Indian households are increasingly leaning toward secured borrowing, with loans against gold jewellery posting a sharp rise even as credit card dues and consumer durable loans show only modest growth. Reserve Bank of India data indicate a broader shift in household credit preferences, with personal loans still expanding and overall bank credit rising strongly.
Hyderabad begins its Ranji Trophy campaign with renewed ambition, carrying the weight of expectation and the opportunity to turn early-season optimism into results. Tripura, meanwhile, enters the contest determined to challenge its long-standing underdog label and prove it can compete with greater consistency in India’s premier domestic red-ball competition.
Bandhan Bank shares rose nearly 7% after reports said Abu Dhabi-based International Holding Company was in early-stage discussions to buy a stake in promoter entity Bandhan Financial Services. The move, if it advances, could provide an exit route for existing investors and reshape market expectations around the lender’s ownership structure.
Ben Affleck’s new thriller 'Animals' arrives with the ingredients of a taut prestige crime drama, but the film never fully converts its premise into suspense or emotional force. Gillian Anderson emerges as the standout in a muddled production that borrows heavily from the moral architecture of Akira Kurosawa’s 'High and Low' without matching its precision or urgency.
Manchester City delivered a commanding 3-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield, with goals from Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki underlining the champions’ ruthless edge. The result preserved City’s perfect start to the Premier League season and sent a clear warning to their title rivals after a statement performance in a hostile atmosphere.
Heavy rain is forecast across Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and coastal Andhra Pradesh as the north-east monsoon approaches, sharpening attention on a season that is critical for southern India’s water supply, agriculture and local economies. The broader climate backdrop is complicated by a super El Niño risk for 2026, even as long-run data suggest El Niño years since 1976 have tended to deliver higher seasonal rainfall than the 1950-1976 period.
Hyderabad moved to the brink of victory after Tripura’s batting faltered again in the second innings, leaving the match tilted decisively in the home side’s favour. With pressure mounting and wickets falling at regular intervals, Hyderabad now appear set to close out the contest unless Tripura can stage an unlikely recovery.
MakeO, the parent company of clear aligner brand Toothsi, has raised ₹90 crore, or about $9.4 million, in a fresh funding round aimed at scaling its presence in India and entering Southeast Asian markets. The capital comes as the direct-to-consumer dental care market continues to mature, with companies under pressure to balance growth, unit economics, and clinical trust.
India’s digital lenders posted a 28% jump in personal-loan portfolios over the past year, even as the number of outstanding accounts edged down to 5.64 crore. The data points to a market increasingly driven by larger ticket sizes, stronger demand for unsecured credit and a growing contribution from younger borrowers and customers with thin credit files.
The Indian rupee has staged a sharp rebound, gaining 177 paise in two sessions to close at 94.06 against the US dollar after the Reserve Bank of India stepped up intervention to defend the currency near the psychologically sensitive Rs 97 mark. Market participants say the central bank’s actions, including a special dollar window for oil companies and tighter rules on forex derivatives, have temporarily restored stability, though external pressures and foreign outflows continue to cloud the outlook.
Brands are confronting a new kind of visibility problem: getting artificial intelligence systems to mention them when consumers ask for recommendations, comparisons, or product ideas. What once depended on search rankings, ad placement, and social reach is now increasingly shaped by how large language models interpret brand authority, relevance, and trust.
For startups and venture-backed companies, the shift is creating a fresh competitive frontier in marketing technology, where firms are building tools to measure and improve how often AI systems surface a brand in generated answers. The stakes are high as consumer discovery moves from typed queries to conversational prompts.
Opposition leaders arrived at Rahul Gandhi’s residence in New Delhi for a hi-tea meeting on Thursday after a march linked to the Supreme Court, underscoring a fresh round of political mobilisation over the conduct of the Election Commission. The gathering came as Delhi Police detained three Cockroach Janata Party leaders — Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde — when they attempted to enter Jantar Mantar, adding to the day’s tensions around protest activity in the capital.
