India Financial News

₹28,292.1 crore in the financial year ended March 2026 (FY26) was lower than the previous year’s ₹32,184.2 crore, marking the third decline in total shareholder returns - comprising dividends and buybacks - over the past six years, and the fourth such fall since the company went public in 2004.This 12.1% fall in total payouts in FY26 follows a 3.87% decline in FY24. At least twice before—in 2021 and 2016—Tata Sons’ income from TCS dropped over the previous year.As India’s largest IT services company continues to explore acquisition opportunities, analysts are questioning whether Tata Sons can continue to rely on cash from its crown jewel, TCS, which accounted for 83% of Tata Sons’ ₹38,835 crore revenue in the year ended March 2025 (FY25).Shares of TCS closed 2.45% lower at ₹2,524.35 apiece on the BSE on Friday, a day after the company reported its first annual revenue decline in dollar terms since listing.TCS’s lower payouts to its parent come at a time when Tata Sons, under chairman N.

American multinational technology company Oracle, founded by Larry Ellison, is executing the largest layoffs in its history, cutting up to 30,000 jobs or about 19% of its 162,000 global workforce. In India, where it employs around 50,000 people, about 10,000-12,000 roles are being eliminated.At the same time, the company has raised its restructuring budget by $500 million to $2.1 billion in FY26 (June-May), mainly for severance. Oracle attributes part of the reduction to AI coding tools that allow smaller teams to build software faster.

US-Israel and Iran escalated into a full-blown war in West Asia — and gold, instead of rallying, stumbled.Nippon India ETF Gold BeES, India’s largest gold exchange-traded fund (ETF), fell from ₹131.60 on 27 February 2026 — the day before the conflict began — to ₹110.72 by 23 March, shedding nearly 16% in under a month. The ETF has since recovered, gaining 11.5% from that low.

shipbuilding and expand India's maritime capabilities, strengthen national security, and boost domestic industry.“To operationalise the Shipbuilding Cell's mandate effectively, there is an urgent requirement for 15 naval architects with specialized expertise in shipbuilding, technical assessment, strategic planning, digital infrastructure, and investment facilitation. These naval architects will serve as the technical backbone of the Shipbuilding Cell, providing hands-on expertise in policy development, yard assessment, market analysis, project development, and implementation support,” an official at the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways said, requesting anonymity.“This engagement is structured to attract two distinct categories of naval architects based on experience levels, ensuring a balanced team composition with both senior strategic guidance and intermediate technical execution capability,” the official added.The second person said that the Directorate General of Shipping is transitioning into the Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) under the new Merchant Shipping Act with the expanded mandate to include digital administration, green energy, and enhanced maritime security.The DGMA is expected to house the dedicated Shipbuilding Cell to develop India's shipbuilding and ship repair capacity, attract domestic and international investment, facilitate policy implementation, and support strategic maritime sector growth.

On most days in Bengaluru, Bert Mueller could pass unnoticed, except for the auto, which is bright red and unmistakable. Mueller, an American who moved to India in his early 20s, often drives the three-wheeler around Indiranagar, where he lives.

My Way and joked about being “the two biggest fugitives of India”. After the inevitable backlash, Modi deleted the video and issued a rare apology.A contrite Lalit Modi is, of course, an unexpected spectacle. This is a man who has always courted controversy.

One Piece collaboration in April, while Starbucks India ran a Harry Potter-themed experience in March. While Britannia’s Jim Jam featured Marvel characters in March, Pokémon-themed Oreo packs have been on shelves since early 2025.

The RBI’s monetary policy committee kept the repo rate unchanged at 5.25%, reflecting the wait-and-watch approach adopted by global peers such as the US Federal Reserve, Bank of England, and European Central Bank amid the war in West Asia. The RBI pegged FY27 GDP growth at 6.9% under the new GDP (gross domestic product) series, down from FY26 growth estimate of 7.6%. The central bank flagged risks from Strait of Hormuz disruptions and high energy prices.

foreign institutional investors (FIIs) offloaded around ₹60,000 crore worth of financial sector stocks, triggering a sharp correction in the Bank Nifty.That’s just the selling in the financial sector…in one month.But if you look at the overall trend, FIIs pulled out more than ₹1.12 trillion from Indian equities, making it one of the sharpest monthly outflows in recent years.While all this was happening, a few FIIs quietly took a contrarian call and continued to buy Indian equities. Interestingly, their focus was small-cap stocks.During the Jan-March 2026 period, several small companies received interest from foreign institutional investors.In this editorial, we will look at four small-cap stocks that were bought by FIIs in the March 2026 quarter.In the December 2025 quarter, the company’s FII holding was 3.36% that has increased to 5.77% as of March 2026.Shringar House of Mangalsutra designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of mangalsutras in 18k and 22k gold, studded with American diamonds, cubic zirconia, pearls, and semi-precious stones.It holds close to 6% share of the organized mangalsutra market in India.

Farmers have been forced to pause harvesting and the moisture content in the standing crop has increased, making it unsuitable for immediate procurement. The slowdown has led to lower-than-usual arrivals in the wholesale markets, affecting early procurement by government agencies.According to Food Corporation of India (FCI) data, the government’s wheat purchase from farmers in the 2026-27 rabi marketing season (April–June) was 324,065 tonnes as of 8 April, compared to 398,030 tonnes a year ago.

₹1 trillion or more are proposed to be included in the list replacing an earlier methodology of quantitative and qualitative parameters. Upper layer non-banks face tighter regulations than smaller ones.A list of all NBFCs for fiscal 2026 released by the Reserve Bank of India on Friday included the name of Tata Sons among others in the upper layer.

