Today’s Paper

Potential UPI MDR could boost revenues for dominant players like PhonePe and Paytm, while giving smaller apps a viable path to profitability and customer acquisition

Adds economy became top of agenda only circa 2000

Nilekani said large companies would likely become "net job losers" as AI automates routine tasks, while employment would increasingly come from small firms

SoftBank's Q1 profit beat estimates, driven by gains on Intel and ByteDance investments, as investors tracked its growing AI bets and OpenAI exposure

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) on Thursday posted a 23 per cent increase in net profit to Rs 13,492 crore in the first quarter of the ongoing financial year. The country's biggest insurer had earned a profit of Rs 10,987 crore in the corresponding quarter a year earlier. The total income of the insurer during the reporting quarter improved to Rs 2,37,848 crore from Rs 2,22,864 crore in the same period of the preceding fiscal year, LIC said in a regulatory filing. LIC's income from first-year premium also improved to Rs 9,217 crore in the latest June quarter against Rs 7,525 crore in the same period of the preceding fiscal year. Income from renewal premiums in the reporting period increased to Rs 61,833 crore compared to Rs 59,885 crore a year ago. As regards single premium, the Corporation collected Rs 56,369 crore as compared to Rs 51,923 crore in the first quarter of the previous financial year. Thus, net premium income rose to Rs 1,27,250 crore in the quarter under

India's pharma industry must pivot from global leadership in generics to innovation, backed by stronger policy, R&D funding and regulatory reforms, says Satish Reddy

Akasa Air sees resilient travel demand despite rising fuel and forex costs, while betting on new airports and long-term expansion

Emami Agrotech has entered the packaged snacks market with its WeMe brand and plans to invest Rs 750 crore over the next three to five years to expand the business

Biocon expects momentum to strengthen in H2FY27, driven by new US biosimilar and generic launches, improved operating leverage and a favourable product mix

BP India Chairman Kartikeya Dube says India should expand strategic reserves, diversify energy sources and increase domestic oil and gas production to enhance energy security

Pavel Durov says cybercriminals are exploiting platform moderation systems through 'takedown extortion', putting legitimate online communities across social platforms at risk

Netflix said Operation Safed Sagar, its biggest India production to date, generated over $24 million for the Indian economy through local hiring, businesses and VFX partnerships

Dabur has moved the Delhi High Court against an FSSAI order directing it to stop selling food products carrying "100%" claims. The matter is likely to be heard on Friday

ITC Hotels Chairman Sanjiv Puri said rising domestic travel and experience-led tourism are driving hospitality growth, with the company targeting 250 hotels over five years

Nexus Venture Partners led the funding round as the construction materials quick-commerce startup accelerates expansion, months after raising $6.6 million

The seven-year lease at Casagrand Industrial Park comes as India's logistics and industrial real estate sector records its strongest first-half leasing performance

The Hyderabad facility strengthens Microsoft's AI-ready cloud infrastructure in India, expanding its presence to four cloud regions as it scales sovereign cloud capabilities

Incoming CEO Raymond Stauffer will invest about ₹583 crore as Nazara strengthens its balance sheet to fund acquisitions, AI-led game development and business expansion

Subramanya SV and Anand Dalmia will exit Groww after completing a planned one-year transition following Fisdom's acquisition and integration into the fintech firm's wealth business

KKR will acquire Medicover India's hospital business in a €1.2 billion deal, strengthening its healthcare portfolio and expanding its footprint across southern and western India

The lender plans to restore industry-aligned growth in FY27, accelerate expansion in FY28 and outperform peers by FY29 after strengthening governance and its balance sheet

Emcure expects overseas markets to drive growth in FY27 through product approvals, differentiated offerings and capacity expansion, while domestic business is seen improving

JLL Business Services has launched a 120,000 sq ft global capability centre in Hyderabad's Financial District, with plans to expand the workforce to 1,600 over two years

The K Raheja Corp-backed hospitality firm adds 381 keys across Hyderabad and Pune under its Athiva brand, taking its total inventory, including the pipeline, close to 5,500 keys

Carsten Lammers says prolonged tax and customs disputes create uncertainty for global businesses, urging faster resolution, simpler tax laws and consistent policy implementation

The Centre told Parliament it has not conducted a dedicated audit of mandatory workplace creche provisions and does not maintain data on compliance by establishments

The Parliamentary panel urged an early India-US trade pact while seeking exemptions from future US tariff hikes and stronger safeguards for Indian exporters

The government aims to bring customs duty on most items to single-digit rates by the FY28 Budget while continuing tariff rationalisation and asset-focused borrowing

Four in five small businesses expect online sourcing to drive growth over the next three years, highlighting a vast opportunity for digital procurement platforms

