India Financial News

NEW DELHI: India took a major step towards nuclear fuel self-reliance when its indigenously developed Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu attained criticality on 6 April. This is the stage when a nuclear chain reaction can sustain itself.This will enable India to leverage its vast reserves of thorium and reduce dependence on uranium imports.

At an Ikea store in India, a shopper’s journey often ends where it quietly begins again—with a tray of food.“Food is a major driver of traffic for us. It’s among the biggest reasons customers walk into our stores,” Adosh Sharma, country commercial manager at Ikea India, told Mint in an interview.What started as an in-store convenience has evolved into a core lever for footfall, repeat visits and customer engagement.

In a market where defence stocks have largely remained in favour despite severe geopolitical strain, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has been a bit of an outlier. The stock is down around 11% so far in 2026, while the Nifty India Defence Index is up about 4%.HAL recently posted provisional FY26 revenue of ₹32,250 crore, only slightly higher than the ₹30,981 crore it reported in the previous fiscal year, because of delivery challenges in Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A and Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40) due to supply-chain disruptions stemming from geopolitical and technical issues.This quickly shifted the focus to execution worries, with some analysts even trimming their estimates after delays in engine supplies from General Electric (GE).

₹2.5 trillion relief package, including credit guarantees for MSMEs amid feedback from banks indicating potential stress in their MSME portfolios starting Q1 FY27, the persons cited above said, requesting anonymity.The current environment, shaped by the West Asia crisis, is creating conditions similar to the covid-19 period, warranting a closer look at relief measures. This assumes significance given that the MSME sector contributes about 30.1% to India’s gross domestic product (GDP) and accounts for 35.4% of manufacturing output and nearly 45% of India’s merchandise exports.MSME borrowers have increasingly approached lenders seeking relief measures, citing business disruptions from the West Asia war.

Stock market recap: The markets opened with a sharp gap-up and closed significantly higher on Wednesday, owing to a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran. The geopolitical de-escalation triggered a sharp 14% decline in the price of crude oil, which fell below $95 a barrel, easing inflation concerns and improving India’s macro outlook.Domestic sentiment was further bolstered by the RBI Monetary Policy Committee’s decision to maintain the repo rate at 5.25%, ensuring policy stability.

Ever found your mobile phone's signal to be patchy while waiting for a flight? That’s because telecom operators can’t provide stronger signals near airports, as these can interfere with a small cockpit tool—a radio altimeter.The electronic gauge, which measures the altitude of an airborne plane, feeds data to multiple automated systems on board. A wrong reading can be a safety risk, especially during poor visibility.

₹180 crore, in a Series A funding round led by Greenoaks Capital, as investors bet on rising demand for artificial-intelligence (AI) computing infrastructure. Existing investors RTP Global and Unicorn India Ventures also participated.“Our larger ambitions entails now building a full stack new cloud platform,” said Abhinav Sinha, co-founder and chief executive at Nava (formerly Kluisz.ai), in an interview with Mint.

In a crucial ruling for the banking sector, the Supreme Court clarified that banks are not required to provide borrowers a personal or oral hearing before classifying their accounts as fraudulent. On Tuesday, the court held that a written process is enough to satisfy principles of natural justice.Mint explains the case, the ruling, and what it means for fraud detection by banks and for borrowers.The case before a two-person Supreme Court bench arose from appeals filed by banks, including State Bank of India and Bank of India, against orders of the Calcutta and Delhi High Courts.

TA Associates at an enterprise value of roughly $1.2 billion. However, the sale fell through.“The deal is in initial stages.

Over the past three days, 6-8 April 2026, the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) that is responsible for setting the policy interest rate (repo) has, doubtless, burnt the proverbial midnight oil deliberating on the growth-inflation trade-off. As expected, it has concluded, like most central banks, that it is best to mark time.The ceasefire in the West Asia conflict, announced just a little over an hour before US President Donald Trump’s deadline to “wipe out an entire civilisation” was to end (and, coincidently, just hours before RBI governor Sanjay Malhotra’s statement), brings only a temporary reprieve (of a fortnight).It is far from clear whether the ceasefire will hold.

Bengaluru: At a time when global geopolitical tensions are making foreign investors cautious, Neo Alternative Asset Managers is doubling down on domestic credit with plans to raise ₹1,500-2,000 crore for its maiden real estate fund, its managing director Kaushik Desai told Mint in an interview. The category-II alternative investment fund (AIF) will largely offer credit to residential real estate developers across tier 1 and tier 2 cities, he said.Earlier this week, Neo Alternative Asset Managers said it had ventured into real estate, bringing aboard Kaushik Desai, Vinit Prabhugaonkar, and Vimal Jangla, the former senior leadership team at Walton Street India, to anchor its real estate investment platform.The three bring with them more than two decades of experience in real estate investing, asset management, and structured financing.

