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New Delhi: India’s two-wheeler market has just logged a record year, crossing 20 million units in sales, but the milestone comes with a fresh bout of regulatory uncertainty. Manufacturers are still awaiting a formal notification on the Centre’s proposal to mandate anti-lock braking systems (ABS) on all two-wheelers below 125 cc from 1 January.Even as the cost increase-wary industry pushes for a combined braking system (CBS) as an alternative, Mint explains why the government is pressing ahead with ABS and the safety trade-offs at the centre of the debate.For one, India is the world’s biggest two-wheeler market by sales.

₹336 per bag of 50 kg, as per Elara Securities (India).A key drag on the overall pricing trajectory came from the southern region, which registered the steepest sequential drop of 3.9% to ₹304 due to subdued demand. After witnessing the sharpest price hikes of nearly ₹20-45 per bag in April, cement prices in the south have consistently trended downward and ended 2025 on a weak note, said the Elara report dated 30 December.Prices in Tamil Nadu and Kerala fell by around ₹5 per bag, while prices in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were flat month-on-month in December.The problem of the South? The region has been primarily experiencing an oversupply, along with relatively lower demand growth.

The number of small businesses going public grew at a slower pace this year as stringent regulatory requirements to curb frenzy and unfavourable macroeconomic conditions dampened issuances.The number of initial public offerings (IPOs) on the small and medium enterprises (SME) platforms grew 12.5% so far this year compared with a 31% surge in 2024, according to a report from Pantomath Capital Advisors.The Securities and Exchange Board of India's (Sebi's) regulatory curbs significantly contributed to the slowdown by tightening eligibility, governance, and fund-use norms starting late 2024 and into 2025, said Jay Jhaveri, partner at Bhuta Shah and Co. LLP.

Mint. They argue that the Centre’s recent record of meeting deficit targets provides enough credibility and momentum to navigate the next phase of consolidation.“The discipline built over the past few years gives us room to navigate the current volatility without losing sight of the medium-term path,” said one of the persons mentioned above, who spoke under the condition of anonymity.According to this official, the Centre expects to end FY26 with a fiscal deficit of about 4.3% of GDP, slightly better than the 4.4% target, lifted by stronger dividends from state-run financial institutions and banks, a hefty transfer from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and buoyant non-tax revenues.The second official acknowledged near-term turbulence but maintained it does not derail the trajectory.“If revenues remain broadly stable and we keep our capital spending disciplined and purposeful, the medium-term trajectory stays intact,” the official above said.Recent reports indicate the Centre will likely limit fiscal deficit to 4.1-4.2% in FY27, keeping it aligned with the glide path to the FY31 debt goal.The central government’s debt stood at 57.1% of nominal GDP in FY25, according to FY26 union budget documents, which proposed a shift to debt-to-GDP targeting.

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] goods companies are heading into 2026 expecting a pickup in volume-led growth, supported by stable commodity costs, easing inflation and revised goods and services tax (GST) rates, even as a weakening rupee continues to pose risks to margin guidance.Senior executives across fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and consumer durables companies said demand conditions are improving after a prolonged period of sluggish growth, aided by easing food inflation, GST changes and a more supportive macroeconomic environment.“If I had to look ahead to 2026, a large part of growth is likely to be volume-led.

Mint’s requests for comment.The development comes weeks after InMobi raised $350 million in new financing from Varde Partners, Elham Credit Partners and SeaTown Holdings, according to a report by The Economic Times.The report said most of the proceeds would be used to fund a share buyback from existing investors, primarily SoftBank and other private equity shareholders.Following the transaction, SoftBank’s stake fell to about 5–7% from around 35%. The deal was finalised at a valuation of under $1 billion.Founded in 2007 by Naveen Tewari, InMobi offers mobile display advertising, app-install campaigns and other adtech solutions, increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence to serve advertisers.The company works with marketers and publishers, helping them connect with target audiences using data-driven analytics and providing tools for monetization, consent management and user engagement.In 2019, InMobi diversified beyond adtech with the launch of Glance, a lock-screen content discovery platform preloaded on smartphones.

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] persistent foreign investment outflows and a weakening rupee, several of India's premier conglomerates emerged as standout creators of shareholder wealth,outperforming even the benchmark indices.Collectively, the top 10 corporate groups by market capitalization now command nearly 24% of the country's ₹474 trillion (as on 26 December) total market capitalization, reflecting their massive—though slightly diminished—footprint on Dalal Street, down from 30% in 2022.However, performance within this elite group was far from uniform.

₹10 crore, compared with ₹1 crore earlier (excluding penalties of up to ₹5 lakh per day for delayed compliance).Delayed filings of claim details, including date of filing and reason for rejection, could lead to penalties as high as ₹1 lakh per day. It can even conduct search and seizures on insurers, brokers, banks, non-banking finance companies, distributors or third-party associates in case of tampering of proof or documents for fraud.The new bill also formally recognises repositories for e-policy servicing.These moves could collectively rebuild trust in insurance and enhance insurance adoption in India, which dropped to 3.7% in the last fiscal year from 4% in 2023-24, even as non-life insurers witnessed a rise in net incurred claims ratio to 82.88% in 2024-25.“India still has relatively low insurance penetration and uneven social security coverage.

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]: Even by outlier standards, Coforge Ltd has been on a tear in India's $283-billion information technology (IT) services industry.It grew the fastest sequentially among the top 10 peers in the industry in calendar 2025, which helped it jump two places to the No.

narrated their misdeed in great detail and how Sebi’s surveillance system flagged this “unusual trading activity.” A thrilling read.Gensol & BluSmart: A tale of debt woesYet another investigation by Sood focused on two companies, one public, the second one private. BluSmart, the private business, once emerged as the third alternative in the ride-hailing business dominated by Uber and Ola back then. It became the go-to cab service for airport trips for many flyers.

