City Chennai Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The opening sequence of RJ Balaji’s Karuppu is all sparks and embers in a bichrome backdrop of red and black. It’s a nightmare in which a man gets assaulted by unknown assailants and a majestic rageful God descends to save him. The man, played by Indrans, jolts up in a train and looks at his daughter Binu (Anagha Ravi).

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Mumbai: The TVS Venu Group has been expanding its financial services operations across multiple segments, including insurance and asset management, and their latest plan to acquire a 10% stake in Jana Small Finance Bank (SFB) marks a strategic extension into banking, giving access to the mass affluent and small-business segments.On Monday, the Chennai-based conglomerate said it will acquire a 9.9% stake in the bank through a combination of primary issuance of warrants and a secondary purchase. This includes acquisition of a 5.64% stake by TVS Venu for ₹317 crore and 4.9% by TVS Motor Company for ₹193 crore.Bengaluru-based Jana SFB has over 12 million customers, and advances and deposits of over ₹35,000 crore each as of 31 March 2026.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Consumer-focused private equity firm L Catterton, among others, is in talks to acquire a stake in Bengaluru-based restaurant chain Nandhana Palace, three people familiar with the matter said.“The investment firm may likely acquire a minority stake in the business,” one person said.“The Andhra-cuisine restaurant chain is also in discussions with other funds, but L Catterton may likely have an edge, given its deep expertise in the consumer sector,” a second person said.Mint reported in December that Nandhana had sought a valuation of ₹2,000 crore when it was in talks with Dubai-based investment firm Pulsar Capital, but that did not materialize.That valuation was at the higher end and may evolve or change, depending on the buyer, two of the people said.“While the final terms are yet to be signed, the deal is still undergoing due diligence,” a third person said.L Catterton and Nandhana did not respond to Mint’s requests for comment till the time of publishing.L Catterton is 60% owned by private equity firm Catterton and the remaining 40% is jointly owned by French luxury brand LVMH and Groupe Arnault. The firm manages $40 billion of equity capital and has made over 300 investments in consumer brands globally and in India.Its portfolio companies include Drools, Sugar Cosmetics, Farmley, Haldiram’s, Healing Hands Clinic and Jio Platforms.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.In his first speech as chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Joseph Vijay said in Tamil, “I have known poverty; I’ve known hunger. I am not from some royalty.” This whole country seems to be filled with self-made men. Except that most of them may not be at all.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.New Delhi: India’s latest fuel price increase is expected to raise cultivation and transportation costs across the farm sector ahead of the crucial kharif sowing season, potentially adding fresh pressure on food inflation in the coming months, according to farmers, economists and agriculture experts.Oil marketing companies on Friday raised petrol and diesel prices by ₹3 per litre as a surge in global crude oil prices was hurting their margins. Following the hike, diesel prices in New Delhi rose to ₹90.67 a litre, while rates in Kolkata and Chennai increased to ₹95.13 and ₹95.25, respectively.The development assumes significance as the agriculture sector accounts for nearly two-fifths of India’s annual diesel consumption of around 92 million tonnes.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Bengaluru: India is emerging as one of the most sought-after growth markets for global quick-service restaurant chains, prompting several international brands, which once struggled in the country, to attempt a comeback with revamped playbooks.The latest entrant is Panda Express, the US-based Asian fast-casual chain, which plans to enter India in 2027 through a partnership with Trimex Foods. It is targeting growing demand for international dining brands and widening popularity of Chinese cuisine among Indian consumers, even as global chains remain cautious about the country’s highly competitive and value-conscious market“India has become very aspirational with spending power growing up.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Chennai-based Veritas Finance, a non-banking financial company, is exploring a private transaction worth ₹800–1,000 crore to facilitate exits for early investors after facing repeated delays in its public listing, three people familiar with the matter said.“The transaction is expected to give exits to some of its early backers like Lok Capital and British International Investment (BII), who have been invested in the company for a long time,” one of the people cited above said.Veritas’ move to explore a private market deal comes as it seeks to improve financial performance and reattempt a listing when public market valuations become more stable and conducive.“The round is likely to be secondary in nature and could become larger if other investors including Kedaara Capital and Norwest Venture Partners also look to sell some stake opportunistically,” the second person said.The person added that the company has also held discussions with investment banks including Avendus for a private transaction, although a formal banker appointment is due in the coming weeks.Veritas competes with Shriram Finance, Aye Finance, Vistaar Finance, Five Star Business Finance, Indostar Capital, Bajaj Finserv, Equitas Small Finance Bank and Lendingkart, among others.Veritas, Avendus, Norwest, and BII declined to comment while Kedaara and Lok Capital did not respond to Mint’s emails sent on Tuesday.“While the exact deal terms are yet to be decided, the company doesn’t need much primary capital at this stage so the round will largely be a secondary transaction,” a third person said, confirming the above details.In a secondary transaction, shareholders sell their stakes to other existing or new investors, and no

