Veteran actor Nana Patekar was laid to rest at his Pune farmhouse with full State honours after dying at his Goa home in the early hours of Thursday, October 8, 2026. The farewell drew family, close associates and admirers, marking the end of a career that left a durable imprint on Indian cinema through forceful, earthy performances in films such as Krantiveer and Khamoshi: The Musical.
India’s deeptech founders are increasingly confronting a hard truth: grants and public capital can fund experiments, but they rarely de-risk a business. In sectors such as defence, space and railways, a procurement commitment from a real customer can do more to unlock a Series B round than an equivalent grant, because it validates revenue, not just science.
Indian banks are likely to post about 11% year-on-year earnings growth in the second quarter of FY27, according to Kotak’s latest sector view, with private lenders expected to outpace public sector banks. The note points to strong deposit accretion, helped by FCNR inflows, even as that liquidity support may temporarily compress net interest margins.
A powerful rally in precious metals has turned bank trading desks into one of Wall Street’s most lucrative businesses this year, with JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank among the biggest beneficiaries. Analysts now expect U.S. and global banks to generate about $5 billion from precious metals trading by year-end, a record pace driven by strong investor demand and volatile prices.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is preparing to scale up its operations at Gujarat’s GIFT City over the next few years, targeting a doubling of business in trade finance, payments and related cross-border services. The move underscores how India’s international financial hub is drawing global banks seeking treasury and offshore transaction opportunities.
The National Open delivered a sharp reminder of India’s growing depth in domestic athletics, with Hoblidhar marking a notable return and Kuldeep producing a record-breaking performance to set a new meet benchmark. The results added urgency to the competition and underlined how quickly standards are rising across the field.
India’s Tea Board is moving to increase the number of auction centres as part of a broader reform push aimed at improving price discovery and helping tea producers secure better returns. The board expects the changes to strengthen market efficiency and support higher realisation for the industry over time.
A proposed 0.4% merchant discount rate on large UPI transactions could generate as much as Rs 15,000 crore in the first year, according to NPCI chief Dilip Asbe, reviving debate over how India should fund its fast-growing digital payments infrastructure. The proposal comes as policymakers weigh the economics of a system that has scaled dramatically but remains heavily subsidised, with implications for merchants, banks and payment platforms across the country.
Vivriti Asset Management has completed and exited its Vintage II credit funds, returning more than Rs 2,260 crore in capital and income to investors after deploying capital across over 45 companies. The funds generated gross internal rates of return of roughly 12% to 15%, underscoring continued investor appetite for private credit strategies in India’s evolving capital markets.
Quantum has emerged as the latest name to draw notice in India’s cricket conversation, reflecting how quickly the sport’s talent pipeline can elevate a fresh prospect into public view. In a landscape defined by intense competition and constant scrutiny, the player’s rise is being watched as a test of both promise and temperament.
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 trade-linked payment flows through its last-mile network, while complementing RNFI Services’ recent in-principle authorisation to operate as a Payment Aggregator–Physical.
India suffered a comprehensive 4-0 defeat to Russia in a lopsided international women’s contest, underlining the gap in execution, physicality and tactical sharpness between the two sides. The result will prompt scrutiny of India’s preparation and depth as they continue to seek consistency against higher-ranked opposition.
Indian households are increasingly leaning on secured borrowing, with loans against gold jewellery rising sharply while growth in credit card dues and consumer durable loans remains subdued, according to Reserve Bank of India data. The trend points to a more cautious consumer credit environment even as overall bank lending continues to expand, supported in part by personal loans and the strong rise in gold-backed borrowing.
The US government is suspending permanent residency applications for foreign workers tied to companies including Microsoft, Cognizant, Infosys, TCS and HCLTech, amid allegations that the process has been abused. The move raises fresh uncertainty for Indian technology workers in the United States and could intensify scrutiny of large-scale employer-sponsored immigration pathways.
Chinese blue-chip shares fell to their weakest level in more than a year on Thursday as investors extended the selloff in artificial intelligence-linked names and rotated into safer parts of the market. The CSI300 and Shanghai Composite both declined, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index recovered on a technology-led bounce, underscoring a sharp divergence in sentiment across Greater China markets.
Amazon has reportedly laid off at least 100 employees in India as part of its latest round of global job cuts, extending a broader corporate retrenchment that has swept through the technology sector. The move underscores how even profitable large-cap tech companies continue to trim headcount to protect margins, streamline operations and reallocate spending toward artificial intelligence and core growth areas.
More than half of urban households in India believe economic conditions have deteriorated, according to the Reserve Bank of India’s latest consumer confidence survey. The share of respondents reporting worsening conditions rose to 54.5% in the latest reading from 50.5% in July and 40.9% in September last year, underscoring persistent strain in household sentiment despite broader policy efforts to support growth.
