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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has compounded certain violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) by Myntra Designs Private Limited, paving the way for the closure of an Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation into the matter.In a statement issued on Thursday, the ED said the RBI passed a compounding order on April 20, 2026 under Section 15 of FEMA after receiving a "No Objection" from the agency. The order resulted in the termination of the investigation against the company for the alleged contraventions.The case stemmed from an ED probe initiated in July 2025 on the basis of what the agency described as credible information regarding possible FEMA violations by Myntra, linked companies and directors for FDI "contravention" of over Rs 1,654 crore.According to the ED, the violations related to delays in submitting Annual Performance Reports (APRs) for overseas investments and undertaking overseas direct investment commitments before complying with reporting requirements.The RBI compounded two contraventions. The first involved a delay in submitting APRs under the Foreign Exchange Management (Transfer or Issue of Any Foreign Security) Regulations, 2004, covering transactions worth Rs 42.85 crore. The second related to undertaking financial commitments through overseas direct investment despite pending APR submissions, involving Rs 3.03 crore.The company subsequently approached the RBI seeking compounding of the violations under Section 15 of FEMA."On reference from RBI, the ED issued no objection for such compounding in line with the true spirit of the Act," the agency said.Following the ED's no-objection, the RBI compounded the violations through its order dated April 20, 2026, on payment of a one-time amount of Rs 2.88 lakh.
Shares of InterGlobe Aviation, the operator of IndiGo, fell more than 1% to their day's low of Rs 4,425 on the BSE on Wednesday after it suspended flights to and from Manchester from August 31, as prolonged airspace restrictions and rising operational expenses continue to weigh on long-haul services.The airline said the temporary suspension will lead to the return of one of the six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft leased from Norse Atlantic Airways, which were brought in to support its long-haul international expansion plans.In a statement issued on Tuesday, IndiGo said ongoing international airspace constraints have significantly increased flight durations, while a difficult cost environment has made operations on the route increasingly challenging. As a result, services between India and Manchester will be paused from August 31, 2026.The carrier had inducted six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners on damp lease from Norse Atlantic Airways in early 2025 as part of its strategy to accelerate entry into European markets before the arrival of its own Airbus A350 aircraft. The Manchester service was among the first long-haul routes launched under this initiative.According to the airline, a combination of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, elevated aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices, severe airspace restrictions and currency volatility pushed operating costs well above original expectations.Abhijit Dasgupta, Senior Vice President for Network Planning and Revenue Management at IndiGo, said the route had received a strong response from passengers despite the operational difficulties."We inducted these wide-body aircraft on a short-term basis to fast-track our connectivity to high-potential long-haul destinations such as Manchester and witnessed very encouraging demand response," Dasgupta said."Unfortunately, longer flying times due to airspace constraints coupled with dramatically escalating costs compelled us to take the decision to temporarily discontinue our India-Manchester services," he added.The airline stressed that the suspension is only temporary and reaffirmed its commitment to growing its long-haul international network. Dasgupta said the positive customer response had strengthened IndiGo's confidence in the long-term viability of the Manchester route and its wider international expansion plans.IndiGo also said affected passengers will be notified in advance and assisted with alternative travel options or refunds, wherever applicable. The airline clarified that all of its other long-haul international services will continue to operate as scheduled.IndiGo Q4 snapshotIndia’s leading airline by market share reported a net loss of Rs 2,536 crore for the fourth quarter of FY26, compared with a net profit of Rs 3,067 crore in the corresponding period last year. Revenue from operations, however, edged up 1% year-on-year to Rs 22,438 crore.The airline said its operational performance during the quarter was affected by disruptions linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs), increased 3.4% year-on-year to 43.6 billion. IndiGo shares have fallen 20% in the last six months and about 17% in the last 1 year. Sensex, Nifty today: Catch all the LIVE stock market action here (Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
