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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
They had bought Rs 29,631 crore worth of shares in August.
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 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.
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.
That means making it easier to invest, protecting investors through predictable rules, and avoiding policy reversals after investments have been made, notes Rajeswari Sengupta.
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.
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.
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.
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.
India is deeply concerned by the growing consolidation of Pakistan-backed jihadi and radical Islamist groups in Bangladesh, particularly in the strategically vital Chittagong Hill Tracts, which experts warn is transforming the country into a new safe haven for these networks and posing a direct threat to India's security.
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.
India's Next-Gen GST reforms are proving instrumental in driving robust economic growth, simplifying tax compliance, and fostering a more inclusive business environment across the nation, aligning with the vision of a 'Viksit Bharat', writes Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
India's economy is projected to lose momentum in the second half of fiscal 2026-27, with tighter financial conditions, elevated energy prices, and broadening inflation pressures posing significant risks, according to DBS Bank economist Radhika Rao.
A Bain & Company report projects the global AI market must reach nearly USD 6 trillion annually by 2031 to sustain massive infrastructure investments. This growth will largely depend on new innovations beyond productivity gains, with a significant gap needing to be filled by emerging revenue streams like autonomous vehicles, physical AI, and new AI-driven products. The report also highlights the surge in hardware and semiconductor industries due to AI compute demand and the importance of AI absorption for Indian companies.
Formula One will return to Africa after 33 years, with Rwanda securing a 10-year deal to host a Grand Prix from the early 2030s, promising tourism, investment and jobs.
Industry leaders at MRAM Expo 2026 highlighted that India's maintenance economy has the potential to unlock a 1 per cent GDP opportunity. This growth can be achieved by addressing productivity losses from equipment breakdowns, unplanned downtime, and inefficient assets through smarter asset management practices. The NITI Aayog also supports AI-based predictive maintenance for resilient infrastructure, while the Indian Asset Performance Management market is projected for substantial growth by 2033.
The Indian corporate sector demonstrated strong credit quality in the first half of FY27, driven by robust balance sheets and healthy liquidity, despite facing risks from elevated crude prices, inflation, and global interest rates.
Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) became net sellers in September, withdrawing Rs 35,860 crore from Indian equities due to global uncertainties, high US interest rates, and elevated crude oil prices, with outflows continuing into October.
After a significant 9.9% depreciation in FY26, the Indian rupee has shown comparative stability in the first half of FY27, depreciating by only 1.1%, attributed to regulatory interventions and measures to attract foreign capital, despite ongoing global pressures from rising crude oil prices and foreign investor outflows.
A report by IIT-Bombay professors recommends reducing the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on UPI transactions from 0.40 per cent to 0.08 per cent. It suggests that banks should fund the UPI ecosystem using their net interest margins from CASA deposits, rather than relying on MDR. The report also addresses transaction costs, credit card MDR, and ATM withdrawal allowances, aiming to ensure UPI's long-term sustainability and public trust by proposing remuneration only from large merchants.
India's student housing shortage is widening, but high land costs, weak rental yields and regulatory hurdles are keeping organised developers away.
