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cash management company reported a decent performance in the September 2024 quarter, with 15% year-on-year revenue growth. The performance was supported by significant growth in the managed services segment (36% year-on-year) and moderate growth (8% year-on-year) in the cash management services segment. However, margins (both EBITDA and PAT) contracted quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year amid lower realisations in the cash management segment, execution delays, and lower transactions in Brown Label ATMs (BLA). Analysts believe that such margin compression is temporary and expect performance acceleration in the second half of the current financial year. The company provides cash logistics services, including ATM and retail cash management and cash in transit. It is expanding into managed services like banking automation, ATM software, and remote monitoring. As a key partner for banks, NBFCs, retailers, and e-commerce firms, CMS Info leverages its network, technology, and solution-focused approach to tackle complex challenges.

Union Budget 2025, anticipation is building across sectors. Personal finance enthusiasts and taxpayers alike are curious about what the Budget proposals will mean for their pockets. For this week’s cover story, we reached out to industry experts, tax professionals and financial advisers to know what they want to see in the Finance Bill 2025. Some of these expectations, such as a separate deduction for life insurance, lower tax on annuities and higher tax exemption for senior citizens, are longstanding demands and are unlikely to be fulfilled. However, North Block may find some other suggestions worth considering. For instance, one expert has suggested that taxpayers be rewarded with a group life insurance linked to the taxes they pay. As little as 1% of the tax paid by an individual can go into paying the premium of a group insurance cover equal to five times the tax paid. Another expert has suggested steps that could make the NPS more attractive to investors. The ultra low-cost scheme has everything that one looks for in a pension plan, but it is still not the preferred investment vehicle for retirement planning. Perhaps more tax benefits are needed to push people towards a scheme that can help them retire in comfort.

National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has approved the demerger scheme of Raymond Ltd, paving the way for the reorganisation of its real estate business into a separate entity, Raymond Realty. The move is aimed at unlocking the growth potential of the group's real estate vertical and attract strategic investors. Raymond Ltd, the demerged company, will transfer its real estate assets and operations to Raymond Realty Limited, the resulting company, effective from April 1, 2025. As part of the scheme of this demerger exercise, existing Raymond shareholders will be receiving one equity share of Raymond Realty for every share held in Raymond Ltd.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Accenture Plc’s renewed hiring—it added 49,000 people globally in the last six months—suggests technology services companies expect a much better growth in the coming months, according to analysts. The Dublin-headquartered company’s hiring spree paints a sanguine outlook for homegrown IT services companies that are expected to record better growth in the coming quarters, the analysts said.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Uttar Pradesh government is working to unveil a new export policy for 2025-30, aiming to significantly enhance the state’s contribution to India’s overall exports. In an interview, UP’s minister for industrial development and export promotion Nand Gopal Gupta said the proposed policy targets increasing the state's share in India’s total exports to 7.5%, up from the current share of about 5%, by focusing on key sectors, including agricultural products.

Sobha group, plans to set up homes under Devi Home in Moolamcode, Palakkad. This philanthropic initiative is designed to provide a safe housing facility for orphaned girls aged 10 years and below and elderly women aged 50 years and above. Spread over 26,000 sq ft of land, the facility of 42,000 sq ft of built-up area will provide necessities like food, clothing, and shelter. In addition, it will offer educational support for young girls and skill-training workshops for elderly women, enhancing their productivity and overall well-being. PNC Menon, Founder & Chairman Emeritus of Sobha Limited said, «The name ‘Devi’ stands for resilience, care, and the nurturing spirit, which is the very foundation of this project. Devi Home is our endeavour to provide a safe and compassionate philanthropic home for young girls and elderly women who are often overlooked by society. At Sobha, we believe in creating meaningful opportunities for those in need, and this initiative embodies our vision of fostering dignity, respect, and a sense of belonging.»

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. As the new year approaches, the pursuit of self-improvement takes center stage. Traditional vision boards, often adorned with magazine cutouts and inspirational quotes, have long been a staple for those striving to manifest their dreams.

Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojana, which will provide monthly assistance of Rs 1,000 to women in the city, will begin tomorrow. In its 2024-25 budget, the Delhi government had announced this scheme to provide Rs 1,000 per month to all women aged above 18. However, Kejriwal recently announced that the amount would be raised to Rs 2,100 if his party returns to power in the assembly elections, slated for February next year.

