Page 15 - Industry News

Semaglutide generics likely to widen access but raise dropout risks

Experts add that while the introduction of branded generics will trigger an acceleration in volumes for GLP-1 agonists, the value growth may moderate due to price erosion

Public sector banks lag private banks in women board seats, shows data

Women CEO in three insurers, zero in banks

West Asia conflict puts $11.8 bn of India's agri exports at risk: GTRI

India's agri and food products exports worth USD 11.8 billion to West Asia are at risk as the conflict in the region is disrupting shipping routes, raising insurance costs and creating uncertainty in logistics, think tank GTRI said on Saturday. In 2025, India exported about USD 11.8 billion of agricultural and food products such as cereals, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and spices to West Asia, accounting for 21.8 per cent of India's total exports in this sector. "The Gulf region's geographic proximity and large expatriate Indian population have historically made it a natural market for India's food exports. "However, the conflict in the region is disrupting shipping routes, raising insurance costs and creating uncertainty in logistics," the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said. India exported USD 7.48 billion of cereals, fruits, vegetables and spices to West Asia in 2025, with the region accounting for 29.2 per cent of India's global exports in this category. Key ..

Indian gas firms may cut industrial supply if Qatar halt persists

QatarEnergy has halted production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) amid attacks on its facilities as tensions rise in West Asia

Air India to launch Hanoi-Delhi, Tokyo-Mumbai non-stop flights services

Air India on Thursday announced the launch of its non-stop flight services on the Hanoi-Delhi and Tokyo (Haneda)-Mumbai routes starting in the June quarter as part of its expansion across Asia. The Tata group airline already operates to Vietnam and Japan with flights to Ho Chi Minh City and Tokyo (Haneda) from the national capital. The new five-time weekly services to Hanoi, starting from May 1, will complement daily flights to Ho Chi Minh City. This provides greater flexibility to travellers who intend to visit Vietnam with open jaw itineraries-entering from Hanoi and exiting Ho Chi Minh City or vice versa, Air India said, adding these services will be operated with a A320neo aircraft in a three-calss configuration--business Premium economy as well as Economy Class. The opening of this new route adds 7,028 seats to and from Vietnam each month, Air India said. Vietnam, which now ranks as the third-most-visited country in Southeast Asia, having recorded over 20 million visitors in

An AI summit afterglow: February's demand spike boosts hospitality sector

The spillover wasn't limited to the northern region. Executives ended up staying in Mumbai and Bengaluru hotels in several instances, travelling to and from Delhi for the event

Sarvam AI launches startup programme to back AI builders in India: Details

The programme offers startups up to 12 months of API credits, access to Sarvam's language AI tools, and direct engineering support

Nearly 25% of internet users in India faced cyberthreats in 2025: Report

Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky claims to have blocked over 4.7 crore web-based threats that were faced by 24.7 per cent of internet users in India in 2025. Internet users in India, on average, encountered approximately 1,30,209 web threats per day during the year, Kaspersky said in a statement. "Nearly a quarter (24.7 per cent) of Internet users in India faced web-based threats in 2025. Between January and December 2025, Kaspersky products detected and blocked 47,526,422 Internet-borne cyberthreats on users' computers across the country," the company said. Globally, India was ranked 62nd in terms of users affected by web-borne threats, according to data obtained and processed by Kaspersky Security Network (KSN). According to KSN data, attacks delivered via browsers that exploit vulnerabilities in browsers and their plug-ins remain the primary method of online threats. "File-less malware continued to be among the most dangerous forms of attack targeting internet users in India in 202

Prolonged Iran conflict may hit corporate earnings in India: Report

'We expect some downside risk to corporate earnings, especially if the conflict lasts longer than a few weeks,' the report said on Thursday

Uttar Pradesh expressway network to support 27 industrial parks

Three expressways are under construction, including Ganga Expressway and Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway, while 12 new expressway projects have been proposed by the government

NaBFID plans $500 million equity fund to boost infrastructure financing

NaBFID's entry into equity marks an expansion of its toolkit beyond traditional debt and a bid to appeal to a broader swath of investors as the country's infrastructure needs accelerate

Jack Daniel's maker Brown-Forman to launch more premium brands in India

India's affluent buyers splurge on everything from jewellery to pricey liquor, making the country a focus for global brands

1Point1 Solutions completes $33.37 million acquisition of Netcom BCC

Business process management firm 1Point1 Solutions on Thursday said it has completed the acquisition of Costa Rica-based peer Netcom Business Contact Center SA for USD 33.37 million. The acquisition marks a strategic entry of 1Point1 Solutions into the central and Latin American market, the company said in a statement. "Netcom strengthens our BFSI capabilities and establishes a strategic near-shore presence in Latin America, enabling us to serve clients with greater agility and regulatory alignment. As we integrate our AI stack across operations, we are not just expanding geographically, we are scaling human intelligence at a global level," 1Point1 Solutions Chairman and Managing Director, Akshay Chhabra, said. With this transaction, 1Point1 Solutions establishes an immediate near-shore delivery presence across Costa Rica, Colombia, and Panama. "Looking ahead, 1Point1 remains committed to disciplined inorganic expansion, with plans to pursue 2-3 strategic acquisitions over the next

