Wellness Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Bengaluru: Real estate investment firm Certus Capital plans to invest around ₹2000 crore in residential, office and mixed-use development projects in 2026-27, said a top executive.The Mumbai-headquartered firm will deploy the capital through a combination of proprietary balance sheet and its recently launched alternative investment fund (AIF).Certus Capital is currently raising its second Category-2 AIF—Certus TFCI Real Estate Fund—of ₹500 crore plus a green-shoe option of ₹500 crore. Tourism Finance Corp.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.FOR DECADES Americans have fretted that China might dump its vast holdings of Treasuries, undermining the dollar. Global investors therefore snapped to attention when Bloomberg, a news agency, reported on February 9th that China’s regulators have warned commercial banks against holding too many American government bonds. Some banks have been told to cut their exposure.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.A week is a long time in geopolitics. Consider the Hormuz flip in the theatre of economic warfare. Last Monday, after peace talks failed, America sought to choke Iran’s economy with an armed blockade of Iranian ports.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.When Wells Fargo told the fintech Bilt that it would no longer be the lender for its rent-rewards credit card, Bilt scrambled to find another large bank partner. When that failed, Bilt wound up with private-credit funding.In February, Bilt struck a deal to move roughly $1.2 billion of credit-card balances with funding arranged by a group including Blue Owl Capital and Stone Point Capital as well as Goldman Sachs and TD, according to people familiar with the deal.The companies also agreed to fund hundreds of millions of dollars of credit-card balances that Bilt cardholders will incur in the future, the people said.Consumer debt has become one of the hottest categories in private credit, increasingly sought after by funds and investment arms of insurance companies on the hunt for high-yielding investments.Private credit is in focus on Wall Street right now because of the loans that fund managers have made to software and other companies, often as part of private-equity buyouts, that are now running into trouble.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.BENGALURU: Wealthy Indians are spending more overall, but a smaller share of that spending is going to retail stores selling goods like clothing and gadgets.As incomes rise for affluent households, they are increasingly spending on travel, fine dining and curated experiences such as concerts and wellness retreats, even as they continue to purchase high-value premium goods.In response, retailers are accelerating efforts to add experiential formats, from curated in-store services to immersive store environments, as they strive to stay relevant in a consumption landscape increasingly driven by engagement rather than transactions.New data from Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA), shared with Mint, shows retail’s share of wallet drops from nearly 50% among emerging affluent consumers to about 28% for the ultra-wealthy, as spending on travel and experiences rises sharply.“Affluence is not an absolute state defined by income. It’s defined by how and where people spend.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The Centre is planning a nationwide policy push to enable the adoption of flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) that can run on ethanol blends of up to E85 (85% ethanol and 15% petrol), as the West Asia conflict prompts India to explore ways to cut oil import dependence, according to two people aware of the development and a correspondence reviewed by Mint.India’s current 20% ethanol blending mandate, introduced in 2025, had triggered public complaints over reduced mileage and concerns around engine performance.The Union petroleum and natural gas ministry has called a meeting on Monday to deliberate on the issue. “During the meeting, a presentation will be made by the working group constituted for preparing the plan for the rollout of FFVs,” one of the people cited above said, requesting anonymity.The working group, comprising experts from oil marketing companies, automobile makers and the government, will present its plan to top executives of state-run oil firms and representatives of the automobile industry lobby group Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam), and officials from relevant ministries.Global crude prices have remained volatile amid the conflict, briefly crossing $100 per barrel before easing following a ceasefire, with risks of another spike persisting.Such a scenario poses a significant fiscal risk to India, considering it imports 90% of its oil requirements.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Consensus earnings estimates for the fourth quarter of FY26 point to double digit growth, albeit at a lower level than the previous quarter due to the impact of the West Asia war and a high base effect, says Satish Ramanathan, chief investment officer-equity at JM Financial Asset Management Company in an interview. Leading companies may emerge better given superior pricing power.Asked whether it is time for foreign portfolio investors to return to Indian equity markets, Ramanathan reply was: “…we believe Indian equity markets are now reasonable as regards valuations and are poised to benefit from a diversified economy and domestic market.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Nearly four years ago, Jaquar Group launched a series of ads about an entirely new business it had entered: lights. For a company synonymous with bathroom fittings, it was a difficult campaign to pull off.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Hostilities in West Asia may have eased, but oil prices remain well above pre-war levels. Though prices have stayed below $100 a barrel since the ceasefire announcement, conflicting signals from the US and Iran are keeping markets volatile.Mint looks at the near-term outlook.Yes.