Startups & Venture Capital
Contract manufacturing company Aequs has secured board approval to raise up to ₹650 crore through a preferential issue, a move aimed at strengthening its manufacturing footprint and supporting future growth. The fundraise signals the company’s intent to deepen capacity in a sector where scale, precision and supply-chain resilience are becoming increasingly important.
Startups & Venture Capital
BharatPe has endorsed the new UPI merchant transaction framework, saying the changes are designed to make digital payments economics more sustainable while preserving free UPI usage for consumers and shielding small merchants. The company also clarified that co-founder Ashneer Grover’s criticism reflects his personal views, not the firm’s position.
Enterprise Tech, Cloud & AI
DBS says the artificial intelligence investment theme is entering a more selective phase, with markets increasingly rewarding companies that turn AI adoption into measurable productivity gains, margin expansion and durable revenue growth. The bank prefers lower-capex AI adopters while keeping exposure to infrastructure enablers, signalling a shift away from blanket enthusiasm toward execution and monetisation.
Indian shooter Rahi Sarnobat has described confusion around technical and scoring issues after a difficult outing linked to the Asian Games 2026 build-up, saying she has never shot so far off target in her career. She said the result was especially hard to absorb because her score also contributed to the team total, underscoring the pressure and uncertainty athletes face when equipment or scoring systems appear to fail them.
India Entertainment & Culture
“Runner” pairs Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson in an action comedy that leans on sharp chemistry, brisk set pieces and a steady stream of light laughs. The film is most effective when it keeps its ambitions modest; it stumbles when an overextended third act pushes the story toward a heavier thriller register than the material can comfortably support.
Startups & Venture Capital
Ola Electric’s board has approved a rights issue of partly paid-up equity shares aggregating up to ₹1,000 crore, a move that signals the company’s intent to strengthen its balance sheet and preserve financial flexibility. The fundraising comes as the electric two-wheeler maker navigates a demanding capital-intensive phase marked by scale-up costs, competitive pressure, and the need for sustained investment in manufacturing and technology.
India's Abhay Singh fell short in the Asian Games 2026 men's squash final, losing to Malaysia's Eain Yow, who produced a composed and commanding display to defend his title. Ranked 26th in the world, Abhay struggled to impose himself against the world number 18, who controlled the tempo and left little room for an upset.
Macro Economy & Fiscal Policy
The World Bank Group’s private-sector arm, the International Finance Corporation, has committed ₹672 crore to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority to fund shore power infrastructure at India’s busiest container gateway. The project is designed to allow ships at berth to switch off diesel engines and plug into land-based electricity, cutting emissions and improving air quality around the port.
Enterprise Tech, Cloud & AI
Juspay is positioning itself at the intersection of payments infrastructure and artificial intelligence, with Ishan Sharma arguing that AI agents could reshape how software is built, deployed, and scaled from India for global markets. The company’s thesis reflects a broader shift in Indian tech: moving from service-led execution to product-led innovation with international reach.
India Entertainment & Culture
Malavika VN’s short documentary 'Viraamam' was screened in the short documentary competition section at the 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala, bringing renewed attention to the often-invisible labour of film projectionists. The film situates a technical profession at the emotional centre of cinema, using the projection booth as a vantage point to reflect on memory, craft, and the changing life of film exhibition.
Startups & Venture Capital
Indian startups raised $203.4 million across 21 deals between September 21 and September 27, underscoring sustained investor appetite despite a selective funding environment. The week was led by mobility and deep-tech names, with Ultraviolette Automotive and GalaxEye among the most closely watched transactions.
Startups & Venture Capital
Agritech startup Balwaan Krishi has raised ₹100 crore, or about $10 million, in a Series B round led by First Capital, marking a significant capital infusion for the farm equipment maker as it looks to scale manufacturing and widen its market reach. The funding underscores continued investor interest in India’s mechanisation-led agritech segment, where demand is being shaped by labour shortages, rising input costs and the push for higher farm productivity.
Startups & Venture Capital
Ola Electric’s board has approved a rights issue of partly paid-up equity shares aggregating up to ₹1,000 crore, a move that signals the company’s intent to strengthen its balance sheet amid a demanding phase for India’s electric two-wheeler market. The capital raise comes as the startup-backed manufacturer continues to navigate scale-up pressures, competitive intensity, and the need for sustained investment in manufacturing, technology, and distribution.
