India Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.A working group constituted by the Indian market regulator is discussing measures to improve the country's stock lending and borrowing framework through greater custodian participation and digitization of the Securities Lending and Borrowing Scheme (SLBS) processes, three people aware of the development said.The move is part of a push by chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey to deepen cash markets and offer investors alternatives to the risky derivatives segment.The key part of the discussions is a plan to push custodians to actively pitch the scheme to investors whose shares they safeguard. Currently, the process is hampered by ‘prohibitive’ 125% margin requirements and a manual trading system that relies on phone calls rather than digital screens.The regulator aims to link cash and derivatives markets better to improve price discovery systems.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Facing a gas supply squeeze amid the West Asia war, India is considering a steep increase in blending compressed biogas (CBG) into city gas networks—potentially up to 20%—in a phased manner to reduce import dependence and cushion supplies, said two people aware of the discussions.The blending mandate for city gas distribution (CGD) entities was 1% as of fiscal year 2026 (FY26), to be gradually increased to 3%, 4% and 5% in FY27, FY28 and FY29, respectively. The government is now considering enhancing this to well beyond 5% and with a much more stringent timeline.This underscores a policy shift towards scaling domestic CBG output, as India prioritizes essential gas use and looks to ease pressure on liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports.Natural gas is processed to produce piped natural gas (PNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) as fuels for cooking and mobility, respectively.Government is pushing for a higher adoption of piped or city gas by domestic as well as industrial users due to the acute shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), the more commonly used cooking fuel.The government's focus on compressed biogas is gaining momentum amid the energy supply crunch due to the West Asia war, with India depending on the region for 40% of its natural gas imports.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Weekly expiry hesitation has been laid to rest and a strong closing gives confidence that the recent highs would be surpassed. As the possibility of a new high emerges, the resistance at 24,300 is gradually weakening, making today a crucial session.BEML (Current price ₹1,711.60)Buy above ₹1715, stop ₹1640, target ₹1915 (multiday)⦁ Why it’s recommended: BEML Limited (formerly Bharat Earth Movers Limited), established in 1964, is a premier Indian PSU manufacturing heavy equipment for defence, mining, construction, and rail/metro sectors.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Four of India’s biggest conglomerates—Adani Group, JSW Group, Reliance Industries, and Tata Group—have emerged as the dominant buyers of stressed assets under India’s decade-old bankruptcy regime.Together, these four conglomerates acquired companies that accounted for nearly a quarter of the total admitted claims of ₹13 trillion under the corporate insolvency resolution process (Cirp) of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) as of December 2025—despite accounting for just 28 of the 1,376 resolutions completed so far.Adani Group led the pack with 13 acquisitions, including six power companies, according to a Mint analysis of data from the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI). These deals helped rapidly scale up Adani Power Ltd, which emerged as the country’s largest thermal power producer.The JSW Group followed with seven acquisitions, including Bhushan Power and Steel Ltd, one of the most prominent resolutions under the insolvency process.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Stock market recap: Indian equity benchmarks staged a spectacular recovery on Wednesday, 15 April, as Nifty 50 surged 1.63% to close at 24,231.30, while Sensex rallied 1,264 points to settle at 78,111.24.This sharp rebound was primarily fueled by cooling geopolitical tensions as renewed hopes for U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks triggered a significant drop in crude oil prices below the $100 mark.The overall market breadth was exceptionally strong, with an advance-decline ratio of nearly 6:1 (2,839 advances to 438 declines), reflecting broad-based participation beyond front-line stocks.On the sectoral front, Nifty Consumer Durables and Nifty IT led the charge, gaining 2.91% and 2.84%, respectively. On the other hand, Midcap and Smallcap indices outperformed the benchmarks with gains exceeding 2%.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Indian equities caught a strong bid on Wednesday, with both the Nifty 50 and the S&P BSE Sensex rallying nearly 2%, as easing tensions in West Asia lifted investor sentiment. The mood turned distinctly risk-on amid growing signs that the conflict may be approaching a resolution.As per reports, US President Donald Trump suggested the war is “close to over,” even hinting at a second round of face-to-face talks with Iran in Pakistan in the coming days.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Driven by soaring global prices and across-the-table lending, the gold loan market has exploded, expanding almost 4 times in just four years. This surge has made gold loans the second-largest retail credit category in India, according to the Gold Loan Landscape Report by TransUnion Cibil in April 2026.