After a year of decline, mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in India increased 13.8 per cent, reaching $69.2 billion in the first nine months of 2024, as against $60.8 billion during the same period in 2023. Led by Indian companies and private-equity (PE) firms, 2,301 transactions were signed between January and September this year as compared to 1,855 transactions reported in the same period last year, according to the Bloomberg data.
'Given a chance, more than 50 per cent of employees would switch to WFH as opposed to working from office.'
Deloitte India would not provide non-audit services to all listed companies and other entities where public money is involved such as banks and insurance companies, if they are its audit clients.
Majority of privately held businesses in India are optimistic about their hiring plans this year, but prospects of staff benefits like pay hikes are not so bullish, a study said.
Targets should avoid panicking and hang up. 'Disconnecting stops the scammers from building psychological pressure.'
The Indian insurance industry is set to focus on customer-centric technological adoption and expansion into rural areas to drive growth in 2025.
Export-led Indian IT sector is not directly hit by Trump's tariff order on goods, but there could be worrisome indirect bearings on it arising out of possible slowdown in decision-making and GDP growth in America over higher tariffs, which may then cloud demand from specific verticals, according to some analysts.
The contraction in M&A activity in India contrasts sharply with the upbeat global picture, much of it led by a reviving US economy.
On the volume side, the number of M&A and PE deals was 110 in July, 15 per cent lower from 130 in July 2018.
The country's biggest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki India, has raised concerns about the continuing slide in small car sales.
Post-elections, the pace is expected to be greater for inbound deals, which have been largely pushed back for many months now for want of better clarity on the policy stance of new government, experts said.
From a longer term perspective an improvement in economic environment is necessary for a rise in inbound deals.
State-run Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has committed Rs 600 crore for its digital transformation journey, Sunder Krishnan, chief risk officer said on Wednesday. The insurance giant is also aiming to become completely "paperless" in two years. "We have hired a large system integrator for more than Rs 400 crore, a consultant for digital transformation for Rs 100 crore, and Rs 100 crore for agency transformation.
The mystery surrounding the alleged fund diversion from Zee Entertainment Enterprises (Zee) by founders Subhash Chandra and Punit Goenka has thickened with speculations of an amount multiple times higher than that cited by the ex-parte interim order passed by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) dated June 12, 2023. While Zee shares witnessed a fresh selloff on Wednesday, news reports of accounting fraud left investors guessing about the hole in the media broadcaster's books. An order by the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) in October 2023 had clearly hinted that Sebi's investigation had found a deeper rout.
According to the Grant Thornton International Business Report, a quarterly survey of more than 3,000 businesses in 44 countries, India is one of the top 10 countries that plan to increase hirings.
Excess hype often leads to broken hearts and hence it is always necessary to strike a balance, legendary Kapil Dev said on Tuesday in context of India's six-wicket defeat at the hands of Australia in the World Cup final earlier this month.
The data was drawn from interviews with 3,500 senior executives across industry sectors and was conducted between November and December 2013.
Grant Thornton's international business report claims India Inc to be most optimistic about economy.
While 83 per cent of respondents do not expect major changes in the corporate taxation rates, they expect increase on the limits of tax savings investments especially linked to housing loan and principal repayments, the survey says.
These "cyber commandos" will be different from personnel at cyber police stations and will work with local administration to tackle cyber threats.
Corporate India's deal activity in the period between January till March this year was better than last year.
According to the International Business Report by global consultancy firm Grant Thornton International, Vietnam tops the employment growth index 2008 with a 14 per cent rise in employment by privately held businesses, followed by India and China at 12 per cent each. With double digit growth, Vietnam, India, mainland China and Armenia (11 per cent) top the employment growth table.
Amid domestic firms' growing appetite for merger and acquisitions and a robust economic expansion, India has surprisingly lost its place as the world's second largest home to 'super growth' companies to a relatively unknown Armenia.
BCCI to lock in broadcast deal by August-end before series against Australia; Afghanistan ODIs moved to January
Kapil is known to be a keen golfer, whose handicap was almost down to scratch at one time.
Increasing migration to cities and urbanisation along with interest from buyers to invest in real estate market, will continue to be the prime demand drivers, according to assurance, tax and advisory firm Grant Thornton.
Financial creditors shall submit their claims with proof by electronic means only, resolution professional Ashish Chhawchharia of Grant Thornton said in a public notice.
India Inc's deal making saw a sharp decline in 2009 with just $24 billion worth of mergers and acquisitions and private equity deals taking place, but 2010 is likely to be a year of "opportunity," according to a report by a consultancy firm.
The Union Budget 2025-26, while promising a new framework for smoother mergers and acquisitions (M&As), has plugged a major loophole on carry-forward losses for a total of eight assessment years between amalgamating company and amalgamated company from the date of loss instead of date of the merger. For all mergers effected on or after April 1, 2025, the losses can be carried forward only for the residuary period (counting from the date of loss).
About 40 per cent of respondents felt fraud had gone up in India, while 67 per cent said the new Act would improve governance.
In July, 43 M&A deals were announced with a total announced value of $583.95 million. Out of the 43 deals 17 were domestic, where in both acquirer and target being Indian and 26 were cross-border deals. In the private equity deal segment similar trend was witnessed. The total number of PE deals during the first seven months of 2008 stands at 215, with an announced value of $7.74 billion as against 224 deals amounting to $9.52 billion during the corresponding period in 2007.
A Grant Thornton's International Business Report says 40% businesses worldwide have no women senior managers and less than 22% of top positions are filled by women.
Corporate India's shopping spree continued unabated in the second month of this year, as deals worth over $1.3 billion were announced, a five-fold jump from the year-ago period, a report by global consultancy firm Grant Thornton said.
the largest transactions of the year include the merger of Quality Care India and Aster DM Healthcare valued at $5.08 billion, followed by Bharti Enterprises' acquisition of a 24.5 per cent stake in the BT Group at $4.08 billion, and a family settlement transaction in the Godrej family at $3.5 billion.
According to data compiled by global consultancy firm Grant Thornton, the volume of M&A deals by Indian companies in countries like Brazil, Scotland, Netherlands and Canada is greater than that in the UK. The value of the nine deals in the UK clinched by Indian firms so far this year stands at just $58.50 million, while India Inc acquired four companies in Canada for a total of $166.70 million, one deal in Scotland for $80 million and another in Brazil for over $33 million.
A total of 62 M&A deals valued at $3.37 billion were announced in August, against 59 deals worth about $0.94 billion in July, according to data compiled by Grant Thornton.
The value of mergers and acquisitions that India Inc snapped up in the first half of the year surged over seven times to a staggering $38 billion or over Rs 1.8 trillion, led by big ticket deals in the telecom and pharma sectors.
There were 312 deals in 2008 with a total announced value of $10.59 billion compared with 405 deals with an announced value of $19.03 billion in the year 2007, according to Grant Thornton's latest annual issue. Though there has been a decline in PE deals but still India Inc braved the downtrend and managed to attract decent number of such deals.
