News for 'Future Ventures'

Another victim of Jio onslaught, Aircel is staring at a bleak future

Another victim of Jio onslaught, Aircel is staring at a bleak future

Rediff.com7 Mar 2018

Aircel executives said the company could offer value to big boys like Airtel or Jio as a low-end mobile services brand

Tata Sons sets the ball rolling for buying Air India

Tata Sons sets the ball rolling for buying Air India

Rediff.com21 Jul 2021

Tata Sons has started the process of due diligence of state-owned Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express. Sources said the group has appointed Bain and Company and Seabury Group for this purpose. Once complete, a financial bid will be submitted and a deal to take over the airline is likely to fructify by end of this year or even earlier, people involved in the process said. Simultaneously, the group has brought in veterans in the aviation business from Delta and United Airlines to prepare a plan for post-merger integration of Air India with its existing airline ventures. Tata Sons operates Vistara - a 51:49 percent joint venture with Singapore Airlines and Air Asia India, in which Tatas hold 83.67 per cent stakes.

Movies & cricket serious business for Tim Cook's future India plans

Movies & cricket serious business for Tim Cook's future India plans

Rediff.com24 May 2016

Apple CEO landed in Kanpur for IPL match as jet to Vizag was late; he also got to see Lucknow

Stalin's Son Rises In The Party Of The Rising Sun

Stalin's Son Rises In The Party Of The Rising Sun

Rediff.com1 Dec 2022

His likable boy-next-door face and casual approach to public speaking have a unique appeal for the younger generation, but it stops there, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.

PE inflows into proptech firms rise to $741 mn in 2021

PE inflows into proptech firms rise to $741 mn in 2021

Rediff.com14 Jul 2022

Private equity investments in proptech firms rose 35 per cent to $741 million last year as investors sought to tap huge opportunities amid rising use of technology in the realty sector, Housing.com said. Proptech firms that are providing solution in sales and marketing, and construction management got 69 per cent of the total funds. Inflow of funds into proptech firms stood at $551 million in 2020. Between 2009 and 2021, the proptech players in India received a total of $3.2 billion Private Equity(PE) investments.

Sebi keeps Adani Wilmar's Rs 4,500-cr IPO in abeyance

Sebi keeps Adani Wilmar's Rs 4,500-cr IPO in abeyance

Rediff.com21 Aug 2021

Capital markets regulator Sebi has kept the proposed Rs 4,500-crore initial share-sale of edible oil major Adani Wilmar Ltd (AWL) in "abeyance". However, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) did not clarify further. The company had filed preliminary papers with Sebi on August 3, to raise funds through an initial public offering (IPO).

Reliance, Saudi Aramco stake sale talks gain pace

Reliance, Saudi Aramco stake sale talks gain pace

Rediff.com28 Apr 2021

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries is reported to have held talks with Saudi Aramco on a cash and share deal for sale of a 20 per cent stake in its oil refining and petrochemical arm. Ambani had in August 2019 announced talks for the sale of a 20 per cent stake in the oil-to-chemicals (O2C) business, which comprises its twin oil refineries at Jamnagar in Gujarat and petrochemical assets, to the world's largest oil exporter. The deal was to conclude by March 2020 but has been delayed for reasons not disclosed by either company.

Many big companies live in fear for their future in digital age

Many big companies live in fear for their future in digital age

Rediff.com25 Jun 2015

Industries with the highest number of top-rated companies at risk were hospitality/travel, media and entertainment, retail, financial services and consumer goods/manufacturing

Jhunjhunwala the biggest draw as investors line up to board Akasa

Jhunjhunwala the biggest draw as investors line up to board Akasa

Rediff.com25 Jan 2022

Veterans in the travel industry, a well-known corporate lawyer, and a marquee US-based hedge fund have backed the upcoming low-cost airline Akasa Air. Founded by former Jet Airways chief executive officer (CEO) Vinay Dube, the venture counts ace stock trader and investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala as its biggest financial backer with an investment of around Rs 300 crore. A person with knowledge of the development said most of the people were well known to Jhunjhunwala and Dube, who approached them during the conception stage.

Adani group is 'deeply overleveraged', warns CreditSights

Adani group is 'deeply overleveraged', warns CreditSights

Rediff.com23 Aug 2022

Richest Indian Gautam Adani's ports-to-power-to-cement conglomerate is "deeply overleveraged" with the group predominantly using debt to invest aggressively across existing as well as new businesses, CreditSights, a Fitch Group unit, said on Tuesday. In a report titled 'Adani Group: Deeply Overleveraged', CreditSights said, "In the worst-case scenario, overly ambitious debt-funded growth plans could eventually spiral into a massive debt trap, and possibly culminate into a distressed situation or default of one or more group companies." Starting out as a commodities trader in the late 1980s, the Adani group has diversified from mines, ports and power plants into airports, data centers and defence.