Google’s latest Pixel launch has renewed scrutiny of how deeply artificial intelligence is embedded in consumer devices and how much personal data those systems must absorb to function well. While the company is positioning AI as a convenience layer for everyday life, the expansion of always-learning assistants is intensifying concerns over privacy, consent, and the security of user data.
Electric two-wheeler maker e-Sprinto has moved beyond its business-focused sales model and entered the consumer market with the launch of its G1 family electric scooter. The company says it is aiming to sell 5,000 units by March, signaling a sharper push into India’s increasingly competitive mass-market EV segment.
Amsterdam-based visual artist Angel-Rose Oedit Doebé is using pink rice, archival photographs and found objects to examine ancestry, migration and cultural memory in a body of work now on view in Delhi. Her latest presentation at Method places personal history and pop-cultural references in direct conversation with the layered identities of Indian and Surinamese communities.
Chennai-based deeptech startup Hypersonic Technologies is building a business around converting methane into hydrogen and carbon black, positioning the process as both a cost-offsetting tool for industrial customers and a lower-emissions alternative to conventional production. The company is betting that dual revenue streams can improve unit economics while appealing to manufacturers under pressure to decarbonise without sacrificing margins.
Karnataka were staring at a collapse after Andhra’s new-ball attack reduced them to 22 for four, but skipper Smaran produced a defiant, near five-and-a-half-hour innings to steady the visitors in their Ranji Trophy contest. His crucial fifth-wicket stand with Shrijith transformed a precarious position into one of renewed resistance on a difficult surface.
Sunny Deol will next be seen in 'Suryaa', a new action-driven film directed by M. Padmakumar, with Ravi Kishan and Pragya Jaiswal in pivotal roles. The first look and release date announcement signal a carefully timed push for a project that appears designed to build on Deol’s renewed box-office momentum and his enduring appeal in mass-market cinema.
Delhi’s Special Intensive Revision process has entered a faster disposal phase, with officials saying roughly 60% of notice cases have now been verified. The surge follows new ECINET portal options and oral instructions from the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer’s office to speed up resolution while guarding against wrongful deletions from the electoral rolls.
As Navaratri approaches, Syama Sastri’s three surviving swarajatis are drawing renewed attention for the way they fuse technical sophistication with intimate devotion to Goddess Kamakshi. Widely regarded as among the composer’s finest works, they stand as enduring examples of how Carnatic music can function as both rigorous art and personal prayer.
Krystallos produced a surprise result in the Taj Mahal Plate, upending pre-race expectations and seizing the spotlight in a competitive Indian sporting contest. The performance stood out for its composure and timing, marking a notable upset in a field that had been expected to follow the market leaders.
Paul Zacharia’s latest collection, '50 Stories,' reaffirms why he remains one of Malayalam literature’s most singular voices: restless, unsparing and deeply humane. The book moves between the everyday and the uncanny with ease, turning small social moments into sharp meditations on power, absurdity and vulnerability.
The Madras High Court has asked its registry to secure a report from the metropolitan magistrate’s court in George Town, Chennai, in connection with a complaint challenging the election affidavit filed by Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin. Justice V. Lakshminarayanan issued the direction, setting October 15, 2026, as the deadline for the report, in a matter that could test the scrutiny applied to election disclosures.
Indian American writer Ajon Singh has unpacked the creative logic behind 'Primetime,' the film that turned Chris Hansen into both a dramatic subject and an internet-era punchline. In a wide-ranging account, Singh traces the project’s roots in 'Network,' Robert Pattinson’s hands-on transformation of Hansen, and the Kerala mythology and online folklore that grew around the film after release.
Janakiram Marella’s Telugu film ‘Comrade Kalyan’ leans into absurdity with a self-aware tone, fast-paced one-liners and an ensemble cast that helps keep the comedy afloat. While the film does not always rise above its brain-rot premise, it delivers enough sharp moments and comic rhythm to make for an intermittently rewarding watch.
