ICICI Bank has successfully raised $1 billion through a five-year senior unsecured US dollar bond, marking its first public dollar bond issuance since 2017 and the largest single-tranche US dollar bond issuance by an Indian issuer so far this year.
HDFC Bank's share in active mutual fund schemes has fallen to multi-year lows, despite overall MF ownership in the bank rising, as the stock faces weak performance, soft margins, and governance concerns.
The new labour Codes, notified by the central government in November 2025, have pushed up employee costs for private-sector banks and insurance companies, with these firms reporting higher operating expenses in the October-December quarter (Q3FY26) due to the statutory impact of the new labour Codes.
A Bank of Baroda employee in Ahmedabad has been arrested for allegedly stealing Rs 8.7 crore from an RBI currency chest and laundering the money into properties and cryptocurrency.
The World Bank's "World Development Report 2026" urges developing countries to adopt low-cost AI tools to accelerate progress in healthcare, education, and judicial services. The report highlights AI's potential to boost productivity and improve public services, while noting that jobs in high-income countries are more at risk from automation than those in developing nations.
India's securitisation market achieved its highest-ever first-quarter performance, reaching approximately 60,000 crore, a 22 per cent year-on-year increase, primarily driven by Non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and a significant surge in gold loan securitisation.
RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra stated that the central bank consistently views fintechs as 'valuable partners' in shaping India's future financial system, crediting the sector with expanding financial inclusion, enhancing customer experience, and streamlining credit delivery, particularly for MSMEs.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is anticipated to make its highest-ever dividend payment to the government this year, providing a significant fiscal boost to address challenges, including those stemming from the ongoing Middle East crisis.
Artificial intelligence major Anthropic has launched AI inference capabilities in India through Amazon Bedrock, allowing its Claude AI models to process data within the country's jurisdiction. This strategic move addresses the growing demand from Indian entities, particularly in regulated sectors, for compliance with local data processing norms as per the Digital Personal Data Protection Act. The initiative strengthens Anthropic's commitment to the Indian market, enabling secure and compliant AI deployment for sensitive workloads and fostering trust among major enterprises like Reliance, CRED, and NPCI.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged for a global framework to combat cross-border cyber frauds and deepfakes, highlighting the need for governments, tech companies, telecom operators, and financial institutions to collaborate. Speaking at the India Mobile Congress 2026, Modi stressed that technology thrives on trust and that India is ready to share its expertise in tackling cyber threats. He also noted the rapid expansion of 5G and the success of digital governance initiatives like Direct Benefit Transfer.
Jio Platforms (JPL) is preparing a capex-light strategy to commercially launch 6G services in the early 2030s through software upgrades, rather than fresh infrastructure investments, according to Akash Ambani, managing director of JPL.
The Indian government has notified the Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026, establishing IST as the sole reference for all official purposes nationwide. These rules, effective in 180 days, aim to synchronise digital systems, reduce reliance on foreign time sources, and enhance coordination across critical sectors like banking, railways, and telecommunications.
A Public Interest Litigation has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Centre's decision to impose a 0.4 per cent Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on UPI person-to-merchant transactions exceeding Rs 2,000. The plea argues that the levy was introduced without adequate statutory safeguards, transparency, or public consultation, and questions its constitutional validity and potential adverse effects on merchants and consumers.
Amitabh Jhunjhunwala, former group managing director of Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communications, has been remanded in 14-day judicial custody in an alleged bank loan fraud case. The CBI alleges misutilisation of loan funds, causing significant losses to a consortium of banks led by SBI.
Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank), or FCNR (B), deposits mobilised under the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) concessional swap facility may have already surpassed the amount raised during the 2013 scheme in just about 45 days, prompting SBI Research to sharply raise its estimate for inflows under the facility to $65-70 billion.
'In fact, when monetary policy has been deployed, it does not distinguish between types of shocks. It goes straight for the kill.'
The Shapoorji Pallonji (SP) Group, the second-largest shareholder in Tata Sons, has publicly endorsed a listing of the Tata Group's holding company, aligning with the board's push for greater transparency and public accountability despite opposition from the Tata Trusts.
Industry experts advocate for India to develop its own artificial intelligence (AI) safety framework, distinct from US or EU models, to address unique challenges like deepfakes and cyberattacks. They call for a comprehensive commitment involving all stakeholders and a hybrid regulatory approach combining voluntary and binding measures, as the Indian government also considers new AI regulations.
