EV retail sales expand in January, with gains across PVs and two-wheelers

India’s Jan 2026 EV retail rose: PVs +55% to 18,470 (3.6% share) led by Tata, MG; Mahindra surged; Kia, BMW up; Hyundai flat; BYD down; VinFast debuted. E2Ws +25% to 122,812 (6.6% share) with TVS leading; Bajaj, Ather rising; Hero jumped; Ola slumped. FADA credits demand, infra, wider lineups.

Linde India will hold a March 5 EGM to seek shareholder approval for FY2025-26 related-party deals worth ₹417.7 crore with Praxair India, aligning with SEBI norms after a Dec 2025 SAT ruling upheld SEBI’s RPT thresholds. Experts say it signals stronger compliance and corporate governance.

SBI rose 3.4% to ₹1,183, lifting mcap to ₹10.92 tn and overtaking TCS (down to ₹2,909; ₹10.5 tn) as India’s 4th most valued after Reliance, HDFC Bank and Airtel. Separately, BHEL’s OFS was oversubscribed (220.8m vs 174m) at ₹254 floor; govt selling 5% to raise ~₹4,400 cr; stock fell 5.6% to ₹260.7.

SBI rose 3.4% to ₹1,183, lifting mcap to ₹10.92 tn and overtaking TCS (down to ₹2,909; ₹10.5 tn) as India’s 4th most valued after Reliance, HDFC Bank and Airtel. Separately, BHEL’s OFS was oversubscribed (220.8m vs 174m) at ₹254 floor; govt selling 5% to raise ~₹4,400 cr; stock fell 5.6% to ₹260.7.

SEBI chief T.K. Pandey flagged SME fund diversion and manipulation, promising tighter eligibility and an LODR review while easing compliance via a new SME portal. He urged a financing stack and stronger governance.

Indian banks issued Rs 1.21 trillion of CDs in the first 10 days of February as RBI-driven liquidity and softer short-term rates made CDs attractive amid lagging deposits and Q4 credit needs. CD rates fell; outstanding hit Rs 5.8 trillion.

India’s IT stocks and tech funds slid on AI disruption fears after Palantir and Anthropic updates, plus macro headwinds. Spend is shifting to GenAI/hardware, pressuring growth, but firms can adapt; valuations near long-term avg. Avoid knee-jerk moves; stagger entries; use ~8.4% sector weight.

Jubilant FoodWorks beat in Q3FY26: revenue +12% YoY, orders +10.7%, Domino’s SSS +5%. Gross margin -20 bps to 74.9%, OPM +90 bps to 13.3% from leverage/price-mix. Delivery +16%; +75 stores (2,396).

The Federation of Indian Airlines has told the DGCA that proposed cabin crew FDTL norms are more restrictive than global standards and should focus on flight duty period instead of flight time.

Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus questioned getting no night practice at Arun Jaitley before their Feb 12 T20 World Cup match vs India, while India had two and Canada one. With little floodlit experience, he expects a high-scoring game on the small ground.

India faces a Bharat Bandh on Thursday, called by 10 central trade unions and backed by SKM/AIKS farmers. Protests target 4 labour Codes and the proposed India-US trade deal, and demand restoration of MGNREGA. Banks, transport, and offices may remain shut; hospitals and airports will operate.

Bangladesh heads to polls after 18 months under an interim government. With Awami League banned, the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami lead the race, while security is tightened nationwide.

Oman pitched downstream aluminium to Indian firms in New Delhi, touting incentives, Sohar logistics and Vision 2040 access. B2B talks advanced; a $4.5m MoU for an 8,000‑t coil-coating/lamination plant.

Cues from India’s net session: Abhishek is unlikely to feature in India’s playing 11 vs Namibia as he did not take part in the net session. Jasprit Bumrah bowled at full throttle

India’s MeitY amended IT Rules, cutting takedown deadlines to 3 hours (2 for sensitive cases) and tightening due diligence for AI/SGI, with loss of safe harbour risk. Platforms must label AI content and add metadata, forcing 24/7 compliance, greater automation, higher costs, and over-removal risks.

Cashfree Payments is ramping up cross-border payments, targeting 10–15% of revenue this year and 25–30% by FY27. The 3.5x-growing, higher-margin segment builds on its RBI-approved aggregator lead, 140 currencies/176 countries, serving AI/SaaS, digital goods, e-com and India’s export hubs.

Bengaluru’s IndiQube targets 30–35% FY26 revenue growth, adding 1.5–2m sq ft and 33k–44k seats annually while maintaining 80–85% occupancy. Capex ~Rs 180 cr each half. About 3.26m sq ft to go live in 18–24 months.

