Russia restricts helium exports as global supply tightens amid Middle East tensions

by Hansraj Agrawal | Apr 14, 2026 | Business

Helium is a critical input in fibre optics and semiconductor manufacturing, raising concerns over potential disruptions to key technology sectors.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS

Russia has imposed temporary export controls on helium to maintain a stable ‌supply to the domestic market, where the gas is mainly used in ⁠the production of fibre optics, the government said in a statement on Tuesday.

The war in the Middle ‌East has tightened the supply of the gas, which is also used ‌in several key stages of chipmaking, including ‌cooling, ⁠leak detection and precision manufacturing processes.

The ⁠decree added helium to a list of commodities whose export outside the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) requires special permission by top government ‌officials. The new export regime will be in force until the end of 2027.

Russia is the third-largest global producer of helium, ‌a byproduct of natural gas processing, accounting for around 8% of the global production, according to Gazprombank’s analysts. ⁠At home, helium is important for the production of fibre optics, increasingly used by the army ‌to control drones.

However, Russia trails far behind the United States and Qatar, with the Middle Eastern country producing over one-third of the global supply in 2025.

Earlier this month, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said that ‌global supply disruptions caused by the war in the Middle East have opened up new trade opportunities for Russia, but price ⁠stability in the domestic market remains a ⁠priority.

He mentioned helium among commodities whose exports Russia can increase. Gazprom’s Amur ‌Gas Processing Plant in the Far East is the biggest producer of helium in Russia

Published on April 14, 2026

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360 ONE Asset raises ₹2,000 crore for PIPE strategy targeting listed companies

by Hansraj Agrawal | Apr 14, 2026 | Business

Anup Maheshwari, Co-founder and CIO, 360 ONE Asset

360 ONE Asset said it has secured ₹2,000 crore in investor commitments for its Private Investment in Public Equity (PIPE) strategy, signalling a strong appetite for structured capital opportunities in listed Indian companies.

The firm said the PIPE strategy would provide investors with exposure to high-potential opportunities while retaining the liquidity advantages of public markets. It also seeks to address the growing demand for patient, long-term capital to support companies in areas such as growth expansion, governance improvements, and balance-sheet optimisation.

The strategy is designed to bridge private-market discipline with public-market access, targeting investments in listed and late-stage firms. The fund aims to unlock value through a combination of structured capital deployment, active engagement with management, and disciplined exit strategies.

Anup Maheshwari, Co-founder and CIO, said the response reflects investor confidence in both the strategy and the firm’s ability to execute transactions at scale. He added that the approach leverages the convergence of private and public market investing to generate value.

Charanjit Singh, Fund Manager, noted that the strategy will remain fundamentally driven and engagement-focused, with investments spanning block deals and anchor placements. The portfolio will remain unindexed, with an emphasis on generating attractive risk-adjusted returns while preserving liquidity flexibility for investors.

The PIPE route also offers companies a faster, more flexible capital-raising alternative to traditional initial public offerings or follow-on issues. In addition to capital, companies may benefit from institutional partnerships that bring governance expertise and long-term strategic support.

360 ONE Asset manages approximately $11 billion across public and private markets, including private equity, credit, and real assets.

Published on April 14, 2026

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KaaMaa Technologies sees rising demand for campaign holograms after Vijay demo

by Hansraj Agrawal | Apr 14, 2026 | Business

A hologram of TVK chief Vijay makes an appearance at party candidate R. Vinoth’s campaign in Kumbakonam
| Photo Credit:
Anirudh Parthasarathy 10914@Chennai

The Tamil Nadu Assembly Election has seen many next-gen technologies being utilised for campaigning – from banners and videos of yesteryear leaders brought back to life using generative AI, to the use of enterprise AI tools for collecting and analysing manifesto data.

The latest among these innovations has been from actor-politician Vijay’s TVK.

At Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district, a hologram of Vijay was seen addressing people and campaigning alongside his party’s candidate for the constituency, R. Vinoth.

KaaMaa Technologies, a Chennai-based tech company, which developed the portable holographic AI communication system, has seen an increase in demand for tech post its debut in Kumbakonam.

Speaking to businessline, Karthick Mari Pitchai, Founder and Managing Director, said that post the deployment by TVK, the company has received multiple inbounds from other parties to develop similar holograms of its leaders that can be used for campaigning activities.

“We have had the teams of many local leaders reach out to us to make similar portable holograms. We are in discussions and should be deploying more of these systems across the state soon. Beyond campaigns, we are also exploring multiple use cases including public outreach, events, and enterprise communication using this technology,” he said.

Pitchai added that the holographic system is designed with scalability and rapid deployment in mind, unlike incumbent technologies that are often harder to deploy in real-world outdoor environments.

