Bharti Airtel is strategically shifting its focus towards data centres, cloud services, and financial services as key drivers for its next phase of growth, leveraging significant past investments in digital infrastructure, as outlined by Chairman Sunil Mittal in the company's Annual Report for 2025-26.
TVS Venu Group has agreed to acquire a minority stake of up to 9.9 per cent in Jana Small Finance Bank, including a 4.9 per cent ownership by TVS Motor Company, through a combination of primary issuance of warrants and a secondary purchase.
A BofA Global Research report indicates that Paytm is leading in monetisation compared to its competitors due to its diversified mix of merchant lending and financial services, which enhances profitability and strengthens its position in the Indian fintech market.
Fintech platform Decentro has received final approval for a Payment Service Provider (PSP) licence from the IFSCA at GIFT City, enhancing its cross-border payment capabilities.
Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) significantly increased their buying in Indian equities during the first half of August, with financial services attracting the largest inflows, reversing previous outflows. The IT sector also continued to see strong interest from overseas investors, driven by a reassessment of valuations and the role of Indian IT firms in AI deployment.
The US State Department has paused visa appointments worldwide to conduct a 'global training initiative' for consular officers, aiming to ensure applicants are not likely to become a 'public charge' and are comprehensively evaluated, intensifying President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.
Cognizant reported a 1.4 per cent year-on-year dip in net profit for the April-June quarter to $636 million, while revenue grew 4.5 per cent to $5.5 billion. The company has also cut the top end of its annual guidance, citing a slowdown in macroeconomic conditions and rising uncertainty.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Google Cloud have inaugurated a new Gemini Experience Center (GEC) in Mexico City. This facility, the second in Latin America and ninth globally for TCS, is equipped with over 3,000 AI agents and aims to drive industry-specific AI solutions across various sectors. It will help organisations bridge the gap between AI experimentation and implementation, enhancing innovation and data-driven decision-making in the region.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the government's plan to establish a high-powered committee to examine reforms for the banking sector, aligning it with the vision of a 'Viksit Bharat' (Developed India) and India's next phase of growth.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has maintained its benchmark policy rate at 5.25 per cent for the fourth consecutive meeting, prioritising clarity on inflation trends, particularly concerning energy costs and geopolitical developments.
India was on Friday accorded the vice presidency of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global body that sets standards for combating money laundering and terrorist financing, for the first time.
The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has completed a decade since its launch, becoming the backbone of India's digital payments ecosystem. It has seen exponential growth in transaction volume and value, expanding financial inclusion and setting a global benchmark for real-time payments.
'Every period of excessive optimism eventually gives way to a correction, while periods of extreme pessimism often create the best investment opportunities.'
NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL) and Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) have successfully integrated the Maldives' instant payment system 'Favara' with India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI). This enables real-time fund transfers from Maldives to UPI-enabled Indian bank accounts, marking a significant step in cross-border digital financial connectivity and bilateral economic cooperation.
Jio Platforms Ltd, the digital services arm of Reliance Industries, has secured Sebi's final observation to launch an initial public offering (IPO) aiming to raise approximately USD 4 billion (Rs 37,700 crore), potentially making it the largest IPO in India's history.
Jio Financial Services and Munich-based Allianz Group have signed a binding agreement to establish a 50:50 joint venture for general and health insurance in India, building on an earlier reinsurance partnership.
'India is vulnerable to the West Asia crisis in three ways: Energy costs, the business Indian companies conduct in the region, and remittances from the Indian diaspora.'
A new report by Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd (MOFSL) indicates that inflation, interest rates, and monetary policy have become more significant drivers of gold prices than traditional geopolitical conflicts, with markets increasingly focusing on these economic factors.
Oil prices are expected to remain elevated due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, with both the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) and Rabobank International forecasting firm prices and a potential surge above $100 a barrel if disruptions worsen.
Do not share OTPs, PINs, authentication codes, card numbers, card verification values (CVVs), KYC details, security answers, Internet-banking passwords or Aadhaar-based authentication credentials through SMS, e-mail or phone calls.
