India's forex reserves declined by $1.42 billion to $631.53 billion for the week ended in February 25 due to a dip in currency assets, according to the Reserve Bank data released on Friday. The overall reserves had increased by $2.76 billion to $632.95 billion in the previous reporting week. During the reporting week, the foreign currency assets (FCA) declined by $2.23 billion to $564.83 billion.
British multinational BAT PLC on Tuesday said it plans to sell up to 3.5 per cent stake in India's ITC Ltd to institutional investors through a block trade. In a statement, British American Tobacco PLC (BAT), the single largest shareholder in ITC Ltd (ITC), said its wholly-owned subsidiary Tobacco Manufacturers (India) Ltd (TMI) intends to sell up to 43,68,51,457 ordinary shares in the Indian diversified entity to institutional investors by way of an accelerated bookbuild process (block trade), subject to customary closing conditions.
Edtech major Byju's is in process to raise Rs 600-700 crore to fund the company's operations till March by when it expects to realise money through the sale of Epic and partial stake sale in other subsidiaries, according to sources aware of the development. Byju's founder Byju Raveendran has recently raised money by mortgaging home and real estate assets owned by family members for paying salaries, sources said. "There is about Rs 50 crore gap per month in operational expenses where a large component is salary.
India and the United States will finalize the contours, schedule of negotiations, and terms of reference for a proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA) during a three-day meeting beginning Tuesday. The agreement is expected to be finalized in two tranches, with the first phase focusing on goods trade. The US team, led by Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch, will be in India from March 25-29 to discuss the agreement. Both countries are aiming to conclude the first phase of the agreement by fall 2025.
India's forex reserves dropped by $4.85 billion to $532.66 billion as on September 30, the Reserve Bank said on Friday. The reserves, which have been dipping as the central bank deploys the kitty to defend the rupee amid pressures caused majorly by global developments, had declined by over $8.13 billion to $537.52 billion in the previous reporting week. In October 2021, the country's forex kitty had reached an all-time high of $645 billion.
The country's foreign exchange reserves declined by a massive $8.062 billion to $580.252 billion in the week ended July 8, according to RBI data. In the previous week ended July 1, the reserves had dropped by $5.01 billion to $588.31 billion. During the reporting week ended July 8, the decrease in the reserves was on account of a fall in the Foreign Currency Assets (FCA), a major component of the overall reserves, and in the gold reserves, RBI said.
US lenders represented by Glas Trust have countered Byju's founder Byju Raveendran's claim on verified debt on the company being merely around Rs 20 crore, and have said that the beleaguered edtech firm will have to pay the entire $1.2 billion Term Loan B along with interest. The founder of Think and Learn (TLPL) and owner of Byju's brand, Byju Raveendran, had about a week ago said that verified debt on the company is only Rs 20 crore as per insolvency proceedings and he may not have to pay any money to the US lenders represented by Glas Trust.
The JCP was constituted in the Lok Sabha in December 2019 and was expected to submit its report in the Budget Session.
The Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-India), the national agency responsible for analysing suspicious financial transactions, has received requests from four more offshore crypto exchanges to operate in India again, said a senior government official familiar with the matter. In the beginning of 2024, India had banned nine crypto exchanges - Binance, Kucoin, Huobi, Kraken, Gate.io, Bitstamp, MEXC Global, Bittrex, and Bitfenix - for non-compliance with anti-laundering law in the country.
The flow of money into Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) deposits witnessed a substantial increase, touching $2.14 billion in the first quarter of this financial year (Q1FY24), compared with $349 million in the same period in FY23. The outstanding NRI deposits rose by $2.5 billion, standing at $141.28 billion at the end of June 2023, up from $138.77 billion in May 2023, according to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data. RBI released the updated data in the bulletin after almost three months.
Chinese fashion e-commerce platform Shein is expected to make a second entry into India and has tied up with Reliance Retail for this, according to a source in the know. The source said as part of the tie-up, Shein would source goods from India for its global operations. Also, the manufacturing of its products could happen in the country and they could be exported.
In the second consecutive week of an increase in the kitty, India's forex reserves have grown by $2.54 billion to $547.25 billion for the week ended November 18, the RBI said on Friday. In the previous reporting week, the overall kitty had swelled by $14.72 billion in the highest weekly rise since August 2021 to $544.71 billion. It can be noted that in October 2021, the country's forex kitty had reached an all-time high of $645 billion.