Telangana officials have responded cautiously to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s call for a “give and take” approach to settle pending bifurcation issues, signalling that Hyderabad will not move beyond the statutory framework of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. The state’s position underscores a familiar fault line in post-bifurcation politics: while dialogue remains open, Telangana insists that any settlement must rest on legal entitlements rather than political bargaining.
The Union government has given a green signal to the proposed L.B. Nagar–Hayathnagar elevated corridor in Hyderabad, while also approving five ropeway projects and three railway overbridges, Telangana Minister said on Thursday. The Centre has asked officials to prepare a fresh detailed project report for the elevated corridor on the Hyderabad–Srisailam NH-765 and has responded positively to the state’s proposal for a Hyderabad–Amaravati greenfield highway.
Veteran Indian actor Nana Patekar died at his residence in Goa in the early hours of Thursday, prompting an outpouring of grief across the film industry and public life. His last rites were conducted with full State honours, underscoring the scale of his contribution to Indian cinema and public service over a career spanning decades.
India’s government bond rally may be due for a breather, but market watchers say the broader downtrend in yields is still intact. The benchmark 10-year government security, which spent much of 2015 and early 2016 trapped in an 8-7.5% range, could move lower again as the Reserve Bank of India works to ease the system’s liquidity deficit.
Hyderabad moved to the brink of victory after Tripura’s batting faltered again in the second innings, leaving the visitors under mounting pressure in the match’s decisive phase. With the contest tilting sharply, Hyderabad’s bowlers and fielders tightened their grip while Tripura struggled to build partnerships or absorb the pressure.
Asset reconstruction companies have asked the government to strengthen the debt recovery framework, arguing that delays in Debt Recovery Tribunals are slowing the resolution of stressed assets. Their proposals include automatic expiry of interim stays after two months, better notice procedures for creditors, faster appointment of tribunal members, and expanded electronic litigation services. Industry participants say the Sarfaesi Act remains a critical enforcement tool for banks and lenders, but its effectiveness depends on quicker adjudication and cleaner procedural timelines.
India’s corrugated box makers are confronting a sharp cost shock as kraft paper prices jump 25% to 35%, driven by imported fibre constraints, geopolitical disruptions, higher input costs and rising freight rates. With customer price revisions lagging behind the surge in raw material expenses, manufacturers are being squeezed between volatile supply chains and delayed pass-throughs.
RNFI Money, the wholly owned subsidiary of RNFI Services, has secured Reserve Bank of India approval to undertake cross-border trade remittances, marking a significant expansion of its regulated financial services footprint. The licence strengthens the company’s ability to serve merchants and businesses through its last-mile network, while complementing RNFI Services’ recent in-principle authorisation to operate as a Payment Aggregator–Physical.
Ticketed concerts and curated performances are drawing new audiences into Delhi’s historic monuments, recasting heritage sites as premium cultural venues. The shift is creating fresh revenue and visibility for the capital’s built legacy, while also intensifying questions over permissions, conservation safeguards and the commercial use of protected spaces.
A new study by IIT-Bombay professors has called for a steep reduction in the Merchant Discount Rate on UPI transactions, arguing that the current 0.40% charge should be cut to 0.08% for third-party application providers. The report also says banks should not rely on transaction fees and instead support the ecosystem through CASA deposits, while digital payment services must be strengthened to build trust and scale.
HDFC Bank has appointed Anup Bagchi as its next Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, with the change taking effect on October 27. Bagchi, a long-serving ICICI Bank executive with experience across banking, insurance and financial services, will succeed Sashidhar Jagdishan when his term ends on October 26.
The Reserve Bank of India has introduced a new threshold-based framework that will require larger banks to adopt updated credit risk measurement approaches for exposures linked to derivatives and other complex dealings. Lenders with significant derivative books or international operations will be brought under the new rule, while smaller banks below the Rs 25,000 crore mark may opt for alternative methods.
