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Mint explains.From 1 April, all digital transactions must be verified using at least two independent authentication factors—such as a personal identification number (PIN), a one-time password (OTP) or biometric—with at least one factor being dynamic.The requirement applies across payment modes, including cards, UPI and wallets, standardizing security protocols across platforms. The tighter framework is aimed at reducing vulnerabilities and strengthening safeguards in digital payments.Many transactions today rely on a single authentication factor, typically a PIN or an OTP.

A viral video clip of McDonald’s CEO Christopher Kempczinski eating the fast-food chain’s Big Arch burger has been memed and roasted across the internet. It surely cost him a little bit of his dignity. But that’s a small price to pay for the equivalent of millions of dollars in free publicity.

Godrej Enterprises is planning price hikes of 6% to 10% across categories from April, as rising input costs, freight rates, and supply disruptions continue to put pressure on margins, Kamal Nandi, business head (appliances) at Godrej Enterprises Group, told Mint.“Largely, the prices are going up due to the shortage in key raw materials like plastic, which are dependent on crude oil, rupee weakening and shortages in liquified petroleum gas (LPG) and piped natural gas (PNG).”Intex Technologies expects to raise AC prices by around 4-5% and washing machines by about 5-6%, even as it tries to absorb a significant portion of the cost escalation internally to limit the impact on consumers, Keshav Bansal, director at the appliance maker, said.Hisense India is closely monitoring the evolving situation and may consider price hikes of 7-10% in the second week of April, depending on how demand trends and competitive responses unfold, according to chief executive Pankaj Rana.The war-led disruption comes at the start of the crucial summer season, when demand for cooling appliances peaks, forcing companies to balance margin protection with sustaining sales.“We are seeing simultaneous cost increases across plastics, metals and packaging, which is very unusual and is putting pressure across all product categories at once,” Bansal said.While prices typically rise ahead of the season, the increase is far more pronounced this year, creating a dual challenge of rising costs and uncertain consumer demand.Madhur Singhal, managing partner (consumer and internet) at consultancy Praxis Global Alliance, said companies are likely to take upfront price increases rather than staggered hikes through the season.

₹25,000. By late February, as war broke out across West Asia, it had nearly doubled to ₹45,000.

Mint India Investment Summit held last week.Manufacturing firms, in particular, are increasing R&D spending, but say the absence of validation, at home and abroad, is becoming a key roadblock.“R&D is growing leaps and bounds…but not in the commercial space,” said Pradeep Kumar Kheruka, executive chairman of Borosil Renewables Ltd, at the panel discussion.Kheruka cited Borosil’s attempt to manufacture solar glass without antimony, a toxic chemical, as an example of innovation facing resistance. “We made glass without antimony…We proved that antimony is leaching out from glass, it should be banned and yet the question is how come nobody else has done it?” he said.Despite scientific evidence, the absence of global precedent has slowed domestic adoption.

sulphur demand of about 4 million tonnes. More than three-quarters of this comes from West Asian countries such as the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman, according to latest available World Bank Data for 2023.sulphur is widely used to produce sulphuric acid for fertilizers, and is also a key input in chemicals, textiles manufacturing, and electric vehicle batteries.The state-run engineering company received orders worth ₹76,930 crore from thermal power plants in FY25, its latest annual report said.

Mint India Investment Summit, Puri received the Lifetime Achievement Award and engaged in a candid fireside chat with editor-in-chief Ravi Krishnan. From why he moved to India in 1994 to artificial intelligence in banking and the work culture he batted for, this chat covered a wide range of subjects. Edited excerpts:I think India is still a very under-penetrated market as far as finance is concerned.

New Delhi: India’s electronics manufacturing services (EMS) firms are in wait-and-watch mode as the West Asia war disrupts the tech component supply chain and pushes commodity prices upward. While Dixon Technologies and Syrma SGS aren’t factoring pricing and supply chain disruptions into account right away, top executives believe the next few quarters will be key for users, brands and shareholders alike.In an interview with Mint, Sunil Vachani, cofounder and executive chairman of Dixon, said that industry bodies are currently evaluating “at a broad industry level how long it will take for capacities of commodities and components, which are destroyed in the war, to come back up.”“The gas supply chain disruption wouldn’t be affecting us, but it will likely hit air conditioner manufacturers directly,” Vachani said.

Mumbai: The cement industry is bracing for a sharp price increase in April as the fallout from the war in West Asia drives up production costs. UltraTech Cement Ltd, India’s largest producer, is set to be the first to increase its price, according to an executive in the know.A price hike by the market leader is likely to trigger similar moves by other cement makers, who are under even greater pressure from higher costs, given their relatively smaller scale.“Nobody will increase cement prices now as they need to meet the year-end targets, but price increase will be seen in the month of April, and cost will be passed on to the consumers,” said the executive quoted above, requesting anonymity, discussing business strategy.Emails sent to UltraTech did not elicit a response till press time.The rise in cement prices is expected to marginally increase construction and infrastructure costs, as cement typically accounts for around 5% of total construction cost, according to Satyadeep Jain, lead analyst for cement, metals, mining and utilities at Ambit Capital.“Cement companies will need ₹20/bag price hike to fully offset cost Inflation vs typical ₹7-8/bag hike in April.

