Innovations Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Early-stage venture capital firm Peak XV’s seed platform Surge has seen its global footprint expand to markets such as Australia, China, the UK, and the US, according to a top company executive. Peak XV’s managing director Rajan Anandan told Mint in an interview that the program, which started off with focus on India and Southeast Asia, has now expanded to support companies in other markets.

Indian mutual fund industry, one that turns the very concept of passive investing on its head. Fund houses have discovered a convenient loophole in Sebi’s regulatory framework and are enthusiastically exploiting it. Sebi sensibly limits AMCs to launching just one actively managed fund in each plain category. This prevents the proliferation of near-identical products and reduces investor confusion. One large-cap fund, one mid-cap fund, and so on. It’s a straightforward approach that benefits everyone. Except that there’s a catch. This limitation doesn’t apply to passive funds. If there’s an index, a fund based on it can be launched. Therein lies the opportunity that fund houses have pounced upon—commission custom indices and launch ‘passive’ funds tracking them. The result? An absurd multiplication of indices. The National Stock Exchange now offers at least 120 equity indices, while the Bombay Stock Exchange has at least 64. While not all are created specifically for fund houses, they are readily available for AMCs. We now have indices with names like ‘Alpha Quality Value Low Volatility 30’, ‘EV & New Age Automotive’, ‘ESG’, ‘Enhanced ESG’, and my personal favourite, ‘ESG Sector Leaders’. This isn’t innovation; it’s simply clutter masquerading as choice.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. In a sector often seen as dull and transactional, M.V.S. Murthy, chief marketing officer (CMO) at Federal Bank, breathes life into banking conversations with rich sports metaphors and a deep focus on human connection.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Mumbai: With just over two weeks to go for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, JioStar—the joint venture between Reliance Industries Ltd’s Viacom18 and The Walt Disney Co.—has secured 12 sponsors and is targeting ₹5,000 crore in advertising revenue from this edition, according to two people aware of the matter. However, industry experts are not sure if this target is achievable.

DeepSeek revealed some financial numbers on Saturday, saying its “theoretical” profit margin could be more than five times costs, peeling back a layer of the secrecy that shrouds business models in the AI industry. The 20-month-old startup that rattled Silicon Valley with its innovative and inexpensive approach to building AI models, said on X its V3 and R1 models’ cost of inferencing to sales during a 24-hour-period on the last day of February put profit margins at 545%. Inferencing refers to the computing power, electricity, data storage and other resources needed to make AI models work in real time.

Accenture. Notably, in view of the influx of automation enabled by generative AI, 97% of Indian executives surveyed expect that the tasks their employees perform will moderately-to-significantly shift towards innovation over the next three years.

Shyam Gollakota has been able to pull off. A recipient of the Infosys Prize 2024, Gollakota, a professor at the University of Washington in Seattle, US, aims to augment human auditory perception using AI and change how humans interact with sound. The technology enables the programming of acoustic scenes, allowing specific sounds to be amplified or filtered out based on semantic descriptions. This means AI can isolate each sound, place it in a spatial context and manipulate what a listener should hear. “Humans naturally struggle to judge how far away a sound is coming from,” the professor explained. “If you close your eyes and try to estimate distance by listening, it’s difficult. Someone far away could be speaking loudly, while someone close might be speaking softly. But with AI-driven audio processing, we can create an effect where, as you move through a space, it feels like stepping through virtual sound walls — suddenly, you hear everything within your bubble and nothing outside it.”

moon marking the start of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, official media said on Friday. The «world-first» innovation puts a new twist on a centuries-old tradition where people scan the skies for the first glimpse of the newly visible moon. «The use of AI-powered drones extends the concept of direct visual observation, which remains the primary method for confirming the sighting of the crescent moon,» the WAM news agency said, citing the UAE Council for Fatwa.

Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said several innovations have been made for the Ahmedabad railway station redevelopment project, and special care is being taken to ensure that the facility's design reflects the city's rich heritage. Vaishnaw, who reviewed the redevelopment project, said architectural elements inspired by the city's heritage, such as the 'Jhulta Minar' (swaying minaret), kite festival, etc, will be incorporated into the design. He said this approach was in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to preserve the cultural fabric of modern India. The redevelopment is a part of the Indian Railways' ambitious Amrut Bharat station project, which aims to transform over 1,300 railway stations across the country.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: About a fourth of the 70-100 active startups focused on agricultural water management and treatment are at risk of shutting down due to a lack of funding, according to experts.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Ltd is poised to benefit from more premium products and new launches in the near future. The company’s management at its recent analysts meeting discussed new launches and innovation as it preps for the summer season ahead, particularly in its fans vertical.

National Science Day is observed annually on 28 February to commemorate the discovery of the Raman Effect by physicist CV Raman in 1928. Since 1986, this day has been celebrated across India to recognise scientific achievements and promote awareness among students and the public. Schools and institutions organise events such as essay writing and speech competitions to encourage students to explore science and its impact on society.

power nap. Often dismissed as the habit of the lazy, power naps are actually a powerful tool for recharging and rejuvenating.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. MUMBAI : The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) is in the process of creating guidelines to regulate cell and gene therapies and upgrading the framework to regulate biosimilars, as the Indian industry moves towards innovations in the space, Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) Rajeev Raghuvanshi said on Thursday. Raghuvanshi, who was speaking on the sidelines of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance’s (IPA) Global Pharmaceutical Quality Summit 2025, said that while the country's top drug regulator had been focusing on operational efficiency, it's also looking closely at newer areas.

The Qatar Investment Authority is leveraging its over-$500 billion in assets to attract venture capital firms to the hydrocarbon-rich state.

Tata Sons and Infosys on Thursday visited Bengaluru-based space startup Pixxel and explored its work in hyperspectral imaging and its role in shaping the future of Earth observation.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. On 17 February, a 4.0-magnitude earthquake jolted Delhi-NCR, not strong enough to cause damage, but powerful enough to cause concern. Too often, mild tremors are brushed aside as routine, yet they are stark reminders of India’s seismic vulnerability.

Wipro will be in focus on Thursday after the company announced that it will invest USD 200 million (approximately Rs 1,740 crore) into its subsidiary, Wipro Ventures, to boost funding for startups in the technology innovation space. This marks the fourth funding round for Wipro Ventures since its inception a decade ago, aimed at accelerating investments in early to mid-stage startups, according to a company statement.

European Commission to simplify the EU AI Act, said Michael McNamara, co-chair of European Parliament's AI Working Group.

Venu Srinivasan made early on was to strike out on his own, establishing TVS Motor as a quality-driven global brand.