The S&P 500 and the Dow closed modestly higher on Tuesday as risk appetite driven by AI fervor was counterbalanced by tensions arising from U.S.-Iran talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the months-long war.Gains in most of the 11 major S&P sectors kept the S&P 500 and the Dow in the green, with the small-cap Russell 2000 outperforming its larger-cap peers. The Nasdaq ended the session essentially unchanged.Small-cap stocks have been some of the biggest beneficiaries of the ongoing enthusiasm surrounding artificial intelligence stocks, which provided some upside muscle. The Philadelphia SE Semiconductor Index advanced on the day.The Software & Services Index, battered in recent months over worries of AI disruption, closed in negative territory.Strong results from Hewlett Packard Enterprise and a funding commitment from Alphabet reinforced confidence in the AI buildout."The market is kind of muted at the surface level, but there is a lot going on under the hood, and that describes much of this year," said Mike Dickson, head of portfolio management at Horizon Investments in Charlotte, North Carolina. "There's some massive dispersion in the whole AI infrastructure ecosystem.""Markets could be in for one of these heated, melt-up rallies where the momentum keeps winning," Dickson added. "I would not be surprised at all to be sitting here at the end of the summer a good bit higher."Tehran is studying a U.S. proposal to bring the war to a halt, but has not been in contact with Washington for days, according to Iranian media, which also said Iran is taking a "stern" approach, given what it views as a history of U.S. noncompliance and mutual distrust. Simultaneously, Israel is continuing its strikes on Lebanon, despite Tehran's warnings that the attacks are threatening to derail the fragile truce.The war has sent crude prices soaring, reviving worries over inflation and giving rise to an increasing likelihood that the U.S. Federal Reserve could hike interest rates by year-end. Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack said on Tuesday that such a hike could become necessary if already-elevated inflation pressures continue to mount. On the economic front, a report from the Labor Department showed an unexpected spike in job openings, driven by the volatile professional and business services sector. Otherwise, hiring, firing and quits all decreased, suggesting a slowdown in labor market churn in the face of uncertainties related to strife in the Middle East and inflationary effects.Analysts look to the May employment report due on Friday, which is expected to show the U.S. economy added 85,000 jobs last month, a monthly deceleration of 26.1%. The unemployment rate is forecast to stand pat at 4.3%.According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 gained 10.07 points, or 0.13%, to end at 7,610.03 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 8.78 points, or 0.03%, to 27,095.59. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 237.13 points, or 0.46%, to 51,316.01.Hewlett Packard Enterprise jumped after the AI server maker pulled forward its long-term financial targets by two years. In further evidence of AI buildout, Alphabet said it was looking to raise $80 billion in equity offerings, including an investment from Berkshire Hathaway, to fund a costly expansion of its AI infrastructure. Its shares lost ground on the day. Marvell Technology's shares surged after Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang called the chipmaker the next "trillion-dollar company" at the Computex conference in Taipei. Nvidia invested $2 billion in Marvell in March.A drop in bitcoin hit cryptocurrency firms Coinbase and Strategy Inc.Broadcom is expected to report quarterly results on Wednesday.
It’s easy to understand why so many graduates are booing commencement speakers who tell them how great AI is. They face a brutal job market, with unemployment for recent college graduates nearing recession levels, and AI is often cited as the reason they can’t find jobs or have to drastically reassess their career plans.I have a message for the class of 2026: AI is not ruining your job prospects, at least not yet. A better explanation for the tough job market may be the prevalence of WFH, not the rise of AI.131463654Two new studies, one from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and one from the London School of Economics, look at the recent rise in unemployment among young workers. The authors of the LSE study looked at 243 million new hires and 407 million online job postings from 2017 to 2025 in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. They observed a notable decline since 2022 in the hiring of new graduates. AI was presumed to be the reason, since the falloff tends to be in the sort of industries that are adopting AI.But these are also the same kinds of jobs — reliant on computers, knowledge-intensive, white-collar — that are most amenable to working from home. When they controlled for WFH, the authors found that the impact of AI on hiring was negligible.The study postulates that where WFH is more common, managing junior staff is more expensive. At the same time, young staffers who receive less training may be less productive than they would be otherwise, even as they mature and demand more pay. So the cost of WFH to young graduates is not just a harder job market — it also makes it harder for young employees to get good training, supervision and mentorship, a point also made by the New York Fed study.WFH has always had a superficial appeal. At first, it seems easier and often cheaper for both employers and employees; companies can pay less if they offer more flexibility, and many staffers have commitments that keep them at home. In the long term, however, both management and workers pay a price in terms of lost training and career development of younger employees.This could get even worse as AI is more widely adopted. New hires recently out of college who work on their own may figure out how to do specific tasks (perhaps with AI assistance), but they won’t learn much about how to manage office politics, charm clients or build networks. All these skills will be even more valuable in an AI job market, and none can be gained without coming into the office and observing senior colleagues.The new research doesn’t argue that AI will have no impact on hiring in the future, or that it is currently affecting