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“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.

Organised jewellery retailers are expanding into men’s and kids’ lines, a niche long dominated by digital-first brands, to unlock new growth beyond their women’s segment.Titan Company Ltd’s Mia by Tanishq, traditionally positioned as a women-focused brand, plans to introduce a dedicated range of men’s and kids' fashion jewellery as part of its category expansion this year.“We are seeing increasing demand for men’s and kids’ range, and that’s why you will see a dedicated category for these two sometime this year,” said Shyamala Ramanan, business head of Mia by Tanisq, in an interview with Mint, adding that customers are already walking into stores enquiring about such offerings.The move reflects a broader shift underway in India’s jewellery market. Brands are targeting men and kids to drive growth, fuelled by shifting tastes, new gifting trends, and a push to recruit younger, first-time buyers.The global men’s jewellery market was valued at $48.56 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.9% between 2025 and 2034, reflecting strong momentum worldwide, according to Polaris Market Research, a US-based market research firm.For Mia, the category will largely be built around 9–14 karat gold, positioning it as lightweight, design-led jewellery rather than investment-driven purchases.

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.

Artificial intelligence presents a transformative moment for society, but it appears that the number of people focused on making sure it’s safe might fit on a single transatlantic flight.Perhaps that shouldn’t surprise given the global arms race that has propelled generative AI companies to stratospheric valuations, but it should cause some alarm. The technology makes errors, is largely untested in the wild and has shown toxic side effects on mental health.

After a board meeting on Wednesday, the Bengaluru-based company decided to reallocate ₹575 crore, out of ₹1,505 crore it raised for research and development (R&D) during the initial public offering (IPO), to pay debt and fund organic growth activities.The company’s disclosures showed that ₹475 crore will be used to fund upcoming debt, while ₹100 crore will be used for growth purposes. This is the second time since going public in August 2024 that the company has changed its use of funds, with the first change made in August 2025.The cut in funds to be used for R&D has come as the company has total debt obligations worth ₹526 crore for financial year 2026 and ₹610 crore for financial year 2027, excluding any other short-term debt.Subhabrata Sengupta, partner at Avalon Consulting, said that funds required for R&D can change, but such a reallocation isn’t a positive sign.“How much R&D spend is needed depends on the plan.

HDFC group veteran Mistry seemingly borrowed words from Chakraborty’s statement to refute it. Mistry said he would not take on the responsibility of chairing the lender “if the systems, processes, governance practices in the bank did not align with my principles and my level of integrity.”Mistry, 71, told reporters on a separate call that the bank management will speak to all major shareholders over the next one or two days to address their concerns.

₹83,029 crore, up nearly 36% from February’s ₹61,141 crore, which itself was a 16-month high, according to NSE data.“This month could witness highest-ever ADT for NSE, thanks to a surge in volatility because of the rising geopolitical tensions,” said Amit Chandra, vice-president, research, at HDFC Securities.The previous record monthly ADT for NSE was ₹71,690 crore in February 2024. With seven sessions remaining this month, sustained trading amid elevated volatility could push the exchange ADT to a new high and potentially boost market share, said Kruti Shah, quant analyst at Equirus Securities.The spike in turnover is mirrored in the ratio of premium to notional turnover on NSE, HDFC Securities' Chandra said.

Small-cap funds, the most sought-after mutual fund category that has attracted majority of investor money in the last three years, have a problem — spotting specialized talent to run investments.As a result, several of them have managers running both large-cap and small-cap funds or have co-management teams in place or, in some instances, have even the chief investment officers (CIOs) listed as the primary fund manager of small-cap funds.Investors have put over ₹1.35 trillion into small-cap funds in three years through February, yet the number of fund managers equipped to run these schemes, which demands a distinct skill set, remains limited.Assets managed by small cap mutual funds more than doubled to ₹3.64 trillion in February from ₹1.32 trillion in February 2023. Number of folios, as mutual fund accounts are termed, in the segment also more than doubled to 28 million in the same period, according to industry lobby Association of Mutual Funds of India or Amfi.Mint analyzed all the small cap schemes and found that there are 31 asset management companies (AMCs) that offer both small-cap and large-cap schemes.Of these, 12 mutual funds have the same manager overseeing both large-cap and small-cap funds.Further, among a total of 34 small-cap schemes, 11 named the CIO or head of equities as the primary fund manager.Unlike in large-cap stocks where research coverage is vast, spotting good small stocks requires digging and peeling layers.

India’s corporate skyline has expanded rapidly over the past three decades. Tech campuses in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, logistics parks along the Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor and multiple warehouse clusters on city outskirts reflect a country building the infrastructure of a modern economy. Yet, much of this expansion has been planned around connectivity, labour access and land prices.

semiconductor maker also established a global coalition of companies, Nemotron. It includes the likes of Perplexity and Cursor to build large language models (LLMs) that will act as a reference point for enterprises globally.

₹2,000 crore stake sale in its battery arm, Ola Cell Technologies Private Ltd, after its board earlier approved a ₹1,500 crore fundraise through share or securities issuance.The push comes as falling scooter sales and a weakening balance sheet tighten liquidity, even as the company doubles down on its capital-intensive cell business.Mint looks at what is driving the company’s fundraising push.The urgency stems from a sharp deterioration in its core business.In 2025, Ola Electric’s sales more than halved to nearly 200,000 electric scooters, while rivals such as TVS Motor Co., Bajaj Auto and Ather Energy gained ground.In the October-December quarter, revenue fell to a record low of ₹504 crore, while losses stood at ₹487 crore, compared with ₹564 crore a year earlier.Analysts say the pressure is now visible on its balance sheet.“(A) turnaround would necessitate Ola to have a strong cash balance to survive this phase. However, as per our calculations, Ola has turned net debt as of 9MFY26 ( ₹670 crore) from net cash of ₹160 crore in H1FY26.

investors undertake thorough research and build conviction in a company’s prospects, they must behave like its owners.Market volatility, relentless news flow and short-term noise should not dictate decisions. Instead, investors should stay focused on the long-term trajectory of the business.

