India has emerged as the fastest-growing major economy in intangible investments, with spending on assets such as software, research and development (R&D), intellectual property and organisational capabilities reaching $78.2 billion (around Rs 6.7 lakh crore) in 2023, according to the World Intangible Investment Report 2026. Highlighting the report’s findings,...
NEW DELHI: The labour ministry, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), has begun a feasibility study to develop an international reference classification of occupations based on skills and capabilities, a framework aimed at helping global capability centres (GCCs) better match talent demand with workforce supply, Additional Secretary...
NEW DELHI: After talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta on Tuesday, India and Indonesia announced 20 outcomes, including the latter procuring BrahMos cruise missiles and Astra air-to-air missiles from New Delhi — a deal worth over $600 million. The two sides also agreed...
UNITED NATIONS: Foreign Direct Investment inflows to India increased by 44 per cent in 2025 to $39 billion, according to the UN, which said the country continued to strengthen its position as a major investment destination. The 2026 World Investment Report, released Tuesday by United Nations Trade and Development...
NEW DELHI: India’s rising solar penetration is causing power-grid stress, according to a new working paper by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM). The paper argued that growth in renewables, without adequate expansion in storage and without implementing other policies to smooth the net load, would...
MUMBAI: A report by State Bank of India (SBI) has proposed that all infrastructure loans be accorded priority sector status to boost investment in infrastructure. Alternatively, it suggested exempting such loans from the calculation of adjusted net bank credit (ANBC) for priority sector lending (PSL) purposes. Reserve Bank of...
NEW DELHI: India has listed several flaws in the way the US has launched and conducted an investigation into the alleged forced-labour content from imports in Indian merchandise shipped to that country. It also suggested bilateral dialogue to address any specific concern of the US in this regard. In...
NEW DELHI: Women-centric cash transfer schemes in Maharashtra and Odisha significantly increased beneficiaries’ savings and spending while improving the financial position of other household members, according to a working paper by the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (PM-EAC). The paper, titled Unconditional Women Cash Transfer Programmes in India: Evidence...
NEW DELHI: As India’s merchandise trade deficit with Japan nearly tripled from $5.18 billion in 2015-16 to $15.4 billion in 2025-26, the government is reviewing the existing free trade agreement (FTA) with the island nation. While officials acknowledge that it is difficult for Indian exporters to make significant inroads...
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Union Minister Amit Shah on Monday announced that the government will soon facilitate the promotion of a cooperative life insurance company and also help set up a cooperative for utility aggregation on the lines of ‘Bharat Taxi’. “We will soon launch a utility aggregator cooperative on the...
MUMBAI: Large companies are returning to banks for funding as private-sector capital expenditure gathers pace and rising commercial paper (CP) rates make bank loans more attractive. Bank credit outstanding to large corporates jumped 14.4% year-on-year to Rs 31.10 lakh crore as of May 31, 2026, according to the Reserve...
MUMBAI: Marking the first turn in the tide since the US-Iran conflict broke out this February, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) have become net buyers of Indian equities since the latter half of June, reviving momentum in sectors like financial services, construction, consumer services, consumer durables, realty and health care,...
NEW DELHI: US restrictions on access to advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models are beginning to reshape India’s AI strategy, with the government building independent capability to test critical software and cybersecurity systems instead of waiting for access to Anthropic’s most advanced model. The ministry of electronics and information technology...
NEW DELHI: The India-UK free trade agreement has pegged the minimum local value addition level for manufactured products to qualify for lower duties between 35% to 55%, depending on where the value of the finished product is calculated. For agricultural products, largely local origin would be insisted upon. The...
NEW DELHI: To accelerate infrastructure financing and support India’s transition to a net-zero economy, the Centre is preparing a comprehensive strategy to attract long-term global investors such as pension funds and sovereign wealth funds to infrastructure sectors, including highways, railways, ports and airports. The move comes as India faces...
MUMBAI: HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB), YES Bank, and AU Small Finance Bank have reported robust growth in deposits and advances in the first quarter (Q1FY27), per their provisional numbers. HDFC Bank’s deposits and gross advances increased by 14.7 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) and 15.4 per cent y-o-y,...
NEW DELHI: The government has cancelled the auction of nine critical and strategic mineral blocks, citing poor investor response and lack of qualified bidders. These blocks were put on the block in the seventh round of sale. The development comes as a setback to the government’s efforts to ramp...
MUMBAI: Banks are gearing up to expand their presence in India’s mergers and acquisitions (M&A) financing market as the Reserve Bank of India’s new framework allowing lenders to fund acquisitions comes into effect, opening a segment that has so far been dominated by private credit funds and foreign banks....