Analysts predict that crude oil prices and the ongoing US-Iran conflict will be the primary drivers of stock market movements, with investors also closely watching the Jackson Hole symposium for cues on interest rates.
'India should hold several high-level chess tournaments that would attract the world's top players so that the country will have a say in the game.'
Temasek is exploring investment opportunities in India's booming IPL cricket league, a senior executive told Reuters, making the Singapore state investor the latest player to target one of the world's richest sports tournaments.
Gold and silver prices are expected to continue their upward trend next week, driven by anticipation of key US inflation data and Federal Reserve signals, though profit-booking may occur at higher levels.
State-run ONGC plans a massive Rs 1 trillion investment in deepwater exploration over the next five years, aiming to drill 87 wells to counter declining domestic crude oil and natural gas production. The company is also establishing a trading firm and its overseas arm, OVL, is pursuing operatorship of assets in Venezuela.
IICT and Netflix are offering scholarships to 100 students and working professionals, with up to 80 per cent financial support for courses in animation, VFX, gaming and creative technologies.
Tata Consultancy Services has partnered with French artificial intelligence firm Mistral to provide frontier grade AI solution, Mistral Forge, for enterprises across the world.
Analysts predict that the Reserve Bank of India's interest rate decision, the evolving situation in West Asia involving the US-Iran conflict, and crude oil prices will be the primary factors influencing investor sentiment in the Indian stock market this week.
In the next 36 months nearly 25 to 40 per cent of jobs will be under threat from AI and job losses are inevitable.
Interpol's latest report reveals a significant surge in global financial fraud, driven by the increasing use of artificial intelligence by scamsters, resulting in losses of over USD 442 billion in 2025.
Former Chief Economic Adviser Krishnamurthy V Subramanian outlines India's strategy to become a USD 55 trillion economy by 2047. The plan hinges on leveraging its young demographic in AI, dominating sunrise sectors like space and defence tech, attracting FDI, and achieving sustained 8% GDP growth.
'It's not about individuals operating the mule accounts being more or less skilled. Instead, 'lower-level' refers to the role the individual account plays in the broader mule network.'
Indian benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty closed largely flat on Monday, recovering from early losses, as escalating tensions in West Asia and a sharp rally in crude oil prices weighed on investor sentiment, despite resilience in IT and consumer durables stocks.
A senior Microsoft executive says India is uniquely positioned to lead the next phase of global AI deployment, driven by a massive developer base, rapid enterprise adoption, and robust digital public infrastructure.
"With the leverage available, I believe the scheme remains reasonably attractive," said P D Singh, India and South Asia Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Bank, regarding the Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank) or FCNR (B) deposits.
Andhra Pradesh and Punjab National Bank (PNB) have signed an MoU to establish the PNB Quantum Finance Hub at Amaravati Quantum Valley. This initiative aims to foster innovation and adopt next-generation technologies like AI and Quantum Computing in the banking sector, focusing on cybersecurity, fraud detection, and customer experience.
Gold and silver prices are anticipated to maintain a positive trajectory in the coming week, with market volatility expected to remain high due to ongoing developments in West Asia and upcoming global economic data, particularly the Federal Reserve's FOMC meeting minutes.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has prematurely closed its swap facility for foreign currency non-resident (bank) deposits, FCNR(B), one month ahead of schedule, after banks mobilised $52.3 billion under the scheme by August 13, indicating sufficient foreign currency reserves.
If India does get $100 billion a year in FDI, it would be a game-changer in every possible way. FPIs would come rushing back, AI or no AI, points out Debashis Basu.
Indian companies LTM and Mastek announced new international partnerships for cloud, AI, and digital transformation. Jio BlackRock AMC launched a new hybrid fund. NMIMS partnered with Coursera for AI-enabled learning, and MakeMyTrip Foundation rebuilt a flood-damaged school in Manali.
