City Mumbai Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.For those who have faced a shortage of small-value notes and coins in their wallets, the next three months could bring a change.India’s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI), is looking to install dozens of cash and coin dispensers by the end of June, as it leads an initiative by the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to ease access to low-denomination paper money and coins.The state-owned lender plans to install 60 such machines in markets and other high-traffic areas where demand for change is high, according to four people familiar with the development and a document seen by Mint.The rollout will cover branches with currency chests in cities such as Bengaluru, Pune, Amravati, Chandigarh, Vellore, and Shimla, among others. The idea is to cover 13-14 states, the person said.“If the bank sees usage pickup at these machines, it will gradually increase the number.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) plans to scale up its corporate finance team in India and expand into new sectors, as the New York-based consulting firm positions itself to capture a rise in dealmaking and sustained capital inflows into the country, senior executives said.The expansion comes amid a shift in global investor strategy towards long-term capital deployment in India, driven by strong underlying fundamentals, high-growth prospects and elevated public market valuations that are pushing deal activity, including cross-border transactions.“We are building a highly sector-specialized corporate finance team, that integrates seamlessly with the firm’s other offerings,” said Mohit Khullar, managing director and head of corporate finance at Alvarez & Marsal India.The firm’s corporate finance practice currently spans consumer, industrials, healthcare and pharma, with the recent addition of Nitin Lath as managing director for the sector.“We will specialize within pharma, with a strong focus on Indian branded formulations, niche generics and speciality pharma, as well as CDMOs (contract development and manufacturing organization) and APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients),” Lath said. “The pharma industry is undergoing a period of transformation, with several players re evaluating their business models and actively pursuing large M&A opportunities, including cross border transactions across the US and Europe.”Khullar said the firm will also expand into additional sectors such as financial services and technology in the coming months.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Mumbai: From technology to automobiles to pharmaceuticals, Indian companies are scaling up their global ambitions like never before.They are using large acquisitions overseas to quickly scale, deliver higher value products and compete on the global stage. The latest one—Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd’s $11.75 billion acquisition of US-based specialty drugmaker Organon & Co, second only to the Tata Steel's $12-billion purchase of Corus Group nearly two decades ago, caps a year of such bold bets.Whether it is Coforge Ltd’s $2.39 billion buyout of California-based Encora, Tata Motors Ltd’s $4.5 billion bet on Italy’s Iveco, or Bajaj Auto Ltd’s $906 million acquisition of its long-time Austrian partner KTM, Indian companies are spending top dollar on acquiring companies overseas, which give them access to technology and newer markets.Coforge is an IT services provider that caters to legacy companies.

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.Mumbai: Promoters of Lucknow-based CP Milk and Food Products are in early talks to sell a 10–15% stake to private equity investors, a deal that could value the dairy company at ₹2,500–3,000 crore, two people familiar with the matter said.“The deal was launched a few days ago and several private equity funds have been tapped,” one of the people cited above said. The company will raise about ₹300-400 crore to expand its geographical and product footprint, the second person said on the condition of anonymity.The company has appointed O3 Capital as its advisor to help raise funds, the people added.If the fundraise goes as planned, it will mark the company’s first round of external capital.O3 Capital and CP Milk did not respond to Mint’s requests for comment till the time of publishing.CP Milk’s fundraising efforts come against the backdrop of several family-owned businesses seeking to tap private markets to catalyze their next phase of growth and ensure smoother succession planning in a professionally run setup.Mint has earlier reported on similar moves by companies such as Anmol Industries, Haldiram, Theobroma, VIP Industries, Balaji Wafers, Iscon Balaji, HyFun Foods and Ratnadeep Retail, that have raised funds or are in various stages of their fundraising process.Established in 2007 by C.P.