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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] has the milk but not the export muscle.That imbalance has defined its dairy sector for years: a country that is among the world’s largest milk producers, yet remains a marginal player in global dairy trade.

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] Chinese zodiac predicts that 2026 will be the Year of the Fire Horse, symbolizing bold decisions, ambition and sharply moving away from the strategic thinking that was 2025, the Year of the Wood Snake.For both the employer and the employee in India Inc, there will be three prominent trends, says experts.

$100 and 120 million at a $500-550 million valuation. The latter, which first raised $2 million in May, is in talks to raise another round of funding, according to news website Moneycontrol.com.While more of these companies are likely to appear in 2026 and secure funding, they remain largely similar, with investors focused primarily on the size and disruptive potential of the market.In a business burdened by high customer acquisition costs, the core challenge lies in cracking unit economics.

rare earth magnets, a key input for sectors ranging from defence and electronics to renewable energy and electric vehicles.Mint unpacks the committee's recommendations and India's ambitions for rare earth magnets.Critical mineral security assumes significance amid geopolitical uncertainties and trade wars as nations try to leverage their resources to disrupt supply chains.China’s export ban on rare earth magnets in April 2025, which disrupted manufacturing supply chains globally, resulted from an escalating trade war, with the world’s second-largest economy retaliating to steep US tariffs.Beijing used its dominance in the sector–60% of the world’s rare earth mining and 90% of the world’s processing capacity–as a tool to disrupt supply chains, pushing manufacturers across the globe into a frenzy.The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), in its Sustainable Development Goals Pulse 2025 report in July this year, noted that minerals required for the energy transition – copper, zinc, germanium, tin, and nickel, among others – faced higher export restrictions compared to other traded critical minerals. “This trend reflects rising geopolitical sensitivities and growing domestic value chain ambitions in producing countries,” the report noted.The International Energy Agency narrowed and simplified this sentiment, focusing on how critical minerals are shaping the energy transition.

The Asian Drama, Gunnar Myrdal introduced the concept of the ‘soft state.’ He was really writing about South Asia, especially India, with barely any mention of the ‘miracle economies’ of East Asia.He characterized the Indian state as a ‘soft state,’ implying a government with limited capacity, unable to unwind a gridlock of competing interests that sucked up and dissipated scarce resources. This pre-empted the high growth necessary for reducing widespread poverty.India is now a fast-growing economy and poverty is much reduced, but regulatory failure to clean up the air in Delhi under successive governments suggests that the ‘soft state’ still prevails.Of late, the soft state has also been very visible in the awful tragedy in Arpora, Goa, where a fire at an unauthorized night club, Birch by Romeo Lane, killed 21 persons.

Mint.The deal size is expected to be $50-60 million ( ₹449-538 crore) and would likely provide a full exit to the promoters, one of the people said, adding that the transaction is likely to close in the coming weeks.The acquisition is part of Pulsar’s broader strategy to build a food platform through the consolidation of multiple assets, the second person said.Both spoke on the condition of anonymity.The mid-market private equity firm has a strong footprint across India, West Asia and other emerging markets. Led by former TPG executive Vish Narain, Pulsar has backed several consumer-facing companies, including Biryani by Kilo and Blue Tokai, and earlier this year partnered with PJP Investments to bring Papa John’s Pizza to India.Pulsar and Nandhana did not immediately respond to Mint’s requests for comment.Founded in 2004 by Ravichandar Ramaswamy, Nandhana Palace is among the more prominent Andhra-style restaurant chains, with multiple outlets across Bengaluru and Chennai.

tax department is accurate in most cases and that the return should therefore be revised. This assumption, however, is flawed.The problem is not one of intent or aggressive enforcement.

a criminal complaint the Boston Police Department filed this month with the city’s Municipal Court. The complaint said Kwatra then transferred the money from the refunds onto store gift cards and subsequently purchased merchandise with those gift cards.The Saks officials gave police a letter they said Kwatra wrote, estimating total losses at more than $400,000.

