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The government has launched a ₹20,000 crore credit guarantee scheme for microfinance institutions to revive lending in the microfinance sector, which has been hit by a prolonged period of stress. The move is aimed at restoring lender confidence and improving credit flow to small borrowers.

Mint that its UK operations will not break even this fiscal.The timing is significant. Tata Steel has consistently maintained that its UK turnaround hinges on policy support to counter unfair import competition.

As reports emerged last week on which ships Iran had let through the Strait of Hormuz, India-bound carriers of LPG among them, one group was no surprise: vessels carrying Iranian crude exports. By data analytics firm Kpler’s estimate, Iran’s oil shipments kept up an average daily pace of 1.3-1.4 million barrels in March amid hostilities with the US and Israel. Most of it was headed for China, reportedly, bought by small refiners paying in Chinese yuan.

India's love for cricket has always been apparent, and the game is now larger than the entire sports industry was just a year ago. Despite real-money gaming companies pulling out of advertising, India’s sports economy crossed the $2 billion mark in 2025, growing at a healthy 13.4% year-on-year to ₹18,864 crore, according to a new report, Sporting Nation: Building a Legacy, released by global media investment company WPP Media.The sports industry, led by cricket, has doubled over the past four years, rising from ₹9,530 crore in 2021.

New Delhi: India’s top two-wheeler makers are bracing for pressure on margins and demand, as a surge in commodity costs linked to the ongoing West Asia war coincides with the impending withdrawal of electric vehicle (EV) subsidies. The twin blow has led to concerns that the companies, including TVS Motor, Bajaj Auto and Hero MotoCorp, may be forced to raise prices, absorb cost pressures, or risk slowing adoption of EVs.Analysts and industry executives note that the removal of subsidies under the government's PM E-Drive scheme from April can lead to price hikes of up to ₹5,000 for electric two wheelers.

₹6,835 crore (about $735 million) from five foreign banks to fund its ₹91,000 crore semiconductor fabrication (fab) facility in Gujarat. The lenders have put conditions on ownership, branding and equity that reflect their reliance on the Tata Group’s credit profile and the tight financing terms shaping India’s chip manufacturing push, according to company filings and executives aware of the matter.The lenders have stipulated that the Tatas retain a 51% stake in TSML, the wholly owned subsidiary of the privately held Tata Electronics, and continue using the ‘Tata’ brand, according to documents filed with the ministry of corporate affairs.

“These disconnected issues do not take away the confidence in private banks,” said Pratik Shah, partner and national leader, financial services, EY India.Shah’s optimism also stems from stronger regulatory guardrails. He said the regulatory review and oversight process has only got better and more robust over the last few years, and there have been cases where the regulator has not been shy about imposing fines or even shutting down businesses.“I think the environment around us is becoming more and more complex, and business risks are manifesting themselves in a different manner.

Indian trade negotiators and diplomats soliciting foreign investment never miss an opportunity to showcase the country’s swelling middle and its robust legal system as the cornerstone of a vibrant democracy. Data emerging from recent research, however, shows both these bragging points to be over-wrought and unsaleable today.The size of India’s vaunted middle-class is projected to go from 500 million individuals currently to over 700 million in 4-5 years.

₹1,800 per month for a starting dose, which translates to ₹450 per week. While some of its competitors have launched injectable vials at lower prices, Alkem’s generic pen undercuts other pen devices launched on Saturday, which are in the range of ₹3,000-4,000 a month.“Affordable pricing will empower healthcare practitioners to offer the therapy to as many deserving patients as they feel,” Alkem's chief executive officer (CEO) Vikas Gupta told Mint in an interview.

”The back-and-forth was the latest demonstration of one of the dangers that AI technology has posed to global affairs: Not only can AI fakery deceive millions online, but real videos can also be dismissed as AI-generated lies,” a New York Times report said. The phenomenon, known as the “liar’s dividend,” has proliferated during the current West Asia conflict, with thousands of videos leaving watchers unable to tell the difference.As far as can be verified, Netanyahu appears hale and hearty.Meanwhile, Israel assassinated two top Iranians: Ali Larijani, a former nuclear negotiator and secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Brigadier General Gholamreza Soleimani, head of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force.The killings underscore a problem highlighted by US President Donald Trump on Friday: there are few leaders left in Iran to negotiate an end to the war.

Climate Change and You is a fortnightly newsletter written by Bibek Bhattacharya and Sayantan Bera. Subscribe to the newsletter to get it directly in your inbox.Dear reader,Recently, while working on a story on farmer-owned companies, I came across an ancient variety of rice. The heirloom rice variety, known as Kala Namak, comes from eastern Uttar Pradesh.

farmer incomes, rural livelihoods and export competitiveness. It also mirrors deeper structural issues in the agriculture sector that accounts for around 16% of India’s gross domestic product (GDP), with nearly 46% of the country’s workforce dependent on agriculture."India’s cotton production has remained largely stagnant in recent years, weighed down by technological stagnation, pest resistance, and structural bottlenecks that have eroded farm profitability and discouraged acreage expansion," said Ajai Rana, chairman, Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII), an association of research-driven seed companies in India.To address the challenges of stagnant cotton productivity, Union budget 2025-26 announced a five-year Cotton Mission and allocated ₹500 crore to increase cotton productivity, especially extra-long staple varieties.

