Sanjay Saraf

RBI data show public sector banks added staff in FY25 for the first time in five years, while private banks' headcount fell, led by a sharp drop at ICICI Bank

India has gained the least since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and was penalized the most, while the US, China and the European Union emerged as the biggest beneficiaries from the war

NPCI approved 13 third-party UPI apps in 2025, with five limited to closed user groups, as tighter due diligence and new safety controls followed an April system outage, sources said

Ducati India says the 40 per cent GST on large-capacity bikes has added pressure on demand and is counting on the proposed India-EU FTA to ease import costs from 2026

Mukesh Ambani has outlined a draft Reliance AI Manifesto to make the group AI-native, targeting 10x productivity for over 600,000 employees and a wider 10x impact on India

The Defence Ministry signed ₹4,666 crore capital acquisition contracts for 5.56 mm CQB carbines and 48 heavy weight torpedoes for Kalvari-class submarines under Project-75

Marked by Op Sindoor, the year saw a shift in doctrine, thinking on future wars

WGC says fundamentals will keep gold strong in 2026 as India drafts a long-term gold policy, with rising wedding budgets, ETF demand and a push to privatise monetisation schemes

Supreme Court pauses its Aravalli ruling as new impact studies loom, while fresh data shows Delhi faces the steepest forest degradation in the fragile range

Banks are likely to see better loan growth and margins in Q3FY26, with PSU lenders outperforming as credit costs ease, unsecured loan stress moderates and recoveries remain steady

Despite sanctions, Rosneft remained India's largest Russian crude supplier in December; Lukoil also contributed significant volumes

Pre-listing shareholder lock-ins in 101 companies will be lifted between December 29, 2025, and March 2026, covering shares worth $23 billion, though not all may hit the market

Ahead of the Budget, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told economists that policymaking must stay aligned with India's 2047 vision, calling for mission-mode reforms and long-term growth focus

Gold, wilful default, narcotics and smuggling cases to be kept out

Gujarat Kidney and Super Speciality listed at a 5.2% premium but ended the debut session 8% below issue price amid profit-booking, even as IPO activity stayed strong in 2025

Industry adds 5.8 million investors this year compared to 10.6 million in 2024

Exports are also expected to grow 28-30 per cent this fiscal due to better realisation opportunities in key markets, particularly the European Union

Vietnam becomes fastest growing market in south east Asia for influx of FTA- hits over 19 million in November

India's real GDP grew 8.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2025-26, up from 7.8 per cent in the first quarter and 7.4 per cent in the fourth quarter of the last fiscal

Hotels near metros are seeing a sharp late surge in New Year's Eve bookings and higher rates, while restaurants and delivery firms face disruptions amid a gig workers' strike