Mint spoke with, companies are increasingly hiring law firms and investigative agencies before closing deals to ensure that none of the parties involved, including subsidiaries, parents or suppliers, feature on sanctions lists.Clients are now required to sign sanctions standard operating procedures (SOPs) before finalising deals, which mandate disclosures such as ultimate beneficiaries, end-use certificates, and verification of licensed vendors.The purpose of such stringent due diligence is to ensure that companies do not deal with sanctioned entities, thus preventing frozen assets, blocked payments, or stalled deals amid geopolitical tensions.“With growing awareness, turbulent global environment and growing tariff and sanctions regime, sanction checks are carried out on large and key vendors at a pre-transaction stage. Further, post transactions, clients are asking us to implement third-party diligence programs in the acquired company and also have a real-time sanctions screening process,” said Tarun Bhatia, managing director and APAC co-head at financial risk and advisory firm Kroll.A sanctions control and ownership test determines whether an entity is “blocked” due to ownership by sanctioned individuals.

Under mounting global scrutiny, India has cracked down on paediatric cough syrups, with the health ministry proposing to bar prescription of cough and cold medications for babies below two years of age and also discouraging them for children below five, according to two government officials and documents reviewed by Mint.The move, part of the draft National Formulary of India (NFI) 2026 published by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), under the health ministry, marks a sharp regulatory tightening after contamination-linked deaths, with implications for prescribing practices and a fast-growing market.The NFI draft has standardized information on drug dosages, indications, contra-indications and side-effects for doctors and pharmacists.The development assumes importance for India’s cough syrup market, that was valued at $262.5 million in 2024 and is projected to grow to $743 million by 2035.This regulatory tightening follows alarm over discovery of toxic industrial solvents, including diethylene glycol (DEG) and ethylene glycol (EG), in liquid oral formulations, which could lead to acute kidney failure and even death, thereby denting India’s image as the ‘pharmacy of the world’.The draft highlights the life-threatening risks of DEG and EG contamination and follows a Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) October advisory to states to address the public health crisis following deaths in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.“As we look back at the historical precedents, the tragic deaths linked to cough syrups were primarily caused by poisonous ingredients like diethylene glycol (DEG), which induces severe poisoning symptoms.

Indian benchmark indices surged about 6% this week—their strongest performance in over five years—driven by sharply improving global cues after a ceasefire between the US and Iran eased geopolitical tensions, stabilised crude oil prices, and triggered a risk-on rally across global equities.The Sensex recorded its sharpest weekly gain since the week ended 7 February 2021, when the markets had surged over 9% in a rally as covid-19 fears subsided. On Friday, the Nifty 50 rose 1.16% to close at 24,050.60, while the Sensex gained 1.2% to end at 77,550.25.At the same time, volatility cooled significantly.

Banks rushed to settle their foreign exchange positions ahead of Friday’s deadline set by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), five treasury officials told Mint. Despite the new net open position (NOP) restrictions being framed as temporary, bankers expect these curbs to remain in place for several months.On 27 March, the RBI capped banks’ NOPs in the domestic market at $100 million at the end of each business day, and mandated that banks comply with this rule by 10 April.

Indian pharmaceutical companies are expected to report muted performance for the March quarter (Q4FY26), weighed down by a decline in sales in the US market, while the domestic market is expected to have remained robust.The end of exclusivity for the high-margin Revlimid in the US in January has led to significant price revisions and lower volumes, impacting companies that depend on the product, despite some support from rupee depreciation.An ICICI Securities report projects companies in its coverage to post revenue growth of about 7% year-on-year, lower than about 10% in the first nine months of FY26. While domestic sales growth is expected to be strong at 13.6%, US revenue in dollar terms is projected to drop by about 7%, partly compensated by the rupee’s fall.

Nayara Energy and Shell, have already raised prices in recent months. Reliance Industries is also India’s largest exporter of petroleum products.A dealer operating Jio-bp pumps said, "About 30% of diesel sales have dropped in the past few days due to the limit on sales.

HDFC Bank episode shows, ADRs remain a flashing alarm bell for FPI sentiment.In the early 2000s, Indian markets were marked by sharp information asymmetry, and remained relatively isolated from their global peers. For foreign investors at the time, these US dollar-denominated certificates traded in American exchanges opened a critical but often congested lane connecting to Dalal Street.Switch to present—the landscape has transformed.

Earlier this month, when the Gujarat high court and Punjab and Haryana high court barred judicial officers from using artificial intelligence (AI) for drafting judgements or doing legal research, they set out a clear framework for governing AI in high-stake settings. Judges and court staff are prohibited not only from using AI to decide cases, but also from drafting orders, evaluating evidence or assisting them in judicial reasoning.The Kerala high court took a similar stance in 2025. India’s Supreme Court has also kept AI away from the sphere of legal logic.

Strait of Hormuz."The war will be over only when Israel wants it to be over and so it will continue in some form or shape and keep crude elevated," said the UAE-based ace investor Shankar Sharma. "The Indian market is going to be in a troublesome situation and returns at the portfolio level will remain muted as they have been for the past couple of years."Brent crude has risen 33% since the outbreak of the war on 28 February, reaching $96.62 a barrel on Thursday.

full Q4 earnings report by Jas Bardia.Inside Anthropic’s Project Glasswing: Can AI outsmart hackers before they strike? That’s the big idea that powers Anthropic’s Project Glasswing—a coalition using advanced AI to detect hidden software flaws even experts miss.With cyberattacks rising and a shortage of skilled professionals, this could be a game-changer. The AI can not only spot “zero-day” vulnerabilities but also suggest fixes, potentially transforming how cybersecurity works.