The latest move removes one of the key friction points for visitors, temporary liquor permits, while allowing licensed hotels and restaurants operational flexibility.
'Foreign capital will continue to come directly into India, but companies have realised that GIFT City is a more cost-efficient way of channelling funds.'
The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has cleared a series of regulatory relaxations to ease operations for fund managers in GIFT City, along with a revamped framework for global in-house centres (GICs) and capital market intermediaries.
Although most high-frequency traders (HFTs) prefer to set up shop close to stock exchanges to enjoy better latency, a few are willing to sacrifice proximity to save a few bucks. Two HFTs have already established their offices at the GIFT City (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City) IFSC while many more are likely to follow suit.
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.
The share of Ahmedabad in the total value of trades on both the BSE and NSE is set to touch double digits for the third year in a row.
Nearly two-thirds of external commercial borrowings (ECBs) raised so far in the ongoing financial year (2025-26/FY26) have been routed through Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), a sharp jump from the 36 per cent recorded in 2024-25.
Infosys has opened a new development centre at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), Gandhinagar, to develop solutions for global Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) clients.
To enable Indian banks and financial institutions to develop an aircraft-leasing ecosystem at GIFT City, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has sought support from the Ministry of Finance. It has also raised concern over slow progress in developing aircraft leasing in India.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has permitted 100 per cent contribution from non-resident Indians (NRIs) and overseas citizens of India (OCIs) in the corpus of foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) based out of Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), the country's international financial services centre (IFSC). However, the Indian diaspora is yet to fully embrace this new route. The regulator allowed this route to enhance the fund ecosystem at GIFT City and attract genuine investments from overseas Indians.
A 16-year-old boy was severely injured in a shooting at a wedding in Badaun, Uttar Pradesh, following a dispute over a customary gift to a group of 'kinnars' (eunuchs). Police have arrested six people in connection with the incident and recovered weapons from their vehicle.
The stock exchange BSE has called off the merger of its unit at the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City International Financial Services Centre (GIFT IFSC), India International Exchange (India INX), with NSE International Exchange (NSE IX), a similar unit floated by rival National Stock Exchange (NSE), according to sources familiar with the development. BSE and NSE had been in discussions for the merger for over a year, but it has yielded no results, they said.
Despite reporting a weaker-than-expected net loss of Rs 2,536 crore for Q4FY26, largely due to a significant non-cash forex loss, analysts remain optimistic about IndiGo's long-term prospects, citing strong demand trends, a favourable pricing outlook, and strategic cost-control measures.
The government has exempted units of investment trusts and ETFs issued by entities based in GIFT City or traded in exchanges there from capital gains tax. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) notified the exemption from capital gains tax any unit of investment trust; a unit of a scheme; and a unit of an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) launched under the International Financial Services Centres Authority (Fund Management) Regulations, 2022. Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT)-IFSC is being promoted as a tax-neutral enclave for the financial sector.
The government on Tuesday said it will allow setting up of world-class foreign universities in Gandhinagar's GIFT City, free from domestic regulations, to facilitate availability of skilled manpower in the financial services space. In addition, an international arbitration centre will be set up in the GIFT City for timely settlement of disputes under international jurisprudence, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said while presenting the Union Budget for 2022-23. The centre could be on the lines of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, or the London Commercial Arbitration Centre.
Champagne consumption in India is expanding beyond major metropolitan areas into smaller cities like Kanpur, Guwahati, and Lucknow, driven by a desire for sophisticated lifestyle declarations and a growing appreciation for the beverage.
With the government clearing the decks for direct listing at the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), issuers will wait for the ecosystem to develop further before firming up their listing plans. In the meantime, most companies may continue to prefer listing in the onshore market, even as the new avenue provides key benefits such as tax waivers and reduced foreign exchange risk. Sources said that a few key things need to be ironed out further.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans celebrated their team's IPL victory peacefully in Bengaluru, with police ensuring celebrations remained under control.
Manchester City defeated Arsenal in a crucial Premier League match, while Liverpool secured a late win against Everton. Nottingham Forest also claimed a significant victory against Burnley.
'GIFT City is now on a growth trajectory,' says Tapan Ray, MD and group CEO, GIFT City, 'The time has come for the GIFT City to take the big leap and emerge as the next financial hub of Asia.'
Spiders, spies and sleuths on OTT this week, Sukanya Verma lists your top picks.