hiring decisions. It’s also worth noting that many firms are still hiring — just not as much as before. There are a lot of factors that go into the health of the labor market, and if the economy worsens, the combination of AI and WFH could make it even harder for young graduates.What does seem clear is that AI is becoming a convenient villain for a lot of complaints people have about the economy. Tech executives aren’t helping by regularly declaring that AI can replace a lot of jobs. More likely, they are using AI as an excuse when they are letting people go for financial reasons. In the case of WFH, it may be easier to blame AI than to ask reluctant staff to come into the office.I’ve seen this reluctance firsthand: A few years ago I met middle-aged media executive who told me how much she loved working from home (or, often in her case, from a resort in Mexico). When I asked her about junior staffers missing out on mentoring and on-the-job training, she admitted she never would have succeeded if senior people weren’t in the office when she was coming up. But she didn’t seem too bothered by it, either.I’ve never been asked to give a commencement speech, but if for some reason I were, this would be my advice: Find a company where everyone likes going to work. Then try to get a job there — and if you do, go into the office every day.
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday held separate meetings with senior leaders of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Bharti Enterprises to review ongoing projects and discuss future investments in the state.The Chief Minister said he met S.N. Subrahmanyan, Chairman and Managing Director of Larsen & Toubro, at his official residence and reviewed the progress of various projects being executed by the engineering and infrastructure major in Assam."We discussed the various projects that L&T is undertaking in Assam and the roadmap for their timely completion," Sarma said in a post on X.Later in the day, the Chief Minister also held discussions with Rajan Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, at his official residence, focusing on the group's expansion plans in Assam, particularly in the telecommunications sector."We discussed the group's expansion plans in Assam, with a specific focus on covering dark areas so that more people can benefit from proper phone and internet connectivity," Sarma said.The meetings underline the Assam government's continued engagement with leading corporate groups to accelerate infrastructure development and improve digital connectivity across the state, especially in underserved regions.Sarma also congratulated Dr Ashok Lahiri on his recent appointment as Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog and expressed the state's commitment to strengthening its partnership with the national policy think tank.Sharing details of his meeting with Lahiri in the national capital, Sarma said the newly appointed Vice Chairman "brings with him extensive experience in public policy and finance", highlighting the expertise he is expected to bring to NITI Aayog's policymaking and reform agenda.The Chief Minister noted that the Assam government is keen to deepen its engagement with NITI Aayog in implementing reforms and development policies."The Assam government aims to deepen its partnership with NITI Aayog in implementing reforms and policies that will improve the ease of living of our people," Sarma said in a post on X after the meeting.The interaction comes as Assam continues to pursue governance reforms, infrastructure development and welfare initiatives with support from central institutions. Officials believe closer collaboration with NITI Aayog will help accelerate policy implementation and improve outcomes across key sectors.
New York: About 30 individuals from India, found to be living in the US illegally and working as commercial truck drivers, have been arrested as part of a federal operation and will soon be deported.The US Customs and Border Protection said in a statement Monday that during the week of May 11-15, Border Patrol agents from Yuma Sector in Arizona arrested 52 individuals during 'Operation Checkmate' for being in the US illegally, including 36 who were found to be driving semi-trucks.Out of the 36 illegal semi-truck drivers arrested, 30 were from India, while the remaining six were from Mexico, El Salvador, and Russia. They had commercial driver's licenses from states such as California, New York, Washington and Virginia, while some did not possess any form of driver's license. Most possessed employment authorisation documents, which were obtained during the Joe Biden administration and were no longer valid. All individuals were processed in accordance with federal law and will be deported.Also read: India-US meet to resolve final 'commas and full stops' of bilateral trade pactOperation Checkmate is aimed at enhancing public safety through enforcement of immigration statutes to detect and arrest illegal persons operating commercial motor vehicles in the country."Operation Checkmate reflects our commitment to safeguarding communities and roads from unlawfully present drivers who pose significant risks to public safety," Acting Chief Patrol Agent of the US Border Patrol's Yuma Sector Dustin Caudle said. Federal agents are on patrol every day to "ensure we stop these individuals and prevent more deadly crashes from occurring on the road across the United States."Under the administration of President Donald Trump, the Department of Transportation issued an order to stop unqualified foreign drivers from obtaining licenses to drive commercial trucks and buses.Over the past several months, there have been instances of Indian-origin truck drivers arrested and charged with causing fatal crashes while driving commercial vehicles in the US.
