Features 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] hits and mid-budget flicks alike lit up Indian cinemas in 2025, proving that viewers flock to theatres regardless of scale or star value, and raising hopes of an encore in the coming year.While trade experts expect 2025 to close with collections of ₹13,000-13,500 crore across languages, about 10-14% higher than the previous year, the failure of films such as War 2 and Sikandar featuring big stars, and franchise films like Thamma, signals that big names alone aren't enough.That said, surprise hits such as Chhaava, Saiyaara and Tere Ishk Mein, along with the breakout numbers of industries like Gujarati, Marathi and Malayalam, underscore the growing space for all kinds of content in theatres, unlike the perception built immediately after the pandemic when only larger-than-life titles were finding draw in cinemas.Devang Sampat, managing director of Cinepolis India, identified three highlights of the year.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India, the world’s tea-drinking heartland and home to sprawling tea estates, is witnessing a shift in consumer tastes as its youngest consumers embrace Southeast Asian variants like boba and matcha. Boba tea, which originated in Taiwan, is a cold, milk-based beverage featuring tapioca pearls, while matcha is finely ground green tea powder, most commonly consumed as an iced latte.

Smartwatches are getting smarter – at least, health-wise.These devices, so far largely considered lifestyle accessories with basic fitness-tracking features mostly shunned by medical practitioners, are increasingly receiving medical certifications from the Centre—making them health devices that alert users against issues such as heart rate fluctuations, sleep disorders and blood pressure anomalies.On 4 December, Apple launched hypertension tracking on its latest Apple Watch Series 11 smartwatch. While the feature does not give a direct blood pressure readout, it monitors a user’s blood oxygen, stress levels and other heart-related parameters to notify them that they may have a potential hypertension issue.The company received government approval to offer this clinical-grade feature in late November, a person aware of the development told Mint, making it only the second consumer-grade smartwatch until now to be approved by New Delhi.Hypertension implies high blood pressure, a condition that potentially damages heart tissues in the long run.

Since stepping into the role of Flipkart's chief product and technology officer (CTPO) in September, Balaji Thiagarajan has been overseeing OneTech and the internal organization of engineers, product managers and tech specialists who collaborate to solve infrastructure challenges, build features and test them at scale.In an interview with Mint, he explains how this unified stack is modernizing Flipkart’s architecture for an initial public offering (IPO) readiness, quick commerce expansion via Flipkart Minutes, trust features such as fraud detection, warehouse automation, and fintech growth as the Walmart-owned firm shifts domicile to India for a potential listing.The Walmart-owned firm got the National Company Law Tribunal's nod this month to shift domicile from Singapore to India ahead of a potential 2026 listing. It follows Flipkart’s $1 billion funding round in May 2024, led by Google that valued it at $35-36 billion.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Mumbai: A plan by the National Payments Corp. of India (NPCI) to restrict an app to a little over a third of the overall transactions on fast payments platform UPI by the end of 2026 is a tough ask, regulators and financial sector experts said.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. In 2015, the Serendipity Arts Festival was envisaged as a project that would bring the arts out of rigid compartments. According to Smriti Rajgarhia, director, Serendipity Arts Foundation and Festival, the decision to create these conversations between art forms wasn’t arbitrary but about restoring something fundamental.

Mint’s Annual BFSI Conclave 2025 on Friday, flagged risks associated particularly with stablecoins, considered as the more sensible, utility-driven corner of the crypto universe.Mint takes a look at this growing asset class, and what it may mean for India’s financial system.Stablecoins are a category of cryptocurrencies designed to maintain a stable value, usually by pegging them to relatively secure assets such as fiat currencies, commodities, or other financial assets. First appearing in the mid-2010s, they were created to combine the efficiency of blockchain-based payments with the price stability needed for routine financial use.The most widely used stablecoins are backed by the US dollar.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. In her ongoing solo, The Geometry of Ash, at Mumbai’s Chemould Prescott Road, artist Anju Dodiya evokes a post-apocalyptic landscape—one featuring fragments and residue in the aftermath of loss and destruction. But there are also gestures of hope in the form of women reading or relishing a moment of respite before a traumatic event.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Today’s featured use case is: How to prepare for professional certification using NotebookLM. What problem does NotebookLM solve? Professional certifications like PMP are career accelerators, but the preparation journey is overwhelming.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Speakeasies, wine bars, listening rooms, quirky theme bars, friendly locals, bars with their own labs, bars-within-bars—and did we mention speakeasies? 2025 has been a fantastic year for the already vibrant Indian dining-out scene, with older bars making themselves stronger and newer ones entering the fray in a variety of formats and styles (with speakeasies leading as the most popular format by a mile).

I have long argued that modern technologies can only be effective if governed by principle-based legislation. Prescriptive rules tend to be sclerotic, calcifying faster than the technology systems they seek to regulate.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. When Parvaiz tried to impress Emraan Hashmi with an off-key version of ‘Kaho na kaho’ in The Ba***ds of Bollywood, the homage to Bollywood’s ‘serial kisser’ went viral.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Fifteen years ago, Ian Ayres and Barry Nalebuff published a book with an intriguing argument. For decades, financial advisers had suggested to retail investors that they take more risk when young, investing heavily in stocks before gradually shifting to safer bonds as they edge towards retirement.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Apple has emerged from the AI doghouse. The stock hit a new all-time high this past week after surging 39% since Aug.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Kochi-Muziris Biennale is seeking redemption after a rough 2022-edition plagued by infrastructural challenges and logistical delays. As ripples of this chaos were palpable in the ensuing months, the team took a brief interlude to reassess, rethink and reimagine the biennale, which is now back with a new spirit.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Quick commerce platforms have unleashed a new weapon in their cutthroat battle for market share— ₹1 cosmetics. Swiggy Instamart and Zepto have launched campaigns in which customers can buy select beauty products for just ₹1 once they add cosmetics worth a certain amount to their cart.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Amazon Web Services on Tuesday unveiled a host of new artificial intelligence tools and features designed to help companies nab more value from generative AI. Included is a new category of AI agents that can carry out tasks for hours or days without getting stuck and asking users for help, AWS said.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. It’s been nearly 10 years since the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) arrived in the Indian market and revolutionized how Indians make everyday payments. More than 636 million UPI payments worth nearly ₹82,000 crore were made on an average day in November.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Traditional in-ear and over-ear headphones are built to create an immersive bubble, but in many contexts, immersion is a liability. It makes us unsafe on the street and anti-social in the office.

dowry system, a centuries-old practice in South Asia where a bride's family gives money, gifts, or property to the groom's family, continues to persist despite being outlawed in India. This tradition, often viewed as a burden on families and a source of gender inequality, has faced growing criticism in recent years. A viral wedding video on social media has offered a powerful example of how individuals are rejecting outdated customs and advocating for change.

Public Provident Fund (PPF) is one of India's most popular long-term investment options. It offers tax benefits, safety due to sovereign backing, and guaranteed returns. PPF comes with a 15-year lock-in period and EEE tax status (Exempt-Exempt-Exempt). Many investors invest in PPF due to the tax-free interest and maturity amount.