Amazon was fully aware of talks with RIL for sale of retail assets: Kishore Biyani

Amazon was fully aware of talks with RIL for sale of retail assets: Kishore Biyani

Rediff.com5 Jan 2021

Future Group founder and CEO Kishore Biyani on Tuesday said Amazon was fully aware of his group's talks with Reliance Industries for the sale of retail assets that followed the US giant offering no concrete help to tide over the cash crisis. Opening up after being locked in an intense legal battle with Amazon over the Rs 24,713 crore deal with Reliance, Biyani in an interview with PTI said the US giant's 2019 investment in Future Coupons Pvt Ltd (FCPL) -- Future Retail's parent -- was for coupon and gifting business only and the same could continue post-retail assets going to Reliance. He hoped to complete the deal with Reliance within two months of Sebi approval.

The Indian Education Scramble

The Indian Education Scramble

Rediff.com21 Sep 2022

Tuition classes: Saviours or demons, asks Ajit Balakrishnan.

Mukesh Ambani looks to repeat telecom feat in new energy

Mukesh Ambani looks to repeat telecom feat in new energy

Rediff.com8 Aug 2022

Reliance Industries Ltd, whose offering of rock-bottom tariffs shook up the telecom industry, is looking to repeat the feat in the green energy business, where its billionaire chairman Mukesh Ambani sees promise to outshine all existing growth engines in 5-7 years. Having pledged Rs 6 lakh crore on green energy, Ambani says RIL will scale up investments in this business which will start going live in the next 12 months. "Over the next 12 months our investments across the Green Energy value chain will gradually start going live, scaling up over the next couple of years," Ambani, chairman and managing director of RIL, said in the company's latest annual report.

The Mystery of Narayana Murthy's Retail Biz

The Mystery of Narayana Murthy's Retail Biz

Rediff.com2 Sep 2021

In a short span of time, with the help of Amazon, Cloudtail was able to devise a model that could protect it from the vagaries of online retail business.

Reliance reboots Aramco deal, to re-evaluate structure

Reliance reboots Aramco deal, to re-evaluate structure

Rediff.com19 Nov 2021

After missing two self-imposed deadlines, billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd on Friday announced recalibration of a proposed $15 billion deal to sell 20 per cent stake in its oil refinery and petrochemical business to Saudi Aramco, saying the two firms have agreed to re-evaluate the proposed investment in light of the Indian firm's new energy forays. The stake sale talks, which were first officially revealed in August 2019, are being reset in light of Reliance making forays into new energy business in recent months by investing $10 billion in alternative energy over three years. To pivot to green energy, it has already bought a German maker of photovoltaic solar wafers and signed a deal with a Danish company to manufacture hydrogen electrolysers in India.

Has Amazon actually broken India's e-commerce laws?

Has Amazon actually broken India's e-commerce laws?

Rediff.com19 Mar 2021

Last November, a lawyer for Future Retail Limited (FRL) told Delhi high court that Amazon is interfering with its lawful business and thousands may lose their jobs and FRL may go bankrupt. Senior advocate Harish Salve, who appeared for FRL, likened Amazon to East India Company. Senior advocate Gopal Subramanium, who represented Amazon, told the Future counsel to keep the "East India Company" rhetoric aside, as Amazon has invested $6.5 billion all over India and created 900,000 jobs. This drama played out in the case in which Amazon has challenged Future's $3.4-billion deal with Reliance, alleging the retailer's deal breached an agreement with the American e-commerce firm.

Tatas win back Air India; welcome back, says Ratan Tata

Tatas win back Air India; welcome back, says Ratan Tata

Rediff.com8 Oct 2021

They say better late than never. For the Tatas, the original owners of Air India, bringing back the airline to its fold is worth the wait even if the attempt to privatise the bleeding national carrier by successive governments has taken over two decades. While many airlines have come and gone from the Indian skies since the time when the first move was made to privatise Air India to date, the salt-to-software conglomerate has never let the love affair with aviation, more so with Air India that its former chairman Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata (JRD) had, to go off the radar. It is said that Tata group executives used to complain in private that JRD -- the pioneer of the Indian aviation industry -- spent more time worrying about Air India than the Tata group when he was heading both the entities.