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Among the worst analyses of human nature is the notion that poverty creates criminal behaviour. Yet, this is a popular perception. As a result, every time an agitation of the poor turns violent, the rich think they know what is going on.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.BENGALURU/MUMBAI: Digital insure-tech firm Acko has let go of about 60 employees, roughly 5% of its workforce, as it undergoes a structural realignment with a greater focus on integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into its operations, multiple people familiar with the matter said. Affected employees are expected to remain with the company until the end of June, the people added.The job cuts come alongside the departure of chief marketing officer Ashish Mishra, who spent nearly five-and-a-half years at Acko after joining in August 2020.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.New Delhi: India’s food regulator has cracked down on a key ingredient in popular wellness supplements, ordering a halt to the use of ashwagandha (withania somnifera) leaves and their extracts amid safety concerns flagged by the Ministry of Ayush, according to a government official and documents reviewed by Mint. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India said only the roots of ashwagandha—an Ayurvedic staple herb widely marketed for stress relief, muscle recovery and cognitive support—are permitted, and has directed states to act against violations.The move could disrupt formulations in India’s $38.77 billion nutraceuticals industry, where ashwagandha is a key product with its market estimated at $928.5 million in 2026.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on Friday authorized 17 banks to import precious metals for the period from 1 April to March 2029, according to an official order.Of these, Union Bank of India and Russia- headquartered SBER Bank are authorised to import only gold, while 15 others, including Axis Bank Ltd, State Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, and HDFC Bank Ltd, are authorised to import both gold and silver, the order showed. Bank of India, Deutsche Bank, Federal Bank Ltd and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd are also on the list.In FY26, Indian Overseas Bank was authorised to import only gold, which has now been expanded to both precious metals, the order showed.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Angel One’s shares jumped over 10% on Friday to ₹322 after its March-quarter (Q4FY26) results offered relief following a difficult stretch. Net revenue from operations rose 37% year-on-year to ₹1,014 crore, while operating margin expanded to 42% from 32%, aided by operating leverage.The rebound comes after a prolonged adjustment to tighter regulations that dragged revenues lower in the nine months to December.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.HYDERABAD: Two weeks after announcing its foundational artificial intelligence models for transcriptions, voice and images, Big Tech firm Microsoft wants to use its Azure cloud business strategy to sign long-term AI contracts with clients.Microsoft’s business model for Azure has found success in the past 12 years of chief executive officer Satya Nadella’s tenure. The company, which follows a July-June financial cycle, reported $281.7 billion in revenue in FY25, out of which its cloud revenue hit $106.2 billion.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.In an unusual attempt to get President Trump’s ear, the grandson of Cuban leader Raúl Castro tapped a wealthy Havana entrepreneur to try to personally deliver a letter to the White House last week outside of regular diplomatic channels, said a U.S. official and former U.S.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.It is 8 a.m. in the courtyard of the Life Time Living apartment complex in Henderson, Nev.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.An intensifying U.S. naval blockade of Iran is aimed at inflicting such severe economic pain that Tehran will be compelled to quickly submit to Washington’s demands to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and abandon its nuclear ambitions.With crude exports from Iranian ports effectively stopped up, the country will be deprived of a large chunk of its oil revenues.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Washington has been trying to free up more of the resources of big banks. Banks have wasted no time putting them to work, but on Wall Street rather than Main Street.Big banks’ lending to consumers and midsize companies is moving modestly ahead.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Facing a gas supply squeeze amid the West Asia war, India is considering a steep increase in blending compressed biogas (CBG) into city gas networks—potentially up to 20%—in a phased manner to reduce import dependence and cushion supplies, said two people aware of the discussions.The blending mandate for city gas distribution (CGD) entities was 1% as of fiscal year 2026 (FY26), to be gradually increased to 3%, 4% and 5% in FY27, FY28 and FY29, respectively. The government is now considering enhancing this to well beyond 5% and with a much more stringent timeline.This underscores a policy shift towards scaling domestic CBG output, as India prioritizes essential gas use and looks to ease pressure on liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports.Natural gas is processed to produce piped natural gas (PNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) as fuels for cooking and mobility, respectively.Government is pushing for a higher adoption of piped or city gas by domestic as well as industrial users due to the acute shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), the more commonly used cooking fuel.The government's focus on compressed biogas is gaining momentum amid the energy supply crunch due to the West Asia war, with India depending on the region for 40% of its natural gas imports.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Driven by soaring global prices and across-the-table lending, the gold loan market has exploded, expanding almost 4 times in just four years. This surge has made gold loans the second-largest retail credit category in India, according to the Gold Loan Landscape Report by TransUnion Cibil in April 2026.