CATEGORIES

‘Paused new disbursements through NBFC partnerships’

Tamil Nadu-based Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) is undergoing a strategic makeover by focusing more on the retail, agriculture and MSME segment. Managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) B RAMESH BABU talks to Shine Jacob in Chennai about its portfolio roadmap, expansion plan and second quarter performance. Edited excerpts:

Fresh formal hiring at 4-month low in August

Down 11% to 930,000; proportion of women falls to 27.2%

Global oil volatility, geopolitical tensions drag RIL exports to five-quarter low

The global oil market has been volatile ever since the pandemic, with multiple geopolitical tensions in quick succession and this has dragged RIL's Q2 exports to a new low. Reflective of this, Reliance Industries' (RIL) exports in the latest quarter has hit multi-quarter lows, both in terms of absolute value and as a share in its oil-to-chemicals (O2C) revenue.

D2C brands take fast lane to growth through qcom

The growing trend of rapid deliveries in India is driving direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands to secure funds specifically aimed at expanding their presence and increasing sales through quick-commerce (qcom) platforms like Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart.

Naturals Salon eyes disruption in personal care via refill model

Chinni Krishnan, an agriculturist and pharmacist from Tamil Nadu, sparked the sachet revolution in the Indian personal care segment in the 1970s. In 2024, his son C K Kumaravel is all set to come up with another disruptive model in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) space through Naturals Salon & Spa, the largest salon chain in India.

'We've secured a place at the table for large deals'

LTIMindtree's second-quarter (Q2) results for 2024-25 (FY25) showed broad-based growth across verticals and markets, unlike some of its larger peers. The company also closed a $200 million deal in the manufacturing sector. DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, chief executive officer and managing director, discusses with Shivani Shinde via video call what worked for the company, the benefits of the combined forces of LTI and Mindtree, and how clients are ramping up artificial intelligence (AI) deals. Edited excerpts:

FMCG distributors move CCI over qcom practices

Oppose appointment of platforms as direct distributors

FTA strategy tweaks on cards to maximise gains

Underscoring the need for a \"careful\" assessment of guidelines to negotiate free-trade agreements (FTAs), India is \"taking it slow\" and recalibrating its strategy to ensure it is able to maximise trade and investment gains from such pacts, two people aware of the matter said.

Soft demand weighs on early bird results

7% revenue growth slowest in 5 qtrs; bottom line expands 5%

14% spread on loans prompted RBI action

The four non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), including two microfinance institutions (MFIs), that faced regulatory wrath last week were mainly charging exorbitant rates to micro-loan borrowers from the most vulnerable sections, in order to maintain spreads of 14 per cent, sources familiar with the development said.

Luxe automakers in top gear to woo buyers in upscale lounge ambience

Luxury automakers are turning the car-buying experience more refined.

Disney-Reliance JV to stream live sports only on Hotstar

All live sporting events streamed by the newly merged Disney-Reliance business in India, including Indian Premier League (IPL), will only be available on Disney's Hotstar app, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The wonder that was the Indosphere

The Wonder That Was India would have been the most appropriate name for William Dalrymple's rich and enriching book had it not been the title of A L Basham's classic work. All serious students growing up in the 1960s and 1970s and wanting to learn about ancient India read Basham's book. Dalrymple takes up some of the themes covered by Basham and adds to them greater depth, more themes and new evidence. He complements all this by an analysis of how the cultures of ancient India were transmitted across a wide geographical space that Dalrymple calls the Indosphere. This is a book that should not be missed by anyone interested in the world of ancient Indian cultures.

UP THE MEMORY LANE

With registration of vintage cars formalised and rise of ultra-rich Indians, brace up for a beauty parade

Cost-cutting boosts ZEEL profit by 70%

Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) on Friday reported a net profit of ₹209.4 crore in the second quarter of the financial year (Q2 FY25), rising 70.2 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) after it cut costs.

Tata Consumer Products profit up 8% at ₹364 cr

Starbucks now largest café chain

Limit small and medium Reit exposure at 5% till they develop track record

Propertyshare Two players, and Rudrabhishek Enterprises, have received licences from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to launch small and medium real estate investment trusts (SM Reits). The first SM Reits could debut as early as November.

Vistara in-flight experience will last for 'some time' after merger

Air India has taken the step to reassure Vistara passengers concerned over quality

Axis Bank shares rally over 5% after Q2 results

Brokerages cut earnings estimates, see limited downside in stock

FPI exodus: Financial sector bears the brunt

The first fortnight of the month saw record ₹66,300 crore ($7.9 billion) outflows from foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) as the trend sell-India-buy-China gathered pace.

Margin pressure ahead for city gas distribution majors

The city gas distribution (CGD) sector is struggling to cope with a sharp reduction in allocation of administered price mechanism (APM) gas.

Zomato shares drop 5% amid fundraise plans

Shares of food aggregator Zomato fell 5 per cent on the BSE on Friday, a day after the company said it would consider a fundraising plan at its Board meeting next week.

Gold tops $2,700 for first time as investors flock to safety

Gold topped $2,700 an ounce for the first time, as concerns over escalating conflicts in West Asia and a tight US election race prompt investors to flock to safety.

Anil Ambani gets partial relief from SAT in Sebi ban

The Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) on Friday admitted a plea by Anil Ambani against an order by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in which the markets regulator had imposed a penalty of ₹25 crore on Ambani and debarred him from the markets for five years in a matter related to Reliance Home Finance (RHFL).

Mkts end in red for 3rd straight week

Longest weekly losing streak in 14 months; FPI selloff in October tops $9 billion

Subdued earnings may spur market correction

Earnings disappointment can be the next big catalyst for a market correction over the next few weeks as India Inc unveils Q2 results after Bajaj Auto's tepid festive sales dampened the market sentiment, according to analysts.

Logic of Trump's tariffs has a gaping hole

In his interview this week with John Micklethwait, editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News, former President Donald Trump offered a somewhat unusual argument in favour of tariffs, which he called \"the most beautiful word in the dictionary.\" Tariffs, he suggested, are not mainly about protecting domestic industry. Rather, they may serve as a means of luring foreign direct investment to the US.

Windmills in British Columbia

If Sikh separatists are a nuisance, itshould worry their host countries. Should it bother India if they keep killing their ownin gang rivalries and making their neighbourhoods unsafe?

Going nuclear again

Digital giants, Amazon, Google and Microsoft are all exploring the use of nuclear energy. Indeed, nuclear power, which has been under a PR cloud for decades, may make a big comeback as a direct consequence of the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and, to some extent, cryptocurrencies.

When green is a sign of warning

It is a peculiar and jarring sight: The Sahara, that unforgiving sea of sand, is boasting blue lagoons and carpet of green; the Thar is becoming wetter; and Antarctica, an ancient expanse of ice and rock, is sprouting moss and algae on its edges.