The latest Indian Super League season has begun after weeks of uncertainty over the competition’s future, restoring a measure of stability to India’s top-tier football calendar. As the league resumes, attention is turning not only to the title race but also to the clubs that have shaped the ISL’s identity and the broader growth of the sport in the country.
Comedian Andrew Schulz has offered a candid, self-aware look at his role as Dan Hibiki in the upcoming 'Street Fighter' film, framing the character as a deliberately underpowered choice in a franchise built on combat mythology. Schulz said the appeal lay less in physical bravado than in comedy, nostalgia and the absurdity of bringing a famously humiliating fighter to life on screen.
Goldman Sachs reported a strong third-quarter profit increase, powered by a 72% surge in equities revenue to $6.44 billion as volatile markets drove heavier client activity. Investment banking fees also rose 21% on stronger underwriting, even as fixed income revenue slipped and merger activity remained subdued.
Uncertainty has deepened around the rollout of merchant discount rate, or MDR, after a senior NPCI official said the organisation had not been informed of any deferment. The official also said it was unclear whether the Supreme Court’s direction seeking a short affidavit would affect the implementation timeline.
The remarks have added to market confusion over the status of the policy, which has implications for payment economics, merchant costs and the broader digital payments ecosystem.
India’s Ministry of Ayush has released new guidance aimed at standardising the treatment of skin-related disorders across four traditional medical systems, marking a significant policy step in the regulation of integrative care. The move is designed to improve clinical consistency, strengthen evidence-based practice, and support safer patient management within the country’s traditional medicine framework.
Former NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar has urged the government to keep UPI merchant payments free for several more years, warning that even a modest fee could slow digital adoption and revive cash usage. His remarks come after the government said a 0.4% merchant discount rate will apply to UPI payments above Rs 2,000 from October 15, while consumer transactions remain free.
Filmmaker Mike Flanagan has reframed Stephen King’s 'Carrie' as a story about cruelty rather than simple conflict between its two central teenagers. In a recent interview, he argued that Carrie White and Chris Hargensen might have been friends under different circumstances, underscoring how social violence, not individual malice alone, drives the tragedy.
Anantapur Superintendent of Police P. Jagadeesh on Thursday reviewed security arrangements in Tadipatri, a politically sensitive town in Andhra Pradesh, as local body election preparations gathered pace. He inspected the proposed EVM distribution and counting centres, the nomination centre, and hyper-sensitive localities to assess readiness and reinforce law-and-order measures.
India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj has framed his role in simple, team-first terms, saying his intention is to “create magic” for the side whenever he is on the field. The remark underscores the pacer’s growing reputation as a high-energy strike bowler whose value lies not only in wickets, but in momentum-shifting spells under pressure. As India continue to manage workloads and sharpen their pace options, Siraj’s mindset reflects both confidence and responsibility.
RJ Mitte, the actor best known for playing Walter White Jr. on the landmark television drama 'Breaking Bad,' has died at the age of 34. Beyond his screen work, Mitte became a visible advocate for disability rights, using his platform to challenge stereotypes and broaden representation in entertainment.
HDFC Bank has appointed Anup Bagchi as managing director and chief executive officer effective October 26, while Kotak Mahindra Bank has named Anup Saha to the same role from January 1. The twin appointments mark a significant leadership transition at two of India’s most closely watched private lenders, both of which are managing succession after outgoing chiefs opted not to continue.
Indian banks have asked the Reserve Bank of India for detailed clarification on the implementation of its new currency-support measures, including how foreign exchange risk reserves should be calculated and whether they will affect liquidity ratios. Lenders are also seeking guidance on cost pass-through to customers, exposure-limit treatment, and the classification of cash reserves as high-quality liquid assets.
The Marathas edged the Archers in a tense shootoff after a closely contested match that swung repeatedly before the decisive finish. The result underlined the fine margins in high-pressure archery, where composure and execution proved as important as raw scoring power.
