 "Barkha Mathur")
Barkha Mathur
Barkha Mathur
Barkha Mathur leads corporate sector and health coverage for the Business Standard website. She reports on business strategy, policy, corporate developments, public health, and health science. Outside work, she enjoys reading research papers, listening to Michael Jackson and hip-hop, and gazing at the night sky.
Barkha Mathur leads corporate sector and health coverage for the Business Standard website. She reports on business strategy, policy, corporate developments, public health, and health science. Outside work, she enjoys reading research papers, listening to Michael Jackson and hip-hop, and gazing at the night sky.
Page 4 - Barkha Mathur
Why quick commerce has become a battle no retailer can afford to lose
Quick commerce has moved beyond emergency groceries, forcing Amazon and other retailers to fight to become the first app consumers open whenever they need to buy something
 "Why quick commerce has become a battle no retailer can afford to lose")
India's deal value more than doubles as companies chase global assets
India's deal value jumped 127% to $36.3 billion in Q2 as large overseas acquisitions lifted M&A to a four-year high, even as overall deal volumes fell 18% from the previous quarter, finds a new report
 "India's deal value more than doubles as companies chase global assets")
Can cheaper bank funding spark India's next M&A cycle after RBI move?
Banks can now finance acquisitions under RBI's revised framework; experts say lower borrowing costs may improve deal economics, but valuations and strategic fit will continue to drive M&A decisions
 "Can cheaper bank funding spark India's next M&A cycle after RBI move?")
NPCI ties up with HSBC India, JP Morgan to boost overseas UPI payments
NPCI has partnered with HSBC India and JP Morgan Payments to enable real-time foreign exchange conversion and settlement for international UPI transactions, making overseas payments more transparent
 "NPCI ties up with HSBC India, JP Morgan to boost overseas UPI payments")
The egg debate: Can vegetarian alternatives deliver the same nutrition?
West Bengal's decision to replace eggs in school meals has reignited a nutrition debate; experts explain why protein quality, digestibility, and essential nutrients matter as much as protein content
 "The egg debate: Can vegetarian alternatives deliver the same nutrition?")
OMCs cut commercial LPG prices by ₹183.50 as fuel supplies stabilise
Commercial LPG prices have been reduced by ₹183.50 as fuel supplies improve after the West Asia crisis, but there is no change in domestic LPG cylinder prices
 "OMCs cut commercial LPG prices by ₹183.50 as fuel supplies stabilise")
GST at 9: Why easier return filing has not meant simpler compliance
Automation has transformed GST compliance, but businesses say the challenge has shifted from filing returns to managing reconciliations, vendor compliance, portal changes, and system-generated notices
 "GST at 9: Why easier return filing has not meant simpler compliance")
Who is Rajiv Kumar? Former CEC named as HDFC Bank's part-time chairman
From leading India's public sector bank clean-up to overseeing the world's biggest election, Rajiv Kumar now takes on one of corporate India's most closely watched boardroom roles
 "Who is Rajiv Kumar? Former CEC named as HDFC Bank's part-time chairman")
Why Europe's cities are struggling to cope with 40-degree heatwaves
As thousands die during European heatwaves despite advanced healthcare, doctors say buildings, urban planning, ageing populations and inadequate preparedness are turning heat into a silent killer
 "Why Europe's cities are struggling to cope with 40-degree heatwaves")
India's AI race: Why building infrastructure matters more than chatbots
Industry experts say the next stage of AI development in India will depend on investments in compute infrastructure, data centres, energy, and connectivity
 "India's AI race: Why building infrastructure matters more than chatbots")
Corporate cybercrime: Why businesses are becoming prime targets of hackers
From ransomware and boss scams to AI-powered phishing and data theft, cybercrime is becoming a boardroom concern as companies emerge as the most lucrative targets for organised attackers
 "Corporate cybercrime: Why businesses are becoming prime targets of hackers")
World Vitiligo Day: How Michael Jackson brought global attention to vitiligo
Michael Jackson introduced millions to vitiligo, but the autoimmune disease remains widely misunderstood. On World Vitiligo Day, here's what causes it, how it affects people, and why awareness matters
 "World Vitiligo Day: How Michael Jackson brought global attention to vitiligo")
From Innovist to Minimalist: Why India's beauty brands are hot targets
Global beauty majors are increasingly turning to acquisitions as ingredient-led Indian brands reshape how products are developed, marketed, and scaled
 "From Innovist to Minimalist: Why India's beauty brands are hot targets")
From chats to commerce: Why India is WhatsApp's most important market
With hundreds of millions of users, millions of businesses and a rapidly growing digital economy, India has become the most important market for WhatsApp
 "From chats to commerce: Why India is WhatsApp's most important market")
Reliance's AI strategy bets on compute, power and connectivity at scale
Reliance's AGM showed the conglomerate is shifting from being viewed as an energy-retail giant to an AI infrastructure player built around data centres, compute, connectivity, and power
 "Reliance's AI strategy bets on compute, power and connectivity at scale")
Fertility puzzle: Why countries can't seem to reverse falling birth rates
From cash incentives to calls for national duty, governments deployed every tool to boost births, but declining fertility proved far harder to reverse than expected
 "Fertility puzzle: Why countries can't seem to reverse falling birth rates")
Why India is opening the door wider to foreign investors in govt securities
Govt has completely eliminated capital gains tax and withholding tax on interest income for FPIs investing in GSec, and has expanded specified securities under FAR
 "Why India is opening the door wider to foreign investors in govt securities")
India Inc's new supply chain strategy: Replacing efficiency with resilience
Repeated shocks from Covid to conflict in West Asia are pushing Indian companies to diversify suppliers, localise sourcing and strengthen risk monitoring, even at the cost of higher expenses
 "India Inc's new supply chain strategy: Replacing efficiency with resilience")
Explained: What happens when IBC-linked stocks face market restrictions
Reliance Infrastructure's plea to review ASM restrictions puts the spotlight on whether insolvency-linked trading curbs protect investors or limit their exit options
 "Explained: What happens when IBC-linked stocks face market restrictions")
Why Google's SpaceX deal signals the rise of the AI compute landlord
Google's $920-million-a-month SpaceX agreement shows how AI compute is turning into a scarce, rent-generating infrastructure asset
 "Why Google's SpaceX deal signals the rise of the AI compute landlord")