Macro Economy & Fiscal Policy
Chinese equities fell sharply on Thursday as the market’s brief relief rally after the US-China summit gave way to renewed caution over geopolitics and policy risk. The CSI 300 dropped 2.2%, with technology shares under pressure after reports of proposed US restrictions on Chinese AI components, while weak industrial profit data and pre-holiday positioning added to the selloff.
Banking, Fintech & Insurance
The Indian government is evaluating revised financial bids from Fairfax Financial Holdings and Emirates NBD for the proposed sale of a 60.72% stake in IDBI Bank, according to sources familiar with the process. The transaction, one of the most closely watched privatisation efforts in the financial sector, is moving forward at a steady pace as officials assess the offers and related terms.
Banking, Fintech & Insurance
The Finance Ministry does not expect a meaningful shift back to cash after the proposed merchant discount rate on a limited set of UPI transactions, according to sources familiar with the matter. Officials believe the impact will be contained because only a small share of UPI volumes will be affected, while RuPay debit card payments will remain free, reducing pressure on everyday digital use.
India Entertainment & Culture
‘Shaque: Trust No One’ opens with the kind of grim, suspenseful premise that should power a taut thriller, but the series quickly loses momentum under the weight of familiar television shortcuts. Predictable red herrings, theatrical performances and an overreliance on melodrama blunt the impact of its strongest early moments.
Banking, Fintech & Insurance
AU Small Finance Bank has crossed a major milestone in its vehicle finance business, with the portfolio surpassing Rs 50,000 crore in assets under management by August 2026. The achievement underscores the segment’s central role in the lender’s growth strategy, supported by wider customer reach, data-led underwriting and automation.
Macro Economy & Fiscal Policy
The rupee weakened to 95.9825 against the US dollar, down 0.2%, as a surge in crude oil prices, firmer US bond yields and a sharp sell-off in domestic equities combined to undermine sentiment. Traders said the Reserve Bank of India likely stepped in to slow the decline, but persistent concerns over inflation and India’s heavy oil import bill kept the currency under pressure.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Indian athlete Vithya Ramraj after her bronze-medal finish in the women’s 400 metres hurdles at the Asian Games, underscoring the growing visibility of women’s track and field in India’s sporting landscape. The result adds to India’s medal momentum at a major continental event and highlights the country’s expanding depth in athletics beyond its traditional strengths.
National Governance & Policy
The India Meteorological Department has forecast light showers and strong winds across parts of Andhra Pradesh, signalling a short-term shift in weather conditions that could affect daily movement, coastal activity and local agriculture. The advisory comes as the state continues to monitor changing monsoon patterns and intermittent weather disturbances over the Bay of Bengal region.
Automotive, EVs & Mobility
India’s manufacturing story is moving beyond headline capacity additions toward a more demanding phase of supply-chain depth, technology development and export readiness, the Confederation of Indian Industry said as Make in India marks 12 years. CII said the next leg of the programme will depend on whether domestic industry can build stronger local ecosystems and compete more effectively in global markets, particularly in sectors such as automotive, EVs and mobility.
Lakshya’s unbeaten double hundred has placed India Under-19 firmly in the driving seat in a Youth Test, underlining both his temperament and the depth of India’s next generation. The innings gave India U-19 a commanding position and shifted the pressure decisively onto the opposition as the match moved into a critical phase.
India Entertainment & Culture
Director Vimal Krishna’s sophomore feature, ‘Anumana Pakshi’, arrives with the kind of offbeat comic-crime energy that once made ‘DJ Tillu’ stand out, but the new film struggles to convert that familiarity into freshness. Despite a capable cast led by Rag Mayur, the film is weighed down by cluttered writing, uneven tonal shifts and a narrative that exhausts more than it entertains.
Startups & Venture Capital
Agricultural machinery company Balwaan Krishi has raised Rs 100 crore in a Series B round led by First Bridge India Growth Fund Private Equity, with participation from other institutional investors. The financing underscores continued investor interest in India’s farm mechanisation market, where demand is being shaped by labour shortages, rising productivity needs and the push for more efficient smallholder farming.