9th Mint India Investment Summit in Mumbai last week. Panellists, including senior in-house legal counsels and law firm partners, said weak enforcement sits at the heart of the problem, raising the cost of doing business and deterring investment.The inability to enforce contracts swiftly and predictably, along with delays, frequent adjournments, procedural hurdles and lack of subject-matter expertise, creates friction for companies and investors.

Delhi-based Deepak Kakkar didn’t think of caregiving as a financial line item until it became one. When his septuagenarian father’s health declined due to liver cirrhosis in 2024, the immediate concern was medical treatment. But within weeks, he could see his monthly household budget change completely.

Despite Brent crude at $115 a barrel, shares of oil marketing companies (OMCs) Indian Oil Corp Ltd (IOCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL), and Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) held up better than the broader market during Monday’s selloff. Markets see the government’s ₹10-per-litre excise duty cut from Friday as exactly what the doctor ordered for a sector staring at steep under-recoveries: ₹26 per litre and ₹82 per litre for petrol and diesel, respectively.The policy move could cost the exchequer nearly ₹14,000 crore in revenue per month.

Mint, he said such corrections often create compelling entry points for long-term investors.Markets tend to react sharply to geopolitical events, especially in the early stages. However, over time, volatility usually stabilizes as markets adjust. What makes the current situation more complex for India is its dependence on energy imports.

The Iran war has laid bare a paradox: Gulf money is helping underwrite America’s effort to win the artificial intelligence race, and now the US has started a conflict that could destabilize those investments. Some estimates have projected $2 trillion in long-term pledges from Middle Eastern nations to the AI boom, money that now looks precarious.

Amid the US-Israel war with Iran, concerns are growing about the safety of subsea cables in West Asia—the hidden network that carries most of the world’s internet. A large part of India’s data travels through these cables, many of which pass through regions now at risk of conflict.

The taxation of share buybacks in India has come full circle, reflecting the government's continuing effort to balance revenue considerations with anti-avoidance safeguards. Before 2013 buybacks were treated akin to a sale of shares, with shareholders taxed on the resulting capital gains.

CCL Products (India) Ltd: Buy above ₹1,070 | Stop ₹995 | Target ₹1,220 (multiday)Tata Consumer Products Ltd: Buy above ₹1,060 | Stop ₹995 | Target ₹1,180 (multiday)India's coffee and tea sectors have demonstrated remarkable resilience and growth momentum in FY26. The coffee export milestone of $1.86 billion by February FY26 represents a significant achievement, with the sector consistently recording over $1 billion in annual exports for the fifth consecutive year.

West Asia have already come to a halt due to the ongoing war, and the rising freight cost is acting as a stumbling block in exporting to other nations."We had a meeting with officials of DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade), commerce ministry, Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India, and Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and highlighted the plight of basmati rice exporters,” said Ajay Bhalothia, general secretary, All India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA).“We were assured by government stakeholders that the Ministry of Shipping would shortly meet major shipping line operators to address the escalating logistical challenges including high freight rates," Bhalothia added.Shipping disruptions, along with rising freight and insurance costs, are posing a significant threat to India’s nearly $6 billion basmati rice trade. The concern comes amid mounting uncertainty over consignments headed to the Gulf region, which accounts for about 60–70% of India’s total basmati exports.Another exporter, who was also in the meeting, confirmed the development.

Vetic, to name just three. These clinics epitomize a big shift that is playing out across urban India: the corporatization of veterinary services.Until a few years ago, India’s petcare market was a highly fragmented affair, dominated by neighbourhood pet stores, standalone vets and a handful of product brands.

Mint.GMR's appeal, through its airport joint venture Delhi International Airport Ltd (Dial), came just ahead of the launch of the National Capital Region’s second major airport in Jewar, sharpening competition for traffic. With jet fuel accounting for about a third of airline costs, the tax gap risks higher fares and a significant traffic shift, the company said. GMR had made a similar appeal last year too.The company has simultaneously sought the Union civil aviation ministry's backing on the matter.The Jewar airport, 90 km from the IGI airport, the country’s busiest one, was inaugurated on 28 March by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Sebi has proposed two pathways for scheme selection, recognising that many recipients will be first-time investors.In the first pathway, the card purchaser — the person gifting the card — may suggest a mutual fund scheme at the time of purchase. However, this suggestion is not binding.