Market participants do not expect any immediate impact on the rupee from the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) a "comprehensive" master direction aimed at strengthening the framework for hedging foreign exchange risks. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, in his monetary policy statement, revealed that the central bank is poised to issue a master direction to consolidate guidelines for all types of forex transactions. But this development, according to market players, is more of a directional guidance than a mandatory directive.
After rising for two consecutive weeks, the country's foreign exchange reserves declined by $306 million to $601.06 billion in the week ended June 3, according to RBI data. In the previous week, the reserves had increased by $3.85 billion to $601.36 billion. It had risen by $4.23 billion to $597.51 billion in the week ended May 20.
Social media or mass media have become weapons of mass distraction, but there are no concerted efforts yet to tackle them, Justice Mahesh Sonak of the Goa bench of the Bombay high court said on Saturday.
In a significant verdict, the Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal's (NCLAT) verdict that had stopped insolvency proceedings against embattled ed-tech firm Byju's. A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra also reversed the order of the NCLAT approving Byju's Rs 158.9 crore dues settlement with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and directed the cricket board to deposit the settlement amount of Rs 158.9 crore with a committee of creditors.
Edtech company Byju's, which was once India's most valuable start-up worth an estimated $22 billion, will face insolvency proceedings for failure to pay Rs 158.9 crore to cricket board BCCI. The Bengaluru bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Tuesday allowed bankruptcy proceedings against the firm and appointed an interim resolution professional, suspending the company's board of directors and freezing its assets.
US lenders on Tuesday said that the Delaware Supreme Court ruling has affirmed that Byju's defaulted on Term Loan B while the edtech firm asserted that it has no impact on legal proceedings going on in India. Byju's US-based lenders on Tuesday said the Delaware Supreme Court (SC) in its September 23 order affirmed the previous ruling by the Delaware Court of Chancery and said an event of default had occurred under the credit agreement and entitled Byju's lenders and their administrative agent, GLAS Trust, for action against the company.
Edtech major Think and Learn, which operates under Byju's brand name, is learnt to have received a commitment of $300 million from investors for its ongoing rights issue which will close by the end of February, sources aware of the development said. Byju's floated a rights issue in January to raise $200 million at an enterprise valuation in the range of $220-250 million which is a 99 per cent reduction in its peak valuation of $22 billion. Sources also shared that Byju's has offered miffed investors to appoint two independent directors to enhance transparency but only after the rights issue and declaring its financial results for the 2023 fiscal.
With Donald Trump all set to become US president, Indian exporters may face high customs duties for goods like automobiles, textiles and pharmaceuticals if the new US administration decides to pursue the 'America First' agenda, opined trade experts. Experts also said that Trump could also tighten H-1B visa rules, impacting costs and growth for Indian IT firms. Over 80 per cent of India's IT export earnings come from the US, making it vulnerable to changes in visa policies.
The world is learning about a side effect of the COVID vaccine called Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, he said.
The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal on Wednesday directed Google to pay 10 per cent of the Rs 1,337.76-crore penalty imposed on the tech giant by fair trade regulator CCI. A two-member bench, however, declined to grant any immediate stay the operations of Competition Commission of India (CCI) penalty and said it would pass any order after hearing out other parties. The appellate tribunal has issued notices to CCI and directed to list the matter on February 13, for hearing over interim stay.
Pharma giant AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine is being withdrawn worldwide after the company acknowledged for the first time in court documents that it can cause a rare and dangerous side effect, according to a report in the British newspaper The Telegraph.
Two days after the termination of the merger agreement by Sony Group, Zee Entertainment on Wednesday hit back by filing a petition before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), seeking a direction to implement the merger scheme. Besides, it has also initiated appropriate legal actions to contest the claims of $90 million (Rs 748.5 crore) filed by Sony Group before the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), according to a regulatory update by Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd (ZEEL).
'Despite the animosity shown by some of the investors in pursuing uncalled for legal actions, we continue to show good faith towards all our shareholders.'
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to list for an early hearing the appeal of US-based creditor Glas Trust Company LLC against a judgment of the NCLAT, which had stayed insolvency proceedings against ed-tech firm Byju's and approving its Rs 158.9 crore dues settlement with the BCCI. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra was urged by senior advocate NK Kaul, appearing for the ed-tech major, that the case needed to be heard at the earliest.