India has become a reliable exporter of top banking talent to Wall Street and other global financial centres, but its domestic institutions are now confronting a thinner bench at the very top. The CEO searches at HDFC Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank have underscored how regulatory constraints, succession gaps and competition from adjacent financial sectors are narrowing the pool of candidates capable of running large, complex lenders.
Banking, Fintech & Insurance
Bank lending accelerated to an eight-quarter high, led by strong demand from the finance sector and non-bank lenders, but deposit growth failed to keep pace. The mismatch has widened the credit-deposit gap, intensifying funding pressure on banks and underscoring the need for more aggressive deposit mobilisation.
Enterprise Tech, Cloud & AI
Ram Sukumar has spent more than two decades remaking Indium, the Chennai-rooted technology services company he rebuilt after losing the family cushion in 2001. Now, as artificial intelligence reshapes the outsourcing and software services market, he is betting that the same force that could compress demand for traditional work will also create Indium’s biggest growth opportunity yet.
Banking, Fintech & Insurance
India’s finance ministry is preparing daily monitoring of new UPI merchant discount rate arrangements from October 15, aiming to ensure payment aggregators do not pass the 0.4% fee on to consumers. Officials say the revenue framework is intended to support small merchants adopting digital payments while preserving the low-cost appeal that has driven UPI’s rapid growth.
National Governance & Policy
Residents and commuters in Bengaluru staged a symbolic opening of the long-delayed Pink Line on Thursday evening, underscoring rising public impatience over the city’s expanding metro network. The protest came after the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. missed its September-end target for the 7.5-km elevated stretch between Kalena Agrahara and Tavarekere, a corridor seen as critical for easing congestion in the city’s south.
Savitha praised India’s showing at the Chess Olympiad as an “amazing performance,” underscoring the growing depth and confidence in the country’s chess ecosystem. Her remarks reflect a broader sense that India is no longer merely participating on the world stage, but increasingly shaping the competitive narrative at elite events.
Macro Economy & Fiscal Policy
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development is preparing to step up financial support for water security projects in Rajasthan, with a focus on the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund and other lending channels. The move signals a broader effort to strengthen drought resilience, rural water access and climate-adaptive infrastructure in one of India’s most water-stressed states.
India Entertainment & Culture
Tamil cinema’s latest high-profile project has been formally launched, with Sivakarthikeyan and Kayadu Lohar set to headline the tentatively titled ‘SK 27’. The film is being directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Ramkumar Balakrishnan of ‘Parking’ fame and produced by Sathya Jyothi Films, signalling a major collaboration between a bankable star, an emerging leading lady and one of the industry’s most closely watched young directors.
Macro Economy & Fiscal Policy
The International Finance Corporation, the World Bank Group’s private-sector arm, has committed ₹672 crore to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority to fund shore power infrastructure at India’s busiest container gateway. The project will allow ships at berth to switch off diesel engines and draw electricity from the land grid, cutting emissions and improving air quality around the port.
Macro Economy & Fiscal Policy
Bank of Japan policymakers are increasingly acknowledging that inflation risks are becoming harder to ignore, with some officials arguing for a quicker pace of interest-rate increases. The debate underscores a delicate shift in the BOJ’s policy stance as it tries to prevent inflation from overshooting while avoiding unnecessary damage to a still-fragile economy.
Macro Economy & Fiscal Policy
The Indian rupee weakened 0.2% to 95.9825 against the US dollar as a jump in crude oil prices, firmer US bond yields and a sharp sell-off in domestic equities combined to weigh on sentiment. Traders said likely intervention by the Reserve Bank of India helped limit losses, but inflation risks and India’s heavy dependence on imported oil kept pressure on the currency.
India delivered a strong all-round performance at the Chess Olympiad, finishing with silver in the Open section and bronze in the women’s event. The result underlines the country’s growing depth in elite chess and extends its recent rise on the global stage.
India Entertainment & Culture
Filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj, actor Keerthy Suresh and members of the 'Dorothy' team are set to feature in a conversation with Meenakshi Shedde at the Toronto International Film Festival 2026, underscoring the growing international visibility of Indian cinema. The session, which also includes Sanand, Rishikanth and producer Guneet Monga, places the film within a broader discussion on creative collaboration, festival circulation and the expanding global reach of Indian storytelling.