The many battles that Amazon is fighting in India

The many battles that Amazon is fighting in India

Rediff.com8 Jul 2021

Among all the geographies where Amazon is fighting regulators, India is the only place where its lines are also tangled in a major corporate battle, this one with India's largest company by market capitalisation over the acquisition of Mumbai-based Future Group's retail chain, the country's second largest. No other corporate entity in any country offers a challenge to Amazon's hegemony in a way Reliance Industries does - and the final hearing of an arbitration case filed at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre between the two may decide at least some of these issues. This legal battle between one of the world's most powerful corporations and one of India's most powerful conglomerates could be complicated by a host of other developments.

With Air India, Tatas get a stake in Kerala's Cochin airport

With Air India, Tatas get a stake in Kerala's Cochin airport

Rediff.com9 Dec 2021

As the Tata group inches closer to taking over Air India in January 2022, the $242-billion conglomerate will also inherit a stake in Kerala's Cochin airport. The Tatas would become the only airline to have an operational stake in a major Indian airport. The airport is a strategic hub connecting India to Middle East nations - home to the largest share of Indian migrant workers. In addition to Air India and Air India Express, private carrier Indigo also uses Cochin to ferry the lucrative 'Malayali Gulf traffic' to multiple locations like Jeddah, Riyadh, Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait and Bahrain, among others. According to regulatory filings, Air India has a three per cent stake in Cochin International Airport.

Silver Lake's love affair with India continues

Silver Lake's love affair with India continues

Rediff.com25 Sep 2020

The PE biggie has committed to pumping money into Jio Platforms, Byju's and Reliance Retail so far this year - all marquee names in their respective sectors.

Does India have to be in state of permanent polarisation, asks Sonia

Does India have to be in state of permanent polarisation, asks Sonia

Rediff.com16 Apr 2022

Let us contain this raging fire, this tsunami of hate, appeals Sonia Gandhi.

Reliance Retail acquires sole control of Just Dial

Reliance Retail acquires sole control of Just Dial

Rediff.com2 Sep 2021

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Retail on Thursday said it has acquired sole control of 25-year-old search and discovery firm Just Dial. The firm's subsidiary Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd had in July announced a deal to buy a controlling stake in Just Dial for Rs 3,497 crore. Further to that announcement, "RRVL has now taken sole control of Just Dial Ltd in accordance with the SEBI Takeover Regulations with effect from September 1, 2021."

PE firm Silver Lake eyes stake in Reliance Retail: Report

PE firm Silver Lake eyes stake in Reliance Retail: Report

Rediff.com4 Sep 2020

After monetising Jio Platforms -- which houses the firm's telecom arm and digital ventures, richest Indian Mukesh Ambani is looking to rope in investors in the retail business.

Jio's game plan: Make India '2G-mukt' and '5G-yukt'

Jio's game plan: Make India '2G-mukt' and '5G-yukt'

Rediff.com24 Jun 2021

Reliance Jio, together with partners, has tested its 5G solutions in India, successfully demonstrating speeds of over 1 GBPS, and its 'Made in India' solution is "globally competitive", RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani said on Thursday. Ambani also exuded confidence that the company will be the first to launch full-fledged 5G services in the country. Jio is not just working to make India '2G-mukt' (free from 2G) but also '5G-yukt' (5G empowered), he added. Jio's engineers have developed a 100 per cent home-grown and comprehensive 5G solution that is fully cloud native, software defined, and digitally managed.

Sara ka saara to aadha! How Sara Ali Khan lost weight

Sara ka saara to aadha! How Sara Ali Khan lost weight

Rediff.com18 Jun 2020

The young actor recently shared her incredible transformation journey.

Mahindra lays off two-thirds of staff at its North American subsidiary

Mahindra lays off two-thirds of staff at its North American subsidiary

Rediff.com14 Jan 2021

Firm attributes move to pandemic and legal spat with Fiat Chrysler, says it is in line with group's strategy to re-think capital allocation and drive efficiency.

Maruti boss brushes aside concerns on EV project

Maruti boss brushes aside concerns on EV project

Rediff.com24 Mar 2022

Brushing aside concerns raised by proxy advisory firm IiAS on Suzuki's investment in the EV project, Maruti Suzuki chairman RC Bhargava on Thursday asserted that there was nothing in it against the interest of the company and its shareholders as it is part of an earlier arrangement. Countering the criticism from the proxy advisory firm, Bhargava noted that all models produced at Suzuki Motor Gujarat (SMG), including EVs, would be ultimately sold by Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) in the marketplace. IiAS has raised serious questions regarding the decision of the Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) to invest directly in the EV project instead of MSI doing it.

Former ISRO chief pitches for ramping up space assets amid China standoff

Former ISRO chief pitches for ramping up space assets amid China standoff

Rediff.com11 Sep 2020

He said in almost all areas of security-related activities, the space -- earth observation, communication and electronic intelligence, among other things -- plays a very major role.