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Mumbai: Banks in India seem to have become more compliant with regulatory norms in FY26, with the quantum of penalties imposed by the central bank declining by about 37% over the previous financial year, data compiled by Mint showed.The Reserve Bank of India imposed monetary penalties of ₹19.8 crore on commercial banks in FY26, as against ₹31.4 crore in FY25, even as the number of penalties remained unchanged at 35. The data is based on fines announced on the RBI website.The most common violations included failure to comply with KYC (know your customer) norms, not categorizing customers on the basis of risk, allotting multiple customer IDs instead of a unique one, and not transferring unclaimed deposits to the Depositor Education and Awareness Fund.While the failure to transfer unclaimed deposits and categorize risks point to negligence, other violations—such as sanctioning loans with a director's relative as guarantor and declaring dividends without prior RBI permission—raise more serious concerns.The decline in the RBI’s monetary penalties on commercial banks indicates continuous improvement in regulatory compliance outcomes over the years, said Saurabh Bhalerao, associate director of banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) at CareEdge Ratings.“Over the years, based on feedback and market practices, there is better understanding among the regulated entities of the specific actions to be taken to be able to meet the regulatory requirements.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.NEW DELHI: JioHotstar is doubling down on premium global content in India with the launch of an HBO Max hub, deepening its partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery and bringing some of Hollywood’s biggest franchises under one roof on the streaming platform.The hub will host titles from HBO, Max Originals, Warner Bros.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.With a parched monsoon forecast and a fertilizer supply chain disrupted by conflict in West Asia, Indian agriculture is caught between two raging storms. The India Meteorological Department has predicted a below-normal monsoon, while national fertilizer stocks sit at less than half of what’s required for the upcoming Kharif season.As El Niño threatens to dry up the fields and imported urea becomes harder to secure, the resilience of India's food production and the stability of rural demand are facing their toughest test in years.Mint explores whether these twin challenges will spark a spike in food prices or significantly dent farmers’ incomes.The four-month monsoon spanning June-September is critical for two reasons: India receives about 70% of its annual rainfall during these months, and nearly 45% of the country's farmland lacks irrigation, leaving it solely dependent on these rains.The India Meteorological Department has forecast the monsoon to be below normal at 92% of the long-period (50-year) average.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.When India enacted its four new Labour Codes, consolidating over 40 central labour laws, the promise was straightforward: simplify compliance, make labour markets more flexible and attract investment. These are worthy goals. But for the Codes to deliver on that promise, they should be accompanied by a reform that has been conspicuously absent from the conversation: a properly designed, state-sponsored unemployment insurance system.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.A downward revision in nominal gross domestic product (GDP) following the base-year revision and a sharp depreciation of the rupee have proved to be a setback for India's position in global ranking.The country has slipped to the sixth rank in 2025 (FY26) and 2026 (FY27), falling behind the UK after claiming the fifth position for three straight years, showed the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) latest data.At current prices, India’s GDP is estimated to be $3.92 trillion in 2025 (FY26) and $4.15 trillion in 2026 (FY27). The UK’s GDP is expected to be $4 trillion in 2025 and $4.26 trillion in 2026, respectively.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: A new class of high-ticket investment products, positioned for higher-risk investors, is drawing participation from cities beyond the top 30, early data shows.SIFs, introduced by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in February 2025, were pitched as products for investors with a higher risk appetite than mutual funds, with a minimum ticket size of ₹10 lakh.About 53% of investors in Specialised Investment Funds (SIF) are from beyond the top 30 cities, or B30 locations, according to an analysis by Computer Age Management Services (CAMS). These regions account for roughly 33% of total SIF assets.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Many informal migrants who had returned to their villages during the covid lockdowns stayed back after the pandemic ended, which led to an increased share of India’s employed population working on farms. Disrupted supplies of affordable cooking gas in wake of the Iran conflict have restarted a slow but worrying reverse migration of informal workers to villages.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.As investors gauge the full impact of the West Asia war on crude oil-led inflation, another problem seems to be emerging. The India Meteorological Department and private forecaster Skymet Weather Services predict rainfall in the June-September monsoon season may fall short of the long-term average.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Vikram Sarabhai, when pressed on why a poor country should spend on space research, offered an elegant rebuttal. He said that we are not in competition with economically advanced nations. We are endeavouring to apply the most advanced technologies to the real problems of humankind.