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.In the TCS New York City Marathon in November 2025, Vijayaraghavan Venugopal finished first among 332 Indians who participated in the run, a remarkable achievement for a 50-year-old. He was the only one among them to finish in under 3 hours, the timing of 2:47:57 being his best ever for the distance.At the Taj Santacruz in Mumbai a few months later when we meet, it’s not surprising that the athletic chief executive officer and co-founder of sports nutrition supplement brand Fast&Up looks much younger than his years.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Lucknow-headquartered APCO Infratech is in talks with Alpha Alternatives to sell the strategic Z-Morh tunnel that provides all-weather connectivity between Gagangir and Sonamarg in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) for $267 million, according to two people aware of the development.The 6.5-km- tunnel, which ensures uninterrupted military logistics and year-round civilian access to Ladakh by bypassing an avalanche-prone stretch, was built at ₹2,400 crore and inaugurated in 2025. Awarded by the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corp Ltd (NHIDCL), the project has a 15-year concession, with investments to be recovered through biannual annuity payments of ₹295 crore.The deal will see Alpha Alternatives acquire APCO Amarnathji Tunnelway Pvt Ltd, the special purpose vehicle (SPV) set up by APCO Infratech to execute the Z-Morh tunnel project in Jammu and Kashmir.“APCO is in talks with Alpha Alternatives for the sale of Z-Morh tunnel for an enterprise value of $267 million,” said the first of the two persons cited earlier, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity.Queries emailed to APCO Infratech, Alpha Alternatives and NHIDCL remained unanswered till press time.Alpha Alternatives, founded by Naresh Kothari, is a Mumbai-based alternative asset management firm that invests across non-traditional assets beyond plain equities and bonds.The state-run NHIDCL awarded the project to the SPV in 2020 under the design-build-finance-operate-transfer (DBFOT) model, where a private entity handles the entire project lifecycle before transferring it back to the government.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Inventurus Knowledge Solutions (IKS Health) aims to be the leader in the US rural healthcare outsourcing market after its acquisition of TruBridge on Thursday, its top executive said.“IKS is in the business of taking away or outsourcing chore tasks from healthcare providers in the US, so that they could focus on their core of taking care of patients…when you look at rural healthcare and RCM (revenue cycle management) within rural healthcare, TrueBridge is the largest player by far,” IKS Health founder and global chief executive officer (CEO) Sachin Gupta told Mint in an interview. “In the rural healthcare market segment, once we combine effectively with TrueBridge, we will be the undisputed leader,” he added.A healthcare outsourcer, like IKS, handles the administrative, clinical and operational tasks, including billing, clinical documentation, and insurance claims processing.On Thursday, IKS Health announced the acquisition of US-based TruBridge Inc, a Nasdaq-listed provider of healthcare technology solutions for rural and community hospitals, for up to $565 million.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.New Delhi: Motorcycle manufacturer Classic Legends Private Ltd is betting on new products to sustain its recent growth momentum after years of muted sales, as it seeks to challenge the dominance of Royal Enfield in India’s premium motorcycle market.The Mumbai-based premium bike brand, a subsidiary of the Mahindra Group, introduced two motorcycles on Thursday, which comes nearly a year after it committed to a series of premium bike launches. This was the company's first launch for financial year 2027.Classic Legends’ efforts to return to a growth trajectory come at a time when Mahindra has identified the company as a potential growth driver.Anupam Thareja, co-founder of Classic Legends, said the new motorcycles with 350cc and 650cc engine capacities will be positioned as "SUVs" of bikes."I have always believed that scramblers will redefine Indian riding culture the way SUVs (sports utility vehicles) redefined passenger four-wheelers.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Travellers will have to wait a while longer to fly overseas from Navi Mumbai International Airport as the Adani Group-owned facility has postponed the start of its international operations due to the ongoing war in West Asia, a senior executive familiar with the development told Mint on the on the sidelines of the Airport360 Expo in Mumbai.International flights were originally meant to commence at the airport from 29 March, in line with the start of the 2026 summer flight schedule in India. However, the Iran conflict has forced a rethink, causing the launch to be pushed further into the season, said the executive, who requested anonymity to discuss business plans."It is difficult to specify an exact start date at this point, but we expect international departures to commence once the Gulf situation stabilizes,” the executive added.Airlines had lined up nearly 20 daily international departures from the airport for the summer schedule, reflecting strong anticipated demand for overseas travel, particularly to Gulf destinations that are key routes for Indian carriers, the executive said.However, Indian airlines have limited or no flights to the Middle East since the start of the Iran war, which has also led to higher fuel prices and longer flying hours for airlines.