Flipkart shows retail majors how to play the online game

Flipkart shows retail majors how to play the online game

Rediff.com13 May 2018

Did top Indian business groups miss the e-commerce opportunity by focusing on replicating the Walmart model instead of following the Amazon model of online shopping?

'Are my MF returns beating inflation?'

'Are my MF returns beating inflation?'

Rediff.com17 Oct 2022

Omkeshwar Singh, Head, Rank MF, a mutual fund investment platform, answers your queries.

US trade body hails Budget, says it's fiscally prudent

US trade body hails Budget, says it's fiscally prudent

Rediff.com2 Feb 2022

In the midst of third wave of COVID-19, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has come up with an impactful Budget which is balanced, fiscally prudent and growth-oriented, the USA India Chamber of Commerce has said. President of the Boston-based USA India Chamber of Commerce (USAIC) Karun Rishi, however, said it is a matter of concern that the budget lacks tangible measures to increase revenue generation. "Opting to keep the fiscal deficit at 6.9 per cent and increase capital expenditure by 35 per cent is a masterstroke. "The annual budget estimates the effective capital expenditure of Rs 10.68 lakh crore in 2022-23, making up about 4.1 per cent of the GDP," he said. "A phenomenal increase in the government's capital expenditure is likely to facilitate the expenditures on infrastructure and create jobs.

Biyani, Hong Kong billionaire to form JV

Biyani, Hong Kong billionaire to form JV

Rediff.com11 Mar 2013

To operate large wholesale markets and imports.

Why Raghuram Rajan Raced At RBI

Why Raghuram Rajan Raced At RBI

Rediff.com13 Jan 2023

The speed at which he led the central bank in different areas -- ranging from internal reorganisation to inflation fighting, stabilising the currency, taking on rogue corporations, cleaning up bank balance sheets, and opening the sector -- makes one believe that Rajan knew he had only three years to do his job. A fascinating excerpt from Tamal Bandyopadhyay's MUST-READ Roller Coaster: An Affair with Banking.

Private Credit: PE Players Want To Plunge

Private Credit: PE Players Want To Plunge

Rediff.com20 Jan 2022

More and more PE players are willing to test the waters now, just in case they become early entrants in a future booming business.

India is on the cusp of major AI innovation: Nilekani

India is on the cusp of major AI innovation: Nilekani

Rediff.com28 May 2021

Aadhaar architect Nandan Nilekani on Friday India is well-placed on the government and businesses fronts to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) in unique ways to solve challenges and tap into opportunities. Nilekani noted that over the last few years, the government has focussed on how to make transactions more efficient and effective, which has driven digitisation across the board. He added that as a byproduct of this, huge data now across systems has been generated and that the time is right to apply AI across the board to India's most challenging issues across areas like healthcare and education.

Drug controversy has not dented Shah Rukh Khan's popularity as brand: Experts

Drug controversy has not dented Shah Rukh Khan's popularity as brand: Experts

Rediff.com26 Oct 2021

Shahrukh Khan is one of India's most loved "human brands", and while the drug controversy may have paused his endorsement engagements, it has not dented the superstar's popularity among corporate, as per industry experts. Right after the controversy around his son's arrest in an alleged drug case broke out, many companies halted ads featuring King Khan. Many of them are now back on screens.

Why India's retail biggies are wooing local mom and pop stores

Why India's retail biggies are wooing local mom and pop stores

Rediff.com17 May 2019

The power of the small neighbourhood retailer can barely be ignored as organised players look to leverage their last-mile connectivity and reach, luring them by promising support in technology, inventory and tax management.

Amazon, Reliance set to lock horns over IPL media rights

Amazon, Reliance set to lock horns over IPL media rights

Rediff.com20 Feb 2022

Amazon's rivalry in India with oil-to-retail conglomerate Reliance Industries looks set to head to the cricket field, where they will likely battle media heavyweights for telecast rights to the Indian Premier League (IPL) with its hundreds of millions of viewers.

Can Azad Hope To Be J-K CM?

Can Azad Hope To Be J-K CM?

Rediff.com31 Aug 2022

As of now, Azad couldn't be in the BJP leadership's calculus. The BJP has been trying to drill into the J&K electorate that this time around the UT would most certainly have a Hindu chief minister, explains Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir affairs.

Govt seeks to 'bust myths' about Agnipath scheme amid protests

Govt seeks to 'bust myths' about Agnipath scheme amid protests

Rediff.com17 Jun 2022

As violent protests against the new recruitment scheme Agnipath raged across several states, the government on Thursday issued a clarification, asserting that not only the new model will bring in new capabilities to the armed forces but will also open up avenues for youth in the private sector as well as help them in becoming entrepreneurs with the aid of the financial package.