City Mumbai Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: The government’s decision to curb silver bar imports could push exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking the white metal from trading at a discount to moving into a premium over spot prices, after two weeks, amid concerns of an impending supply squeeze, analysts said.This would mark a shift from ETFs trading at a discount to net asset value (NAV), which is calculated from spot prices, to potentially trading at a premium. It implies that if spot prices rise, ETF prices could rise more, and if spot prices fall, they would fall less than the spot.Premiums and discounts typically reflect demand conditions.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Pain is invisible; the sufferer has to make noise for it to be acknowledged, treated or accepted. Mumbai-based artist Koshy Brahmatmaj, 34, lives with chronic endometriosis, a painful condition that afflicts millions of women around the world.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: India’s listed electronics manufacturers are under pressure to defend profitability as the mobile-phone assembly boom slows, prompting a shift towards higher-value industrial electronics.Investors remained jittery through the last fiscal, driven by concerns that slowing consumer sentiment could weigh on the rapid growth that electronics manufacturing services (EMS) firms have delivered so far.In an interview with Mint, Jasbir Singh Gujral, managing director of Syrma SGS Technology Ltd, India’s second-largest listed EMS firm, said, “We’re increasingly looking to capture a larger chunk of contracts from defence, aerospace and med-tech verticals, all of which represent opportunities for original design manufacturing, and also bring significantly higher margins. We’ve already started this transition, and we plan to do more of it this fiscal.”Beyond mobile phones and laptops, EMS firms are expanding into smart metres for electricity boards, aerospace and defence subsystems, railway safety instrumentation, printed circuit boards and display assemblies, and medical devices deployed in hospitals.India’s annual mobile phone shipments have remained subdued since the covid-19 pandemic, with industry estimates pointing to a single-digit decline this calendar year from 152 million smartphones shipped last year.The margin pressure driving this shift is increasingly visible.In FY26, Syrma SGS reported an operating margin of 7.1%, up 2.3 percentage points.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Indian FMCG products might get costlier on account of the war in West Asia as companies use up their buffer raw material stocks and shipments of key ingredients, including crude oil and oil-derived products, slow down because of global tensions, experts said.Persistent crude oil-linked inflation could keep companies cautious on pricing, margins and expansion plans. As inflationary pressures build, consumers are expected to cut back on discretionary spending and reduce shopping frequency.“People will start to look at value for money often.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Mumbai/Bengaluru: A ₹6,700-crore windfall from the listing of Tata Capital last October will help Tata Sons offset an over 10% decline in dividend income from its listed companies, helping the holding company end FY26 with its overall revenue higher than the previous year. The one-off boost comes as Noel Tata, chairman of Tata Trusts, the majority shareholder in Tata Sons, raised concern over mounting losses in newer businesses that continue to consume significant funding.Tata Trusts, worried over ballooning losses, has sought clarity on Tata Sons chairman N.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: India’s microfinance institutions (MFIs) are returning to growth mode after almost two years of sector-wide stress, but management commentary indicates the recovery will be measured and cautious as these lenders grapple with geopolitical uncertainty, inflation risks and a structurally altered lending environment.CreditAccess Grameen Ltd, Spandana Sphoorty Financial Ltd and Satin Creditcare Network Ltd suggested that collection efficiency and asset quality have improved materially, aided by stricter underwriting norms and guardrails introduced after the recent microfinance crisis.“The sector is healing,” H.P. Singh, chairman and managing director of Satin Creditcare, said during the company’s Q4 earnings call on 12 May.Portfolios at risk (PAR), a percentage measure of overdue loans by number of days, have declined in the sector.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Executives at Nippon Life India Asset Management and Deutsche Bank’s asset manager DWS said global investors continue to view India as a key long-term market despite continued foreign portfolio outflows from equities.Global investors may be in a temporary “wait-and-watch” mood, said Sundeep Sikka, managing director and CEO of Nippon Life India Asset Management Ltd.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: More than half of IPO-linked capital expenditure in India in the first quarter of 2026 went into technology, cloud and network infrastructure, reflecting a broader shift in how newly listed companies are deploying capital.The trend was visible in the composition of initial public offering (IPO) spending patterns. Data from Uniqus Consultech shows capex accounted for about 30% of the ₹18,778 crore raised across 18 mainboard IPOs in the quarter.