Indian Army on Sunday extended condolences to the family of Tashi Namgyal, the Ladakhi shepherd who is credited with alerting Indian troops about Pakistinfiltration during the 1999 Kargil conflict. Namgyal passed away yesterday in central Ladakh's Aryan Valley. In a post on X, the Fire and Fury Corps official handle said the Indian Army shall remain indebted to his contribution to the nation, and his selfless sacrifice shall forever be remembered.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The freelance economy in India has witnessed extraordinary growth, transforming from a niche working arrangement into a mainstream career choice. With more than 15 million active freelancers and an industry projected to reach $50 billion by 2032, the sector represents a significant shift in how Indians approach work.

“I cried on Google Meet in front of the tech lead. I don’t know how to face this situation now,” the employee, a fresh graduate who had joined the company just two months prior, wrote. The developer described the uphill battle he faced from the start: vague instructions, excessively long working hours, and no formal training. He revealed that the company consisted of two employees and three founders, with one founder doubling as the tech lead.

The Centre has also proposed an additional `5,000 crore incentive under the scheme to encourage urban planning. A set of guidelines for availing of loans under this window has been circulated to state chief secretaries, the officials said. This follows an assurance by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman to state finance ministers at Friday’s prebudget discussions. The Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) provides financial assistance to states through the 50-year, interest-free loan for capital investment projects.

productivity in India.

Narendra Modi praised India and Kuwait's strong commercial connections dating back to the nineteenth century, as well as IMEEC as an idea that provided the globe with new direction. Addressing the Indian diaspora in Kuwait City, Modi reflected on the two nations' common ambitions, Viksit Bharat and New Kuwait, and emphasised that there were several potential for India and Kuwait to collaborate. India's skill sets and creativity might lead to new collaborations between the two nations. He said that Ayurveda was assisting the globe with wellbeing while underlining India's contributions to the world in terms of science and innovation.

King Charles provides a hilarious three-word update on his health. Nobody would blame King Charles for taking it easy during the hectic royal holiday season at the age of 76 and battling cancer. However, during his final public appearance before Christmas on Friday, December 20, the King conducted his usual business while providing a brief health update. In order to celebrate community cohesion and interact with local leaders and youth, King Charles and Queen Camilla travelled to the Walthamstow borough of London. When Sikh faith representative Harvinder Rattan enquired about his well-being, the King joked that «I'm still alive», as reported by The Mirror. His joke comes after another health update on the King, which revealed Friday morning that His Majesty's cancer treatments would last until 2025. A palace source told Sky News that the monarch has been moving in a positive direction, and as a managed condition, the treatment cycle will continue into next year.

Among them: changes to state-level overtime and minimum wage rules, the delayed federal FinCEN registration, taxes on payments from third-party providers like Venmo and PayPal, and anything that might affect inflation, including tariffs, as per AP report. The Small Business Administration is also ushering in a new leader, Trump loyalist Kelly Loeffler, assuming she’s confirmed by the Senate. “I think there a general sense that there is going to be obviously a pro-business administration on the regulatory side,” said Karen Kerrigan, President and CEO of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, an advocacy group. “But there could be some nuances specifically on, say, workplace or labor rules. But that’s still to be determined.”

Johnny Zuagar says he’s tried to hide his worries about a potential government shutdown from his three boys as he weighs how much to spend on Christmas presents

The Federal Reserve lowered its interest rate target three times in 2024.

ET Now: Give us a sense of where, if at all, you are seeing strength in the market right now. If we look at the week-to-date move across indices, pharma has ended in the positive. FMCG and IT have been among the least losing indices compared to others like metals, auto, and realty. Do you think defensives such as FMCG, IT, and pharma can continue to offer support? Would these pockets provide some comfort to investors struggling with where to allocate funds in a falling market?

The agreement provides a framework for cooperative activities in human space exploration and research, especially in areas such as astronaut training, support for experiment development and integration, using ESA facilities on the International Space Station (ISS), human and biomedical research experiment implementation as well as joint education and outreach activities, ISRO said in a statement. For the upcoming Axiom-4 mission in which ISRO's Gaganyatri and ESA's astronaut are crew members, both agencies are collaborating to implement shortlisted experiments by Indian Principal Investigators on ISS, it said.