Provident Financial News

Meta offices. According to The New York Times, facilities managers across Meta’s offices in Silicon Valley, Texas, and New York were instructed to remove the menstrual products, which had previously been provided for non-binary and transgender employees. As per the reports, this move was part of Meta’s broader strategy to align its internal policies with the anticipated values of the incoming political leadership. The company implemented a range of changes, such as eliminating transgender and nonbinary customisation options from its Messenger app and revising its «Hateful Conduct» guidelines. In a major policy shift, Meta ended its US fact-checking program and introduced a community-based notes system, inspired by the model used on X. CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended the move, stating that traditional fact-checking had been perceived as politically biased and had undermined public trust.

Loan providers and education consultants reported a surge in applications and inquiries, reflecting a growing financial awareness among students and their families. “While education spends have been growing across the entire spectrum of the student lifecycle, overseas education has been one of the sub-segments with significant growth in recent years,” said Amit Gainda, chief executive of Avanse Financial Services (AFS).

An exchange-traded fund provider is helping investors make more bets on Wall Street's most profitable momentum trades.

Delhi Jal Board (DJB), which manages water distribution to 2.7 million registered consumers, struggles every year in summers with both water quality and quantity. The national capital relies heavily on supplies from neighboring states and facing challenges in meeting growing demand. A severe water shortage during last year's summer led to restrictions and fines for water misuse. Tragically, a dispute over water resulted in a fatality in East Delhi. The Delhi government blamed Haryana for the crisis, alleging reduced water supply. The political tension between the two states escalated, with Delhi's then-water minister staging a protest. Delhi's water allocation, based on a 1994 agreement with neighboring states, is set to expire in 2025, raising concerns about future supplies. A government source highlighted the disparity in water allocation: “Delhi's share of water has been constant at 1,005MGD since 1994. Delhi, whose population has grown three times since 1994 to 3 crore, receives 1,005 MGD of water, while Haryana, with a population also of 3 crore, receives 6,500 MGD of river water.” A long-delayed dam project in Himachal Pradesh, intended to supplement Delhi's water resources, remains incomplete.

Universal Account Number (UAN) and linking your bank account with Aadhaar to January 15, 2024. The UAN activation and linking of bank account with Aadhaar is necessary to avail of benefits under the EPFO's Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme. Originally deadline was set for November 30, 2024, it was previously extended to December 15, 2024, before it was extended by one month. PF claim settlement rule change: Now EPF members will get more interest money on EPF withdrawal, faster settlement Employees looking to claim monetary benefits under the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) scheme must activate their UAN) and link their Aadhaar to their bank account. This mandatory process, overseen by the Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), is essential for availing the scheme's benefits. The ELI Scheme was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during the Union Budget 2024 in July. The ELI scheme comprises three variants: A, B, and C.

A One-Time Mandate (OTM) is a directive given by an investor to a mutual fund house to invest a specific lumpsum amount in a particular mutual fund scheme. Unlike systematic investment plans (SIPs), which involve regular, periodic investments, an OTM involves a single, one-off investment. This approach allows investors to deploy their funds immediately based on their financial goals, market outlook, or specific investment opportunities. Also Read | Small cap mutual funds see inflows of over Rs 34,000 crore in 2024

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Infosys Ltd has alleged that its former executive S Ravi Kumar deliberately delayed the rollout of its product rivalling Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp’s healthcare solution as he was in talks to join as the chief executive of the Nasdaq-listed firm. Infosys Ltd filed a complaint in a US court on Thursday, claiming that Kumar delayed Helix, Infosys’s healthcare claims processing software, by 18 months when he was negotiating a switch to Cognizant.

Constellation is buying power natural gas and geothermal power provider Calpine in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $16.4 billion, joining together two of the country’s biggest power companies

Flexible office provider Awfis Space Solution has picked up an office space over more than 197,000 sq ft in a commercial complex in Pune’s Kharadi locality through a long-term lease of over five years. The company will be paying rentals of Rs 18 per sq ft a month during the fit-out period of initial three months starting from the license commencement date of January 1. The lease rentals during the rest of the term will be based on the profit share and minimum guarantee agreement between the company and the project’s developer.

portfolio investors to make granular disclosures about their investors holding any ownership or economic interest. At present, certain foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) with equity assets under management (AUM) exceeding Rs 25,000 crore are required to provide granular details of all their investors or stakeholders on a look-through basis. The norms are aimed at preventing the possible round-tripping by certain promoters using the FPI route.

The label will be applied to the Aegon Sustainable Diversified Growth and Aegon Sustainable Equity funds from the end of March 2025. Miranda Beacham, head of responsible investment at Aegon Asset Management UK, said: «We are very pleased to see SDR is gathering momentum in providing greater clarity and confidence in the market for our clients and look forward to adopting the new labels for our funds.» Aegon AM's Miranda Beacham: FCA should create SDR label for ethical funds The firm clarified, however, that its Ethical Equity, Ethical Corporate Bond, and Ethical Cautious Managed fu...

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Los Angeles wildfires are set to be the costliest blaze in U.S. history, analysts said Thursday, as the first initial estimates of damage from the infernos soared with their unchecked spread.

Malaysia has gorgeous attractions, including both marvellous cities and beautiful coastlines, rainforests, and multiethnicity. From enjoying the tall and prestigious structure of the Petronas Twin Tower in Kuala Lumpur to the mountainous trails of the Cameron Highlands or the scenic dive in Sipadan Island, having the right travel insurance for Malaysia is crucial.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi) recently released the updated half-yearly data on market capitalization classifications for listed stocks. As defined by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), largecaps are the top 100 companies by market capitalization, midcaps are ranked 101 to 250, and smallcaps are those ranked 251 and beyond.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) plans to use India as a testbed for new decarbonisation technologies that would then be commercially operationalised in other developing countries.

Infosys, has come forward to take up the ambitious skill census program to take forward in a more beneficial way to improve the employment opportunities in the state by providing necessary technical assistance, a statement said. For pre-certification of the skills of the candidates as part of the skill census, Infosys, regardless of financial resources, has come forward to provide a digital platform through generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Corporation (APSDC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Infosys in the presence of the Minister for Education, Information Technology (IT) and Electronics, Nara Lokesh, here on Friday, a statement said. In a statement, it's mentioned that it is commendable that Infosys has come forward for data pre-validation under corporate social responsibility, Lokesh said. This will certainly make it easy to impart skill development training to the youth as per the market demand after assessing their talent, the minister felt.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has recommended the addition of a stage for voluntary mediation in insolvency cases filed by operational creditors, based on the findings of its expert committee and the Indian Institute of Insolvency Professionals of ICAI (IIPI).

Every time planned electrical outages are imposed on his village in southern Moldova, 73-year-old retiree Vasili Donici passes the time by solving crosswords and puzzles in a room he illuminates using a small gas lamp

Bitcoin (BTCUSD) surged above $100,000 early this week but has tumbled in recent days as investors reassess this year's interest rate outlook.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. It was known all along that Elon Musk, the billionaire acquirer of Twitter (later rebranded X), was against the moderation of posts on social media, preferring to let comments call out fake news and the like.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Becoming a financial advisor isn’t just about crunching numbers—it’s about navigating regulations, building trust, and offering solutions that resonate with clients. For those ready to step into this challenging but rewarding field, there are three key paths: obtaining a Mutual Fund Distributor (MFD) licence, registering as a Sebi Investment Advisor (RIA), or qualifying as a Sebi Research Analyst (RA).