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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: India’s alternative investment fund industry is seeking to widen access to a small but fast-growing pool of wealthy investors, arguing that a cumbersome accreditation system and limited incentives are slowing participation even as the sector scales sharply.The industry has made a representation to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) seeking a simpler accreditation system and stronger regulatory benefits for accredited investors, according to two people aware of the development.“AIFs made a representation to Sebi last month to make the accreditation process more friendly for investors,” one of the people said on condition of anonymity. “Accredited investors also need proper incentives to grow this segment.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.WASHINGTON—President Trump said he would hold off on a planned U.S. attack on Iran at the request of Gulf leaders to make room for negotiations with Tehran over a prospective deal to end the war.In a social-media post on Monday, Trump said he had directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other U.S.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.A college senior called recently with a practical problem. He had suffered a cardiac episode some years ago and was finding it difficult to now increase his health cover. Every insurer he approached either declined or imposed permanent exclusions on cardiac conditions.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.America has reportedly extended the waiver of its sanctions on purchases of Russian crude oil by another 30 days, just days after it expired. This reduces uncertainty over India’s oil imports from Russia, even as New Delhi has made it clear that India’s oil-buying is not affected by third-party impositions.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.In a reminder that the inflation beast is never fully tamed, but can at best be forced to retreat temporarily, wholesale price inflation in India jumped to a 42-month high of 8.3% in April. That’s more than double the previous month’s 3.9% and a far cry from the 0.9% recorded a year ago. The longer global oil supply remains disrupted, the likelier it will go into double digits.And with diesel and petrol filling-station prices hiked only in May (and more hikes likely), it is just a matter of time before retail inflation, already at a 13-month high of 3.5% in April, increases.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) slashed some of their bearish positions in Nifty and Bank Nifty derivatives, while also turning buyers in the cash market, on hopes of a rebound in Indian equities amid elevated oil prices.FPIs were net buyers of shares worth a provisional ₹2,813.69 crore on Monday, according to BSE data, helping the market pivot from deep intraday losses to end in the green.Nifty recovered 333 points from its intraday low of 23,317.10 to close at 23,649.95, up 0.3% from Friday’s close.Alongside FPI inflows, domestic institutional investors bought shares worth ₹2,682.12 crore, as per provisional exchange figures.The rebound was driven not just by institutional cash buying, but also by FPIs squaring off short index call positions and trimming short hedges in Nifty and Bank Nifty futures on Monday.FPIs cut short call positions by a sharp 42,153 contracts, taking cumulative net shorts to 214,366 contracts — implying expectations among some of a bounce on Tuesday, which coincides with weekly Nifty expiry, per NSE data.Additionally, long-term foreign funds reduced their bearish Nifty and Bank Nifty futures positions by 6,641 contracts to a cumulative 209,866 contracts.On balance, traders sold 134 Nifty puts against 100 Nifty calls expiring Tuesday, up from 97 puts sold against 100 calls on Friday.The higher proportion of puts sold relative to calls indicates optimism about a rally of at least 1% from Monday’s close, according to NSE data.Based on NSE options data, Nifty could test 23,800 on Tuesday.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Bengaluru: India’s listed office real estate investment trusts (Reits) are building artificial intelligence-resilient, GCC-driven tenant portfolios as they focus on expansion through acquiring premium assets and increasing occupancy in FY27.Reits have emerged from a strong year with good leasing and increased demand from global capability centres (GCCs). The publicly listed office Reits in the country—Embassy Office Parks REIT, Mindspace Business Parks REIT, Brookfield India Real Estate Trust (Biret) and Knowledge Realty Trust (KRT)—have seen their net operating income, occupancy levels and distribution grow in FY26.Bagmane Prime Office REIT was the fifth and latest to list in May.