The International Financial Services Centre Authority (IFSCA) plans to operationalise the framework for direct listing of companies at International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) exchanges by the end of the year, said Chairperson K Rajaraman. He added that the amendments would be notified within three months. Further, the GIFT City regulator is also considering the launch of separate payments system regulations - similar to that of the real time gross settlement (RTGS) for banking within a few months.
India's outward foreign direct investment (FDI) saw a significant increase of 27.5 per cent, reaching $7.06 billion in March, primarily driven by a sharp rise in guarantees for overseas units, according to the Reserve Bank of India.
A Delhi court has ordered the framing of charges against actress Jacqueline Fernandez, Sukesh Chandrashekhar, and others in connection with a Rs 200-crore money laundering case. The court also ordered charges against Chandrashekhar and others for offences including those under MCOCA in a separate case.
'We are staying away from making forward-looking statements on when we will reach 1 trillion, etc. But growth will be rapid; it's only a matter of time.'
Sacred spots and soaring peaks: Bucket-listing across the heartland. Roopa Unnikrishnan and her father journey through the heart of India.
Air India on Friday said it has completed the acquisition of its first A350-900 aircraft by way of a finance lease transaction with HSBC through the GIFT City. This is also the first wide body aircraft to be leased through the GIFT City, the country's first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC). In a release, the airline said the transaction was facilitated by its wholly-owned subsidiary AI Fleet Services Ltd (AIFS) and is also the first financing transaction from the orders for 470 aircraft that were made earlier this year.
The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) has proposed key exemptions to the current listing framework and measures for setting up holding companies (holdcos) and special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) to encourage domestic startups list at GIFT City, the country's only international financial services centre (IFSC). Under the current framework, to be eligible to list on IFSC exchanges, an issuing company should have operating revenue of at least $20 million in the preceding financial year and average pre-tax profits of at least $1 million during the preceding three financial years. An expert committee has noted these conditions have acted as hurdles to listing new-age companies, and they need a relook.
Ludhiana Police have busted a large cyber fraud racket, arresting 132 people involved in running fake call centres that targeted foreign nationals through various online scams.
The Supreme Court's verdict directing Tiger Global to pay capital gains tax on its 2018 sale of Flipkart shares is unlikely to accelerate the selloff by foreign portfolio investors (FPIs). However, legal and tax experts say the ruling sharpens scrutiny around treaty benefits and could influence how offshore investors structure future India bets.
King Charles III reaffirmed the enduring strength of the US-UK alliance, underscored NATO's centrality to global security, and shared light-hearted moments with President Donald Trump during a White House state dinner.
The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at premises linked to Punjab industries minister Sanjeev Arora as part of a FEMA probe into alleged foreign exchange violations, insider trading, and round-tripping of funds.
The GIFT City management is in talks with Hong Kong, London, and Singapore arbitration centres
Around $200 million worth of deposits of Indian start-ups have been withdrawn from Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), which was taken over by US banking regulators last week after it collapsed, and moved to the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) IFSC, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, minister of state (MoS) for electronics and information technology said on Thursday. "It turns out that there was over a billion dollars of deposits of Indian start-ups in SVB. "The existential, solvency crisis that was there six-seven days ago has become much more manageable, even the short-term liquidity crisis is being addressed as the bank allows access to deposits," the minister said while speaking at Lenovo's Tech World India Edition event.
Arsenal cleared arguably the most dangerous remaining obstacle in their path to the Premier League title by the skin of their teeth as Leandro Trossard's late goal secured a dramatic 1-0 win at West Ham United to restore their five-point lead on Sunday.
Nervy Arsenal go back to top of Premier League as Eze seals viNervy Arsenal go back to top of Premier League as Eze seals vital win over Newcastletal win over Newcastle
Liverpool secured a dominant win over West Ham, while other Premier League matches saw Brentford edge Burnley in a seven-goal thriller and Everton secure a late victory against Newcastle.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was the Chief Guest at the event.
The Union Cabinet's decision to raise the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in the insurance sector to 100 per cent is unlikely to significantly boost foreign investment as distribution remains a critical factor, requiring overseas players to partner with Indian businesses, experts said.
The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) decision on Wednesday to relax restrictions on banks operating in the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) related to the repatriation of idle funds in foreign currency accounts (FCA) could give a fillip to trading in foreign stocks at the GIFT City.
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