Country Financial News

Dear reader, as 2025, a year of global tumult and volatility, rolls by, Mint's reporters and columnists look around the corner on what is coming in 2026—to help you know what to expect and prepare for it. Tell us what you think at [email protected] Delhi: From the boardrooms of Mumbai to the policy corridors of Delhi, executives began huddling early this year over a little-known but indispensable component found in virtually every vehicle on the road: rare-earth magnets.When China imposed a ban on these materials in April 2025, not many were aware of the critical role these magnets played.

Ajanta Pharma Ltd announced an in-licensing agreement with Biocon this week to market semaglutide across 26 emerging markets, including Africa, West Asia, and Central Asia. The patent for the weight loss drug expires in most of these markets by March, with commercialisation expected post regulatory approvals in late 2026 or early 2027.

Dear reader, as 2025, a year of global tumult and volatility, rolls by, Mint's reporters and columnists look around the corner on what is coming in 2026—to help you know what to expect and prepare for it. Tell us what you think at [email protected] has the milk but not the export muscle.That imbalance has defined its dairy sector for years: a country that is among the world’s largest milk producers, yet remains a marginal player in global dairy trade.

₹65,000-crore domestic paneer market, according to two government officials and a document reviewed by Mint.Authorities have frequently seized fake paneer ahead of major festivals, when demand surges, giving unscrupulous traders an opportunity to flood markets with adulterated products, posing a threat to consumer health.To curb this unsavoury practice, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) proposes to make it compulsory for paneer substitutes (products made from non-dairy ingredients such as vegetable oils) as “paneer analogue”, while prohibiting the use of any dairy-related terminology, to help consumers clearly distinguish them from milk-based paneer.“Currently, analogues are designed to mimic the white, creamy appearance of traditional or real paneer, often using starches and emulsifiers to replicate the texture. The proposed regulations aim to empower consumers to make informed choices instantly and promote healthy eating,” said the first of the two government officials cited earlier, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity.For clear visual identification, these substitutes will have food colour added to them to ensure that they stand out from the white and natural dairy paneer or paneer-based products.

rabi crops. "The cold wave conditions in north and other parts of the country are currently conducive to rabi crops and we don't see any major impact," said Ratan Tiwari, director, Indian Council of Agricultural Resrach-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR), Karnal.India’s rabi crop sowing in 2025–26 has recorded a notable increase in coverage compared to the previous year, with total area sown rising by more than 8 lakh hectares, according to data released by the Union ministry of agriculture & farmers’ welfare on Monday.

The Asian Drama, Gunnar Myrdal introduced the concept of the ‘soft state.’ He was really writing about South Asia, especially India, with barely any mention of the ‘miracle economies’ of East Asia.He characterized the Indian state as a ‘soft state,’ implying a government with limited capacity, unable to unwind a gridlock of competing interests that sucked up and dissipated scarce resources. This pre-empted the high growth necessary for reducing widespread poverty.India is now a fast-growing economy and poverty is much reduced, but regulatory failure to clean up the air in Delhi under successive governments suggests that the ‘soft state’ still prevails.Of late, the soft state has also been very visible in the awful tragedy in Arpora, Goa, where a fire at an unauthorized night club, Birch by Romeo Lane, killed 21 persons.

Dear reader, as 2025, a year of global tumult and volatility, rolls by, Mint's reporters and columnists look around the corner on what is coming in 2026—to help you know what to expect and prepare for it. Tell us what you think at [email protected] global trading system is undergoing a profound transformation.

As part of a broader effort to cut costs, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) will shut down its 3G mobile services nationwide. The state-owned telecom operator also plans to terminate annual maintenance contracts (AMCs) with vendors such as Nokia and Chinese equipment maker ZTE for the 3G sites, according to two officials familiar with the matter and letters seen by Mint.The move comes as the state-run telecom operator focuses on its 4G network, having currently installed 97,481 4G towers across the country.

What is Santa’s secret? How did Santa become one of the world’s most powerful brands? Not the cookies. Not the sleigh. Nor the flying reindeer with suspiciously high fuel efficiency.

For decades, India has relied on its household consumption expenditure as the primary measure of welfare, poverty and inequality. While it is still important, it could be supplemented with new approaches that capture certain aspects of a rapidly transforming economy driven by technology and services in which households may have increasingly diversified sources of income.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. An investment operation is one which, upon thorough analysis, promises safety of principal and an adequate return. Operations not meeting these requirements are speculative. – Benjamin Graham, economist and financial investor Value investing is one of the best ways to build long-term wealth in the stock market.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The U.S. moved a large number of special-operations aircraft and multiple cargo planes filled with troops and equipment into the Caribbean area this week, giving the U.S.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. At the end of every year, somewhere between buying presents and overeating, Americans usually turn charitable. But it seems fewer of them will give money away in 2025 than in years gone by.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Some ideas look compelling on paper, but execution is a challenging task. A similar challenge is likely to surface in the Association of Mutual Funds in India’s (Amfi) plan to train one lakh postmen to sell mutual funds (MFs).

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI: Millions of CNG and domestic PNG users across India could pay less for gas as the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) simplifies transportation tariffs under its “One Nation, One Grid, One Tariff" vision. The regulator has reduced the number of tariff zones from three to two—up to 300 km and beyond 300 km—aiming to lower regional disparities and align natural gas pricing with competitive fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), or cooking gas, and petrol.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The U.S.’s pursuit of oil tankers around Venezuela is part of a new legal strategy under the Trump administration to seize ships that transport black market oil around the world, according to Justice Department officials. The fresh approach has been seen in recent days by the Coast Guard’s pursuit of the Bella 1, a sanctioned oil tanker whose crew refused to be boarded on Sunday.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. This year may go into the books as one marked by trade volatility, but 2026 may not be as calm as some investors hope. Trade concerns will linger in the new year, with the Supreme Court expected to rule in early 2026 on the legality of a swath of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump in 2025.

India’s exports are heavily dependent on the US, and are currently under threat due to high tariffs. But hidden in numbers is another simple story: the region that could boost Indian exports is not across the Pacific, but across its borders.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: India is laying the groundwork for an ambitious push into autonomous vehicles while also supporting the rising demand for electric vehicles in the country.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup, which has interests spanning real estate, renewable energy and electric vehicles, is planning rapid international expansion via India, buoyed by its strong automotive performance even as its US push struggles amid Trump-era policies.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. FRANKFURT—Across Germany, railcar factories are being retooled to build military vehicles, auto suppliers are joining with defense contractors, and former soldiers are suddenly hot commodities in the jobs market. After Berlin pledged to spend more than half a trillion dollars on defense in the next decade, manufacturers facing stubborn economic stagnation and falling exports to the U.S.