Country Financial News

The international system is entering a phase that increasingly resembles an earlier era of geopolitics—one defined less by shared rules and more by competing spheres of influence. Signals emerging from Washington’s strategic thinking, particularly during the presidency of Donald Trump, point to a worldview in which power, leverage and bilateral bargaining take precedence over the norms and institutions that have guided global governance for decades.With the next Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) approaching, the future of multilateralism is in the spotlight.

Climate Change and You is a fortnightly newsletter written by Bibek Bhattacharya and Sayantan Bera. Subscribe to the newsletter to get it directly in your inbox.Dear reader,Recently, while working on a story on farmer-owned companies, I came across an ancient variety of rice. The heirloom rice variety, known as Kala Namak, comes from eastern Uttar Pradesh.

From India doubling down on fertilizer imports from non-West Asia sources to the US Federal Reserve decision to pause rates, the leadership crisis at HDFC Bank and youth unemployment in India rising to a four-month high in February—here’s a compilation of this week’s news in numbers.After LPG, fertilizers are emerging as the next major pressure point for India as it navigates the fallout of the West Asia conflict. The government is looking to diversify sourcing by stepping up purchases from countries such as Indonesia, Belarus, Morocco and China, Mint reported.

farmer incomes, rural livelihoods and export competitiveness. It also mirrors deeper structural issues in the agriculture sector that accounts for around 16% of India’s gross domestic product (GDP), with nearly 46% of the country’s workforce dependent on agriculture."India’s cotton production has remained largely stagnant in recent years, weighed down by technological stagnation, pest resistance, and structural bottlenecks that have eroded farm profitability and discouraged acreage expansion," said Ajai Rana, chairman, Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII), an association of research-driven seed companies in India.To address the challenges of stagnant cotton productivity, Union budget 2025-26 announced a five-year Cotton Mission and allocated ₹500 crore to increase cotton productivity, especially extra-long staple varieties.

You might have heard that the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz is going to leave poor countries starving. That’s not quite right. The reality may be almost as serious, though—and China will be the victor.The theory stems from the importance of the Persian Gulf in the world’s fertilizer trade.

Mint.The minister noted that the country's telecom market is consistently growing and delivering greater value than other global markets.Edited excerpts:I have been very clear on this. As far as Vodafone Idea is concerned, the government is a 49% equity stakeholder. We do not envisage raising our equity stake at all beyond that 49% share.

In the last few years, conversations on artificial intelligence (AI) have made their way from a few company boardrooms and R&D divisions to almost every company’s strategic vision and every investor’s daily life. There is hardly any seminar or conference—be it on healthcare, travel, consumer experience, legal affairs or economics—that doesn’t discuss the AI-led revolution. It is time to assess its impact on India, the world’s fastest-growing major economy.

The war in West Asia has raised geopolitical vulnerabilities. These are not only affecting countries in the region that are directly or indirectly involved in the war, but also much of the rest of the world. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has already led to a spike in energy prices and shortage of petroleum products, including gas.

India joined several developing countries to advocate for a global framework to lower cross-border remittance costs ahead of the World Trade Organisation's 14th ministerial conference (MC14), marking a focus on development-linked financial issues in trade.The proposal, supported by Morocco, Pakistan and the African Group, addresses remittance fees, which remain above the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals target of under 3% by 2030. On several routes, costs still range between 5% and 6%, significantly reducing the amount that ultimately reaches recipient households.

VinFast and homegrown Ola Electric have offered discounts to wean consumers away from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles that run on diesel and petrol, with analysts saying the energy crisis could push fence-sitters towards EVs.The crisis has also renewed focus on the Centre’s plans to go beyond the 20% ethanol blending in petrol, with executives indicating that higher blends and flex-fuel vehicles may see faster rollouts as they can cut the country's imports of crude oil.According to analysts at Nomura, crude oil price rise due to the current crisis can make the total cost of ownership equation even more attractive for electric vehicles, which can boost EV sales in the short term.“One beneficiary of higher oil prices could be a quicker shift in consumer sentiment towards EVs. Thus, EV [players] are likely to benefit,” Kapil Singh and Siddhartha Bera of Nomura wrote in a 9 March note.Retail fuel prices have remained steady so far, but risks of an increase persist if the conflict drags on, according to experts.EV sales in the country rose 77% year-on-year in calendar 2025 to nearly 177,000 units, with their share in total sales reaching 4%.

DoT) in December reserved 50MHz spectrum in the 5,875–5,925 megahertz (MHz) band for V2X and intelligent transport systems (ITS). Of this, 30MHz (5,875–5,905MHz) will be used for initial deployment, with the remainder earmarked for future ITS applications.DoT has approached Trai for its recommendations as MoRTH does not deal with the subject of spectrum.Vehicle connectivity is built around two components: on-board units (OBUs) installed in vehicles and roadside units (RSUs) deployed along infrastructure such as traffic signals.

