UPS Financial News

When Raunak Bhinge first approached institutional investors seeking funding for Infinite Uptime, the pitch was straightforward: much of India’s factory equipment was still analogue, and digitising it could help manufacturers improve output. Over time, the venture pivoted from being seen as a software startup to proving it was an artificial intelligence (AI)-backed business built on proprietary industrial data and models refined over years of deployments.“Investor due diligence has become deeper over the years as we raised funding,” said Bhinge, whose venture has raised over $60 million since inception.

Mint.The US-based semiconductor equipment major is “spending more energy” tracking opportunities in the country than before, as policy support and early-stage investments begin to translate into a stronger pipeline of startups, said Om Nalamasu, chief technology officer (CTO) of Applied Materials.“With initiatives like ISM 1.0 (India Semiconductor Mission 1.0), ANRF (Anusandhan National Research Foundation), and RDI (research, development, and innovation) funds, we expect a significant increase in both the number and quality of ideas emerging from India,” he said.Nalamasu added that the firm is also engaging with government-backed initiatives such as fund-of-funds structures aimed at boosting domestic innovation.Applied Ventures has joined the India Deep Tech Alliance (IDTA) as a corporate strategic partner, signalling a deeper engagement with the country’s semiconductor and deep-tech ecosystem.Globally, it has invested over $500 million across more than 100 companies, deploying about $100 million annually across 19 countries. It has seen more than 10 listing exits and multiple mergers and acquisitions.In India, however, its exposure remains limited so far.

Assam, which has a 126-member assembly, votes on 9 April, with counting scheduled for 4 May along with other poll-bound states. In the 2021 election, the BJP won 60 seats with a 33.2% vote share, while the Congress won 29 seats and cornered a vote share of 29.2%.There is much at stake both for the ruling BJP and the main opposition Congress, and for the two state leaders leading these respective camps: CM Sarma and Gaurav Gogoi.With this election, the BJP will seek a third consecutive term in power.

The ongoing war in West Asia has cast a pall of uncertainty over the global economy. The disruptions in energy supplies have begun to ripple through supply chains across the world. In its latest monthly review of the Indian economy, the finance ministry has noted: “Recent shocks are being transmitted through higher input costs, supply constraints and pressures across sectors, with early indications of some moderation in economic activity.”For economic policymakers, managing a disruption in supply is far more complicated than responding to a sudden shift in demand.

Digital influencers still struggle to match the trust levels of human creators. Audiences tend to connect more deeply with personalities who feel spontaneous and imperfect.

The ministry of ports, shipping and waterways is preparing to roll out about 20 sectoral reforms in the first 90 days of FY27, including the creation of a maritime sector regulator, revamped shipbuilding incentives and measures to increase India’s shipping tonnage, as part of a plan to strengthen the country’s maritime ecosystem and cut logistics costs.The reform push, which is being finalized, is aimed at improving regulatory oversight, boosting domestic shipbuilding, increasing the share of Indian-flagged vessels in global trade and enhancing the ease of doing business across ports, shipping and inland waterways, two people aware of the matter said.“Reform measures like a dedicated maritime regulator, stronger support for shipbuilding and container manufacturing, and a push toward inland waterways and coastal shipping are especially impactful. They not only build domestic capacity but also make logistics more cost-effective and sustainable,” said Pushpank Kaushik, CEO and head of business development at Jassper Shipping, a global shipping and logistics company in Hyderabad.A key proposal under consideration is the setting up of a strengthened maritime regulator by expanding the role of the Directorate General of Shipping, which would be given wider powers over safety regulation, maritime training, ship registration and oversight of shipping operations.

Every year, some of India’s largest industrial companies publish sustainability reports that are full of details on the number of trees planted, villages electrified and water bodies restored. And every year, the factories that made those reports possible continue to burn coal, run furnaces and emit carbon at rates that have barely changed in a decade. Both things are true.

India's retail sector giant, has rallied over the past month. While the broader markets fell, the stock surged from ₹3,800 to ₹4,200 during the period.Avenue Supermarts operates the DMart supermarket chain, founded by Radhakishan Damani.

There is usually a lull before a storm. Financial markets often mimic such natural phenomena, displaying blink-and-miss signs of disturbance before a full-blown crisis. In many advanced economies, nascent signals of trouble have arisen that could—if left unaddressed—hit global finance and send several players to the sick bay.

The push is ambitious. State-run EESL is exploring interest-free EMI options, in talks with global lenders like the World Bank and ADB, to make induction cooking accessible for economically weaker households.