NEW DELHI: The civil aviation ministry proposes to offer as much as ₹1,800 crore as incentives to manufacture drones in India, increase adoption across defence and civilian sectors and reduce reliance on component imports from China.The tentatively titled Mission Drone Shakti is expected to set aside ₹1,600 crore-1,800 crore over five years to fund and support research and development and local manufacturing of components including critical parts and incentivize drone sales and adoption, an official aware of the discussions said.The plan is to introduce the scheme in FY27, targeting private Indian companies. The details are being finalized and after the finance ministry’s approval, it will be presented for the consideration of the Cabinet.The proposed Mission Drone Shakti mirrors India’s production-linked incentive schemes across 14 sectors such as electronics, textiles, pharmaceuticals and automobiles, which had a cumulative outlay of ₹1.97 trillion.

₹1,200 crore, with Stovekraft and TTK Prestige together accounting for about 36% as of FY25, according to Fadia.“Whatever channel inventory was already available has largely been sold out, and companies would not be in a position to quickly refill the channel as they would not have planned for such a sudden surge in demand,” said Fadia. “They will need time to order components and align the supply chain, which could take at least 20–30 days."Most consumer appliance companies source components from China and assemble them locally, while some traders and distributors directly import finished goods from China and Vietnam, limiting the benefit for domestic manufacturers, said Fadia.A major share of induction stoves sold in India are sourced from China, with companies procuring components or finished units and assembling them domestically before selling under local brands, said Trviesh D, chief operating officer at Tradejini, a stock broking company.And even if companies ramp up supply, the demand may fade once LPG availability improves.“While the disruption may lead some households to try induction cooking, we expect demand to normalize once LPG supply improves, limiting the likelihood of a sustained structural shift in the category,” said Manish Valecha, research analyst, Anand Rathi Institutional Equities.Investor enthusiasm has already cooled.

The world is at an inflection point. We have entered the age of artificial intelligence (AI), an era in which ‘intelligence’ is becoming cheap, fast and widely accessible. This will unlock breakthroughs across sectors: from agriculture to healthcare and manufacturing to education.

Mint.Collectors are increasingly turning to art alongside traditional investments, with a new generation of high-net-worth buyers building major collections alongside established patrons. The buyers include the global South Asian diaspora, which has played a crucial role across markets in North America, Europe, West Asia and Asia.Independent data also point to a sharp expansion in the market.

New Delhi: The government has initiated a study to review and revise India’s workplace social accountability standard, a move that could shape how companies structure compliance and governance practices as the country prepares to operationalise its new labour codes, said two government officials.The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has commissioned research to examine whether amendments are needed to its existing Social Accountability at the Workplace norms, which set out requirements for organisations to establish policies, procedures and practices related to ethical conduct and workers’ welfare, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.The study will assess the relevance of the existing framework in light of recent policy and regulatory changes aimed at strengthening labour protections, the first of the two officials said.Mint reviewed the terms of reference for the research and development (R&D) project. These include reforms relating to child labour, forced labour, anti-discrimination provisions, whistleblower protection, data privacy and workplace safety, this person said.“Updating the workplace social accountability standard is important at a time when India’s labour regulations are undergoing major changes,” said Sumita Dawra, former labour secretary.

Rising tensions between the US and Iran have pushed global energy prices higher, bringing ceramic tile manufacturers under pressure.

Mint explainsDSR refers to a cultivation method where seeds are sown directly into the field without transplanting seedlings, saving water, labour, and time compared to traditional methods.This eliminates several stages involved in conventional rice farming such as nursery preparation, ploughing, puddling and transplanting. In the traditional system, farmers grow seedlings in nurseries and later transplant them into flooded, puddled fields.Puddling is particularly concerning from an environmental perspective because it releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas.Though not a new technique, DSR is increasingly seen as a transformative approach to rice cultivation as India faces growing concerns over groundwater depletion, labour shortages and climate sustainability.Experts say the technique can play an important role in addressing groundwater depletion, particularly in major rice-growing states where intensive irrigation for paddy has put pressure on water resources.Producing a kilogram of rice requires 3,000–5,000 litres of water under conventional methods.

India plans to validate its indigenous artificial intelligence (AI) weather forecasting model after the monsoon season to assess its accuracy and reliability.The evaluation will compare AI-based predictions with actual rainfall and climate data, India Meteorological Department (IMD) director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra told Mint. If successful, the model could improve early warnings, disaster preparedness, and agricultural planning nationwide, he said, adding that AI systems would analyze large historical weather datasets and real-time observations to detect patterns.The initiative will complement India’s Bharat Forecasting System (BharatFS)—a high-resolution weather prediction system launched in May 2025, operating on a 6-km grid, designed to improve forecasts for monsoon, cyclones and extreme weather events.

War never brings good news. But the West Asian geopolitical crisis has halted an information technology (IT) sector-led sell-off in domestic office real estate investment trusts (Reits) as investors flock toward defensive, income-generating assets amid volatility.Reits have held up better than the broader market so far this year, falling around 2% on average year-to-date, while the benchmark Nifty 50 is down about 7%.Analysts attribute this resilience to the quasi-debt nature of these trusts.