The Delhi High Court has asked actor Salman Khan to respond to a petition filed by the producer of the film 'Kala Hiran', in a fresh legal turn over the movie’s release. Khan has sought to restrain the film, arguing that it is based on him and could infringe his rights. The matter adds another layer to the growing body of personality-rights disputes involving public figures and cinematic portrayals in India.
Actor-producer Richa Chadha has described her non-fiction travel series 'Musafiri' as an attempt to help audiences see familiar places with fresh eyes. Speaking about the show's first season in Mumbai, she said motherhood also altered the way she experiences travel, observation and everyday city life.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is preparing to expand its footprint at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, aiming to double business over the next few years as demand rises for trade finance and payments services. The bank, which opened its GIFT City branch in 2022, now serves a few hundred clients and has built a book of nearly $1 billion, underscoring the enclave’s growing pull for multinational treasury and cross-border operations.
West Indies bowling coach Ravi Rampaul has warned that his team must avoid losing wickets in clusters if they are to stay competitive in the current phase of international cricket. He acknowledged that the attack still lacks the depth and experience needed to control pressure over sustained periods.
The Reserve Bank of India has approved Anup Kumar Saha as the next managing director and chief executive officer of Kotak Mahindra Bank, setting up a planned leadership transition at one of India’s most closely watched private lenders. Saha’s three-year term will begin on January 1, 2027, after the current chief executive, Ashok Vaswani, completes his tenure. The Kotak board is expected to formalize the appointment and seek shareholder approval.
Private sector banks continued to pull ahead of state-run lenders in deposit mobilisation in the second quarter, underscoring their stronger franchise momentum and sharper pricing agility in a competitive funding environment. On the lending side, both bank groups posted healthy year-on-year advances growth, but private banks again showed a wider growth band, signalling greater balance-sheet dynamism.
A memorial endowment at The Music Academy in Chennai marked a reflective tribute to violin legend Lalgudi G. Jayaraman through a duet by H.K. Venkatram and B.U. Ganesh Prasad. The performance underscored how Carnatic music continues to preserve lineage, technique and memory through live interpretation rather than static commemoration.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is preparing to expand its operations at Gujarat’s GIFT City over the next few years, aiming to double business in trade finance and payments as the offshore financial hub gains traction with global firms. The bank, which opened its branch in 2022, now serves a few hundred clients and has built a book of nearly $1 billion, underscoring the centre’s rising role in cross-border treasury activity.
The Global Trade Research Initiative has called on the government to withdraw proposed charges on Unified Payments Interface transactions slated for October 15, arguing that even modest fees could weaken India’s digital payments ecosystem. The think tank warned that introducing costs on UPI would raise merchant expenses, squeeze consumer spending, and risk reversing gains made by small businesses and payment adoption.
Quantum has emerged as the latest name to catch the eye in India’s cricket conversation, underscoring how quickly promising talent can move from obscurity to national attention. The development arrives at a time when selectors, franchises and fans are all searching for the next dependable performer in a crowded and increasingly competitive ecosystem.
India and Bangladesh have restarted their joint working group on trade after a three-year hiatus, reviving a key bilateral channel at a time when commercial frictions remain unresolved. Port restrictions, non-tariff barriers and Bangladesh’s demand for wider duty-free access are expected to dominate discussions as the two neighbours grapple with persistent trade imbalances.
The first teaser for Mike Flanagan’s ‘The Exorcist: Martyrs’ has arrived, offering an early look at Scarlett Johansson in a franchise revival that appears to lean into psychological dread rather than spectacle. The full trailer is expected later this week, intensifying anticipation around one of the year’s most closely watched horror projects.
The GST Council has approved a significant relief for pharmaceutical companies, allowing them to claim input tax credit on free samples and goods destroyed after expiry, effective from the next fiscal year. The move is expected to ease a long-standing tax burden on drugmakers and align GST treatment more closely with business realities in the sector.
Fieldmarshal has introduced TREM V-compliant diesel engines for tractors, marking a strategic push beyond its core engine business into higher-horsepower agricultural applications. The move positions the company to tap rising demand for mechanisation, emissions-compliant powertrains and engineering solutions across India’s farm equipment market.
Meta said it took action on 5.3 million pieces of child sexual abuse material across its platforms in the first half of 2026, while globally removing 33.2 million such items from Facebook and Instagram between January and June, with more than 97% detected proactively. The company also unveiled new AI-driven tools aimed at tightening enforcement against deceptive and policy-violating ads, underscoring how safety moderation and ad integrity are increasingly being automated at scale.
Shai Hope produced a breathtaking unbeaten 102 off 45 balls and Sherfane Rutherford hammered 84 from 37 deliveries as West Indies overhauled India’s total in the second T20 international. The Men in Maroon completed their highest successful chase in the format, while Sanju Samson’s effort for India was left in vain.
India’s premier cricket league is poised for a fresh phase, with the competition entering a period that could reshape team strategies, commercial momentum and the broader domestic calendar. The latest developments signal another high-pressure season in which performance, planning and player management will be under intense scrutiny.