The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and Oman is set to come into force on June 1, marking a significant milestone in bilateral economic relations. Both nations will formally announce the decision on Monday.This marks the fifth free trade agreement (FTA) implemented under the Modi government since 2014. It follows trade pacts rolled out with Mauritius (April 2021), the UAE (May 2022), Australia (December 2022), and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA—comprising Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway in October 2025). India has also signed deals with the UK (July 2025) and New Zealand (April 2026), alongside concluding trade talks with the 27-nation European Union (EU) on January 27 this year.CEPA vs FTAModern trade pacts typically span around 20 chapters. These encompass comprehensive regulations across trade in goods, trade in services, investment, intellectual property rights, customs procedures, and dispute settlement mechanisms.Similar bilateral frameworks are also designated as Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreements (CECA), Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreements (CETA), or Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreements (ECTA).Also read: India-Oman CEPA to strengthen energy security, trade resilience and export growthIndia-Oman tradeBilateral trade between the two nations reached USD 11.18 billion during 2025-26, up from USD 10.61 billion in 2024-25. India’s exports stood at USD 4.02 billion, while imports from Oman were valued at USD 7.16 billion.In the services domain, India's exports to Oman expanded from USD 397 million in 2020 to USD 665 million in 2024, driven primarily by telecommunications, computer and information, transport, and travel sectors. Conversely, services imports from Oman grew from USD 101 million to USD 197.7 million over the same period, led by transport, travel, telecom, and other business services.What does India gain? The deal unlocks 100% duty-free market access for Indian exports to Oman, covering 98.08% of Oman’s tariff lines, which represents 99.38% of the trade value (based on the 2022-23 average).Immediate Concessions: All zero-duty access comes into effect from "Day One" of the agreement. Currently, only 15.33% of India’s export value (11.34% of tariff lines) enters Oman duty-free under the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) regime.Price Competitiveness: The pact eliminates the current 5% import duty on Indian goods worth USD 3.64 billion.Growth Drivers: Key sectors poised for immediate advantages include textiles, agricultural products, transport equipment, precision instruments, processed food, and gems & jewellery.New Horizons: The agreement unlocks fresh export windows for Indian minerals, chemicals, base metals, machinery, plastic, rubber, automobiles, clocks, instruments, glass, ceramics, marble, and paper.India-Oman CEPA: Key sectoral gainsOman will grant immediate zero-duty access to crucial Indian industrial segments, including:Iron and steelElectrical and industrial machineryMarine products and copper goodsFurthermore, the removal of the 5% tariff is set to directly bolster the competitiveness of Indian vehicles in the Omani market, while securing binding zero-duty access for key finished medicines and vaccines.India protects sensitive sectorsTo insulate local industries and farming communities, India has placed 2,789 tariff lines on its exclusion list.Excluded Categories: Key domestic sectors shielded from tariff concessions include transport equipment, major chemicals, cereals, fruits, vegetables, spices, coffee, tea, and products of animal origin.Manufacturing Safeguards: High-value manufacturing chains including rubber, leather, textiles, footwear, petroleum oils, and mineral-based products remain protected.Agricultural Shielding: Strategic segments such as dairy products, meat, oilseeds, vegetable oils, sugar, and food-processing residues are entirely kept out of the liberalisation purview.Service sector stands to gainWith Oman’s total global services imports standing at USD 12.52 billion in 2024, India’s current share of 5.31% presents significant room for expansion.Oman has made robust commitments regarding the temporary entry and stay of Indian service professionals. Notably, the Intra-Corporate Transferees (ICT) ceiling has been raised from 20% to 50%, allowing Indian firms to deploy a higher volume of managerial and specialist personnel.Additionally, for the first time in any FTA, Oman has locked in specific commitments for professional service providers, benefitting Indian talent in IT, accounting, engineering, medical, education, construction, and consulting fields.Gains for India's agri sectorIndian agricultural exports such as natural honey, potatoes, cashews, boneless meat, and bakery items will secure immediate duty-free entry into Oman.Oman has agreed to dismantle tariffs—which currently range from 5% to 100%—on an array of items. These include