Beyond hologram tech, the company also builds and customises engineering design software, tailors design tools like Fusion 360 for client-specific use, and undertakes engineering R&D projects.

Published on April 14, 2026

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Poonawalla Fincorp mops up ₹2,500 cr via QIP

by Hansraj Agrawal | Apr 14, 2026 | Business

Poonawalla Fincorp Ltd (PFL) has raised ₹2,500 crore via a Qualified Institutions Placement (QIP) at an issue price of ₹370.75 per equity share, representing a 5% discount to the floor price of ₹390.26 per equity share.

The Cyrus Poonawalla Group promoted non-deposit taking systemically important non-banking finance company (ND-SI-NBFC) issued 67,430,883 equity shares of face value ₹2 each to Qualified Institutional Buyers (“QIBs”).

The QIP, which opened on April 9, 2026, and closed on April 13, 2026, saw subscription from a diversified pool of investors, including Domestic Mutual Funds (“MFs”), Domestic Insurance Companies, and Foreign Institutional Investors (“FIIs”), per a company statement.

PFL had assets under management of ₹55,017 crore as on December 31, 2025. Its financial services offerings include Loan Against Property, Gold Loans, Prime Personal Loans, Education Loans, Consumer Durable Loans, Business Loans, among others.

Published on April 14, 2026

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तैयार हो जाएं, लंबा खिंचेगा संकट, महंगाई तोड़ेगी कमर, खेतों से लेकर थाली तक मचेगा हाहाकार!

by Hansraj Agrawal | Apr 14, 2026 | Business

Middle East Crisis: ईरान पर फरवरी में जब से अमेरिका और इजरायल ने हमला बोला है, तब से दुनिया के बाकी हिस्सों में भी उथल-पुथल सी मची हुई है. जंग भले ही पश्चिमी एशिया में लड़ी जा रही है, लेकिन इसकी ज्वाला से कोई अछूता नहीं है. लोगों को इंतजार है कि तुरंत इसका हल निकले और चीजें पटरी पर आ जाए. हालांकि, अभी राहत मिलने की कोई गुंजाइश नहीं है. ऐसा हम नहीं कह रहे हैं, बल्कि IMF, वर्ल्ड बैंक और अंतर्राष्ट्रीय ऊर्जा एजेंसी जैसे दिग्गजों ने इसकी चेतावनी दी है.

अंतर्राष्ट्रीय मुद्रा कोष (IMF) और वर्ल्ड बैंक ने आज 14 अप्रैल को वॉशिंगटन में एक संयुक्त बयान जारी करते हुए चेतावनी दी है कि मिडिल ईस्ट में जारी जंग के चलते ईंधन और उर्वरक की कीमतें लंबे समय तक ऊंची बनी रह सकती है. यह ग्लोबल इकोनॉमी के लिए तीसरा बड़ा झटका माना जा रहा है. इससे पहले, वैश्विक अर्थव्यवस्था कोरोना महामारी और रूस-यूक्रेन युद्ध के रूप में दो बड़े झटके पहले ही झेल चुकी है.

IMF और विश्व बैंक की Springs Meetings के दौरान इन मुद्दों पर बात छिड़ी. IMF और विश्व बैंक की Springs Meetings हर साल अप्रैल में वॉशिंगटन में रखी जाती है क्योंकि दोनों के ही हेडक्वॉटर्स यहीं है. इसमें दुनिया भर के वित्त मंत्री और केंद्रीय बैंकों के गवर्नर आर्थिक चुनौतियों पर चर्चा करने के लिए हर साल इकट्ठा होते हैं. इस बार ईरान और अमेरिका के बीच जंग और इससे पैदा हुई ग्लोबल एनर्जी संकट पर चर्चाएं हुईं.

युद्ध से चारों ओर हाहाकार

यहां एक संयुक्त बयान में तीनों संस्थानों ने कहा कि युद्ध के चलते लोगों को जबरन विस्थापित होना पड़ा, इसका नौकरियों पर असर पड़ा है और इससे पर्यटन में भी कमी आई है. इसे ठीक होने में समय लग सकता है. बयान में कहा गया, ”जैसा कि इस महीने की शुरुआत में ही बताया जा चुका है कि युद्ध का प्रभाव काफी बड़ा, वैश्विक और अत्यधिक असमान है, जो ऊर्जा आयात करने वाले देशों, खासतौर पर कम आय वाले देशों को असंगत रूप से प्रभावित कर रहा है.”

बयान में जिक्र किया गया कि इस झटके के कारण तेल, गैस और उर्वरक की कीमतें बढ़ गई हैं, जिससे खाद्य सुरक्षा और नौकरियों के नुकसान के बारे में भी चिंताएं बढ़ गई हैं. पहले भी कुछ तेल और गैस उत्पादकों को भी निर्यात राजस्व में भारी नुकसान हुआ है.

