, progress of the monsoon and the damage, if any, to rural spending power due to the second wave.'
Most felt that it would take time for the impact to percolate to industry as banks were reluctant to immediately pass on the benefit. Moreover, the volatility in the stock and credit market is expected to stabilise only after a couple of months. Indian companies said the central bank measures won't revive consumer sentiment and also not encourage companies to revive expansion plans that have been put on hold.
For 2020 calendar year, it reduced the estimate by a similar measure to 6.7 per cent.
'One cannot avoid speculating whether there was something else at play that led to the uncovering of this saga.'
The Reserve Bank of India kept interest rates on hold at 7.50 per cent.
There are also signs that the private sector investment cycle is slowly coming back, as capacity utilisation figures across industry continue to slowly creep up. A pickup in investments will front load profitability, says Akash Prakash.
With a sole mandate of inflation targeting, RBI wears many hats.
The use of RBI capital to strengthen public sector banks will have many positive implications for the economy -- and a few manageable downsides, points out R Jagannathan.
The estimates of national income and growth do not pass the 'smell test'.
The RBI had lowered policy rates by 0.50 per cent between January-March to prop up economic growth.
In the context of RBI's view that the real interest rate, defined as the repo rate less "look forward" CPI, should be around 150-200 basis points.
RBI will cut rates in its next policy announcement on June 2.
When he speaks of them, it is either in denial or to highlight successes that are only part of a larger story that is worrisome in its totality, observes T N Ninan.
Gold has pushed lower as a result of Chinese selling.
Chillr recently raised $5 million from Seqouia Capital.
Experts tell Ujjval Jauhari that investors need to be careful in picking stocks given high valuations and with markets possibly ignoring potential risks
Muzammil Patel and Rahul Murthi will answer all your start-up queries.
