CATEGORIES

Regulation, deals, crypto: Fintech themes for 2025

THE CLOUDS THAT hung over the financial-technology industry in 2024 appear to be clearing as interest-rate cuts, recoveries in fintech stocks and promises of a looser regulatory environment in the second Trump administration paint a more promising outlook for startups.

Bhopal gas tragedy: 40 yrs later, toxic waste leaves Union Carbide factory

FORTY YEARS AFTER the Bhopal gas tragedy, the shifting of some 377 tonne of hazardous waste began from the defunct Union Carbide factory on Wednesday night for its disposal, an official said.

From evolution to digital revolution

THE EYE GAVE Charles Darwin \"a cold shudder\". Writing in The Origin of Species, he struggled to explain how natural selection could create something so intricate.

Data protection rules get home ministry's nod

THE RULES WILL also detail specific provisions, such as consent management for minors and exemptions for certain entities or contexts.

Dec GST mop-up at ₹1.77 lakh cr

MS MANI, PARTNER, Deloitte India said the significant increase in both domestic and export refunds indicates that the overall refund framework is now stable and its implementation on a sound footing.

Boost quality control, fix fair pricing: Shah to NCOL

Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday directed National Cooperative Organic Ltd (NCOL) to strengthen quality control and establish fair pricing for its \"Bharat Organics\" brand as the government seeks to expand organic farming nationwide.

AI, Convergence, and Beyond

Firms poised to scale up AI deployments into full production

An inspiration for India's Quantum Mission

THE SUCCESS OF Google is a shot in the arm for India's Quantum Computing Mission as this demonstrates the feasibility and great potential of quantum computing and will act a motivation to strengthen the ecosystem. India should speed up our own development, collaborate and get knowledge sharing from Google, focus on applications and algorithms development.

Cutting through the hype on AI, RTO, and DEI

FROM A QUICK glance at 2024's top business headlines, you'd think all companies were pushing return-to-office (RTO) policies, embracing artificial intelligence (AI), and banishing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes.

The future of algo trading

SEBI PROPOSAL SEEKS TO STRIKE A BALANCE BETWEEN REGULATORY CONCERNS AND INTERESTS OF STAKEHOLDERS

Virtual companions, real consequences

It is imperative to set up legal frameworks and ethical guidelines that safeguard users, especially those most vulnerable, from unintended consequences of AI

No Cause For Alarm

Slower loan growth should help lower liabilities and boost household savings

Begins 2-year non-permanent UNSC tenure

Pakistan began its two-year tenure as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday, with Ambassador Munir Akram saying that the Pakistani delegation will play an \"active and constructive\" role in addressing key challenges facing the world.

ECB Hopes to Hit 2% Inflation Target in 2025, Says Lagarde

The European Central Bank's (ECB) 2% inflation target is in sight, according to President Christine Lagarde.

Mubadala pips PIF as top spender globally

ABU DHABI'S MUBADALA Investment was the world's most active sovereign wealth fund last year as it ramped up deal-making across everything from private credit to artificial intelligence (AI).

Pakistan's inflation hits 81-month low of 4.1% in Dec

Path Towards Economic Recovery

US stocks fall to close out best two-year stretch since 1998

US STOCKS DECLINED in the final session of the year but still closed out the best two-year run since 1998.

Russia and Ukraine cease five decades of gas transit to EU

• Ukraine to give up long-held strategic position

Israeli forces strike Gaza city suburb

A DRIVER CRASHED his truck into a crowd at high speed in New Orleans' French Quarter in the wee hours of New Year's Day then opened fire, killing at least 10 people and injuring more than 35, city officials and police said.

RPower Rallies as Arm Repays $150 Million to IIFCL, UK

RELIANCE POWER on Wednesday said its arm Sasan Power has made a bullet payment of $150 million to IIFCL, UK, fulfilling its debt obligation on December 31.

Foreign flows into govt bonds to come off record highs

FOREIGN FLOWS INTO government bonds are set to decline in 2025, after spiking to a record high in 2024 as the debt got added to JPMorgan's emerging market debt index, investors said.

Indices Begin 2025 on a High

• FPIs continue selling spree

UPI Transactions Hit Record High in Dec; Value at ₹23.25L Cr

DIGITAL TRANSACTIONS CONTINUED their upward trend in December, with the number of transactions on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) rising 8% month-on-month to hit a record of 16.73 billion, according to data from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

Banks' loan growth drops for fifth straight month in Nov

Banks' credit growth moderated for the fifth straight month in November, driven by a slowdown in unsecured and personal loan segments, data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) showed.

New year brings stricter regulatory oversight for HFCs

WITH THE RESERVE Bank of India's (RBI) new guidelines coming into effect on Wednesday, housing finance companies (HFCs) are stepping into the new year under stricter regulatory oversight.

Nishant Pitti resigns as CEO of Easy Trip Planners

EASY TRIP PLANNERS, the parent company of online travel booking platform EasyMyTrip, announced the resignation of its CEO Nishant Pitti on Wednesday, adding that Pitti was stepping down for personal reasons.

Accel raises $650 million for eighth India fund

ACCEL HAS RAISED $650 million (₹5,500 crore) for its eighth India fund, according to the US Securities and Exchange Commission filings, seen by FE.

Zoomcar eyes expansion for newly launched cab service

ZOOMCAR, KNOWN FOR its self-drive car rental services, has recently piloted a chauffeur-driven cab rental service in Bengaluru, and is considering expanding it to other major cities.

Snapdeal trims FY24 losses by 43%

E-COMMERCE PLATFORM SNAPDEAL has reduced its losses considerably in FY24, despite near-flat revenue growth during the year.

Q-comm delivers record sales on New Year's Eve

Quick Commerce Firms