₹15,000 crore, as per estimates from the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways. The guidelines speak of three to four shipbuilding clusters in coastal states, with only one in each state.

aircraft that carries goods instead of passengers.If freighter operations move out of Mumbai, cargo capacity will shrink sharply, pushing up air freight rates, Kumar said. Shipping from Navi Mumbai would also be more expensive as the airport has limited cargo freighters and no international passenger flights, reducing available belly space and creating supply constraints.In contrast, Delhi operates under an open sky policy, allowing a higher number of cargo flights.

New Delhi: India's rollout of surrogate advertising guidelines is likely to be delayed further, as the government struggles to find clear legal authority under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, two people familiar with the matter said. This complicates efforts to rein in indirect promotion of alcohol and indirect promotion ofbrands while prolonging regulatory uncertainty for companies operating under existing advertising restrictions.There is little clarity yet on a timeline for the guidelines even after one-and-a-half years of a government panel first meeting to fix these gaps from which surrogate promotions scrape throughThe consumer law does not define surrogate advertising or treat indirect promotion of prohibited products such as alcohol and tobacco as a standalone offence, limiting the government's ability to issue binding rules.“The consumer affairs ministry is examining whether the guidelines can be rolled out through executive action, while the department of consumer affairs is of the view that the current law allows intervention only when an advertisement is misleading with respect to the product being promoted, limiting the scope for such guidelines,” said the first of the two people cited above.In most such cases, the advertised product, such as packaged water, soda, music CDs or merchandise, is legally sold and not misleading in isolation, even if it uses the same brand name, logo or colours as a prohibited product.

₹580 crore to the sponsorship, spread over two and a half years. “This impact is likely to reflect in financials from Q3 onwards,” Motilal Oswal’s analysts noted.Apollo’s consolidated Ebitda margin in the September quarter (Q2FY26) had risen 130 basis points (bps) year-on-year to 14.9%, the highest in the past six quarters, having declined about 110 bps to 13.2% in Q1.

compressed natural gas (CNG) and city gas distribution (CGD) prices cheaper.Noting that the regulator is vested with power primarily to fix tariffs for natural gas pipelines, the report said: "However, other remaining major part of delivered cost of gas i.e. gas prices, regasification charges (including truck loading charges) are currently not in PNGRB’s regulatory oversight.

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] Nifty 50 and S&P BSE Sensex are among the worst performers globally, even as markets elsewhere surge: South Korea’s Kospi leads with 67.5% gains in 2025 so far, followed by Brazil at 31.6% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng at 28%.Indian equities trailing global peers this year has prompted investors to ask whether this is a passing phase or a deeper trend.

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] Indian government will focus on boosting the adoption of electric buses and trucks and charging infrastructure in 2026, which remains crucial for the nation’s goal of 30% electric mobility by 2030.E-trucks and e-buses under the ₹10,900-crore PM E-Drive scheme would be the government’s priority in 2026, as incentives for electric two- and three-wheelers under the scheme are set to lapse in March 2026, a senior government official directly aware of the development said.Overall adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) rose in India despite supply-chain disruptions in 2025, stemming from China’s grip in rare earths.

₹6,049 crore, chief executive officer Akhilesh Kumar Dixit said in an interview on Monday.The enterprise and equity values of the deal are estimated at $723 million and $500 million, respectively, said another person in the know of the developments.The proposed transaction would rank among the largest deals in India’s fast-growing smart metering sector and highlights the financial stress at EESL, even as IntelliSmart plays a key role in the country’s $30-billion programme to replace 250 million conventional electricity meters with smart ones.Set up in 2019, IntelliSmart was awarded 22 million smart meter orders in the backdrop of India running the world’s largest electricity smart metering programme that aims to replace 250 million conventional meters with smart ones at a $30 billion investment. This will not just help reduce power theft but also ensure reliable electricity supply.IntelliSmart has installed 5 million smart meters and has presence across Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Bihar.

all-stock deal will bring Advent and Warburg Pincus onto Coforge’s board, a move that could bolster its fundraising prospects. Coforge will issue shares worth $1.89 billion to Encora’s shareholders at ₹1,815 apiece, and may raise about $550 million through a qualified institutional placement or a bridge loan to retire Encora’s term debt.The deal—India’s largest ever in IT services—could lift Coforge’s FY27 revenue by 28%, according to Jefferies India.

Times of India reported that Warburg was planning to sell its stake in a transaction that could value IndiaFirst at more than ₹10,000 crore.Set up in 2009, IndiaFirst offers a range of life insurance products, including term plans, savings and retirement solutions. Its initial shareholders were Bank of Baroda, Andhra Bank, now part of Union Bank of India, and Legal & General Middle East Ltd.In February 2019, Legal & General sold its stake to Carmel Point Investments India Pvt.

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]. Mumbai: After plummeting over 6% in 2025 and breaching the psychologically-important 90-per-dollar mark, the Indian rupee is heading into 2026 carrying the weight of weak capital flows, global trade uncertainty and shifting central bank strategy.Yet, beneath the headline depreciation, economists and market participants said the outlook for the currency next year is far from one-way depreciation and hinges crucially on how the external sector evolves, especially India's trade deal with the US.At the heart of the debate is whether this year's weakness marks the start of a more prolonged downcycle or a painful, but necessary adjustment.“Typically, the rupee needs to depreciate to the extent of the interest rate differential between the US and India, but the reality is that the external front has been hit hard by US tariffs," Neeraj Gambhir, executive firector at Axis Bank said.