At a pre-match press conference, Tilak Varma offered a positive update: Indian opener Abhishek Sharma has been discharged from hospital after a checkup and could be in contention for selection. India play Namibia in the T20 World Cup tomorrow in New Delhi.

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri will testify in a U.S. case alleging design features like endless scroll fuel compulsive use and harm youth mental health. The suit may shape platform safeguards and regulation globally, as countries debate age limits, verification, and parental controls. 

IN-SPACe chose Astrome, Azista Industries and Dhruva Space to build modular small-satellite buses under its SBaaS, granting ₹5 crore each. With ISRO access and milestone support, they’ll deliver flight-proven hosted-payload platforms and boost India’s smallsat/EO ecosystem, incl. a Pixxel PPP.

Google is offering voluntary buyouts to select teams in its Global Business Organization, allowing employees who don’t feel “all in” on the company’s mission to leave with severance.

India's Health Ministry proposes NDCT rule changes to scrap provisional registration for ethics committees, moving to a single final approval after scrutiny. It streamlines processes but front-loads compliance. Related tweaks also ease drug manufacturing approvals and low-risk BA/BE studies.

Avantel Ltd won a ₹122.58‑crore NSIL (ISRO) order to supply, install and commission S/X‑band, Ka‑ready full‑motion antennas for uninterrupted TTC/data support to LEO satellites. Due Aug 2027, the project backs Make in India; Avantel serves aerospace/defence with SATCOM, radar and SDR solutions.

The Trump administration’s repeal of EPA’s 2009 endangerment finding could revive climate “public nuisance” lawsuits against power plants and other emitters.

An NBER study finds H-1B workers earn about 16% less than comparable U.S. workers, with small gaps at big tech but large ones at outsourcing firms. Even $100k–$200k fees likely won’t curb hiring, could raise $10–$20B, skew visas to higher skill, and visa scarcity boosts employer power.

USCIS is reportedly checking LinkedIn against visa/green card filings, with mismatches causing denials, an attorney warns. Applicants on H‑1B/OPT should align titles, employers, OPT reports, and recommendations. A green card holder says USCIS viewed his profile post-approval amid tighter vetting.

Handhelds split between Windows PCs like ROG Ally and affordable retro emulators. Retro units are smaller, cheaper, focused, and suit short portable play. Windows handhelds add power, ecosystems, and better screens but are heavier, hotter, pricier. For daily handheld use, retro wins.

Several Indian executives report B1/B2 visa refusals under Section 214(b), which presumes immigrant intent unless strong home ties are proven. Officers assess jobs, finances, plans and more—often criticized as arbitrary. Denials can’t be appealed, but reapplication with new evidence is allowed.

YouTube Music is rolling out an AI Playlist for Premium users on Android and iOS. Type or speak a mood, idea, or genre and it auto‑builds a personalized playlist (Gemini-style logo). It mirrors Spotify’s Prompted Playlist and expands on Ask Music. Create via Library > New > AI Playlist.

Amazon India says 2025 was its fastest Prime delivery year: 5.5M items delivered same/next day (+40% YoY), 1M same-day, 40 lakh next-day, 20k in 4 hours. Prime members saved over 2x fees; 70% of new sign-ups were from non-metros. Amazon Now boosts frequency. Invested ₹2,000 crore in ops and tech.

AAP MP Raghav Chadha urged legalising and regulating VDAs (crypto, stablecoins, tokenised assets), noting India taxes them at 30% plus 1% TDS without legal status or investor safeguards. Citing capital and startups moving abroad, he sought AML-backed sandbox and asset-class recognition.

Oberoi Realty’s JV I‑Ven will partner with Aman Group to develop a ~4‑acre Worli, Mumbai site into an Aman‑branded 80‑room hotel plus 150k–200k sq ft residences. Target opening Aug 31, 2032; Aman to manage for 25+10 years. JV stakes: Oberoi 39.13%, Vikas Oberoi 39.13%, Alpha Wave 21.74%.

Delhi High Court upheld cancellation of doctor’s appointment at Aiims under EWS category, ruling that a junior resident’s stipend counts as income for EWS eligibility.

BJP’s Ritu Tawde was elected unopposed as Mumbai’s 78th mayor, with Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Ghadi as deputy, in a BMC session. It’s the BJP’s first mayor here in 44 years. The BJP won 89 seats and, with Sena’s 29, the alliance holds 118 of 227, securing control of India’s richest civic body.