cheese, curd, milk, cream, frozen fish, butter, meat, yoghurt, pastries, cakes, chocolate, sugar confectionery, mineral water, alongside animal and vegetable fats and oils.In return, Indian consumers will benefit from cheaper imports of Omani dates, with India granting zero-duty access for up to 2,000 tonnes of the commodity annually. New Delhi is also extending tariff concessions to Oman’s traditional products: Gum Arabica (utilised in food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics) and Frankincense (utilised in the incense and perfume sectors).Oman to benefit from tariff concessionsIndia is extending tariff concessions across 77.79% of its total tariff lines (equivalent to 12,556 lines), which encapsulates 94.81% of India’s total imports from Oman by value.For items that hold significant export value for Oman but remain sensitive for domestic industries in India—such as dates, marbles, and specific petrochemical products—liberalisation will be managed via a controlled Tariff-Rate Quota (TRQ) mechanism.India strengthening presence in Middle EastThe Oman CEPA serves as another pillar in India's deepening trade ties with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), following its May 2022 pact with the UAE. New Delhi is set to commence trade talks with Qatar soon, and has already inked terms of reference (TOR) to initiate broader trade pact negotiations with the entire GCC bloc (comprising Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain).Despite its size, Oman commands vast geopolitical importance as it borders the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint heavily relied upon by Asian enterprises for oil trade. The nation serves as a strategic gateway for Indian goods and services into the broader Middle Eastern and African markets.Currently, nearly 7 lakh Indian nationals reside in Oman, sending home approximately USD 2 billion in annual remittances. Over 6,000 Indian establishments operate within Oman, and India has clocked USD 615.54 million in foreign direct investment (FDI) from Oman between April 2000 and September 2025. Notably, this CEPA is the first bilateral trade pact Oman has signed with any nation since its agreement with the United States in 2006, cementing its position as India’s third-largest export market within the GCC.
Mahindra Manulife Mutual Fund announced the launch of ‘MPOWER SIF’ marking its entry into SEBI’s newly notified investment product called Specialized Investment Fund and reinforcing its commitment to bringing differentiated investment solutions to investors.With MPOWER SIF, Mahindra Manulife Mutual Fund aims to address the evolving needs of investors, who are looking to complement their existing mutual funds with products that use derivatives and other tools to create different risk return outcomes.Also Read | Smallcap valuations turn favourable as correction creates fresh opportunities: Bajaj Finserv AMC The fund house aims to provide a client experience that seeks to meet the investors aspiration, whilst remaining true to the core premise of creating investment outcomes that are consistent and meaningful.“The launch of MPOWER SIF is a significant step forward in expanding our product suite. As investors and their goals and aspirations evolve over time, there is a clear requirement for investment solutions that offer greater flexibility and use the entire range of tools available to deliver consistent outcomes. This approach is complemented by an investment team with extensive experience anchored by a sound risk management framework,” said Anthony Heredia, MD & CEO, Mahindra Manulife Investment Management.Mahindra Manulife Mutual Fund intends to roll out a range of differentiated strategies under MPOWER SIF across equity, hybrid, and fixed income categories, aligned with regulatory guidelines and investor suitability.“MPOWER SIF gives us the flexibility to design more agile and outcome-oriented portfolios by leveraging a wider investment toolkit. This platform will enable us to combine fundamental research with tactical allocation strategies, with the objective of delivering superior risk-adjusted returns across market cycles. We believe it is well suited for investors seeking a more nuanced approach to portfolio construction,” said Krishna Sanghavi, Chief Investment Officer - Equity, Mahindra Manulife Investment Management.Also Read | Should senior citizens continue investing in equity mutual funds after retirement? Expert explainsThe SIF category offers strategies that go beyond conventional Mutual Funds, including long-short approaches, derivatives-based strategies, and more focused portfolio construction, catering to investors seeking a different approach to meeting their investment goals.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)If you have any mutual fund queries, message on ET Mutual Funds on Facebook/Twitter. We will get it answered by our panel of experts. Do share your questions on ETMFqueries@timesinternet.in alongwith your age, risk profile, and Twitter handle.
