As the quick commerce (qcom) race hots up, a new model - vertical qcom - is gaining investor attention. Unlike horizontal players such as Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart, which stock everything from groceries to gifts and gadgets, vertical platforms focus on depth over breadth.
'The informal sector can grow at a 100 per cent rate -- we have to plan big.'
Credit quality of Indian corporate is expected to be stable in the second half of the current financial year (H2FY26), supported by easing monetary cycle, and declining inflation, coupled with income-tax relief and rationalisation of the goods and service tax (GST) rates, among others.
Balanced advantage funds (BAFs), which adjust between stocks and bonds depending on market conditions, have increased their equity holdings over the past year, with most schemes now predominantly invested in equities.
Almost a decade after India shifted to a formal inflation-targeting regime under the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) framework of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), a high-level panel of economists said that the flexible inflation targeting has largely worked in keeping it under control and no major revamp is required.
New business premiums of life insurance companies dropped 5.2 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in August to Rs 30,959 crore, owing to a double-digit decline reported by state-owned Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), data from the Life Insurance Council showed. LIC recorded a 17 per cent YoY fall in new business premiums to Rs 16,023 crore during the month, while private life insurers reported a 12 per cent YoY increase to Rs 14,936 crore.
'It's better to stay away from large IT stocks until there is clarity on tariffs.'
The unemployment rate for those aged 15 and above increased marginally to 5.2 per cent in September, according to a government survey released on Wednesday. The unemployment rate (UR) was 5.1 per cent in August, 5.2 per cent in July and 5.6 per cent in May and June, as per the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
This marks a rebound after more than two years of underperformance during a strong rally in smallcap stocks.
Mint Road's proposals on banks' M&A funding are cautious even as entrants root for more elbow room, and weigh business models.
Capital investment by the private sector is likely to rise 21.5 per cent to Rs 2.67 lakh crore in 2025-26 aided by robust macroeconomic fundamentals, and a 100-bps policy rate cut, according to an RBI article. Despite global uncertainties, Indian firms entered the 2025-26 fiscal year with healthier balance sheets, higher cash buffer, improved profitability, and greater access to diversified funding sources, said the article 'Private Corporate Investment: Growth in 2024-25 and Outlook for 2025-26' published in the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) August bulletin.
The average cost of an organisation for a data breach has risen 13 per cent to Rs 22 crore in 2025 from Rs 19.5 crore in the year-ago period, according to a report released on Thursday. However, despite the surge in costs, the security in artificial intelligence is still lacking, the report by global tech major IBM said.
The central government has proposed just two tax rates of 5 per cent and 18 per cent in the revamped Goods and Services Tax (GST), slated to replace the current indirect tax regime by Diwali this year, highly placed sources said.
Uttam Ghosh pays homage to the legendary artist Mario Miranda, who passed into the ages on Sunday, December 11.
Labour markets showed positive momentum in August as the unemployment rate fell for the second consecutive month to a four-month low of 5.1 per cent from 5.2 per cent in July. It was on account of the start of the sowing season.
Banks are receiving requests for cancellation of approved car loans, in view of the implementation of GST rate cut, which will lower the price of passenger vehicles and also lead to subsequent reduction in the amount needed to purchase them. It is to be noted that the 56th GST Council meeting earlier this month, approved substantial reduction in the GST rate for cars for up to 1,200 cc to 18 per cent from the existing 28 per cent.
Global funds' assets under custody (AUC) in India have been flat this year, with a Rs 2 trillion drop in information technology (IT) holdings offset by gains in financial stocks. AUC is the total market value of equities held by FPIs.
'The (Maoist) organisation is in visible decline. Their senior leaders are ageing. Forest life is unforgiving -- older leaders simply cannot cope physically.' 'Earlier, they attracted educated youth from cities. That stream has dried up. Today's recruits largely come from poor village backgrounds and lack ideological depth.'
Public sector banks (PSBs) have written off bad loans of about Rs 5.82 lakh crore in the last five financial years, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. During 2024-25, the loan write-off of PSBs was at Rs 91,260 crore, compared to Rs 1.15 lakh crore in the previous fiscal, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
The government has identified critical sectors, including electronics, chemicals, leather and footwear, and toys, where value chains can be strengthened to facilitate and drive foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country. Invest India, the investment promotion and facilitating agency under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), has been actively identifying key value chains to focus on.
