7 key areas that the Budget must address to re-energise the infrastructure sector, suggests Vinayak Chatterjee.
India does not have a unified regulatory regime to counter Ponzi, or pyramid, schemes whose operators typically grab new deposits to meet their promise of guaranteed returns to existing savers, point out Manoj Kumar and Mayank Bhardwaj.
Bandhan Bank has declared disappointing results for the first quarter of the 2023-24 financial year (Q1FY24). While the market has been braced for known issues around microfinance exposures in West Bengal and Assam, there is higher stress in the portfolio. This means higher credit costs and poorer asset quality, leading to target downgrades by analysts.
Funds made investments worth Rs 64,602 crore (Rs 646.02 billion) in the debt market during June, higher than Rs 26,840 crore (Rs 268.4 billion) in May, as per the latest data available with market regulator Sebi.
Sinha, who is steering Sebi efforts to tackle the ponzi menace, said that in regions like West Bengal and North East -- where penetration of banking services is low -- have seen a larger number of people getting trapped in illegal money pooling schemes that promise high returns.
The Union finance ministry on Thursday issued a clarification on the changes in FEMA rules which brings overseas international credit card spending under the RBI's liberalised remittance scheme (LRS). Here's how it affects you.
'It could tempt investors to pick stocks that are not fundamentally sound.'
Most companies do not provide correct and complete information to the Registrar of Companies (ROC) and Sebi.
'My wife, family members as well as members of the workers will be trustees.' 'The trust will take all decisions -- no family member can individually take any decision.'
The ED said its investigation also revealed that from 2019 to 2022, the sale of 'unaccounted illicit' liquor was almost 30-40 per cent of the total liquor sale in the state.
'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.'
Sebi widens fraudulent, unfair trade practices list
Sebi has been probing Prayag Group for allegedly running unauthorised collective investment scheme and for defaulting in repayments to various small investors.
While the black money declarations may go up further once all the online and manual filings of undisclosed assets filed at the end of the four-month window on September 30 are compiled, the government will get this fiscal nearly Rs 14,700 crore or half of the total taxes due.
The agency has done five advertisements so far.
At a time when consumers increasingly embrace green mobility solutions, it is not electric cars but hybrids that are taking the lead, as automotive sales data indicate. Since January, 64,097 electric cars have been sold compared to 266,465 hybrids, according to data from the ministry of road transport and highways' Vahan dashboard. Hybrid car sales have surged from 4.42 per cent of the 4.1 million cars sold in calendar year 2022 to 7.2 per cent this year.
Domestic asset management companies (AMC) have launched around 60 new fund offers (NFOs) in the last six months and mobilised around Rs 27,000 crore. Fund houses are rushing to launch new funds amid buoyancy in the equities market.
At a time when consumers increasingly embrace green mobility solutions, it is not electric cars but hybrids that are taking the lead, as automotive sales data indicate. Since January, 64,097 electric cars have been sold compared to 266,465 hybrids, according to data from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways' Vahan dashboard. Hybrid car sales have surged from 4.42 per cent of the 4.1 million cars sold in calendar year 2022 to 7.2 per cent this year.
The Indian regulator played key role in uncovering the identity of two Indian men who floated the scheme
While the amount collected is a tad lower than last two years, it may surpass the previous two years' collections by the end of the year.
Keep track of your foreign remittances to avoid giving incorrect declarations as these could be held against you.
India's stiff labour laws were one key issue that Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed with Prime Minister Modi on his recent visit.
'The power sector accounts for much of the financial burden of state governments in India.'
At the customary post-Budget media interactions, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her topmost bureaucrats touched upon a number of issues. The minister said the government taxing income from digital virtual assets did not give them legitimacy and that issue was being dealt separately in the planned cryptocurrency Bill. She also expressed confidence that the Budget targets were achievable.
Irrigation woes have contributed to the problem of stubble burning in the state, reports Sarthak Choudhury.
