India Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.NEW DELHI: The West Asia war is likely to have a limited impact on India’s economy and although inflation could accelerate from the level in March, it will stay within the central bank’s tolerance range, S. Mahendra Dev, chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, said in an interview.The economy is likely to expand 7% this year, and the Iran war has re-emphasized the need for faster diversification of energy sources, Dev said.Atmanirbharta or self-reliance is at the centre of India’s strategy to navigate a global environment riddled with economic choke points, Dev said.Dev said the economy’s resilience in the face of headwinds generated by the West Asia war could be demonstrated by the narrowing of India’s trade deficit to $20.67 billion in March.“This shows that the impact of the war is being mitigated by a good export performance to a diversified set of markets.

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.India’s video streaming platforms may still be grappling with monetization challenges, but 2025 has turned into a breakout year for revenues.Video streaming revenues surged 55% in 2025 compared to 2024, nearly tripling from 2023 levels, according to a recent Ficci EY report.The growth reflects a decisive shift in strategy—regional language programming, flexible pricing and hybrid revenue models are helping platforms move beyond the limitations of a subscription-only play in a price-sensitive market like India.Digital advertising grew 26% to reach ₹94,700 crore in 2025, as several advertiser categories shifted ad spends from traditional to digital media, led by FMCG, travel and pharma.Sports and entertainment OTT platforms saw ad revenues rise 34%, backed by higher connected TV rates and volumes, as connected TV grew from 30 million to 40 million weekly active connections, the report said.Video subscription revenues jumped 61% to ₹14,800 crore, with 143 million households paying for 216 million video OTT subscriptions.Streaming service executives and content creators attribute much of this growth to regional language content that has deepened penetration across markets.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Mumbai: The financial year ended on March was expected to be another record-breaking year for India's corporate bond fundraising. However, the debt market lost momentum following a sharp rise in yields, and a shift in supply and demand dynamics.Funds raised through private placement of listed corporate bonds fell 9% year-on-year to ₹8.99 trillion in FY26, according to data by the Securities Exchange Board of India (Sebi).

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Billionbrains Garage Ventures Ltd (Groww) shares jumped over 10% on Tuesday during trading hours, hitting a new high of ₹216.75 apiece. Investors seem excited about better revenue growth prospects for FY27, aided by a slightly softer base.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Mumbai: India’s trustee services industry has long operated in the background. At Axis Trustee Services Ltd, an arm of private sector lender Axis Bank, the new chief executive is pushing to change that.After over two decades at Axis Bank, Rahul Choudhary moved to Axis Trustee Services as the chief executive in February 2025, bringing with him experience across wholesale banking, including credit, trade finance, and treasury.With this experience in mind, Choudhary now wants Axis Trustee to play a more active role in pre-empting defaults, instead of playing a passive role.Regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), a trustee acts as an intermediary between the issuer of securities and investors.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Indians are holding on to their smartphones for a record period of nearly four years, data from three independent market researchers showed, as exchange offers and interest-free loans fail to offset soaring prices in a challenging economy.Brands have been nudging buyers towards the premium end, where the average smartphone now costs over ₹26,000, against ₹17,000 in 2021. The devices themselves have become sturdier and offer extended software upgrades, making phone purchases more discretionary and less urgent.“Our business used to thrive on enthusiasts and high net-worth individuals, who would previously upgrade their smartphones every year.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The government’s push on entrepreneurship through the Atal Innovation Mission promised to transform Indian colleges into innovation hubs. A decade on, that ambition remains largely unrealized.Since2016, the Centre has established Atal Incubation Centres (AICs) in 60 institutions across the country under the initiative, spearheaded by think tank Niti Aayog.Of these, 38 have incubated 3,067 startups.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Stock market recap: Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty 50 ended higher on Tuesday amid US-Iran peace talks and broad-based sectoral strength.The Sensex rose by 753 points, or 0.96%, to end at 79,273.33, while the Nifty 50 ended with a healthy gain of 212 points, or 0.87%, at 24,576.60.Amid the geopolitical developments, we are seeing some steady buying opportunities as the result season unfolds. A very strong upmove with a buy on dips can be considered in the days ahead.ADANIPORTS (Cmp ₹1594.10) Indian equities rallied for the third consecutive session on 21 April 2026, supported by optimism over US–Iran peace talks and broad-based sectoral strength. The Sensex climbed 753 points to 79,273, while the Nifty advanced 211 points to 24,576.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Warner Chappell Music (WCM), the global publishing arm of Warner Music Group (WMG), has launched direct operations in India, transitioning from its sub-publishing model to a full-scale, direct-to-market presence. The company said this would allow Indian artists to benefit from international collaborations, a global creative network, rights management infrastructure, and faster, more efficient licensing processes.Jay Mehta, who has served as managing director of Warner Music India since its 2020 launch, will lead the new division.In his expanded role as managing director, recorded music and publishing, India and SAARC at WMG, Mehta will oversee both recorded music and publishing operations across India and neighbouring South Asian markets.