“We do blue-collar hiring, mainly in the manufacturing and supply chain sectors, and there, the costs of getting workforce in the metros has gone up by about 15-20% in a month,” said Neeti Sharma, chief executive officer of TeamLease Digital, part of the staffing firm TeamLease Group.Scarcity of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has forced construction and manufacturing sectors' blue-collared workers—scaffolders, plumbers, welders, etc.—back to their hometowns and villages.Radheshyam and four others together iron clothes in south Mumbai. These migrant workers from Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh, together typically use one LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinder for a little over a month.

Demand for electric cookstoves shot up after the war began as consumers rushed to compensate for a shortage in LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinders. On 12 March, an Amazon India spokesperson told Mint that sales of induction cooktops increased 30X in just two days.Prices of these cooktops, too, have risen, though not abnormally.

small packs also represent one of the largest sources of plastic litter, as their size and multi-layered composition make them extremely difficult to collect and recycle.This comes against the backdrop of the government’s ban on single-use plastic and assumes significance as India generates around 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. Of this, around 40% of plastic waste is littered and remains uncollected.Sachets are used across many product categories including personal care items such as shampoo, conditioner, hair oil, face wash, body wash, pan masala, gutkha, instant coffee, spices, sauces, dairy whitener, detergent powder, dishwashing liquid and floor cleaners.Pan masala and gutkha are widely consumed across India and largely sold in small sachets (typically under 10 g).

Between US President Donald Trump’s war in west Asia and a chip shortage triggered by Nvidia’s focus on supplying artificial intelligence (AI) memory chips, India’s top three smartphone brands Vivo, Oppo and Samsung, as well as Realme, Xiaomi and Nothing have emerged as the first casualties in a once-thriving market—increasing smartphone prices by as much as 40% across their portfolios.The price hikes are significant: smartphones make for India’s single-largest electronics category, with sales of over $43 billion through 2025. Since the pandemic in 2021, India has struggled to revive its smartphone market due to a stagnation of new features and an increasingly saturated market.While companies so far managed single-digit revenue growth on the back of rising premium phone sales, the current market conditions come as a double whammy: consumers are putting phone purchases on the backburner due to rising prices of basic needs such as cooking gas even as the rise in prices does nothing to aid the ailing market.Vivo, Samsung and Oppo accounted for 47% of the 152 million smartphones sold in the country last year, according to data from market researcher International Data Corp.

₹40,000-2.5 lakh range. Nearly 70% of the collection carries a sub- ₹2.5 lakh tag.India's jewelley demand remains anchored in weddings and festivals, but it's increasingly being reshaped by millennials, who are keen on lightweight designs, gemstone-led fusion pieces and craftsmanship.The company already offered coloured gemstone jewellery, largely rooted in traditional designs.

Stock market recap: India’s benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty 50 ended with strong gains on Monday, 6 April, rising more than 1% each amid easing crude oil prices and further recovery in the Indian rupee.Extending gains to the third consecutive session, the Sensex ended 787 points, or 1.07%, higher at 74,106.85, while the Nifty 50 settled at 22,968.25, rising 255 points, or 1.12%. The BSE 150 Midcap index gained 1.30%, while the BSE 250 Smallcap index rose by 1.10%.Investor wealth rose by more than ₹5 trillion in a single session as the overall market capitalization of BSE-listed firms rose to over ₹427 trillion.Buy: Titan Co. Ltd(current price: ₹4,246)Buy: Schneider Electric Infrastructure Ltd (current price: ₹926)Nifty 50 performance on 6 AprilThe Nifty 50 opened on a positive note and sustained buying momentum throughout the session.

Mint, he said crude prices have risen and that some energy infrastructure assets in West Asia have been affected by the war. Even if tensions ease, supplies are unlikely to return to pre-war levels soon, keeping prices elevated for longer.

IPO got allotted to me),” Yadav says about early 2024, even as other retail investors rushed in, mostly following influencers, not research. He stayed in the game through 2025, but with doubt creeping in. “Yeh investment band kar dena chahiye (I should stop this investment),” he admits.Yadav’s father, who quietly invested in mutual funds and SIPs, had steady gains—no frenzy, no swings, just consistency.

Mumbai: Adar Poonawalla-led Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd is in talks to partner with medical device maker Trivitron Healthcare to scale up its investment in MyLab Discovery Solutions Pvt.

Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are going to the polls this month. These three states are dissimilar in many ways. But they are similar in that they have had unique sociopolitical paths from the time of India’s independence.

Mint. “Disruption means there's been a certain particular specification of vehicles the manufacturer is not able to give us.”Vigneswar, however, said consumer purchasing decisions remain unaffected, though dealers are urging customers to expedite purchases amid concerns over potential production disruptions.“We've been telling customers, please come and pick up your vehicles, because there could be a production issue.