India Financial News

Russia is using cryptocurrencies in its oil trade with China and India to skirt Western sanctions, according to four sources with direct knowledge of the matter. While Russia has publicly encouraged the use of crypto and last summer passed a law to allow digital currency payments in international trade, its use in the country's oil trade has not previously been reported. Some Russian oil companies are using bitcoin, ether and stablecoins such as Tether to smooth the conversion of Chinese yuan and Indian rupees to Russian roubles, the sources said, adding that it is a small but growing part of Russia's overall oil trade, which according to the International Energy Agency was worth $192 billion last year. All the sources declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. Cryptocurrencies have already helped enable countries under U.S. sanctions such as Iran and Venezuela to keep their economies running while avoiding use of the dollar, the preferred currency for transactions in the global oil market.

Faced with the logistical and financial limits of mass deportations, the Trump administration has turned to a $200 million media campaign aimed at persuading undocumented immigrants to leave the US voluntarily. Branded “Stay Out and Leave Now,” the effort combines the ad blitz with a self-reporting departure app launched this week, and warnings from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that those who don’t leave will be caught and permanently barred from returning.

On Thursday, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawant jointly launched the auction of 13 Exploration Licence blocks, covering critical minerals such as Rare Earth Elements (REE), Zinc, Diamond, Copper, and Platinum Group Elements (PGE). «This initiative, facilitated through a transparent online bidding process, is set to accelerate systematic mineral exploration, enhance private sector participation, and reduce import dependency,» said the Ministry of Mines in a statement.

Delhi Capitals on Friday announced Axar Patel as their captain for IPL 2025. The all-rounder was the franchise's top retention for Rs 16.5 crore ahead of the mega auction. Patel has played for DC since 2019. He does not have a lot of experience in the leadership role, but was also named India's vice-captain in January. The 31-year-old has led Gujarat in 23 matches across formats, most recent being in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2024-25. He captained DC in one IPL match last year. Itwas a must-win fixture that they lost to RCB to miss out on the playoffs, when Rishabh Pant was serving a ban for a slow over-rate. The team entered the mega aution in search for a captain after Pant exited the franchise ahead of the mega auction. They had KL Rahul as another option, when he was bough for Rs 14 crore. However, DC has chosen their most experienced player. Patel has played 82 games for them across six seasons. Last year he scored 235 runs at an average of nearly 30 and took 11 wickets with an economy rate of 7.65. He comes into this year's IPL after having played a key role in India Champions Trophy title. He took five wickets with an economy rate of 4.35 and made vital contributions batting at No. 5 in the tournament.

Ricky Ponting said that while Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's experience was the backbone of India's ICC Champions Trophy 2025 success, they had superlative support from their all-rounders, according to the official website of the ICC. Ponting stated in ICC Review, «Their all-rounders right through the tournament were outstanding,» as quoted from the official website of ICC. "(Ravindra) Jadeja, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, were all outstanding. I said at the start of the tournament I thought India would be really hard to beat because of their overall balance and because of that mix of youth and experience, and once again, in a final, the captain stands up and gets the job done for his team," Ponting said. With three all-rounders starting in their playing XI in all five of their games at the recently concluded Champions Trophy, India flexed an incredible batting depth, while also having an array of options to choose with the ball. Breaking down their contributions, Ponting said, «They were a very well balanced side anyway, but because they had so many all-rounders...when you've got Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, who they used up the order on a number of occasions for that left-handed option, and with Jadeja there as well, they were a very well balanced team.

To get us into the festive mood, let’s take a delightful trip down memory lane with a throwback from 2023. Cricketer Shubman Gill posted a video that featured him and Team India celebrating Holi aboard a bus ahead of their fourth Test match against Australia. The entire team was caught in the spirit of the occasion, dancing and laughing together, but what really made the video stand out was the soundtrack—a classic Holi anthem, Rang Barse Bhige Chunar Wali, played in the background, bringing even more energy to the celebration. For those wondering which song we’re referring to, it’s the legendary track from the 1981 Bollywood movie Silsila.

Thangam Thenarasu is set to present the state budget for the financial year 2025-26 today in the Assembly Hall at Fort St. George. The budget, expected to outline key financial policies and welfare measures, has, however, been overshadowed by a controversy surrounding the removal of the Indian rupee symbol (₹) from the budget’s official logo. In a move that has sparked a political storm, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s government replaced the Devanagari-scripted rupee symbol with the Tamil letter ‘Roo’ (‘ரூ’), representing ‘Roobai’—the Tamil term for rupee. The new logo, accompanied by the slogan “Ellarkum Ellam” (Everything for Everyone), was unveiled on Thursday, drawing sharp reactions from opposition leaders and Union Ministers.

Donald Trump, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, for their efforts in addressing the conflict. Speaking at a joint press conference with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday, Putin said that Russia agrees with the proposals to cease hostilities but «proceeds from the assumption that this cessation should lead to long-term peace and eliminate the root causes of the crisis.» When asked about Ukraine's readiness for a ceasefire, Putin said, «As for Ukraine's readiness for a ceasefire, I will tell you how I view it, of course. But I would like to start by thanking the President of the United States, Mr Trump, for paying so much attention to the Ukraine settlement. We all have enough of our own domestic affairs to attend to. But many leaders of states, among them the President of the People's Republic of China, the Prime Minister of India, the Presidents of Brazil and the Republic of South Africa are addressing this issue and give it a lot of their time. We are grateful to all of them for that because this activity is aimed at achieving a noble mission — the mission of ending hostilities and loss of life.» He further said, «We agree with the proposals to cease hostilities but proceed from the assumption that this cessation should lead to long-term peace and eliminate the root causes of this crisis.» He also referred to the recent US-Ukraine discussions in Saudi Arabia, suggesting that Ukraine's willingness for a ceasefire was likely influenced by American pressure.