Mumbai: A prolonged West Asia conflict represents a key downside risk to India's economic outlook according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), even as it projected a lower real gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 6.9% for 2026-27 in its annual report compared with 7.6% estimated for the previous financial year.The central bank said the impact of the conflict is likely to remain contained in the near term but warned that an escalation could derail India's otherwise positive growth trajectory."Going forward, India's growth outlook remains positive, though the West Asia conflict and the attendant risks of elevated energy prices, supply chain disruptions, financial market volatility, uncertainty surrounding global trade policies and weather-related disruptions could pose headwinds to growth and inflation in the short run," the Reserve Bank said.Also Read: Iran war - PSBs asked to stay preparedPositive Macro OutlookIt listed healthy corporate and bank balance sheets, government's continued thrust on capital expenditure and the implementation of trade agreements with key partners as positives to help sustain investment and growth momentum."Nevertheless, in a highly uncertain global environment, continuous assessment of the evolving developments is warranted to frame the appropriate policy response on an ongoing basis," the report said.131398139The central bank said that although portfolio flows exhibited a net outflow in 2025-26, strong buffers in the form of ample foreign exchange reserves and modest external debt liabilities continue to impart strength to the external sector, contributing to overall macroeconomic and financial stability.Adequate food grain stocks, sufficient reservoir levels and stable agricultural prospects despite possible El Nino conditions and above-normal summer temperature will keep inflation aligned to the target in 2026-27, according to the RBI. However, upside risks may emanate from a surge in global fuel and commodity prices amid geopolitical tensions, potential spillovers to input and wage costs and volatility in exchange rates.Also Read: India-US trade pact may be weeks away - US Ambassador to India Sergio GorThe central bank projected consumer price inflation for 2026-27 at 4.6%, with risks tilted to the upside, significantly higher than its revised estimate of 3.7% for the previous fiscal.Pressure on BondsDomestic bond yields could face upward pressure if the global monetary easing cycle stalls or reverses in response to persistent oil price shocks amid fragile conditions in West Asia, it said.Geopolitical risk has re-emerged as the dominant drag on global growth in 2026, according to the RBI. "In IMF's baseline scenario, the global economy is projected to grow by 3.1% in 2026 (as against the earlier projection of 3.3% in January), while global merchandise and services trade volume is expected to decelerate to 2.8% in 2026. Further intensification of the conflict, its prolongation or widening geographical spread, if any, remain the key downside risks to the global economic outlook," the report said."However, the government's commitment to fiscal consolidation, along with the liquidity injection measures by the Reserve Bank, is expected to contain the upward pressure on yields. Equity market dynamics would be conditioned by evolving geopolitical developments, global financial market volatility and foreign portfolio investment flows; a deterioration in risk sentiment alongside strengthening of the US dollar could trigger capital outflows," said the RBI's annual report. "At the same time, ongoing efforts to expand local currency settlement framework are expected to further advance rupee based cross-border transactions."
Anthropic PBC raised $65 billion in a funding round that valued the artificial intelligence company at $965 billion including the new investment, eclipsing rival OpenAI’s value for the first time.The funding, announced Thursday, was led by Altimeter Capital, Dragoneer, Greenoaks and Sequoia Capital. Each of the lead investors put in more than $2 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. Sequoia declined to comment. The other three firms did not respond to a request for comment.Alphabet Inc.’s Google contributed several billion dollars to the round as part of a previously announced commitment to invest up to $40 billion in Anthropic over time, according to people familiar with the matter. Amazon.com Inc. invested $5 billion in the round, also as part of a prior commitment, Anthropic said in a blog post.Google declined to comment. Micron Technology Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc. also contributed an undisclosed amount, helping to push the round well above Anthropic’s initial $30 billion target.The large round came together in a matter of weeks, a sign of strong investor demand for the Claude maker. In late April, Anthropic had been weighing whether to pursue new financing at a more than $900 billion valuation after receiving several inbound proposals, Bloomberg News has reported. The artificial intelligence startup then kicked off advanced discussions earlier this month.Founded in 2021 by a group of former OpenAI employees, Anthropic has since emerged as a leader in the AI sector. Anthropic has developed a series of AI tools aimed at overhauling the way businesses handle tasks from coding to cybersecurity. Anthropic and OpenAI are both expected to go public as soon as this fall, Bloomberg News has reported. Anthropic is still expected to proceed with an IPO on that timeline after the latest funding, one person said.Anthropic declined to comment.Anthropic expects to post $10.9 billion in revenue for the second quarter, more than doubling from the prior three-month period as demand surges for its AI software, Bloomberg News has reported. The company is also on pace for its first profitable quarter.The company has told investors that its annualized run rate revenue will surpass $50 billion by the end of next month, people familiar with the matter said. Anthropic’s run rate, a metric that projects full-year revenue based on sales from a shorter period, was $4 billion in July of last year.OpenAI was most recently valued at $852 billion in a funding round completed in March. The company is expected to confidentially file draft paperwork to go public in the coming days or weeks.