Indian American writer Ajon Singh is drawing fresh attention for 'Primetime,' a film that turns the familiar language of media spectacle into a sharp cultural satire. In a detailed account of the project’s evolution, Singh traces Robert Pattinson’s hands-on transformation of Chris Hansen, the influence of 'Network,' and the Kerala-rooted mythology that helped the film travel far beyond its original frame.
Reissued bonds accounted for nearly 66% of state market borrowings in the first half of FY27, underscoring how heavily states are now relying on the secondary market to raise funds. The trend reflects a sharp rise in investor participation, a more active state debt market, and the Reserve Bank of India’s push for greater transparency and liquidity in public borrowing.
India could scale its installed wind power capacity to 300 GW by 2035 if policy support, grid readiness and domestic manufacturing momentum align, industry stakeholders said. The outlook underscores wind’s growing role in India’s energy transition, not only as a source of clean power but also as a strategic industrial base for turbines, nacelles and gearboxes.
October Octaves, the long-running cultural platform launched in 2015, returns this weekend with its 11th edition, titled Eternal Echoes. The latest chapter underscores the event’s staying power in India’s live arts calendar, where recurring cultural programming increasingly competes for attention in a crowded entertainment market.
India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will observe World Mental Health Day 2026 with a renewed emphasis on making mental health services accessible, inclusive, and centered on people’s needs. The initiative signals a continued policy push to integrate mental well-being into mainstream public health delivery, with attention to equity, stigma reduction, and service reach.
Indian airlines have cancelled scheduled flights to Riyadh after attacks on the Saudi capital’s airport and on Abha airport left three people dead and 36 injured, intensifying concerns over aviation security in the Gulf. The disruption comes as several explosions were also heard in Riyadh on Thursday, underscoring the volatility facing commercial air travel in the region.
The Finance Ministry will meet heads of banks on Tuesday to assess the pace and reach of India’s financial inclusion programmes, with a sharp focus on account access, credit delivery and insurance coverage. The review comes as policymakers look to deepen usage of flagship schemes such as Jan Dhan, Mudra and the government-backed social security and entrepreneurship platforms that underpin the inclusion drive.
India should brace for a broader tightening of US rules affecting technology services, according to the Global Trade Research Initiative, after Washington’s latest action against IT firms signalled a more protectionist posture. The think tank warned that restrictions could extend beyond green card sponsorship to H-1B hiring, skilled worker mobility and outsourcing, with direct implications for India’s services exports.
India and Bangladesh have restarted their joint working group on trade after a three-year hiatus, reopening a key channel for addressing long-running frictions in bilateral commerce. The agenda is expected to centre on port restrictions, non-tariff barriers and Bangladesh’s demand for wider duty-free access, even as the trade imbalance between the two neighbours remains a sensitive issue.
India has withdrawn a tax benefit previously available to banks on imports of gold, silver and platinum, in a move aimed at ensuring parity in the tax treatment of precious metal imports routed through different channels. Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra said the change is designed to close distortions in the system and create a more even tax structure across import pathways.
The decision is significant for bullion trade and financial intermediaries that handle precious metal imports, as it could alter cost calculations and compliance practices in a market closely watched for arbitrage and duty-related shifts.
The Villoo C. Poonawalla Pune Derby will be staged on October 11, placing one of Indian racing’s most closely watched fixtures back at the center of the national sporting calendar. The event is expected to draw leading owners, trainers and racing enthusiasts to Pune, underscoring the city’s enduring role in the country’s thoroughbred circuit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a coordinated global framework to combat cyber fraud, deepfakes and other digital crimes while inaugurating the tenth edition of the India Mobile Congress 2026 in New Delhi. He said governments, technology companies, telecom operators and financial institutions must work together to build mechanisms that can detect, deter and disrupt online abuse at scale.
IndusInd Bank Managing Director and Chief Executive Rajiv Anand said he has been informed that his name is “unmapped” from the electoral roll, even though he holds valid identity documents including a voter ID and Aadhaar card. The development comes as the Election Commission carries out a Special Intensive Revision of voter lists and has extended claim-filing deadlines in Delhi and Maharashtra.
US stocks closed the week with solid gains as investors positioned for a heavy slate of third-quarter earnings and closely watched inflation data. Optimism around results from major lenders and expectations for broad S&P 500 profit growth helped offset lingering concerns about consumer demand, uneven corporate outlooks and volatile energy markets.
The Reserve Bank of India has introduced a new framework requiring banks with substantial derivative exposure or international operations to adopt more advanced credit risk measurement approaches. Lenders below a Rs 25,000 crore threshold will be allowed to use alternative methods, giving smaller institutions more flexibility while tightening oversight of larger and more complex balance sheets.
The Union Health Ministry will observe World Mental Health Day 2026 with a renewed commitment to making mental healthcare more accessible, inclusive, and people-centred, underscoring the government’s intent to place mental wellbeing within mainstream public health planning. The observance is expected to highlight service delivery gaps, stigma reduction, and the need for stronger community-based support systems across India.