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: The mutual fund industry may be closing in on a structural fix to a long-running cost problem that weighs on asset manager profitability and makes small investments less viable.The industry is working on creating its own KYC Registration Agency (KRA) through Mutual Fund Utility (MFU), a move that could cut know-your-customer (KYC) expenses by nearly half, according to four people aware of the discussions.If implemented, the shift would directly reduce fixed onboarding costs that AMCs must pay for every new investor, regardless of investment size, these people said.Currently, asset management companies (AMCs) pay around ₹35 to KRA agencies for every new investor onboarded. That cost applies even to very small investments.Take a ₹500 monthly systematic investment plan.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: India’s largest banks are stepping up cyber defences, hiring, and insurance coverage as concerns grow that advanced AI systems could make cyberattacks faster and harder to contain, exposing gaps in preparedness and protection.The pressure has risen after a finance ministry meeting with top banking executives on 23 April focused on banks’ preparedness for AI-linked cyber threats. The meeting came weeks after Anthropic unveiled Claude Mythos, a frontier AI model the company said could identify vulnerabilities and conduct cyberattacks at unprecedented speed.Concerns around AI-enabled attacks have grown since September last year, when a cloud storage server exposed personal banking data of nearly 300,000 individuals, including loan account details linked to several large banks and non-banking finance companies.India’s largest private lender, HDFC Bank, told Mint it reviews cyber insurance annually and is now widening coverage as risks evolve.“The bank is continuously strengthening its cyber security posture, including hiring highly-skilled talent across security engineering, developer security operations, red-teaming or simulation of cyber attacks, and AI security,” said Ramesh Lakshminarayanan, group head of information technology and chief information officer at HDFC Bank.At Axis Bank, teams participate in programmes such as adversarial AI and ‘red teaming’ to simulate attacks.

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: As the domino effect of the West Asia war builds inflationary pressures across the economy, Zydus Wellness Ltd sees a larger share of its growth coming from price increases rather than higher sales volumes in the coming quarters. The consumer wellness firm said rising packaging, freight and input costs are beginning to influence pricing decisions, reflecting the broader pressure on consumer-facing businesses.“While growth is driven by volumes, there will also be a value component, as there is some level of inflation,” chief executive officer Tarun Arora told Mint in an interaction on Tuesday.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: India’s alternative investment fund industry is seeking to widen access to a small but fast-growing pool of wealthy investors, arguing that a cumbersome accreditation system and limited incentives are slowing participation even as the sector scales sharply.The industry has made a representation to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) seeking a simpler accreditation system and stronger regulatory benefits for accredited investors, according to two people aware of the development.“AIFs made a representation to Sebi last month to make the accreditation process more friendly for investors,” one of the people said on condition of anonymity. “Accredited investors also need proper incentives to grow this segment.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Beneath the one-time profit hit from the ₹590 crore Chandigarh fraud, IDFC FIRST Bank’s March-quarter (Q4FY26) earnings revealed a deeper concern: deposit growth slowed sharply after the incident dented depositor confidence.The private sector lender’s customer deposits rose just 1% sequentially during Q4 to ₹2.84 trillion, even as Indian banking sector deposits rose 13.5% year-on-year (y-o-y) to ₹262.3 trillion during the per, up from 10.3% growth a year earlier, according to Reserve Bank of India data.“We saw an increase in total deposits by about 16.8% on a YoY basis…The growth was modest at 1% during the quarter…There was also an impact of the one-off fraud incident, which occurred during the quarter,” chief financial officer Sudhanshu Jain had said during the bank’s post-earnings analyst call on 25 April.On 23 February, the lender disclosed a ₹590 crore fraud at its Chandigarh branch, where employees carried out unauthorized transactions in accounts linked to the Haryana government, creating a deposit balance discrepancy. The bank has since paid the state government ₹590 crore, suspended the employees involved and filed police complaints against them.During earnings call, the bank said it had fully expensed the impacted amount in Q4FY26 and was “reasonably certain” no further material financial adjustments would be required beyond those already recognized.While IDFC FIRST Bank was not accused of direct wrongdoing, the incident triggered reputational concerns and weighed on deposit flows during the quarter.