कई सालों तक रहेगा जंग का असर

मिडिल ईस्ट में जारी तनाव से होर्मुज स्ट्रेट (Strait of Hormuz) पर शिपिंग में रूकावटें आ रही हैं. IMF प्रमुख क्रिस्टालिना जॉर्जीवा ने चेतावनी देते हुए कहा कि एनर्जी की सप्लाई में आई इस बाधा का असर अगले कई सालों तक महसूस किया जाएगा. इस जंग के चलते उर्वरकों की कीमतों में भारी उछाल आया है. मार्च 2026 में यूरिया की कीमत में लगभग 46 परसेंट की तेजी आई है. इससे दुनियाभर में खाद्य सुरक्षा पर खतरा मंडरा रहा है.

उभरती अर्थव्यवस्थाओं लिए खतरा और भी ज्यादा

जंग के मद्देनजर दुनिया की उभरती अर्थव्यवस्थाओं के लिए महंगाई का अनुमान पहले के 3 परसेंट से बढ़ाकर 4.9 परसेंट कर दिया गया है. सबसे खराब स्थिति में यह 6.7 परसेंट तक जा सकता है. विश्व बैंक ने भी विकासशील अर्थव्यवस्थाओं के लिए विकास दर के अनुमान को 4 परसेंट से घटाकर 3.65 परसेंट कर दिया है. IEA की मासिक Oil Market Report और IMF के World Economic Outlook के जारी होने से ठीक पहले तीनों संस्थानों के प्रमुखों ने अपने ताजा आकलन साझा किए.

बयान में कहा गया, “हमने इस झटके से सबसे ज्यादा प्रभावित देशों की स्थिति पर भी चर्चा की, साथ ही हमारे संस्थानों द्वारा की गई प्रतिक्रियाओं पर भी बात की. हमारी टीमें आपस में मिलकर काम कर रही हैं – जिसमें देश के स्तर पर भी काम शामिल है – ताकि हम अपनी-अपनी विशेषज्ञता का इस्तेमाल कर सकें और देशों को उनकी जरूरत के हिसाब से पॉलिसी से जुड़ी सलाह देकर मदद कर सकें और IMF तथा World Bank के मामले में, जहां जरूरत हो वहां वित्तीय सहायता भी दे सकें.

ये भी पढ़ें:

थाली पर महंगाई का बोझ! मार्च में खाद्य मुद्रास्फीति बढ़कर 3.87% हुई, ईरान युद्ध ने बिगाड़ा बजट

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Iran oil hoard at sea shields China’s refiners from US blockade

by Hansraj Agrawal | Apr 14, 2026 | Business

A hoard of Iranian crude on tankers at sea and robust onshore stockpiles in China will provide a cushion for the nation’s independent refiners should a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz choke off flows.

There are about 38 million barrels of Iranian oil on vessels in Asia, with more than a third of the ships anchored in the Yellow Sea off the Chinese coast, data compiled by Kpler Ltd. shows. Overall crude inventories in Shandong province — home to most of the country’s independent processors known as teapots — have also swelled and are near the highest this year, according to OilChem.

The US implemented a blockade of ships heading for or leaving Iran’s Persian Gulf ports or coastal areas on Monday after talks over the weekend between Washington and Tehran failed to reach an agreement, escalating the conflict that’s roiled energy markets. China’s teapots have been the biggest buyers of Iranian oil, with the cheaper barrels helping to offset thin margins.

Iranian crude stored at sea provides teapots with about two-and-a-half months of supply, said Emma Li, the Singapore-based lead China market analyst at Vortexa Ltd. The nation’s imports from the Islamic Republic climbed to a record 1.8 million barrels a day last month, she added.

Beijing recently granted teapots additional crude import quota to allow them to keep producing fuels, helping to cushion the impact from disrupted supplies from the Persian Gulf. Still, a prolonged US blockade could complicate those energy security efforts should Iranian flows dwindle.

Teapots have relied on cheaper crude from Iran, Russia, and Venezuela to keep their operations going, but that pool shrunk after US intervention in Venezuela earlier this year. Prices for Iranian Light have also climbed since the war began at the end of February, with the grade recently offered at a small premium to ICE Brent, compared with discounts of as much as $10 a barrel prior to the conflict, said traders who participate in the market.

Even as the US implemented its blockade of Hormuz, Washington and Iran are weighing another round of talks to secure a longer-term ceasefire. The goal is to hold them before the expiration of a two-week pause in hostilities that was announced April 7, according to people familiar with the matter.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

Published on April 14, 2026

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