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.New Delhi: India’s foodgrain stocks have surged well above its buffer norms, strengthening the country’s cushion against supply shocks and global price swings. Government data shows central pool reserves were at 60.48 million tonnes (mt) as on 1 April—nearly three times the mandate—fanning a debate over how best to manage surplus stocks to benefit both farmers and consumers.The latest data marks a strong recovery from 33.2 mt stock in 2023 and 37.65 mt in 2024, when food grain inventories had tightened.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Stock market recap: Equity markets staged a robust recovery on Tuesday, as benchmark indices rebounded from volatility to finish with healthy gains. The Nifty 50 index closed at 24,576.60, up 211.75 points (0.87%), while BSE Sensex mirrored this strength, surging more than 600 points to settle above 79,100. Market sentiment was bolstered by easing crude oil prices and renewed optimism surrounding potential US-Iran diplomatic talks, which helped temper regional geopolitical concerns.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.New Delhi: The electronics technology ministry is moving to tighten its grip on how social media giants disclose artificial intelligence-generated content, proposing a ‘continuous’ watermarking mandate to prevent platforms from avoiding transparency rules.The ministry of electronics and information technology (Meity) issued a draft amendment on Tuesday that would require labels on AI-modified media to be clearly visible throughout the duration of a video or image. The proposal follows government frustration with current practices, where firms have allegedly used fleeting or obscured markers that satisfy the letter of the law while failing to inform the public.Tuesday’s amendment, a copy of which Mint has reviewed, targeted Rule 3(3)(a)(ii) of India’s Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, updating the previous proposal to social media companies for “prominent visibility” of AI labels.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.South Korean tech companies Krafton Inc. and Naver Corp.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India’s plan to use artificial intelligence to reduce a tide of spam is drawing the ire of the nation’s lenders and digital platforms, who warn the effort risks affecting the digital backbone of the economy. Banks and fintech giants claim the automated system could hinder essential customer alerts, from fraud warnings to one-time passwords (OTPs).The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is seeking to keep a crisis at bay, which saw spam complaints triple to 2.5 million last year from 2021, according to data tabled in the Lok Sabha in February by the Department of Telecommunications.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Ace Turtle, the company behind denim brands Lee, Wrangler and G-Star Raw, is stepping away from India’s crowded value denim segment, sharpening its focus on premium brands as it looks to rebuild margins and define a clearer market position.Its chief executive, Nitin Chhabra, told Mint that the shift has meant it now has a tighter strategy centred on fashion, sourcing and distribution.“We are on track to achieve Ebitda positivity in the September quarter. For the full fiscal year, we are targeting a strong growth trajectory, with revenues expected to rise by approximately 25% compared to the previous year,” he said.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.NEW DELHI: Apple on Monday named John Ternus, its vice-president of hardware engineering, as its next chief executive, succeeding Tim Cook. The transition was expected for later this year, but its timing—and Apple’s choice of a hardware leader—comes as artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping Big Tech.The move signals Apple’s bet that tightly integrated devices will remain central to its strategy, even as rivals push ahead in AI.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Companies are resorting to staggered price hikes to combat rising input cost inflation and protect margins. The impact of these increases is likely to reflect in June quarter (Q1FY27) earnings, but further hikes cannot be ruled out—especially if crude oil prices remain elevated.The West Asia war has triggered a spike in crude oil prices and LPG shortages.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The Securities and Exchange Board of India's (Sebi’s) measures to cool the retail frenzy in options trading appear to have begun yielding results, with small-trader participation declining almost 20% in FY26 from the previous year.Equity options, which comprise index and stock options, are the most widely traded derivative products within the futures and options (F&O) segment. The fall in participation is thus a clear outcome of Sebi’s measures, experts said.According to NSE data, the number of investors trading less than ₹10,000 each on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) fell by two-fifths to 450,000 in FY26, from 780,000 in FY25, according to data from the stock exchange.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recently updated its economic data for member countries, as part of the health check it conducts on the global economy twice every year. One number buried in the latest World Economic Outlook database is worth pulling out: India’s current account deficit.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Tiger Global-backed Infra.Market’s founders are taking on personal debt through their promoter entity, Silverline Homes Pvt Ltd, to inject fresh capital into the company, as market volatility clouds its valuation and delays its planned initial public offering (IPO), three people aware of the matter told Mint.“As things stand, the promoters are injecting more cash into Infra.Market through Silverline by taking on personal debt,” one of the persons said on the condition of anonymity. “They are also asking existing investors to participate in this equity raise as the much-needed IPO liquidity is still quite far away.”The promoter-backed infusion underscores the pressure building across India’s pre-IPO cohort.