New Delhi: Amid the West Asia war, ethanol makers have urged the petroleum ministry to accelerate higher fuel blending and utilize a massive surplus to safeguard national energy security, with India being one of the largest importers of crude oil, according to a letter seen by Mint.The All India Distillers Association (Aida) wrote to the petroleum and natural gas ministry on 3 March, days after the conflict broke out on 28 February, seeking incentives for flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs), which run on very high ethanol blending, and higher procurement of ethanol by oil marketing companies (OMCs).Aida represents about 80% of India's total distillation capacity.The industry’s representation came after underutilisation of ethanol feedstocks in 2024-25 and 2025-26, according to a copy of the letter seen by Mint.Global oil volatility and supply chain disruptions make it imperative for India to strengthen domestic alternatives and accelerate indigenous biofuel production, the letter stated.“At a time when the country needs stronger domestic energy buffers against global oil shocks, idle biofuel capacity represents a missed strategic opportunity,” the letter said.Email queries sent to the ministry of petroleum and natural gas, ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH), Indian Oil Corp. Ltd, Bharat Petroleum Corp.

₹33,660-crore Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojna (Bhavya) kicks off in fiscal year 2027 (FY27), aiming to expand India's manufacturing muscle, while creating large-scale employment.The Union Cabinet also approved a series of projects totalling more than ₹45,000 crore, including Bhavya, which will be executed over five years."The scheme is expected to drive large-scale job creation, generating substantial direct and indirect employment across manufacturing, logistics, and services, while catalyzing significant investments. The scheme aims to generate 15 lakh direct jobs by boosting manufacturing-led growth and enhancing infrastructure with ready-to-use industrial parks," said Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union minister for railways, information and broadcasting, and electronics and information technology.The Bhavya scheme will be implemented in partnership with states and private sector players, building on the experience of industrial smart cities developed under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme.

BYD sells four electric vehicle models in India—eMax 7, Atto 3, Sealion 7, and Seal. The first two models are homologated in India, thus there is no limit to their imports in the country.In 2025, its sales grew 88% to 5,402 units, as per data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (Fada).

In 1945, at World War II’s close, the economist Albert O. Hirschman published National Power and the Structure of Foreign Trade, in which he analyzed how nation-states shape trade patterns to their strategic advantage. The book sank like a stone.

Mint explains.India is the world’s second-largest fertilizer consumer, but domestic supply hasn’t kept pace.The country imports about 60% of its diammonium phosphate (DAP) requirement and roughly 15% of its urea and nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK)-based fertilizer demand, along with intermediates such as rock phosphate, phosphoric acid and potash.Even urea relies on natural gas as feedstock, much of which is imported. This leaves domestic production exposed to global energy markets.“Domestic availability is limited for raw materials and intermediaries such as liquefied natural gas (LNG), phosphate rock and ammonia,” said Anand Kulkarni, director at Crisil Ratings.Analysts say this dependence is unlikely to ease without a shift in technology.

New Delhi: India has joined a group of developing economies in pushing for a global framework to reduce the cost of cross-border remittances, positioning the issue as a key development priority ahead of the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization scheduled in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, later this month.The conference will take place during 26-29 March 2026.In a revised draft ministerial declaration circulated on 17 March, India, along with Morocco, Pakistan and the African Group, called for coordinated global action to bring down remittance transaction costs, which remain significantly above the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal target of less than 3% by 2030.India is world’s largest recipient of remittances, with inflows estimated at around $135.4 billion in FY25, according to an India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) report. This marks a steady rise from about $129 billion in 2024 and reflects a strong increase over the past decade.

Mint, Audi India's top executives said that the company has exhausted its current resource allocation for the EV business and is in discussions with its headquarters for the next phase, echoing earlier comments from Skoda and Volkswagen India leadership, and leaving the Wolfsburg-based Volkswagen Group among the few major foreign carmakers without a clear EV roadmap for the country.This is in contrast with other foreign luxury car makers like Mercedes and BMW and mass-market players like Renault, Honda, Hyundai, VinFast and Suzuki that have announced their EV plans for India and committed to scale their sales over the next few years.“We are not selling an electric car because we have been selling it for the last 3-4 years. The quota that was allocated to us, the cars that we were selling got over,” Balbir Singh Dhillon, brand director at Audi India, told Mint ahead of its latest car launch in the national capital.“We are in the process of defining what next model that we bring in, at what point in time, at what price point,” Dhillon said, adding that the company would publicly announce its plans soon and remains optimistic about the opportunity in the country's EV market.Dhillon's comments echo statements from the brand head of Skoda as well as the Volkswagen Group head in India over the past two months.

Strait of Hormuz. Of these, six are carrying LPG, four are transporting crude oil, and one vessel is transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG). West Asia and the Strait of Hormuz are key for India's energy security, with about 90% of India's LPG imports and 50% of India's crude imports dependent on this region."The talks have been positive so far.

green hydrogen annually by 2030 under the National Green Hydrogen Mission.Reliance did not disclose the quantity of green ammonia that would be supplied as part of this deal with Samsung C&T. However, while announcing the deal on Monday, it hinted in a press release that this was the first of a series of such deals that it plans to strike in the coming days.The Korean company is the holding company of the leading chaebol and is engaged in materials trading and construction, among other things.Reliance did not respond to Mint’s query on the quantum of the supply.This is the second large export agreement struck by an Indian manufacturer of green hydrogen.

Mumbai: Global private equity firm L Catterton’s India pool of capital, led by former Hindustan Unilever (HUL) chief Sanjiv Mehta, is eyeing more proprietary deals in the country after deploying over $100 million across companies like Farmley, Haldiram’s and Healing Hands Clinic over the last year.“Our deals are primarily proprietary in nature, and we don’t take part in intense bidding processes. This preferential access allows us to have better returns for our investors through better pricing discipline.