IPPB was set up under the Department of Post, with 100% equity owned by the government. The department has now begun discussing how much equity would the Centre divest in the payments bank, people aware of the matter said.

Shares in Australia and Japan fell more than 1% in opening trade while equity index futures for Hong Kong slipped. Drops for Japanese benchmarks reflected declining risk sentiment and a Thursday rally in the yen.

Apollo Hospitals Hyderabad-based arm Apollo Health and Lifestyle Limited (AHLL) has acquired a controlling stake in Lucknow-based Care Diagnostics for an undisclosed sum in an all cash deal.

CreditAccess Grameen reported a rise in the default ratio for microloans in Karnataka after the state introduced an ordinance to regulate microfinance activities. The portfolio at risk increased to 7.9% in Karnataka by February, up from 4.3% previously. Despite this, assets under management grew, indicating an overall business normalization.

India s central bank may have room for monetary easing due to the faster decline in global crude oil prices counterbalancing the rupee s fall against the US dollar. The falling price of Brent crude mitigates imported inflation risks, potentially easing consumer prices and supporting further rate cuts by monetary authorities.

Lohum aims to raise $100 million in its series C round and another $100 million in pre-IPO placement, Verma said, adding that the formal fund-raising process will begin in the next couple of months.

Howard S Marks from Oaktree Capital Management discusses his views on the unpredictable economic environment, Trump s policies, and the potential of the US Big Tech. He highlights his concerns about politics, demographics, and immigration policies, while expressing optimism about India s growth, emphasizing the importance of leadership and equitable development.

The automobile sector witnessed the highest outflows in the second-half of the month as these investors dumped shares worth ₹3,279 crore after selling to the tune of ₹690 crore in the first-half of the month. In 2024, foreign investors pulled out over ₹16,000 crore from the sector.

Rupee forward premiums have dropped after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a raft of measures, including a dollar rupee buy-sell swap, to boost domestic liquidity, likely stoking dollar demand Thursday.

We haven t had an economic-based recession since 2009. This is the longest recovery in history, if you ignore the 2020 recession. We ve seen very unusual events in the last 16 years, mostly stemming from or in reaction to exogenous events. The US economy, for one, and I think that the whole world has not had a boom in that period.