National Governance & Policy
YouTuber Aswanth Kok was taken into custody after a vehicle allegedly driven by him collided with other vehicles near Eranhipalam, according to early reports. Police are treating the case as a suspected drunk-driving incident, with further verification and legal procedures expected to follow.
The Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association held its annual general meeting after a court directive that any decision taken at the session would not be declared, placing the gathering in a legally constrained and largely procedural frame. The meeting nonetheless reviewed cricketing matters, including the Irani Cup, underscoring the association’s attempt to keep administrative business moving despite judicial oversight.
Banking, Fintech & Insurance
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to grant an interim stay on the government’s new merchant discount rate policy that imposes a 0.4% charge on certain Unified Payments Interface transactions above ₹2,000, allowing the measure to remain on track for an October 15 rollout. The court issued notices to the Centre, the Reserve Bank of India, the National Payments Corporation of India and other respondents after a public interest litigation challenged the legality of the levy.
Banking, Fintech & Insurance
The National Payments Corporation of India is considering a 0.4% merchant discount rate on certain UPI transactions, a move that could help recoup roughly ₹13,000-15,000 crore in annual costs while keeping most consumer payments free. NPCI chief executive Dilip Asbe said the proposal would largely target larger merchants already accepting credit cards, as the zero-MDR model has strained investment in the payments ecosystem.
Macro Economy & Fiscal Policy
Boeing has identified a navigation software issue on the 737 Max family that could complicate certification work on newer narrowbody models and slow the rollout of a permanent fix. The problem arrives at a sensitive moment for the planemaker, which is trying to restore confidence, stabilize production, and clear regulatory hurdles after years of safety and quality scrutiny.
Macro Economy & Fiscal Policy
Indian government bond yields climbed on Monday as a global selloff in sovereign debt and mounting domestic supply concerns pushed investors out of duration. The benchmark 10-year yield rose to 7.1848%, its highest level since April 2024, as traders priced in a heavier borrowing calendar and the risk of additional Reserve Bank of India bond sales.
India Entertainment & Culture
With 'I Want to Talk' now in theatres, actor Abhishek Bachchan and filmmaker Shoojit Sircar are foregrounding a story that moves beyond illness to examine endurance, parenting and the emotional architecture of family life. The film, inspired by cancer survivor Arjun Sen, arrives as a reflective relationship drama that treats mortality not as spectacle but as a test of intimacy, responsibility and selfhood.
Banking, Fintech & Insurance
State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and Canara Bank have advised customers to complete time-sensitive branch transactions in advance as banks prepare for a proposed strike scheduled from September 28 to 30, 2026. The lenders said digital and self-service channels should be used during the period, signalling a precautionary push to reduce disruption if the industrial action goes ahead.
National Governance & Policy
An awareness session on digital tourism was held at a college in Araku, underscoring how local institutions are being drawn into India’s wider push to modernize tourism through technology. The event highlighted the growing importance of digital tools in destination discovery, visitor engagement and livelihood opportunities for communities tied to the travel economy.
National Governance & Policy
Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi has told the Madras High Court that only the Governor, and not the state government, can lawfully grant sanction to investigate him in a ₹100-crore fraud case. He has sought quashing of the FIR, arguing that the Public Department Secretary’s sanction order dated June 23, 2026, is legally defective and therefore cannot sustain the prosecution.
National Governance & Policy
भारत ने रोम में आयोजित COFO 28 में वन एवं भू-दृश्य पुनर्स्थापन पहलों को सामने रखते हुए जलवायु, जैव विविधता और आजीविका सुरक्षा के बीच अपने नीति-आधारित दृष्टिकोण को रेखांकित किया। यह प्रस्तुति ऐसे समय आई है जब वैश्विक स्तर पर भूमि क्षरण, वन-आवरण हानि और पारिस्थितिकी तंत्र बहाली को विकास और जलवायु रणनीति के केंद्र में रखा जा रहा है।
Macro Economy & Fiscal Policy
Deendayal Port Authority and Assam Petro-Chemicals Ltd have laid the foundation stone for a ₹2,300-crore e-methanol plant in Gujarat, a project designed to supply cleaner marine fuel and strengthen the port’s ambitions as a green-fuel bunkering hub. The investment underscores how India’s port infrastructure is being recast to serve decarbonisation goals while opening a new industrial market for low-carbon fuels.