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Chennai: For years, Tamil Nadu has punched beyond its weight. With just 4% of India’s land area and 6% of its population, the state’s contribution to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024-25 was 9.4%.The state’s economy is growing much faster than India’s 6.5%. Even as foreign direct investment (FDI) into India has slowed, foreign investors continue to bet big on Tamil Nadu.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Chennai: To say the Kerala government’s finances are in a mess is an understatement. The state has a litany of woes which successive governments have failed to take head on. Its ability to raise revenue is impaired.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Embassy Office Parks Reit met its FY26 leasing guidance of 6.4 million square feet (msf), aided by organic expansions and acquisitions. Healthy leasing momentum across Bengaluru, Noida and Chennai assets helped portfolio occupancy rise 300 basis points (bps) year-on-year to 90% as of March.Global capability centres (GCCs) contributed about 60% to Embassy's total leasing, driven by technology, healthcare and BFSI sectors. With seven new GCC entrants in FY26, Embassy has 102 GCCs in its occupier portfolio of 280 corporates.The prospects for Grade A office spaces would be upbeat in FY27 given favourable demand-supply dynamics.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.“Don’t underestimate the power of the common man.” These words were popularized by Shah Rukh Khan with a slight twist in his film Chennai Express.I wonder why the common person’s power is visible exclusively during the elections, religious functions and marriage celebrations? Why don’t they rise in defiance?However, I was pleasantly surprised by an unknown woman from Mumbai.Last Wednesday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was rallying against the defeat of the Nari Shakti Vandan (Amendment) Bill in Parliament.The local police, despite adequate arrangements, couldn’t avert a traffic jam. Many were stuck. Resentful people were surprised to see a woman suddenly appearing and directly confronting Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Chennai-based M2P Fintech has appointed former Hitachi Payment Services finance executive Vivek Seshadri as group CFO, as it begins laying the groundwork for a potential IPO over the next few years, co-founder and CEO Madhusudanan R told Mint.The move marks a formal step toward institutionalizing the fintech’s finance function as it scales globally and prepares for eventual public markets scrutiny. While the company says a listing is still “at least a couple of years away”, the hire signals that IPO preparation has begun internally.“We are at least a couple of years away,” said Madhu.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Velmurugan J., a hospitality sector executive from Kulithalai town near Karur, considers himself lucky. He decided to attend actor Joseph Vijay’s political rally in Karur on 27 September last year, urged on by his colleague who was a die-hard fan of the star.By noon, they reached Velusamypuram, the venue of the meeting on the Karur-Erode highway, and took a vantage position near a generator shed. The crowd was swelling and the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader’s arrival was delayed.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.NEW DELHI: India’s major ports are set to extend relief measures for exporters hit by disruptions from the ongoing West Asia conflict until the end of April, according to two people aware of the development, as shipping delays and logistics costs remain elevated.The extension will allow exporters to continue availing waivers on ground rent and dwell time charges, along with concessions on reefer plug-in fees and certain vessel-related charges for cargo stranded en route to West Asian markets.The measures, first rolled out in early March, initially covered cargo impacted until 15 March and were later extended to 31 March. With the conflict persisting and containers continuing to face delays and rerouting, authorities are considering a further extension through April.An extension would provide breathing room to exporters grappling with delayed shipments and working capital pressures due to longer transit times and supply chain disruptions, one of the people cited above said.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Bengaluru: Senior housing developers and operators, which build and manage residential communities for those aged 55 and above, are looking to ramp up operations by acquiring land, expanding into new cities, and adding premium services as demand for such homes rises.The senior living segment in India has seen mixed success in the past, and has remained under-penetrated. That is fast changing, though, with operators riding a strong demand, and developers too, entering the space.Bengaluru-based Manasum Senior Living, which has four operational projects in the city and one in Goa, has entered Chennai, Mysuru, Tirupati, Mangaluru, and Pune.