The Centre told Parliament it allocated Rs 81,287 crore to NPCIL over the past five years while advancing nuclear projects and pursuing a 100 GW capacity target by 2047

The Union Cabinet has approved the ₹23,731-crore GOBARdhan scheme to scale up compressed biogas production, strengthen the circular bioeconomy and boost clean energy adoption

The four-lane access-controlled NH-15 corridor will be developed under the BOT Toll model to improve connectivity, reduce congestion and support economic growth in Assam

NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Ashok Lahiri says India must sustain 9.25 per cent annual nominal growth for 21 years, backed by reforms, to achieve developed-country status by 2047

India's coal stocks for the power sector can support around 62 days of consumption as production and dispatch rise amid strong supply growth

Rajasthan approves ₹2,101 crore for constructing 3,232 missing-link and non-patchable roads to improve connectivity across 187 Assembly constituencies

The Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, could pave the way for an MDR on UPI. Here's how MDR works, the current structure and what may change

RBI has retained Tata Sons in the FY27 NBFC upper-layer list while reiterating that its de-registration application remains under examination, prolonging uncertainty over listing

The RBI has deferred implementation of revised recovery norms to January 2027 and given regulated entities a year to certify existing recovery agents through the IIBF

The RBI has proposed restricting NBFCs to term loans and barring revolving credit products, except for those authorised to issue credit cards

The RBI's four-day VRRR auction attracted Rs 1.3 trillion in bids as it absorbed surplus liquidity, helping push overnight money market rates closer to the policy rate

Compare total cost and maintain a buffer to reduce auction risk

The Lok Sabha's tax amendment Bill opens the door for future UPI merchant charges, reigniting the debate on funding India's fast-growing digital payments ecosystem

India's AI ambitions demand a rethink of the India-US tax treaty to clarify taxation of cloud services, AI subscriptions and cross-border digital revenues

The new closing auction session has triggered price divergences in F&O stocks, raising concerns over liquidity, price discovery and its impact on investors

An effective KYC programme can make banking easy for genuine customers

Information warfare has moved beyond fake news to shaping how we think. Building cognitive resilience is now as important as safeguarding our borders

The gap between the Sensex and Nifty continued for a fourth session as investors adjusted to the new closing auction mechanism for stocks with derivatives contracts

The e-commerce enablement platform will open its public offering on August 12, with the issue valuing the company at up to ₹7,056 crore

Higher crude realisations lifted ONGC's Q1 earnings above estimates, but sustained oil and gas production growth remains the key catalyst for any meaningful stock rerating

Property Share Investment Trust has filed draft papers for its fourth SM REIT scheme, PropShare Lumina, aiming to raise up to ₹484.68 crore through a fully leased Grade A+ office asset in Noida

Markets regulator Sebi on Thursday proposed allowing Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) to pick minority stakes in under-construction assets, which would help them to secure long-term asset pipeline. In its consultation paper, Sebi proposed that REITs and InvITs be permitted to invest in under-construction projects without having a controlling interest, within the existing limits prescribed for exposure to such assets. "Investing a minority stake in under-construction assets would enable REITs and InvITs to build a pipeline of stable, revenue-generating assets while minimising exposure to construction-related risks,"Sebi said. Additionally, Sebi proposed several measures to facilitate ease of doing business for REITs and InvITs, including reducing the cooling-off period for offer for sale (OFS) by privately listed InvITs, recognising remote common infrastructure as real estate for REITs, and clarifying the computation of the threshold

Analysts said that defence sector's long-term outlook remains constructive, supported by robust order books that provide multi-year revenue visibility.

Strong ARPU growth, subscriber additions and a robust Africa business support Airtel's outlook, while brokerages expect premiumisation and tariff hikes to drive earnings

Recurring fees accounted for 73 per cent of Sebi's collections in FY26, while difficult-to-recover dues rose to around Rs 87,124 crore amid an increase in pending cases

Investor Protection Fund balance rose to Rs 965 crore in FY26, while higher investment income boosted the corpus despite investor education spending remaining unchanged

Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey said Sebi will revamp the securities lending framework, launch the Sebi Setu portal and roll out a single-window clearance system

Markets regulator Sebi plans an AI-enabled multilingual WhatsApp campaign to spread verified safe investing information as part of its 2026-27 digital transformation agenda

REC plans ₹7,000 crore issue on Friday; NABARD next week

At least 4 industry-first launches in the pipeline as NFOs see pickup

Gold and silver futures advanced as easing West Asia tensions boosted hopes the US Federal Reserve may delay further interest rate hikes

The tech giant's planned Andhra Pradesh data centre hub is facing legal challenges and protests over concerns about water resources and its proximity to a wildlife sanctuary

The Centre has asked Meta to strengthen compliance with Indian laws, tighten content moderation and explain its algorithms, moderation systems and safeguards

Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan urged Kiren Rijiju to convey the Opposition's demand that Amit Shah attend the House as the parliamentary deadlock continued

Eighty agricultural universities have adopted NEP 2020 reforms, with 1,902 industry partnerships and expanded internships to strengthen skills and research

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday received a telephone call from his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and they exchanged views on the recent developments in West Asia. The two leaders also reviewed sustained progress in India-Israel Special Strategic Partnership and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the bilateral cooperation across various sectors for the mutual benefit of the two countries, a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office said. "PM Netanyahu and PM Modi exchanged views on the recent developments in West Asia. The two leaders agreed to remain in touch," the statement said. The conflict in West Asia is continuing for over five months now without any permanent solution. Iran on Thursday said it is in the final stage of drafting an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz waterway with Oman, while two Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon. The Strait is crucial to global shipping and energy supplies. Before the war, which began with U

The Supreme Court extended mediation in the Kapur family trust dispute until November 2 after noting progress and expressing hope for an amicable settlement

The Supreme Court said judicial officers are a distinct class and directed States to reconsider proposals to raise the retirement age of District Judges independently

Asks stakeholders to develop a model in which security does not affect KPIs

Only about 4% of UPI merchant transactions may attract an MDR under the proposed law, while all person-to-person UPI payments will remain free

Industry body FISME has urged the CBIC to protect bona fide GST buyers from suppliers' defaults, expedite refunds and simplify compliance to improve ease of doing business

Petrol car penetration fell to a record low of 41.68% in July as E20 concerns pushed buyers towards CNG, hybrids and EVs, according to FADA

Nasscom says India must build stronger hardware capabilities and deepen industry-academia collaboration as AI reshapes software development and the deep-tech ecosystem

Says current DBT framework needs a relook; comes down heavily on bundling

The state will unveil five new food parks at the Odisha Food Pro 2026 summit in New Delhi as it seeks Rs 10,000 crore in investments and over 20,000 jobs

Coal India has emerged as the preferred bidder for Odisha's Gadadharpur iron ore block, marking its entry into iron ore mining as it expands beyond coal

The Centre is planning the next phase of the Green Energy Corridor, spanning 10,000 circuit km, to strengthen renewable power evacuation and support India's energy transition

S&P Global Ratings says reforms and low insurance penetration support long-term growth, but underwriting pressures and weak profitability remain key risks for insurers

Crisil Ratings expects steel makers to maintain stable profitability in FY27 as higher domestic steel prices and safeguard duty offset rising coking coal, energy and logistics costs

BBSM raises concerns over Draft Seeds Bill 2025, warning it may impact farmers' seed rights and biodiversity, while experts seek a permanent ban on paraquat

Japanese lender MUFG has raised its estimate of inflows under the RBI's concessional forex measures to $87 billion, citing robust FCNR(B) deposit mobilisation

Total automobile retail sales in India grew by 25.89 per cent year-on-year to 25,91,138 units in July, continuing with the demand momentum that set in after rationalisation of GST in the latter part of last year, the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations said on Thursday. In July last year, total automobile retail sales in India were at 20,58,325 units, Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) said in a statement. Passenger vehicles (PV) retail sales were at 4,16,555 units last month as compared to 3,49,674 units in July 2025, a growth of 19.13 per cent, it added. Sales of two-wheelers were at 18,18,289 units in July this year compared to 14,17,767 units in the same month a year ago, up 28.25 per cent, it added. Three-wheeler sales stood at 1,33,778 units last month as compared to 1,15,166 units in July 2025, a growth of 16.16 per cent, FADA said. Commercial vehicles also witnessed a 24.04 per cent rise in retail sales at 99,666 units last month as compared to

UPSIDA approves new industrial areas in Fatehpur and Ayodhya, backed by a ₹9,000 crore budget to boost manufacturing, investment, jobs, and industrial infrastructure

From architectural designs that disregard women's needs to being treated lightly at work, this book is a compendium of the many everyday forms of discrimination that women face

Iran warned Gulf states of retaliation if US strikes resume, as Israel-Lebanon clashes flared and shipping firms rejected a proposed Hormuz transit arrangement

Warner Bros Discovery missed Q2 revenue estimates as weak box office and the loss of NBA broadcasts hit studio and advertising sales despite optimism over its Paramount deal

South Korea's L&C Bio plans an injectable skin booster from donated human fat to restore facial volume, targeting cosmetic concerns linked to GLP-1 weight-loss drugs

DRC has banned exports of copper and cobalt concentrates to boost domestic processing, a move that pushed London copper prices to a six-month high

India successfully test-fired the nuclear-capable Agni-IV ballistic missile off the Odisha coast, validating its operational readiness and technical parameters under the Strategic Forces Command