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.A nationwide pharmacy strike planned for 20 May has been severely weakened after retailer associations in 12 major states, including West Bengal, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, withdrew their support. The pullout followed a decision by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), the national drug regulator, to review retail and online pharmacy operations, according to two officials familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity.The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), representing over 1.2 million retailers, had called for the shutdown to protest the unregulated growth of e-pharmacies.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Telecom operator Vodafone Idea Ltd on Monday laid out an ambitious financial roadmap to generate and secure over ₹1.08 trillion in cash over the next three years, betting on a sharp rise in operating earnings, possible bank debt funding, income tax-related recoveries and promoter support to fund its turnaround.The telecom operator has to pay ₹49,000 crore towards spectrum dues over the next three years, execute a capital expenditure plan of ₹45,000 crore for network expansion and upgrades, and meet interest payments of about ₹5,000-6,000 crore to service bank debt, taking its cumulative outgo to nearly ₹1 trillion.“...we are very confident that with the bank loan for the capex and for the Ebitda addition, we will be able to fulfil all our obligations across the next three years,” Vodafone Idea’s chief financial officer, Tejas Mehta, told analysts during the Q4 earnings call. Ebitda is short for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.As of the end of March, the telecom operator had a cash and bank balance of ₹3,715 crore.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Beneath the one-time profit hit from the ₹590 crore Chandigarh fraud, IDFC FIRST Bank’s March-quarter (Q4FY26) earnings revealed a deeper concern: deposit growth slowed sharply after the incident dented depositor confidence.The private sector lender’s customer deposits rose just 1% sequentially during Q4 to ₹2.84 trillion, even as Indian banking sector deposits rose 13.5% year-on-year (y-o-y) to ₹262.3 trillion during the per, up from 10.3% growth a year earlier, according to Reserve Bank of India data.“We saw an increase in total deposits by about 16.8% on a YoY basis…The growth was modest at 1% during the quarter…There was also an impact of the one-off fraud incident, which occurred during the quarter,” chief financial officer Sudhanshu Jain had said during the bank’s post-earnings analyst call on 25 April.On 23 February, the lender disclosed a ₹590 crore fraud at its Chandigarh branch, where employees carried out unauthorized transactions in accounts linked to the Haryana government, creating a deposit balance discrepancy. The bank has since paid the state government ₹590 crore, suspended the employees involved and filed police complaints against them.During earnings call, the bank said it had fully expensed the impacted amount in Q4FY26 and was “reasonably certain” no further material financial adjustments would be required beyond those already recognized.While IDFC FIRST Bank was not accused of direct wrongdoing, the incident triggered reputational concerns and weighed on deposit flows during the quarter.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.IF There has been a common narrative around artificial intelligence this year, it is that advances in the technology are shaking up the vast—and hitherto cosy—world of software. In order to keep this blitzkrieg going, the labs at the forefront of AI need to raise enormous amounts of money.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The world is making a run on U.S. energy, setting American motorists and foreign buyers on a collision course.President Trump and his administration have successfully talked down and taken measures to contain American energy prices. That, combined with the fact that the country has a huge surplus, has prompted overseas buyers to buy huge volumes of U.S.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Rare earth metals are on the minds of all investors these days, and for good reason. Recent trade tensions have put China’s rare-earth monopoly into stark relief.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Shares of Tata Steel fell about 4% on Monday despite a robust March quarter performance, as concerns mounted over possible closure of its coke and gas plants (CGPs) in the Netherlands due to emission norm breaches.The stock reaction was driven by regulatory risks at Tata Steel Netherlands (TSN). In April, local agencies issued a letter to TSN expressing their intention to revoke permits for its 40–50-year-old CGPs, citing non-compliance with emission norms.While TSN could procure coke from the market if the units are shut, that would significantly dent profit margins and could render operations commercially unviable.The regulator’s move can impact the financial stability of TSN, “given the significance of the facilities to TSN’s operations,” the company said.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Ford has finally hit upon an electric strategy that shouldn’t lose money. The key element is that it doesn’t involve vehicles—not for now, anyway.Ford’s stock, a habitual water-treader, jumped almost 14% on Wednesday, its biggest gain in over six years, on news that the Detroit stalwart had found a way to tap into the AI boom—sort of.