Ahead of India's annual budget presentation next week, IMF's chief economist Gita Gopinath has favoured the extension of the pandemic support measures, thrust on investment in infrastructure and expanding health sectors programmes like Ayushman Bharat, and a very credible divestment path for commercially viable companies. The Indian government has provided a lot of schemes for small and medium enterprises, most of which is in the form of liquidity support, Gopinath told PTI on Tuesday. "And you want to revisit it and see how effectively that is working and see whether additional support may need to be provided," she said while responding to a question on her recommendations to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, ahead of her presentation of the annual Union Budget on February 1. It would be a good time for banks and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) to raise capital given the attractiveness of financing conditions at this point, she said.
'If you wish to make a big-ticket purchase on EMI without having to pay additional charges, no-cost EMI would be the right choice for you.'
Coming Wednesday, Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman will present the 2023 Union Budget - the last full Budget ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While India exited 2022 as a relatively bright spot in the global economy, the FM will endeavour to present a Budget that insulates India's economy against global headwinds and recession in advanced economies, while sticking to the path of fiscal consolidation. In this, she is being helped by her core team of trusted advisors.
As smartphones penetrate through the country, apps are getting more and more localised, democratised.
Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) on Monday said the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) has stayed Sebi's order, whereby the regulator had barred the asset management firm from launching any new debt scheme for two years. In addition, the regulator had asked Franklin Templeton to refund investment management and advisory fees to the tune of Rs 512 crore, including interest, collected with respect to its six debt schemes which are now shut. "With reference to the order issued by Whole Time Member(WTM) of Sebi on June 7, 2021, Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) Pvt Ltd filed an appeal and an application for stay before the Hon'ble SAT. "After hearing the parties, the Hon'ble SAT has stayed the operation of the order passed by the WTM," a Franklin Templeton spokesperson said in a statement. The matter has been listed on August 30, 2021 for further directions, he added.
'The pandemic had a significant impact on child trafficking.' 'With economic hardships, traffickers exploited the situation to target desperate parents and children.'
Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) on Tuesday said it strongly disagrees with the findings in Sebi's order in the case of winding of six debt schemes in 2020 and has decided to challenge the direction in Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT).
Exporters on Thursday demanded fiscal incentives, tweaking in customs duties on certain products and credit at affordable rates in the forthcoming Budget to boost exports and create jobs. In a pre-budget virtual meeting with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) said the depreciation of the rupee against the US dollar is affecting exports' competitiveness and the sector requires more support. "Creation of employment is the biggest challenge faced by the country...We would urge the government to provide fiscal support to units which provide additional employment in the export sector," the exporter's body said.
While presenting her 2021-22 Union Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had set a fiscal deficit target of 6.8 per cent of nominal gross domestic product (GDP) against the 2020-21 Revised Estimate of 9.5 per cent. The fiscal correction in the upcoming 2022-23 Union Budget is unlikely to be that steep. Even as discussions among top Budget-makers are ongoing, the fiscal deficit target for 2022-23 may likely be in the range of 6.5-6.8 per cent.
Currently, most crowdfunding platforms neither operate with proper authorisation nor are governed under any law.
Making it easier for companies to raise funds through genuine equity or debt offers, Sebi unveiled a slew of measures to bring to book those running illegal money-pooling schemes and indulging in other fraudulent activities.
Sebi has decided to lay out strict timelines for completion of actions.
Allaying investors' fears, Franklin Templeton AMC has said Sebi's order prohibiting the company from launching new debt funds will have no bearing on existing schemes managed by it. Sebi on Monday barred Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) from launching any new debt scheme for two years and imposed a penalty of Rs 5 crore for violating regulatory norms in the case of winding up of six debt schemes in 2020. Also, it has been asked to refund investment management and advisory fees of over Rs 512 crore (including interest) collected with respect to the six debt schemes. This amount will be used to repay unitholders, as per Sebi order.
The recently-created flexi-cap fund category is emerging as the hottest segment in the Rs 11-trillion equity mutual funds (MFs) space. Buoyed by the success of ICICI Prudential Flexicap Fund, other MFs are lining up new fund offerings (NFO) in this segment. Industry players say the flexi-cap category could emerge as the biggest segment in the equity MF space. Recently, ICICI Pru Flexicap's NFO collected a record Rs 10,200 crore.