The Supreme Court has refused to grant an interim stay on the imposition of Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on UPI person-to-merchant transactions exceeding Rs 2,000, which is set to take effect from October 15. The court has agreed to examine the challenge to this new fee and has issued notices to the Centre, RBI, and NPCI, seeking their responses within four weeks. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) argues that the levy lacks statutory safeguards, transparency, and public consultation, and could adversely affect merchants and consumers.
Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty extended their gains for the second straight session on Monday, driven by optimism over the India-US trade deal and robust buying in public sector banks, consumer durables, and realty stocks.
The Indian government has introduced a 0.4 per cent Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on UPI payments exceeding Rs 2,000 made to merchants, effective from October 15, with a comprehensive framework set to take full effect by October 15, 2026. This policy aims to regulate transaction fees while protecting small merchants and person-to-person transactions.
Five masked gunmen robbed a Bank of Maharashtra branch in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh, stealing gold and cash worth Rs 5.7 crore. One suspect has been arrested in Bihar.
India's privatisation push, once projected as a cornerstone of economic reform, has suffered another setback, with the Centre set to call off the IDBI Bank stake sale, highlighting the political and structural constraints shaping the country's disinvestment policy, experts say.
Newly listed companies Vedanta Aluminium Metal, SBI Funds Management and Manipal Health Enterprises have entered the Rs 1 trillion mcap list since March 2026.
Students and families must stress test repayment capacity based on Indian salary standards.
Listing, according to Noel Tata, will fundamentally change how the company and the group have been working over the past 150 years.
Punjab & Sind Bank MD and CEO Swarup Kumar Saha clarified that merchants cannot pass on Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) charges to customers for UPI payments, ensuring consumers only pay the displayed price. The new MDR structure, effective October 15, applies a 0.4% charge on P2M transactions above Rs 2,000, with specific flat rates for certain sectors, but small-value transactions remain free.
Emirates NBD Bank has successfully acquired a 60 per cent majority stake in RBL Bank through a primary capital infusion of approximately USD 2.75 billion, marking the largest foreign direct investment in India's banking sector.
'When the women of India become unstoppable, India becomes unstoppable.'
A career break does not erase the experience that came before it. But the labour market can act as though it does. The more women invest in building professional careers, the more costly an interruption can become. How, then, do we enable women to make a comeback? Whose responsibility is it? asks Radha Roy Biswas.
Holding-company discounts and losses at key unlisted ventures could weigh on Tata Sons' IPO valuation, though its diversified portfolio may still command a premium.
India is actively integrating payment system harmonisation into its Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, especially with countries hosting a large Indian diaspora. This strategy aims to leverage India's growing fintech ecosystem, facilitate cross-border financial services, and position India as a global hub for financial services exports, particularly through platforms like GIFT City.
Credit card transactions in India have surged over 2.6 times between 2021 and 2025, driven by private sector banks, while debit card usage declines due to growing adoption of UPI and digital wallets, according to an RBI report.
The merged InsuranceDekho-RenewBuy entity aims to significantly expand its distribution network across India, offering insurance, mutual funds, and loans, with a strong focus on 'Bharat' (rural India), according to CEO Ankit Agarwal.
The Congress party has criticised the government's new 0.4% charge on UPI transactions above Rs 2,000 for merchants, terming it a "Modi tax". Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, allege that this move will ultimately burden consumers through price hikes and accuse the government of succumbing to American pressure to dilute India's zero-MDR policy. The government states the charge will support banks and fintechs.
DIIs invested $22.8 billion in Indian equities in Q2CY26.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the 'We Will Do It' slogan, aiming for India to become a developed nation by 2047 through visionary policies and hard work, while also addressing the challenge of societal division.
Vice President CP Radhakrishnan launched Gnani Artha, an end-to-end sovereign AI stack for Indian enterprises and public institutions. He emphasised that new technologies, including AI, will enhance ease of work and create more jobs, drawing parallels with the IT industry's growth. The initiative, backed by the India AI Mission, aims for self-reliance and includes the Gnani Evon v3.3 language model and Gnani Plexus AI platform, offering cost-effective Indic language capabilities.
Vice President CP Radhakrishnan launched Gnani Artha, an end-to-end sovereign AI stack for Indian enterprises and public institutions. He emphasised that new technologies, including AI, will enhance ease of work and create more jobs, drawing parallels with the IT industry's growth. The initiative, backed by the India AI Mission, aims for self-reliance and includes the Gnani Evon v3.3 language model and Gnani Plexus AI platform, offering cost-effective Indic language capabilities.
In the next 36 months nearly 25 to 40 per cent of jobs will be under threat from AI and job losses are inevitable.