Mumbai: The Nuvama Group’s private equity arm has invested ₹200 crore for a minority stake in Val-Met Engineering, betting on a specialized supplier of aerospace and defence materials as global manufacturers move more of their high-end production to India.“Over the last couple of years, there has been a rising focus in India and globally to become more self-reliant. Sensitive sectors like aerospace, defence, industrial and advanced/value added manufacturing have been the biggest beneficiaries of this shift in mindset,” Pranav Parikh, managing partner and head of private equity at Nuvama Asset Management, told Mint in an interview.According to Parikh, global conflicts and geopolitical uncertainties have made domestic self-sufficiency a critical priority.

On most days in Bengaluru, Bert Mueller could pass unnoticed, except for the auto, which is bright red and unmistakable. Mueller, an American who moved to India in his early 20s, often drives the three-wheeler around Indiranagar, where he lives.

Mint from hotel chains and hospitality consultancies, at least three companies—including Radisson and Marriott—have already signed up with over a dozen hotels this calendar year, growing on the back of a big domestic tourism boom and a greater demand for branded experiences.Last week, Hyatt signed two new hotels with the Brigade group in Chennai and Bengaluru, while IHG Hotels signed a hotel in Delhi's Nehru Place while ITC Hotels signed a Storii branded hotel in Mukundgarh Fort Hotel in Rajasthan."In 2026 so far, we have already added nine new hotels signed across markets. Our development strategy remains focused on a balanced mix of tier-1, -2, and -3 markets," said Nikhil Sharma, managing director and chief operating officer, South Asia, for the Radisson Hotel Group.That is the appeal of the asset-light model that now dominates much of the branded hotel business.

India’s luxury hotels are exploring ways to capitalize on their brands by going beyond room bookings and food and beverage sales. Chains such as Taj, Marriott, Leela, Oberoi and Sarovar are increasingly moving into branded residences and serviced apartments to diversify their offerings.The trend, which has been around for a few years, gathered pace in FY26, with at least half a dozen projects signed and launched across Mumbai, Gurugram, Noida and Greater Noida as hospitality companies looked for more asset-light revenue streams tied to real estate.Indian Hotels Company Ltd, which runs the Taj brand of hotels, signed an agreement to manage 74 Taj serviced apartments with the Gulshan Group in Noida last month.

Amid the US-Israel war with Iran, concerns are growing about the safety of subsea cables in West Asia—the hidden network that carries most of the world’s internet. A large part of India’s data travels through these cables, many of which pass through regions now at risk of conflict.

graphics processing unit and memory costs is forcing a rethink of India’s flagship electronics incentive scheme, with the government now recalibrating Production-Linked Incentive scheme (PLI) 2.0 for IT hardware.The move signals a shift from volume-led assembly to value-linked manufacturing, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI) servers and advanced components, potentially reshaping the opportunity set for electronics manufacturing services (EMS) players. PLI 2.0, in its revised form, is expected to better account for the higher bill of materials in AI hardware, while continuing to reward incremental production, reduce import dependence and deepen domestic capabilities.Against this backdrop, a clutch of EMS companies with exposure to servers, displays and semiconductor packaging could be early beneficiaries, if policy design aligns with industry expectations.Here are three stocks to watch:Syrma is emerging as a niche player in high-end electronics, with a growing foothold in the server ecosystem.