Mumbai: As war roils the Persian Gulf and the global economy feels its shockwaves, just across the Arabian Sea in Mumbai sits Great Eastern Shipping Co. Ltd, one of the few winners of a conflict that nobody but a few wanted.India's largest private shipowner, with a fleet of 40 vessels, is benefiting as global ship chartering rates surge amid the war entering its fourth week on Saturday.

Jupiter International Ltd (JIL), a Kolkata-based homegrown solar cell manufacturer, has appointed bankers to help raise $300 million through an initial public offering (IPO), three people familiar with the matter said.The company has appointed IIFL, Axis Capital, Nomura and ICICI Securities, the people said, adding that the draft papers are likely to be filed in May. “The issue will be largely to raise primary capital to fuel expansion plans,” one of the people cited above said on the condition of anonymity.Jupiter, IIFL, Axis, and ICICI did not respond to Mint’s requests for a comment till the time of publishing.

₹1,558 crore, a decline from FY25’s 15.4% growth to ₹1,874 crore.Exports have been a key drag this year amid tariff uncertainty. With 36% of FY25 revenue coming from overseas markets, the impact is material. In Q3FY26, export growth slipped to the low single digits.

department of telecommunications (DoT) to a parliamentary panel, come as both operators grapple with capital constraints and uneven network strength across regions, prompting a rethink on overlapping network infrastructure.“Discussions have started between the two of them. The Department will report progress regarding this by next year,” telecom secretary Amit Agrawal told the parliamentary committee as cited in its report dated 16 March available on the Lok Sabha website.The parliamentary committee on communications and information technology, chaired by member of parliament Nishikant Dubey, has asked DoT to facilitate a structured and time-bound decision on comprehensive infrastructure sharing between the two.“The committee are of the view that, where there is direct or indirect government participation in the utilization of towers, duplication of creation of infrastructure and unwanted capital expenditure can be avoided,” it said in the report tabled in Lok Sabha on 16 March.The panel added that in regions where one operator has a stronger presence than the other, collaborative use of towers, fibre, spectrum and other network assets could expand service reach, optimise resource use, reduce expenditure, increase connectivity and accelerate 5G rollout.It has also asked the telecom department to prepare and submit, within six months, a detailed analysis on the sharing of towers, fibre, spectrum, and other network infrastructure, outlining progress, modalities and estimated financial savings to ensure optimal use of public resources and efficient nationwide 5G deployment.Communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, however, told Mint that any such arrangement would be a commercial decision.

₹1,000–1,200 crore, three people familiar with the matter said.The firm is targeting a valuation between ₹5,000–7,000 crore for a listing and has appointed IIFL, Motilal Oswal and Axis Capital as advisors to help with the issue, the people added.“The listing, which is expected to happen in FY27, is largely dominated by an offer for sale by existing investors with a smaller primary component to raise fresh capital for expansion plans,” one of the people cited above said on the condition of anonymity.If it goes as planned, Rentomojo will join the growing list of startups such as PhonePe, Flipkart, Zepto, boAt, Shiprocket, Infra.Market, OfBusiness and Shadowfax that are looking to tap the public markets this year.However, rising tensions in West Asia have dampened investor sentiment and impacted valuations, prompting several companies, including PhonePe, to defer their listing plans.“The markets are uncertain and it’s difficult to see where the valuations will land,” a second person said.Mails sent to Rentomojo, IIFL, Motilal and Axis did not elicit a response till the time of publishing.Founded in 2014 by Geetansh Bamania and Ajay Nain, Rentomojo began with the aim to serve a new generation of urban Indian professionals who move cities frequently for work.The startup's subscription model allows customers to rent household essentials without committing to ownership—an offering increasingly relevant for professionals, especially those working in IT and BPO jobs.As it moves closer to an IPO, the company is increasing its focus on operational efficiency, customer trust, and scalable growth—key priorities as it transitions from a startup to a listed entity.Last year, Mint reported that the startup was looking to raise a fresh

emissions data from about 70 plants to establish this baseline. But a review found mismatches between reported emissions and fuel use or production levels at some units, while others used differing calculation methods.

Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that Unilever plans to spin off its food business, after carving out its ice-cream unit into The Magnum Ice Cream Company, including India’s Kwality Walls. It continues to sell brands such as Hellmann’s, Kissan, Brooke Bond and Horlicks in India.“Looking ahead, our priorities are clear: more beauty and well-being and personal care,” Unilever CEO Fernando Fernandez said in July 2025.Later, the Financial Times reported that Unilever and Kraft Heinz held talks about a potential merger of their food businesses.While the future of these deals is uncertain, they reflect a broader global trend of major FMCG companies reducing their food portfolios—a contrast to India, where private capital is pouring into packaged foods.

After HDFC Bank chairman Atanu Chakraborty resigned in an abrupt move that the board led by his interim replacement Keki Mistry was reportedly baffled by, stakeholder attention was drawn to what the former may have meant by practices in his observation over the past two years being incongruent with his personal “values and ethics,” which is what he cited to explain his sudden departure. Chakraborty didn’t elaborate. “There are no other material reasons for my resignation,” he wrote in his resignation letter.

MUMBAI: Sewing machine manufacturer Singer India Ltd. plans to focus on premiumization and diversification into consumer products to garner a greater share in the domestic and industrial markets that are currently flooded by Chinese products.“Today we have been able to completely reposition ourselves as a premium product,” Rakesh Khanna, vice-chairman and managing director of Singer India, told Mint.The company plans to invest over ₹100 crore in the next three years in a new plant to increase production of zig zag sewing machines.