MUMBAI: The rupee closed at 92.46 on Friday after touching a record low of 92.48, down 27 paise from the previous close of 92.19, as high crude prices and weekend demand for dollars weighed on sentiment. Market participants said currency losses were partly limited by likely central bank intervention.Energy prices remain elevated as the Gulf…
MUMBAI: India’s foreign exchange reserves fell to $716.8 billion in the week ended March 6 from $728.5 billion in the previous week, RBI data showed. The $11.7 billion decline in reserves last week came amid dollar sales of about $6.1 billion by the central bank to support the rupee against pressure stemming from the Iran…
NEW DELHI: Faced with supply constraints in industrial gases and disruption in global shipping routes triggered by the West Asia conflict, steel companies across the country are cutting production, senior company officials said.They said the steel sector is facing pressure on several fronts, including shortages of LPG and LNG, which has started to affect production…
NEW DELHI: Amid the uncertainty caused by the conflict in West Asia, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday announced a plan to set up a Rs 1 lakh crore Economic Stabilisation Fund (ESF), aimed at providing fiscal headroom to respond to challenges.“ESF will help India (deal) with global headwinds such as the recent crisis, unanticipated…
NEW DELHI: India and the UK free trade agreement is expected to be implemented from mid-April this year, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday. The pact needs approval from the UK parliament before it is implemented. Goyal said that it will be the fastest agreement to be approved by the UK parliament….
NEW DELHI: In a major departure from the existing law, The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill 2026 introduced in Lok Sabha on Friday proposed to omit the clause that allowed “self-perceived gender identity” to be the basis for self-determination and identification for approval for transgender certificate by the district magistrate.“The existing vague definition…
MUMBAI: The standing committee on finance has flagged concerns over the financial sustainability of digital payments, gaps in formal lending, cybersecurity weaknesses in banks, and declining insurance penetration in its 32nd report presented in March 2026 while examining the “demands for grants (2026-27)” for the Department of Financial Services (DFS)under the finance ministry.The committee, which…
NEW DELHI: Five years after starting the process, the Centre has called off the disinvestment of IDBI Bank after the bids received found to be lower than the reserve price.Those familiar with the process said govt will decide the future course of action, including calling for fresh bids so that it can realise the best…
MUMBAI: Two weeks into the war in West Asia, investors in India have lost a staggering Rs 34 lakh crore worth of wealth due to the strong selloff in the stock market.The turmoil has also shaved off a little over 5,250 points or 6.5% from the sensex, as foreign funds have doubled down on their…
Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller said stablecoins could underpin global payment systems within the next decade or two while reiterating his long-standing skepticism toward much of the broader cryptocurrency market. “I assume our whole payment systems will be stablecoins in 10 or 15 years,” he said in an interview Morgan Stanley posted on Thursday. The fiat-pegged…
