Business
India-EU FTA Soon With Tariff Cuts On Merchandise
NEW DELHI: Faced with the deadline of 2025-end to conclude negotiations on the proposed free trade agreement (FTA), India and the European Union (EU) are now considering completing the task in phases so that businesses on both sides can benefit from increased market access sooner. This could mean faster...
Climate Shocks Could Cause 6% Economic Loss In Asia-Pacific: UN Report
NEW DELHI: A new United Nations report warns that climate shocks could lead to annual economic losses (AAL) of at least 6 per cent in one-third of countries in the Asia-Pacific region, underscoring the region’s significant vulnerability to climate change. The report, titled Economic and Social Survey of Asia...
Centre Revises Norms For State Capex Loans
NEW DELHI: The Centre has issued new guidelines for the disbursal of Rs 87,000 crore, or nearly 60% of the Rs 1.5 lakh crore interest-free 50-year capex loans, to the state governments and union territories for FY26. The amount would be transferred to states and UTs largely as untied...
Banks May Write Off Stressed Loans Worth Rs 1.5 Trillion In FY26: ICRA
MUMBAI: Commercial banks in India are expected to write off bad loans worth Rs 1.51 trillion in the current financial year (FY26) to further clean up balance sheets, according to ICRA estimates. The rating agency also said bank credit growth in FY26 is expected to be around 10.8–10.9 per...
India Inflation In March Likely Steady After Four Months Of Decline: Reuters Poll
NEW DELHI: India consumer prices likely rose around the same rate in March as they did in February following four months of declining inflation, as a sharp rise in gold prices offset flat food prices, a Reuters poll showed. Food price rises had steadily moderated over the previous four...
Vietnam, Bangladesh, Others Look To Strike Trade Deals With US
NEW DELHI: Vietnam, which is a key competitor of India and has 46% additional tariffs as against 26% on India, has offered zero duties on all US imports. Bangladesh, which is a rival for India in global markets for textiles, may also offer duty concessions to the US to...
General Insurance Industry Likely To Grow 13% In FY26: India Ratings
MUMBAI: After tepid growth in the last financial year, the general insurance industry is expected to grow 13 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in gross written premium (GWP) in FY26, led more by value than by new policyholder additions, analysts at India Ratings said. The industry’s premium grew 8.5 per...
Inter-Ministerial Group To Track Import Surge, Take Quick Remedial Step
NEW DELHI: An import monitoring group has been set up in the ministry of commerce to track any possible spurt in inflows of goods into India as many countries including China aggressively seek alternative markets after Trump tariffs reduce access to the US markets. A senior official said Monday...
Indian Law Firms Take Baby Steps For Consolidation
AHMEDABAD: The global legal industry saw a seismic shift last week, with the partnerships at Herbert Smith Freehills, widely acknowledged as one of the world’s most elite law firms, and top US law firm Kramer Nevin Naftalis & Franklin voting to approve a historic merger. The new entity will...
Indian IT Firms To Tighten Belts Amid Rising Uncertainty
BENGALURU: Doing more for less is regaining traction in the IT sector. Indian IT firms are grappling with volatility and bearish sentiment amidst a widespread stock market rout. Infosys and HCLTech stock prices declined by nearly 4% on Monday, while Cognizant and Accenture dropped 4% and 2% respectively in...
RBI Starts Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Review
MUMBAI; The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday started its bi-monthly monetary policy review amid expectations of a 25 bps cut in key interest rates in the backdrop of moderating inflation and the need to stimulate growth as Trump tariffs pose severe challenges to the global economy. The...
India’s Exports To Us Could Decline By $5.76 Billion: GTRI
NEW DELHI: India’s merchandise exports to the US from sectors such as marine items, gold, electrical, and electronics are expected to decline by $5.76 billion this year due to increased American duties, according to the data analysis of think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI). However, it added that...
Countries Scramble To Respond To Trump’s Tariffs
WASHINGTON: Countries are scrambling to figure out how to respond to the tariffs, with China and others retaliating quickly. Trump’s tariff blitz fulfilled a key campaign promise as he acted without Congress to redraw the rules of the international trading system. It was a move decades in the making...
Automobile Retail Sales Rise Six Per Cent In FY25: FADA
NEW DELHI: Automobile retail sales in India rose six per cent to 2,61,43,943 units in FY25 with rural areas performing better than urban regions across passenger vehicle and two-wheeler segments, dealers’ body FADA said on Monday. The last financial year saw growth in sales of passenger vehicles, two-wheelers and...
Securitisation Volumes Jump 24 Per Cent In FY25
MUMBAI: Securitisation volumes in FY25 increased 24 per cent to hit the highest level of Rs 2.35 lakh crore, a report said on Monday. The volumes of securitisation, which involves passing on future receivables on a loan to address upfront liquidity needs, were lower in the fourth quarter at...
Reserve Bank Of India Likely To Go For 25 Basis Points Rate Cut
MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is widely anticipated to shift its monetary policy stance from neutral to accommodative and cut the repo rate by 25 basis points (bps) at its monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting on April 9. This would signal the central bank’s increasing focus on...
New CPI Series From February 2026 To Include Rural Housing Inflation
NEW DELHI: The new consumer price index (CPI) series will measure housing inflation in rural areas, in tune with shifting consumption patterns and emergence of rental markets beyond urban centres, official sources said. At present, housing is only measured as a part of urban inflation because there are only...
Countries Soften Stance On Non-Trade Issues With India
NEW DELHI: As the shake-up of the world trade by US President Donald Trump has brought back tariffs at the centre stage again, “many developed countries” have indicated to India that they are willing to relax their stands on non-trade issues like sustainability in the free trade agreement (FTA)...
