RBI has injected over Rs 5 lakh crore into the banking system since mid-Jan to ensure surplus liquidity and support its rate cut's transmission to borrowers. Despite this, corporate borrowing costs remain unchanged due to firm MCLR rates and year-end demand for funds.
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The Reserve Bank of India has reallocated the responsibilities of its deputy governors following the end of Deputy Governor Michael Debabrata Patra's extended term. M Rajeshwar Rao will now handle the monetary policy department among other key departments, while T Rabi Sankar and Swaminathan Janakiraman are assigned to various departments as part of the reshuffle.
Aragen Life Science, formerly GVK Biosciences, secures a $100 million investment from healthcare-focused private equity fund Quadria Capital. The investment will support Aragen’s strategic expansion and infrastructure development to meet growing demand for outsourcing services from US and Europe innovators. This move positions Aragen strongly in the pharmaceutical outsourcing market, enhancing its capabilities and accelerating program delivery.
EET Fuels, operating as Essar Oil (UK), secures $350 million in new bank and upsized trade credit financing, including $150 million from Afreximbank. This fund aims to reduce carbon emissions by 95% and develop Stanlow as an energy transition hub, focusing on industrial carbon capture and low carbon hydrogen production.
Companies in India are expected to see an average salary increment of 8.8% in 2025, slightly down from 9.0% in 2024. While 75% of companies aim to maintain or reduce pay hikes due to muted revenue growth, top performers may receive 1.7 times higher increments than average employees, with a focus on optimizing costs and talent differentiation.
India's textiles and apparel exports, including handicrafts, rose by 7% to $21.35 billion in April-October FY24, driven by ready made garments and cotton textiles. Imports dipped slightly by 1% to $5.43 billion. India remains a strong global player, facing challenges like geopolitical tensions and supply-demand dynamics.
India's eight core infrastructure sectors showed a slowed growth of 4.3% in November 2024, down from 7.9% in the previous year. However, monthly production hit a four-month high. Cement production surged 13%, while other sectors saw moderated growth. Core sector growth for April-November was 4.2%.
Indian companies raised a record Rs 3.8 lakh crore in FY25 through IPOs and QIPs, apart from debt. Including rights offers, total funds raised approached Rs 3.9 lakh crore. Major IPOs included Hyundai Motor, Swiggy, and NTPC Green Energy. Debt instruments raised Rs 11.1 lakh crore. Strong listing gains and institutional support boosted fund-raising.
HDFC Life reported a 14% rise in net profit to Rs 415 crore for the December quarter, up from Rs 365 crore a year ago. However, total income declined to Rs 16,914 crore from Rs 26,694 crore. The solvency ratio dropped slightly to 188% from 190%, still above the regulatory requirement of 150%.
India and the US are set to begin negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement aimed at doubling trade to $500 billion by 2030. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal emphasized the potential for mutual concessions and tariff reductions to facilitate this growth, with negotiations expected to start soon and a strong agreement anticipated within 6-8 months.
DeepSeek's rapid rise on social media has sparked excitement and stock market reactions. However, Bernstein's report reveals that DeepSeek's claims about building an OpenAI equivalent for $5 million are misleading, as significant research and development costs were overlooked, despite the impressive achievements of its V3 and R1 models.