“Metro train services to start at 2:30 PM on Holi. On the day of the Holi festival, i.e. 14th March 2025 (Friday), Metro services will NOT be available till 2:30 PM on all Lines of the Delhi Metro including Airport Express Line,” DMRC posted on X. Anuj Dayal, Principal Executive Director of Corporate Communication at DMRC, reiterated the statement: “Metro train services will thus start at 2:30 PM from terminal stations on all Lines on 14th March and will continue normally thereafter.”

Consumer price index (CPI) or retail inflation is likely to undershoot the Reserve Bank's target in the January-March 2025 quarter, opening more policy space for easing the policy rate, Bank of Baroda said. India's retail inflation significantly improved in February 2025, as the year-on-year Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate stood at 3.61 percent, a decline of 65 basis points from the previous month. The retail inflation print fell below 4 per cent in February for the first time in six months, mainly due to a decline in vegetable prices. «We do not see major risks lurking for food inflation. However, one needs to be vigilant on account of hotter than expected summer, stickier international edible oil prices and risks from global inflationary policies,» said Dipanwita Mazumdar, an economist at Bank of Baroda. As of now, the tide is in favour of a lower headline print emanating from a better Rabi harvest, better supply management strategies of the government, rangebound commodity prices, benign energy price outlook and lesser dependence of the CPI basket in terms of imported commodities.

The user admitted that back home, Indian culture felt like an everyday norm, blending seamlessly into life. But after relocating, they began noticing just how much they missed the little things—especially food. Despite exploring a variety of international cuisines, nothing quite matched the richness of Indian flavors. The spices, the depth of taste, and the unique experience of every dish made them realise how special Indian food truly is. They also frequently corrected misconceptions, such as the idea that all Indian dishes are just “curry.”

Indian markets will be closed for a total 14 days for various festivals and other important occasions. In the month of March, there is one more holiday on the eve of Ramzan Id, which will fall on March 31.

As it is a regional holiday, banking activities will be impacted in select states. As Holi is a major festival across the country, banks in several states will remain closed on this day. Also read: New TDS rules from April 1: Higher limit for tax deduction on FD interest, lottery wins; check its impact

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists for successfully de-docking the SpaDeX satellites in space, calling it a significant step toward India's ambition of building its own space station. «Bharat's giant stride in space. Congratulations to Team @isro on the successful accomplishment of the de-docking of the SPADEX satellites in space,» Shah wrote in a post on X. He emphasized that the achievement aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of advancing India's space capabilities, including future missions such as Chandrayaan-4 and Gaganyaan. «It is a proud moment for us that will accelerate PM @narendramodi's vision to build our own space station, Chandrayaan 4 and Gaganyaan,» he added. On the capabilities of Indian scientists, Shah said that they have «proven yet again that even the sky is not our limit.»

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Passenger vehicle sales in February held their head above water, but only just. Wholesale dispatches for the month climbed 1.9% from a year earlies to 377,689 units, according to data put out by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) on Thursday.

Delhi Capitals Captain Announcement LIVE Updates: Delhi Captilas have confirmed in a new video that they will be announcing their skipper for IPL 2025 season on Friday at 9:30AM. The IPL franchise were led by Rishabh Pant for the last few years and decision could potentially impact future of franchise for the next 3 years.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Online-first food brands selling gourmet and premium snacks and groceries like healthy chips and organic fruits and vegetables are increasingly eyeing expansions through offline retail to tap into the bulk of India’s consumers who still prefer buying essentials at physical retail stores.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. For years, South Indian cinema has thrived on a theatrical-first model, with a fiercely loyal audience that made the big screen the ultimate platform for stardom. Unlike Bollywood, where actors transitioned seamlessly between films and over-the-top (OTT), the South Indian star system remained firmly anchored in the theatrical experience.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Mumbai: 3one4 Capital, a homegrown venture capital firm, has successfully returned its first fund to investors with a performance of more than 1.0 DPI (distributed to paid-in capital). The firm is sitting on unrealized gains of around 4x in the portfolio companies of this fund, said Pranav Pai, founding partner and chief investment officer of 3one4 Capital, in an interview with Mint.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Ola Electric Mobility Ltd’s decision to renegotiate contracts with two of India’s largest vehicle registration agencies last month has resulted in prolonged delays in the deliveries of its scooters, according to store managers and complaints posted by buyers on social media. The waiting period for the company’s electric scooters increased to 20-45 days from 5-7 days before February, managers at seven Ola Electric stores across New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru told Mint.

Indian FMCG companies are grappling with a shortage of salesmen. Companies selling daily essentials are finding recruiting the famed ‘feet on the street’ difficult in the face of intimidating sales targets amid a slowdown and more attractive gig workforce opportunities, executives said. This comes at a time when companies are looking to hire incremental sales force and direct distribution roles to penetrate newer tier-2 and tier-3 markets and the hinterland in expectation of demand recovery in the new fiscal. “It is progressively getting harder to find salesmen across FMCG. These are hard jobs, you’ve to pound the pavement and get the sales, when eight months of the year it's extremely hot or the weather is harsh,” said Dinkar Ayilavarapu, head of Flipkart Wholesale, the B2B marketplace owned by the Flipkart Group.