Google says Android 17 beta 1 is coming soon, skipping a separate Developer Preview as Canary covers early experiments. If you’re in the Android Beta Program (16 QPR3 Beta 2.1), you’ll get it automatically; removal needs a wipe. Codename "Cinnamon Bun"; features TBD, with perf/UI/AI tweaks expected.

Akasa Air said co-founder/CCO Praveen Iyer will exit by Apr 30, the second co-founder to leave after Neelu Khatri (Oct 2025), amid wider 2025 management churn. CIO Anand Srinivasan becomes CCO; CIO search on, IT to CFO Ankur Goel. Akasa runs 1,107 weekly flights with 33 jets; 193 of 226 Boeing orders pending.

Google is rolling out Google Photos’ Create with AI to iPhone and iPad in India and other regions (including the US, Japan, Brazil). It applies AI templates to redesign photos; some require Gemini eligibility. Templates will update regularly; age, location, and Face Groups settings may be required.

Bangladesh’s sports adviser says the BCB and players jointly boycotted the T20 World Cup for “national dignity,” not a govt order. ICC denied moving games to Sri Lanka; Scotland replaced them and no sanctions followed. ICC kept Bangladesh in future host plans. 

Zscaler’s 2026 AI Security Report: India is a top, fastest‑growing AI/ML user—82.3B transactions (+309% YoY), leading APJ traffic and data‑leak risk. Globally 18,033 TB moved (+93%). ChatGPT logged ~410M DLP violations; coding tools rose. Only 39% of AI traffic is under policy controls.

Airtel launched an AI, network-level security that detects risky calls and, if a bank OTP is triggered, sends real-time alerts urging users not to share it. Live in Haryana, rolling out nationwide in two weeks, it bolsters Airtel’s anti-spam push with spam alerts and link blocking.

CMIE data show unlisted firms’ PAT/total income hit a record 5.75% in FY25, still below listed peers’ 8.11%, amid single-digit sales growth (listed 5.1%, unlisted 8.62%). Market incentives favor listed firms. With slack capex and ~25% idle capacity, GST cuts could lift demand and earnings.

The India AI Impact Summit (Feb 16, New Delhi) will convene global and Indian stakeholders. Focus: 12 startups under the IndiaAI Mission building indigenous foundation models for Indian languages—covering LLMs, multimodal, speech/TTS, avatars, and sector tools for health, agri, gov, and STEM.

ICC and Coca‑Cola India’s #MaidaanSaaf will run at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 across five Indian stadiums, boosting waste segregation, recycling and fan awareness. Led by Anandana with Ek Saath and Greenmyna, it supports safai saathis and adds marked bins, recovery systems and collectible cups

Anthropic AI safety lead Mrinank Sharma resigned to pursue poetry, citing global crises and a desire for integrity-aligned work. Oxford-trained, he studied AI sycophancy, bio-risk safeguards, and LLM disempowerment. His exit came as Anthropic launched plugins that stirred automation fears.

DGCA says IndiGo will fully comply with Flight Duty Time Limitation rules from Feb 11, 2026, as its Dec 2025–Feb 10 exemption ends. After major Dec disruptions, DGCA deployed airport officers and FOIs to monitor ops. FDTL expands rest, limits night duty, mandates 48h weekly rest. 

Google is expanding its Gemini-powered Fitbit Coach beyond the US to the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, and extending the public preview to iOS. It offers personalized workouts plus sleep and recovery insights using Fitbit, Pixel and Apple HealthKit data.

Sir Ratan Tata Trust is overhauling governance, considering a formal trust deed to replace its 1918 will after Maharashtra’s new rules cap permanent trustees at 25% and limit terms to five years. A vote to induct Neville Tata was deferred for lack of quorum; unanimity is required.

Shoppers Stop named Pankaj Chaturvedi as CFO effective Apr 1, 2026, succeeding Karunakaran Mohanasundaram. Chaturvedi, current Saregama CFO and ex-Vodafone/Jio finance leader, is a CA with 19 years’ experience. Amid retail headwinds, Q3 profit fell 69%. The stock rose 2.2% to ₹409.2.

India's 2026 AI Impact Summit pivots from policy to deployment, showcasing a full AI stack: scaled apps in farming, health, education, justice and weather; indigenous models and language tech; subsidised compute and semicon push; rapid data-center growth; grid, storage and nuclear power to fuel AI.

Samsung’s first Galaxy Unpacked 2026 is Feb 25 in San Francisco (11:30 pm IST), streaming online. Expect Galaxy S26/S26+/Ultra with unified camera island, new privacy display, Snapdragon/Exynos chips; Ultra tipped 200MP/5,000mAh; S26+ LTPO/Qi2. Galaxy Buds 4/4 Pro debut.