Adani Green Energy is set to seek board approval to raise Rs 6,150 crore ($750 million) to Rs 8,200 crore ($1 billion) through the qualified institutional placement (QIP) route, said people aware of the matter.Two group companies had got approval of their boards for fundraising on May 13 —Adani Enterprises (Rs 12,500 crore) and Adani Transmission (Rs 8,500 crore).The exercise is part of a group plan outlined internally last year to build a “three-year equity cushion” to support expansion plans.Adani Green has secured such capital-raising permission every year from its board except in 2021, as per a Bloomberg analysis.The capital raised by Adani Green Energy will be used to repay an outstanding $750 million, three-year bond issued in 2021 that’s due next year. The money is likely to be kept in a dedicated redemption reserve account and paid on the due date, said the people cited above.Renegotiating Terms With TotalThe original plan had been to prepay the bond after special Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approval but the company decided against this move.“We do not comment on routine business matters. All public disclosures on business matters are disclosed when appropriate,” an Adani Group spokesperson told ET.Adani Green is also renegotiating the terms of its agreement with French utilities giant TotalEnergies for a proposed $4 billion investment in a green hydrogen venture, having signed a memorandum of understanding in 2022. In February, Total said it was pausing the plan in the wake of the Hindenburg Research report on the Adani Group alleging stock manipulation and fraud. The Adani Group has rejected the report’s findings.Total had said it won’t immediately proceed with the plan that involved taking a 25% stake in Adani New Industries Ltd (ANIL), a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises.In June last year, ANIL and TotalEnergies had outlined a capex plan of $50 billion to set up a 2.5 million metric tonnes per annum (mmtpa) of green hydrogen manufacturing capacity over the next 10 years, with the first phase of 1 mmtpa expected to be commissioned before 2030. Total had also made a total $10 billion capital commitment to the hydrogen venture, standing guarantor to 50% of the project’s debt, translating to $6 billion, ET had reported February 13.ANIL plans to manufacture green hydrogen and downstream products such as ammonia, urea, methanol and ethanol at its Khavda and Mundra SEZ facilities. The Khavda site has a land bank of 71,000 acres, which has a large-scale renewable deployment potential of 20 GW due to its high wind and solar resource potential.After the initial MoU, a more detailed ‘heads of agreement’ — pre-contractual negotiations for a commercial framework — was originally planned to be signed between May and September this year. But this is unlikely at this juncture.The Adani Group has, however, continued with the project work in Mundra on its own, aiming to complete a substantial part of the first phase of the integrated manufacturing ecosystem for ANIL by December.This involves 4.5 GW of solar module manufacturing capacity and 1.5 GW of wind turbine manufacturing capacity along with electrolysers, glass, aluminium frames etc. Analysts say over 5% of the total capex has already been incurred by Adani though the bulk of the work is scheduled for 2026-2028. Any binding agreement with Total is now expected only in 2024 or 2025 and the valuation and the overall commercial terms is likely to get altered as the French company is not incurring any of the greenfield project risks, they said.“We have 40 GW of land equivalent. We've been doing solar modules for the past five years. We know we will produce modules at 15 cents to 17 cents,” Robbie Singh, chief financial officer of Adani Enterprises, had told ET on January 22.Other than the green hydrogen project, Total has just over $3 billion of investments with Adani, including in gas distribution and solar projects, which it has played down as a small 2.4% slice of its total capital commitments.