Uttam Ghosh gives us his unique take on the longer work hours debate.
Women are increasingly using gig work as a pathway to economic independence which has no entry barrier, especially as an alternative to traditional jobs.
The Centre has proposed exempting life and health insurance policies for individuals from GST, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and convenor of insurance GoM Samrat Choudhary said on Wednesday. Currently, health and life insurance premium attracts 18 per cent GST.
'An asset must generate income. Equities yield dividends, bonds pay coupons, deposits give interest, and real estate earns rent.' 'Gold, silver, and even Bitcoin produce no income, they merely store value. So, they should not be compared to productive assets.'
The Supreme Court has ruled that a bank's one-time settlement (OTS) scheme cannot be invoked as a matter of right and that borrowers must strictly comply with its mandatory conditions, including upfront payment of a specified portion of dues, to avail themselves of the benefits of the scheme.
The government's move to cut GST on medicines and medical devices while exempting lifesaving drugs from the levy is a bold step that will bring direct relief to patients and families while significantly reducing financial strain on them, pharmaceuticals and healthcare industry players said on Thursday.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday met the long-standing demand of banks by allowing them to finance acquisitions by Indian companies, a move that also expands banks' capital market lending in the country.
A couple from Kerala, running a chit fund company in Bengaluru, has allegedly fled after cheating over 1,300 investors of more than Rs 50 crore. Police have launched a manhunt and are investigating the extent of the fraud.
Public sector banks (PSBs) have seen a sharp drop in household deposits from 70.6 per cent to 63 per cent in contrast with private banks, which witnessed a surge from 27.1 per cent to 34.1 per cent.
Investor sentiment across Asian markets has shifted sharply in August, reveals the latest Bank of America (BofA) Fund Manager Survey, which found global growth expectations retreating after three months of improvement.
'Techies who did a master's there and moved to US companies look down on Indian companies who they consider as just doing body shopping.'
Some of the leading life insurance companies have reported a sharp decline in the number of lives covered in FY25, largely due to a slowdown in credit-linked life insurance policies. Stress in the microfinance segment has reduced loan disbursements and, in turn, the flow of new customers to insurers.
The Centre's fiscal deficit stood at 17.9 per cent of the full-year target at the end of June, according to data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) on Thursday. It was at 8.4 per cent of Budget Estimates (BE) of 2024-25 in the first three months of the previous financial year.
The government has not made any amendments to the foreign direct investment (FDI) policy for countries sharing land border with India, sources said on Wednesday. In 2020, the government issued Press Note 3 under which investors from these land bordering countries have to mandatorily take prior approval of the government for making investments in any sector.
The rate of unemployment in the country declined to 5.2 per cent in July from 5.6 per cent in June, a government survey said on Monday. The unemployment rate (UR) in May was also 5.6 per cent, said the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
'It flows through families, caste groups, and local WhatsApp communities where trust is personal.' 'Children are taught to defer to elders, so if a parent or uncle forwards something, you don't question it.'
The number of companies with promoters whose demat accounts were frozen by the stock exchanges due to non-compliance increased over the past year. The BSE froze promoter demat accounts in 457 companies, according to data from the Securities and Exchange Board of India's (Sebi's) 2024-25 annual report released on August 12.
India's BFSI sector is set for robust growth, with hiring projected to rise 8.7 per cent in 2025-26 and touch 10 per cent by 2030, creating nearly 2.5 lakh permanent jobs, a report said on Thursday. This growth in the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) sector is being driven by rising demand in tier II and III cities, marking a clear shift from metro-centric recruitment.
Commercial banks in India reported 26 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth in slippages at Rs 63,000 crore during the first quarter ended June 2025 (Q1FY26). This was predominantly due to stress in microfinance and unsecured retail portfolios of select lenders.
In the June 16 advisory, the US urged its citizens to exercise "increased caution" due to crime and rape, and advised them not to travel to certain parts of central and eastern parts of the country due to terrorism.