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Law firms are closely watching a potentially precedent-setting case before India’s bankruptcy courts that could have far-reaching implications for companies dealing with entities facing international sanctions.At the heart of the dispute lies a key question: can companies legitimately withhold payments to a sanctioned supplier, or can the supplier initiate insolvency proceedings over non-payment? Whichever way this question is ultimately settled is likely to reshape bankruptcy disputes in India.The issue has surfaced after the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) Ahmedabad, in a 26 March order, held that foreign sanctions cannot be used as a defence to avoid payment of dues to operational creditors such as suppliers and vendors.The case involves an insolvency plea by Mumbai-based petrochemical supplier CJ Shah & Co. against Flint Group India Pvt.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Axis Bank is expected to report a steady performance in its March quarter earnings, marked by resilient loan growth, modest margin pressure and improving asset quality trends, six brokerages said. While headline growth remains healthy, the focus of analysts and investors will be on liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) and management commentary on the outlook for growth and profitability.Net profit at India’s third-largest private sector lender is expected to fall more than 2% to ₹6,942 crore from a year earlier, according to a poll by Bloomberg.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: National Stock Exchange (NSE) plans to roll out a market-making scheme for its recently launched Brent crude futures, as it seeks to build liquidity in a segment dominated by Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX).“There is a plan to offer a liquidity enhancement scheme (LeS) for Dated Brent Crude Oil (Platts) futures in the next two-three weeks,” said a person aware of the development. “The exchange is in talks to appoint select broking firms for the LeS.”The move reflects NSE’s broader strategy in commodity derivatives segment: introduce differentiated products and use market-making incentives to build volumes from scratch.Sriram Krishnan, chief business development officer of NSE, declined to comment specifically on the LeS.But, underscoring NSE's strategy to gain traction in the commodity derivatives segment, dominated currently by the Multi Commodity Exchange with over 99% share, Krishnan said, "We are trying to introduce unique and differentiated products from what is available in the market."NSE launched Brent futures on 13 April.“An LeS in dated Brent futures is a good move as this is one of the major traded commodities not just globally, but also in India,” said Naveen Mathur, director, commodities and currencies, at Anand Rathi.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Steel companies are set to post a strong March quarter (Q4FY26), thanks to firm demand and higher prices after hitting multi-year lows in November 2025. Will this momentum continue in the coming months?Mint breaks down why this rally in prices is expected to decline starting mid-May.Steel prices began rising around mid-December, driven initially by higher coking coal costs, and continued to gain through the quarter.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.NEW DELHI: As Alpha, the Alia Bhatt-starrer female spin-off to Yash Raj Films’ Spy Universe, which includes hits like Pathaan, readies for release later this year, trade experts say Bollywood still lags Hollywood in building high-profile, female-led franchise extensions.Unlike the West, where films such as Wonder Woman and Black Widow have proven audience pull for women-led entries within larger cinematic universes, Indian studios have been slower to back big-budget action spectacles anchored by female stars—even when they sit inside established franchises.Malayalam cinema has taken early steps in this direction with Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, a female superhero film released last year. In Hindi cinema, comparable attempts have largely been limited to mid-budget spin-offs such as Taapsee Pannu’s Naam Shabana, a spin-off to Akshay Kumar’s spy film Baby, Kajol’s horror film Maa, a spin-off to Ajay Devgn’s Shaitaan, alongside Rani Mukerji’s ongoing Mardaani series.“The gap largely comes from how franchises have historically been built in Indian cinema.