₹10,900 crore production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for the food processing sector has delivered on several fronts, drawing investments and expanding capacity. But questions remain on whether it has actually delivered as expec­ted.With the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) now examining why several PLI schemes have underperformed expectations, Mint explains whether the needle has moved beyond headline investments to sustained value addition.The PLI scheme for the food processing sector is designed to support food manufacturing companies that meet minimum sales thresholds and commit to investments for expanding processing capacity and building global brands.The scheme, being implemented for six years till FY26-27, seeks to create globally competitive food manufacturing champions.

The turmoil of the last year-and-a half— tariff wars and physical wars (Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine), the abduction of a head of state and assassination of another, territorial ambitions and tattered alliances—has led to claims that the Pax Americana of stable global institutions managing commerce and conflict has ended. If that is true, what comes next? This uncertainty has fostered many forecasts of the future of global politics by policy pundits.Consider the analysis of Hal Brands, a historian at Johns Hopkins University and the American Enterprise Institute.

Shares of Asian Paints Ltd, Berger Paints India Ltd and Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd rallied 3-5% on Wednesday as crude oil prices eased. Following the news of a two-week ceasefire in the West Asia war, Brent crude slipped to around $93 a barrel from a closing high of $107.9 a barrel on 18 March.Crude derivatives such as solvents, resins and binders comprise around 40% of the raw material basket for paint companies, so higher oil prices weigh on gross margins.

SMS Integrated Facility Services from private equity firm Samara Capital for an enterprise value of about ₹270 crore in February.The acquisition marked SILA’s push to deepen its presence in integrated facility management.Founded by brothers Rushabh and Sahil Vora in 2009, SILA operates in more than 125 cities across India, managing over 450 million square feet of real estate with a workforce exceeding 60,000.The company delivers integrated, tech-enabled services spanning facility management, material handling equipment leasing, food catering, and real estate advisory—serving large corporates, funds, and developers across the full asset lifecycle.“Our focus is on leveraging technology to drive efficiency, transparency, and service quality at scale across India’s built environment,” the Vora brothers said in the statement on Wednesday.Its real estate development arm, SILA Estates, is currently developing over 1 million square feet of premium residential and commercial projects across Mumbai.In FY25, the company reported operating revenue of about ₹913.9 crore, up from ₹713 crore a year earlier. Profits widened to ₹11.5 crore compared to ₹9.1 crore in FY24, according to an Icra report.Norwest Venture Partners first acquired a stake in SILA in August 2019 and has invested around ₹110–120 crore in the company over the years.

After two years of strong expansion, the pace of new demat account additions slowed in FY26, signalling a shift in retail investor behaviour as volatile markets and weaker returns tempered their enthusiasm.Net demat account additions fell to about 32 million in FY26 from a record 41 million added in FY25, according to data collated from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy. The total number of demat accounts crossed 225 million.The 22% year-on-year decline in additions of demat accounts—dematerialized or paperless accounts mandated for trading in securities—suggests that the surge in retail participation during the recent bull run is beginning to lose momentum amid a more uncertain global and market environment.The longer-term trend shows how growth is now normalizing after a sharp post-pandemic surge.

‘Goldilocks’ refers to a situation that is just right. Derived from the fairytale character who prefers things in the middle, it describes an optimal, balanced condition. In the previous policy review on 6 February 2026, the RBI governor highlighted that this was the prevailing condition in India, and rightfully so.

Since the West Asia war began, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd’s (GCPL) shares had dropped nearly 18% till Monday when it announced its March quarter (Q4FY26) business update. The shares have gained about 8% in the past two trading sessions.Margin pressures, given the higher palm oil price, seem to be worrying investors.

Mint and a person familiar with the matter.The companies have sought a meeting with Siddaramaiah, warning that the move could affect air pollution goals, oil imports, energy security and the investment outlook for India’s EV industry.Mint reported on 31 March that Karnataka had reversed its earlier EV road tax waiver, a step that risks slowing adoption in one of India’s key EV markets. In 2025, the state accounted for 12% of the country’s electric car sales, with more than 21,000 units sold and passenger vehicle penetration of 6.4%, compared with 4% nationally.“The objective of this engagement is to share industry perspectives on the recent revisions in Road Tax applicable to electric passenger vehicles in the Karnataka State.

For the emerging megacities of Asia, the oil crisis that spread out from the Strait of Hormuz is like the acute phase of a chronic condition. The largest migration in human history is filling their streets and alleyways to bursting point.Urbanization and births will add a billion more people between now and 2050. Jakarta and Dhaka, with 42 million and 37 million people respectively, have overtaken Tokyo at 33 million as the world’s biggest metropolises.

If I ask which is the most volatile investment option among fixed deposits, Public Provident Fund, equity and liquid mutual funds, everyone will get the answer right: equity. Of course, there are assets like cryptocurrency that are even more volatile, but we are not going there now.When we look back on index charts for various stock markets globally over the decades, it all looks so simple: the market went down here, then went up, and obviously you would have either remained invested through the ups and downs or bought more at the bottom. Of course.