Sugar shares rally on hopes of higher ethanol blend amid West Asia crisis

Sugar stocks surged on expectations that rising crude oil prices amid the West Asia crisis may prompt the Centre to raise ethanol prices and increase the blending mandate from 20 per cent

Tamil Nadu unveils Shipbuilding Policy 2026 to boost green tech

In a definitive push toward environmental stewardship in the maritime sector, the Tamil Nadu government has placed green shipbuilding and circular economy practices at the forefront of its newly unveiled Shipbuilding Policy 2026. The policy aims to establish the state as a global leader in sustainable maritime technology, focusing on zero-emission vessels and world-class green recycling facilities. Released by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday, the policy provides specialised incentives for the construction of "green vessels," including those powered by green hydrogen, ammonia, and electric propulsion. These initiatives are designed to align with India's Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, which targets a significant reduction in carbon emissions across the shipping fleet. A key highlight of the policy is the promotion of Green Ship Recycling clusters. To discourage hazardous dismantling practices, the state has announced a 15 per cent capital subsidy for the first fiv

Air India to add more flights to Toronto, Frankfurt, Paris amid high demand

Air India on Wednesday announced the deployment of additional flights to Toronto, Frankfurt and Paris (Charles de Gaulle) to cater to high demand amid the ongoing situation in West Asia. Air India's low-cost subsidiary Air India Express also announced that its air services to Muscat will remain operational, besides mounting additional flights between Muscat and Delhi and Mumbai. As part of this, the Tata group-owned airline will operate three additional flights between Delhi and Toronto from March 5 -11, besides adding three flights between Delhi and Frankfurt, and one flight between Delhi and Paris (Charles de Gaulle) from March 7 -10 March, Air India said. These additional services will provide more flight options to travellers on these select routes with convenient connections beyond Delhi to destinations across Air India's vast domestic India and Southeast Asia networks. Air India also said that it will continue to "closely assess" the situation and will add flights on these ..

Oman Air Cargo to add India, Europe network capacity in coming days

Oman Air Cargo, a key cargo carrier in the Middle East, has announced to add network capacity to various destinations, including India, soon. The cargo player has suspended flights to and from Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and Dubai due to ongoing regional airspace closures. "Extra belly hold capacity will also be added to our network over the coming days through new flights between Oman, the United Kingdom, Europe, India, and Asia," the company said in a statement. "Flights across the rest of our network may be delayed as a result of longer flight paths. We are working to ensure that all affected cargo is rescheduled once we have more clarity on airspace restrictions," it added. "All customers are being contacted to confirm the status of their cargo, and we will continue to provide regular operational updates. The safety of our staff remains our priority, and we are working closely with the relevant authorities and airport partners to ensure that all necessary precautions are in

IIFCL plans to raise $1.6 billion for infra push in India: MD Rohit Rishi

India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL) plans to raise USD 1.6 billion (about Rs 14,500 crore) from multilateral agencies and other overseas investors as part of resource mobilisation strategy to support infrastructure development across the country. "Our strategy is to build a diversified and cost-effective long-term funding base aligned with infrastructure financing needs. In addition to domestic resources, we have mobilised resources from leading multilaterals such as ADB, KfW, JICA, EIB, and the World Bank," IIFCL's newly-appointed MD Rohit Rishi told PTI. Until December, he said, IIFCL raised JPY 26 billion (around Rs 1,520 crore) from SMBC of Japan as External Commercial Borrowing at the reasonably low cost reflects confidence of lenders in India's growth story, particularly the sustained expansion of its infrastructure. Going forward, he said, "We are exploring a USD 600 million blended finance facility and our debut Green Bond issuance. We are also in the process of

Wipro set to lose $500-million Estee Lauder contract to Accenture

The shift of Estee Lauder's $500-million contract to Accenture marks a setback for Wipro as CEO Srini Palia pushes large efficiency-led deals amid renewed focus on discretionary spending

India, Canada sign 5-year MoU to boost agri-food research cooperation

India and Canada strengthened bilateral cooperation in the agri-food sector with the signing of a five-year Memorandum of Understanding between the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management-Kundli (NIFTEM-K) and the University of Saskatchewan (USask). The agreement was signed by NIFTEM-K Director Harinder Singh Oberoi and USask Vice President (Research) Baljit Singh in the presence of Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and senior officials of India's Ministry of Food Processing Industries, according an official statement. The partnership follows the announcement by the Prime Ministers of both countries of a jointly supported Centre of Excellence in Pulse Protein, to be led by NIFTEM-K and USask. The MoU provides for joint research projects, online teaching and training programmes, faculty and student exchanges, integrated degree programmes in Food Processing Technology, and industry-oriented short courses. It also envisages collaborative funding proposals, ..