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.New Delhi/Mumbai: Regulatory approvals in Europe for Tata Motors Ltd’s $4.4 billion acquisition of Iveco are running behind schedule, potentially pushing the closure of its largest-ever buyout past the April-June target, according to two persons in the know.Pending clearances from the European Central Bank and the European Commission could delay revenue recognition and integration plans, adding near-term uncertainty even as the company continues to engage with regulators for an early closure.“Approvals from European Central Bank and European Competition Commission are still pending, which should have come a couple of months back. The deal is running behind schedule,” one of the persons mentioned above said on the condition of anonymity.In a 12 February presentation to investors, Iveco had noted that the timeline proposed by Tata Motors suggested all regulatory approvals should be in place by the end of the March quarter.After all regulatory approvals come through, Tata’s offer will be submitted to Italy’s securities market regulator Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa (Consob), following which the offer will be formally launched.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Bigger is proving to be a handicap for portfolio management services (PMS), with five of six large schemes analysed—each managing over ₹5,000 crore—seeing performance decline after crossing that size, an analysis by Mint shows.PMS are customized investment portfolios for high-net-worth investors, with a minimum investment of ₹50 lakh, typically built around a concentrated set of stocks.The pattern points to a structural constraint: as PMS strategies scale, deploying larger sums into high-conviction small- and mid-cap ideas becomes harder without moving prices, compressing alpha.There are 15 equity PMS schemes with assets above ₹5,000 crore as of March 2026, according to data from the Association of Portfolio Managers of India (Apmi). Of these, six schemes were analysed as they manage domestic money and invest directly in stocks.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Bengaluru/Mumbai: War-driven cost pressures are deepening an already weak travel cycle, dampening luggage makers’ peak summer season and pushing them to pivot to smaller, lower-priced products from bigger suitcases. Higher airfares and geopolitical uncertainty have hit suitcase sales, forcing brands to lean on backpacks and accessories to protect volumes without eroding margins.The April-June quarter accounts for about 40% of annual sales for luggage brands as families typically spend more on holidays and leisure travel.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday tightened and consolidated rules for e-mandates—automated instructions that allow recurring payments—aimed at improving transaction processing by payment system operators (PSOs) and reducing friction for users.Mint explains what has changed, why it matters, and what payment system operators will need to adjust.An e-mandate is a one-time authorization that allows a bank to automatically process recurring payments on a customer’s behalf. These are used for subscriptions such as OTT services, mutual fund investments, utility bills, insurance premiums, and loan instalments.Setting up an e-mandate requires a one-time registration and authentication using an additional factor of authentication (AFA), alongside the issuer’s standard process.Each mandate must specify a validity period, which customers can modify or withdraw at any time.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.More young professionals these days are trading longer vacations for bite-sized weekend hikes and domestic trekking. This trend has picked up immensely across India's busy metros and cities.The government has recognized India's potential to offer world-class trekking and hiking experiences.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Akasa Air, India’s third largest airline, is tapping into the month-long demand for Hajj travel to deploy its aircraft capacity left underutilized after services to parts of West Asia were scaled back due to the ongoing war in the region, according to a person aware of the development.Approximately five to six airplanes were used on the West Asia route, which are now being used majorly for Hajj travel," said the person quoted above, requesting anonymity as this plan is part of business strategy.Flights to and from Doha, Riyadh and Kuwait have been suspended until 30 April, according to the airline’s 21 April post on X. While it continues to operate flights to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia—the main gateway for pilgrims going to Mecca—from Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kochi and Kozhikode, Akasa is evaluating resumption of flights to Abu Dhabi, the post said.Akasa Air did not respond to Mint’s queries on aircraft utilization, Hajj travel and the impact of the West Asia crisis.The airline has inducted eight new aircraft in 2026, taking the fleet size to 38.