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The Centre on Friday launched a ₹20,000 crore credit guarantee scheme to revive bank lending to microfinance institutions (MFIs), as the sector grapples with persistent liquidity constraints despite improving asset quality.According to a paper issued by National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC), the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Microfinance Institutions–2.0 (CGSMFI-2.0) will be effective from 20 March 2026 and will cover loans sanctioned by member lending institutions (MLIs) to MFIs until 30 June 2026.It will provide guarantee cover for loans extended by these lenders to MFIs for on-lending to small borrowers, in line with Reserve Bank of India norms.The scheme builds on an earlier credit guarantee programme introduced in June 2021 to support microfinance lending during the covid-19 pandemic.“The sector has demonstrated strong improvement in credit quality and adherence to responsible lending practices.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, one of the reasons “the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran have unfolded at unprecedented speed and precision” is “a cutting-edge weapon never before deployed on this scale: artificial intelligence.” Yes, the growing use of AI in modern warfare has coincided with its approved use in modern life.

the Netherlands has produced—under judicial compulsion and apparently with a straight face—is a mechanism that may force investors to sell assets simply to fund tax bills on gains that have not actually been realized.The broader concern is not the Dutch policy alone, but the trend it represents.Spend time in any corner of social media where economics is debated and you will encounter a growing community of neo-socialists who have arrived at a remarkable conclusion: socialism did not fail—it was simply never implemented properly.In this narrative, the Soviet Union, Maoist China and Cuba were merely flawed attempts at what is fundamentally a sound idea.The right people, armed with modern technology and the right intentions, will supposedly get it right this time.Within this worldview, taxing paper gains is not seen as overreach but as an obvious act of justice. The rich are simply too rich; their wealth—even the theoretical kind—is viewed as an affront that the state should correct.The notion that market value represents real money that the government is entitled to immediately, rather than when an asset is sold, fits neatly into this framework.

Last month, I travelled across India— listening, observing and taking stock. While the journey was energizing and often inspiring, it left me with an open question: Where is the world’s most populous country headed? My trip began in West Bengal’s Purulia district, a relatively poor region marked by beautiful landscapes of lakes and rolling hills, some crowned with small ancient temples. Purulia’s population is a mosaic of cultures and tribal communities.

Human societies have long found ingenious ways to cope with extreme weather; and India is no exception. The ancient Kallanai dam in southern India, for example, built to divert the Kaveri River for irrigation, sustained fertile delta farming for centuries.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Amid hundreds of pages in the Economic Survey 2025–26 devoted to India’s growth trajectory, fiscal arithmetic and industrial ambitions, a small section flags a quieter but persistent economic drag on rural livelihoods: the steady erosion of village commons. These commons—grazing lands, ponds and other community-managed resource—support the daily needs of millions of rural households and play a critical role in agriculture, water security and climate resilience.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. When Brandon Estrella learned that OpenAI was planning to scrap his favorite artificial- intelligence model, he started crying. The 42-year-old marketer in Scottsdale, Ariz., had first started chatting with ChatGPT’s 4o model one night in April, when he says it talked him out of a suicide attempt.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Kannan Hari walked onto the Startup Singam set carrying karupatti—palm jaggery—made from the palmyra, the state tree of Tamil Nadu. He runs Palm Era, a palm jaggery and natural sweeteners brand.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. About the author: Constance Hunter is the chief economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit. She was formerly chief economist of KPMG. Kevin Warsh has been able to thread a very fine needle.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. BENGALURU: Dealmaking in spacetech startups accelerated in 2025 as investors responded to signs that early entrants are hitting key milestones, beginning to loosen capital for a sector long viewed as high-risk and slow to mature. Data from Venture Intelligence shows that venture capital poured in $276 million across 33 deals in 2025, compared with a total of $262 million across 28 deals in 2023 and 2024 cumulatively.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Bengaluru: In April 2023, when Revant Himatsingka, 33, posted a video criticizing the high sugar content in Bournvita, pointing out that it made up a third of every serving (7.5 gm in every 20 gm), he expected the video to go viral. What he did not expect was to receive a notice from the brand’s legal team.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. There is a small puzzle I have been sitting with for some time. When I invite alumni to a flagship programme event—one meant to celebrate learning, community and shared journeys—it is not the most recent graduates who sign up first.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. CARACAS, Venezuela—Weeks after a U.S. military raid ended the 13-year rule of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelans are living through a whiplash transition that feels less like a democratic dawn and more like an economic takeover.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The objectives of stock investing involve establishing clear objectives, selecting an investment approach that aligns with your interests, and closely monitoring your portfolio and the market. It can also be very beneficial to learn from successful investors and apply their tried-and-true strategies.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India has a habit of approaching big technological questions in refreshingly practical ways. We adopt new ideas when they solve real problems, fit our context and prove themselves through evidence—not because the rest of the world is excited about them.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. SRINAGAR: In the middle of Chilai Kalan—the 40-day period of harsh winter, typically from 21 December to 31 January, which once defined Kashmir’s coldest months—the Valley is waiting for snow that has yet to arrive. The ground remains bare, sunlight warms the day, and temperatures plunge sharply at night.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. WASHINGTON—The cryptocurrency and banking industries are locked in a lobbying battle over digital tokens that yield annual payouts, a fight that threatens to derail legislation intended to bring crypto into mainstream finance. The two sides are clashing about what crypto firms call rewards, or annual payments to investors based on a percentage of their total holdings.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Boardrooms would have been better places had their inmates paid more heed to Scott Adams, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 68. Dilbert—the necktie-wearing, cubicle-bound corporate victim, and Adams’s doppelgänger—was all the rage among executives through the 1990s.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : Parliament in December cleared the Repealing and Amending Act, 2025, which has removed a long-standing procedural hurdle in inheritance by deleting Section 213 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925. The change means that beneficiaries in Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata no longer have to mandatorily get a probate and can now act on a valid Will.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. SARASOTA, Fla.—Michele Butler and Wells Chapin moved to the west coast of Florida from Michigan in 2023 in anticipation of her plan to exit the restaurant business and join her partner in retirement. They bought a $950,000 home at a new resort-style development in Lakewood Ranch, just outside Sarasota, that draws many new, well-heeled retirees.

₹599 and ₹999 per person, with Perspectives taking a 20% commission.If the loneliness economy has a defining characteristic, it is that many of its founders did not arrive with market research or business plans. Most began by trying to solve a personal, unmet need.Originally from Tamil Nadu’s textile hub of Tiruppur, Krishna Rubiga moved to Chennai for work in 2024 and struggled to make friends. Singles mixers felt crowded and transactional.