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Rural-linked companies reported their strongest volume-led recovery in years in the March quarter (Q4FY26), driven by low inflation, healthy farm incomes and rising non-farm employment from infrastructure spending. Aggressive government welfare spending further boosted rural consumption across staples and discretionary categories.But experts warn the recovery may already be approaching its first major stress test.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: Consumer-focused private equity firm L Catterton, among others, is in talks to acquire a stake in Bengaluru-based restaurant chain Nandhana Palace, three people familiar with the matter said.“The investment firm may likely acquire a minority stake in the business,” one person said.“The Andhra-cuisine restaurant chain is also in discussions with other funds, but L Catterton may likely have an edge, given its deep expertise in the consumer sector,” a second person said.Mint reported in December that Nandhana had sought a valuation of ₹2,000 crore when it was in talks with Dubai-based investment firm Pulsar Capital, but that did not materialize.That valuation was at the higher end and may evolve or change, depending on the buyer, two of the people said.“While the final terms are yet to be signed, the deal is still undergoing due diligence,” a third person said.L Catterton and Nandhana did not respond to Mint’s requests for comment till the time of publishing.L Catterton is 60% owned by private equity firm Catterton and the remaining 40% is jointly owned by French luxury brand LVMH and Groupe Arnault. The firm manages $40 billion of equity capital and has made over 300 investments in consumer brands globally and in India.Its portfolio companies include Drools, Sugar Cosmetics, Farmley, Haldiram’s, Healing Hands Clinic and Jio Platforms.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.India’s central bank has quietly become a key pillar of macroeconomic stability. It is not just a monetary authority, but increasingly playing a role as a fiscal shock absorber. This deserves appreciation and caution.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has managed an extraordinarily hard decade.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.MUMBAI: India’s petrol and diesel price hike, alongside a volatile crude oil outlook, is set to ripple across key sectors and is already feeding early market pressure, with analysts warning of further inflation if global oil prices climb.Oil marketing companies (OMCs) finally bit the bullet and raised prices of petrol and diesel by around ₹3 a litre on Friday amid elevated global prices. More hikes are expected going ahead as under-recoveries remain high.Higher fuel prices are expected to feed quickly into logistics and freight costs, with transport operators unlikely to absorb higher diesel expenses, triggering cost pass-through across supply chains and sectors dependent on transportation and energy-intensive inputs, potentially widening inflation pressures across the economy, according to experts.“We raise FY27 headline inflation to 5% versus 4.6% earlier assuming a ₹10 per litre hike in retail fuel prices, along with the impact of El Niño-led adverse monsoons,” said Madhavi Arora, chief economist at Emkay Global.The cost pressures come at a time when corporate earnings in consumption- and transport-linked sectors are already under strain from elevated input costs and uneven demand recovery.Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies are expected to face higher distribution and input costs, even as they continue to grapple with already elevated raw material inflation.Large FMCG players have already begun raising prices as fuel, packaging and food commodity costs continue to rise.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.KYIV—It was the middle of January when the cold and lack of electricity forced Olha Kosova and her baby to flee their Kyiv apartment to her parents’ place in the suburbs.Now, spring is here, the electricity is working and Kosova and 1-year-old Lisa are back home in their sun-drenched apartment.“I don’t even remember this winter,” Kosova said. “It fades from the memory so quickly as if it never happened.”Kyiv and its residents are bouncing back from the darkest winter of the war. Russia struck Ukraine’s energy infrastructure more than 1,400 times with missiles and drones dating to last July, according to an official Ukrainian tally.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The Indian currency has been experiencing sharp depreciation amid the West Asian crisis, driven largely by rising energy prices and moderating capital flows. That said, the weakness of the Indian rupee has been a persistent concern over the past year, even before the conflict began. It has depreciated by about 11% over the past year, with about 5% of this value loss having occurred after the US-Iran war began on 28 February.The main concern for the rupee is India’s weak balance-of-payments position.