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.In India’s equity market, few segments carry the same wealth-creation potential as midcaps. These are companies ranked 101 to 250 by market capitalisation—large enough to have scale, but still small enough for meaningful growth.They sit in an awkward middle ground. Too small to feel safe.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India is considering creating a financial buffer for petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) to manage supply disruptions and global price volatility, according to two people aware of the development.The buffer would be similar in concept to the price stabilization fund (PSF) that exists to help manage inflation in select critical agricultural commodities, which was set up in fiscal year 2015 (FY15).The plan for a dedicated price stabilization fund for energy—being explored by the Union ministries of consumer affairs, food and public distribution, and petroleum and natural gas—was mooted during a recent meeting of the empowered group of secretaries, the people cited above said on condition of anonymity, and follows the uncertainty over energy supply and price rise due to the West Asia war.“Drawing from the success of the PSF in containing inflation and cooling soaring prices of essential commodities such as pulses, onions, potatoes and tomatoes, the government is now looking to replicate a similar framework for key energy commodities like petrol, diesel and LPG,” said the first person, while adding that talks are in initial stages.The second person said discussions in the government are centred around how such a fund would be financed, the triggers for intervention, and the mechanism for deployment without distorting market signals.“The petroleum ministry is examining whether a dedicated buffer could provide a more predictable and transparent tool for price management,” the second person added.The fund would operate like the PSF for agri commodities, which allows the government to procure goods from farmers, farmer producer organisations and,

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.On warm evenings in Delhi, bartenders are swapping vodka and gin for jamun (java plum), kaccha aam (raw mango) and chilli mango, signalling India's palate is expanding beyond plain white spirits.This shift is beginning to reshape how alcohol producers such as Diageo Plc, Allied Blenders and Distillers Ltd, Radico Khaitan Ltd and NV Group approach their white spirits portfolios, as the country now stands as the fourth-largest flavoured spirits market globally by value, according to industry estimates.Driven by younger consumers, at-home drinking and cocktail culture, India is catching on to a global trend in which flavoured spirits account for a significant share of consumption, but with a twist: it is instead drawing from local kitchens, street snacks and seasonal fruits rather than traditional profiles such as citrus or berry.Kunal Madan, chief marketing officer of Radico Khaitan, which makes Magic Moments vodka, told Mint that its flavoured spirits portfolio is driving 60% of vodka volume growth. Magic Moments also reported around 18% volume growth in the third quarter and sales of ₹1,050 crore for the nine months ended 31 December, driven by flavour-led innovations.In September 2025, it launched Magic Moments vodka in the ‘Jamun SpicyMint’ flavour.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Amid fuel supply disruptions due to the West Asia war, India's vehicle owners are increasingly turning to retrofitting—converting fossil fuel vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids—to cut running costs as well as to reduce dependence on petrol, diesel and gas.Retrofitting firms such as Bengaluru-based Exponent Energy and Gurugram-based Folks Motor said inquiries have more than doubled since the war, reflecting a sharp rise in consumer interest.While Exponent Energy focuses on the three-wheeler segment, converting liquefied natural gas or compressed natural gas (LPG or CNG) vehicles to EVs, Folks Motor works on converting internal combustion engine (ICE) cars to hybrids.“If you own an LPG or CNG vehicle in the three-wheeler space, you can just come in and overnight be converted to electric,” Arun Vinayak, chief executive and founder at Exponent Energy, told Mint.“We launched it early in Bengaluru as a pilot programme. But it's suddenly seeing a lot of interest, especially people who drive LPG vehicles,” he said.The company had announced entry into the retrofitting space in November, with early pilots beginning in Bengaluru.