Cash-strapped edtech firm Byju's is likely to pay its employees the April salaries this week, according to sources. The company is grappling with the issue of delays in paying salaries to employees. "There has been a delay in salary. It is expected to be now paid sometime this week," said a person.
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Thursday allowed the merger of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd and Culver Max Entertainment (earlier known as Sony Pictures Networks India). This order by the Mumbai bench, headed by H V Subba Rao and Madhu Sinha, will pave the way for the creation of a $10-billion media company, the biggest in the country. The tribunal also dismissed all objections regarding the merger.
The country's foreign exchange reserves declined by $678 million to $634.29 billion in the week ended January 21, according to RBI data. In the previous week ended January 14, the reserves had increased by $2.23 billion to $634.96 billion. It touched a lifetime high of $642.45 billion in the week ended September 3, 2021.
The corporate affairs ministry has asked its field officers to expedite the inspection of the books of Byju's and submit the report, a senior official said on Monday as trouble continues to brew at the edtech firm. The ministry, which is implementing the companies law, will decide the further course of action after receiving the report from its regional office. In July 2023, the ministry had asked the office of the regional director in Hyderabad to conduct an inspection of the company Think & Learn Pvt Ltd, which is registered in Bengaluru.
India's forex reserves decreased by $587 million to $635.08 billion for the week ended December 24, the RBI said on Friday. In the previous week ended December 17, the overall reserves had decreased by $160 million to $635.67 billion. The kitty had touched a lifetime high of $642.45 billion in the week ended September 3, 2021.
The country's foreign exchange reserves declined by $5.01 billion to $588.31 billion in the week ended July 1, according to RBI data released on Friday. In the previous week ended June 24, the reserves had increased by $2.73 billion to $593.32 billion. During the reporting week ended July 1, the fall in the foreign exchange reserves was due to a dip in Foreign Currency Assets (FCA), a major component of the overall reserves, and also in the gold reserves.
Nasdaq-listed Cognizant Technology Solutions has signed a definitive agreement to acquire global engineering company Belcan for about $1.3 billion (Rs 10,853.7 crore) in cash and stock. The transaction is expected to close in the September quarter. The total consideration includes $1.19 billion (Rs 9,935.31 crore) in cash and 1.47 million Cognizant shares, valued at $97 million (Rs 809.53 crore) based on the information technology services provider's closing share price on June 7, 2024.
The country's foreign exchange reserves declined by $160 million to stand at $635.667 billion in the week to December 17, RBI data showed on Friday. In the previous week ended December 10, the reserves had decreased by $77 million to $635.828 billion. It touched a lifetime high of $642.453 billion in the week ended September 3, 2021.
The corporate affairs ministry has ordered an inspection of the books of Byju's, a senior government official said on Monday amid the edtech major facing multiple headwinds, including delay in submitting financial statements and concerns over corporate governance issues. The inspection of Bengaluru-based Think & Learn Pvt Ltd, which operates under the brand Byju's, will be carried out by the ministry, which is implementing the companies law. The ministry decided to carry out the inspection after taking note of the developments, including that the company has been unable to finalise its financial statements and that its auditor has resigned, the official told PTI.
After securing a euro 150 million Credit line for solar energy finance from a German financial institution, State Bank of India is in talks with european Investment Bank for about euro 200 million to fund climate finance. Recently the country's largest lender obtained euro 150 million in green funding from German government-owned KFW on soft terms and a long repayment period. SBI will use funds to finance solar energy projects.
This may be in line with Russia's private military company, Wagner Group, which was controlled until 2023 by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former close ally of Russia's president Vladimir Putin. The group used the infrastructure of the Russian Armed Forces.
Strict screening protocols are to be implemented for passengers arriving from central African countries affected by the outbreak.
The government on Tuesday increased the windfall profit tax on crude oil produced in the country and reduced the levy on exports of diesel. The tax, levied in the form of Special Additional Excise Duty or SAED, on domestically produced crude oil was increased to Rs 9,800 per tonne from Rs 9,050 a tonne, according to an official notification. SAED on the export of diesel was reduced to Rs 2 per litre from Rs 4 a litre and on jet fuel or ATF to nil from Rs 1, the notification said.