By 2027, the world's electricity consumption is expected to rise by about 8300 TWh, with emerging economies making the largest contribution.India's 1700 TWh electricity demand is predicted to increase by more than 20% by 2027 due to industrialisation and the ambitions of the country's expanding middle class.India's power transmission market is expanding significantly due to the country's electrical grid modernisation and expansion, which support its growing industrial base and rising electricity demand resulting from urbanisation and economic growth.With growth rates much higher than the global average, the nation is one of the most vibrant and quickly expanding power transmission markets in the world.However, certain stocks in the power transmission sector have seen significant declines, dropping by as much as 55% from their 52-week highs.Let's discuss four of these stocks. Please note, this is neither a stock recommendation nor a fundamental analysis of these companies.Transformers and Rectifiers (India) has established itself as a top partner for high-voltage power transformers and reactors for customers worldwide, with three cutting-edge transformer manufacturing facilities.Its wide range of products includes power transformers up to 500 MVA and 1200 kV class, furnace transformers, rectifier and distribution transformers and speciality transformers for a variety of uses, including locomotive traction, series and shunt reactors, and mobile substations.

Artificial intelligence has emerged as the fastest-growing segment for large IT services companies, but with a twist. Experts and industry leaders both say that the red-hot technology is not materially expanding revenues, instead improving efficiency while cannibalising current revenue visibility.For Accenture Plc, the world’s biggest IT services company, advanced AI revenue more than doubled year-on-year (y-o-y) to $1.1 billion, against a 5.95% y-o-y rise in quarterly revenue of $18.74 billion in the September-November quarter.

As part of a broader effort to cut costs, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) will shut down its 3G mobile services nationwide. The state-owned telecom operator also plans to terminate annual maintenance contracts (AMCs) with vendors such as Nokia and Chinese equipment maker ZTE for the 3G sites, according to two officials familiar with the matter and letters seen by Mint.The move comes as the state-run telecom operator focuses on its 4G network, having currently installed 97,481 4G towers across the country.

Mint reported earlier on 1 November that PMI, EKA and Olectra were eyeing this tender. EKA confirmed the development to Mint.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. PNB Housing Finance Ltd has come full circle. Ajai Kumar Shukla took charge as managing director and chief executive officer on 18 December, bringing closure to the leadership vacuum created by the sudden resignation of Girish Kousgi on 31 July, an episode that had rattled investors.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI: Any private takers for a loss-making company owned by public sector power giants that is owed over ₹4,000 crore and has borrowed heavily to fund its investments? The answer will be known when the company’s promoters decide to list its shares. The company is Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), a joint venture owned by state-run NTPC Ltd, Power Finance Corp., Rural Electrification Corp.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Close to 4.6 million weddings are expected to be hosted by the end of the calendar year—and the wedding season is still only halfway through. These large-scale celebrations involve dozens of moving parts, from venues and vendors to guests and travel logistics, raising the risk of things going wrong.

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] India stands at a pivotal moment in its journey toward universal health coverage (UHC).

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Kotak Mahindra Bank has built a reputation for taking long-term bets across a wide range of companies, including KFin Technologies, Pioneer Embroiderie, and Quadrant Televentures. But one investment stands apart, both for its timing and for what it has delivered over the years.

It is heartening that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to adopt a risk-based framework for deposit insurance to replace a one-size-fits-all one which does not distinguish between banks on the basis of their individual risk profiles. This decision was taken on Friday and it follows RBI’s monetary policy statement of October 2025, in which the central bank had proposed a model that abandons a flat premium rate in favour of payments that vary by risk—in this case, of a regular bank failing to meet its obligations to depositors. With this shift slated to come into effect from 2026-27, financially sound banks can expect to save on the price they pay.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : As scrutiny over train accidents mounts, the Centre is considering its biggest-ever outlay on rail safety, with allocations likely to cross ₹1.3 trillion in FY27, according to two people aware of the development. The proposed outlay, around 12% higher than the current year’s budget, would be directed towards maintaining rolling stock and critical infrastructure, including track renewals, and the rollout of India’s indigenous automatic train protection system—Kavach, one of the people said, requesting anonymity.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Varun Beverages Ltd (VBL)’s acquisition of South Africa-based Twizza (Pty) is less about shoring up near-term earnings and more about extending its growth runway beyond India. While the domestic business remains resilient, stiff competition is creating challenges.

In Ex Machina last week (‘AI use of original work: A reverse Robin Hood proposal’), I argued that the working paper issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on copyright and artificial intelligence (AI) falls short of its objective because the mandatory blanket licensing regime it proposes transfers wealth away from the very creators it was supposed to protect. But as bad as this suggestion is, it is not the most egregious conceptual shortcoming of the report.