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.MUMBAI: India’s petrol and diesel price hike, alongside a volatile crude oil outlook, is set to ripple across key sectors and is already feeding early market pressure, with analysts warning of further inflation if global oil prices climb.Oil marketing companies (OMCs) finally bit the bullet and raised prices of petrol and diesel by around ₹3 a litre on Friday amid elevated global prices. More hikes are expected going ahead as under-recoveries remain high.Higher fuel prices are expected to feed quickly into logistics and freight costs, with transport operators unlikely to absorb higher diesel expenses, triggering cost pass-through across supply chains and sectors dependent on transportation and energy-intensive inputs, potentially widening inflation pressures across the economy, according to experts.“We raise FY27 headline inflation to 5% versus 4.6% earlier assuming a ₹10 per litre hike in retail fuel prices, along with the impact of El Niño-led adverse monsoons,” said Madhavi Arora, chief economist at Emkay Global.The cost pressures come at a time when corporate earnings in consumption- and transport-linked sectors are already under strain from elevated input costs and uneven demand recovery.Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies are expected to face higher distribution and input costs, even as they continue to grapple with already elevated raw material inflation.Large FMCG players have already begun raising prices as fuel, packaging and food commodity costs continue to rise.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Mumbai: Two strategic joint ventures have set the Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Steel on course to becoming one of the world's biggest steel companies outside of China.The first joint venture is with Japan's JFE Steel through a recent 50% stake sale in Bhushan Power & Steel Ltd (BPSL), a company it acquired through the bankruptcy court five years ago.Add to that another equal joint venture with South Korea's POSCO to set up a new 6 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) capacity steel plant in Odisha.Including planned capacity expansions at BPSL, the two partnerships would add about 16 mtpa capacity by 2032, setting it on course to reach 80 mtpa capacity by 2032, according to Jayant Acharya, the chief executive officer and joint managing director of JSW Steel.The company’s consolidated steelmaking capacity stood at just under 38 million tonnes per annum at the end of FY26, including BPSL.These capacity additions would make JSW Steel a strong contender to be the world's largest steelmaker outside China by 2032.At present, ArcelorMittal is the world’s largest steel company outside China, with a capacity of 65 million tonnes per annum, according to 2024 manufacturing capacity data from the Belgium-based World Steel, the latest figures published by the international trade body.The BPSL stake sale to JFE Steel brought JSW Steel about ₹37,250 crore, which sharply deleveraged its balance sheet, and gave the company the financial muscle to fund expansion. The Mumbai-headquartered steelmaker pared about ₹30,000 crore of debt in FY26, mostly in foreign borrowings.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.New Delhi/Mumbai: The Supreme Court’s decision to send the high-profile Kapur family dispute over late Sona Comstar chairman Sunjay Kapur’s estimated ₹30,000-crore estate to mediation under former chief justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud has drawn attention to how Indian courts are handling promoter-family battles outside traditional courtroom litigation.Mint explains whether mediation can really solve inheritance battles that carry financial and emotional stakes, and how mediation works in high-profile family business disputes.The inheritance battle emerged last year after Sunjay Kapur, the then chairman of Sona Comstar, one of India’s largest automotive technology and EV component makers, died following a heart attack.Sunjay Kapur’s children – Samaira and Kiaan – from his earlier marriage to actor Karisma Kapoor, moved the Delhi High Court, challenging a will that allegedly left his entire estate to his widow, Priya Kapur.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Back in 2024, among the many international brands announcing their launches in India, global makeup giant Laura Mercier entered India through an omnichannel presence, including a store in Mumbai. Cut to 2026, the brand is re looking at its India strategy, relaunching in India with a different partner, Luxasia India. Ginny Wright, CEO, Orveon Global, whose portfolio also includes bareMinerals and BUXOM cosmetics, discusses their relaunch.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Mumbai: India’s bond market is beginning to price in possible RBI rate hikes later this year after Friday’s fuel price increase renewed concerns over inflation, pushing government bond yields higher and reviving debate over whether the RBI may eventually need to raise rates.On Friday, the benchmark 10-year government bond yield climbed 4 basis points (bps) to 7.06% after state-run oil marketing companies raised petrol and diesel prices by about ₹3 per litre. The yield had already risen around 10 bps since last week to close at 7.02% on Thursday, according to Bloomberg data.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: In a move aimed at deepening India’s commodity derivatives market, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is holding early-stage discussions with market infrastructure institutions to allow foreign portfolio investors to trade bullion derivatives without participating in physical settlement, according to two people familiar with the matter.Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) are currently allowed to trade only in non-agri commodity derivatives that are cash settled, such as crude oil and natural gas contracts. Sebi had opened up that segment to foreign investors in June 2022.