Sasikala announces name of her political party, to face coming polls in alliance

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 13, 2026 | Business

File picture of expelled AIADMK leader V K Sasikala

Weeks after announcing the launch of her political party, expelled AIADMK leader V K Sasikala on Friday announced the name of the organisation — All India Puratchi Thalaivar Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam.

On February 24, coinciding with the 74th birth anniversary of late AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa, her close aide Sasikala unveiled the party flag at Kamuthi in Ramanathapuram district.

The new party’s symbol will be ‘coconut grove’, which symbolises unity that she has always strived for, Sasikala told reporters.

To a question, she said the party would face the upcoming Assembly election in alliance.

Published on March 13, 2026

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Global investors unwilling to let go of Adani bonds despite global uncertainty

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 13, 2026 | Business

Even as tensions stemming from the West Asia crisis unsettle global markets, investors have shown little willingness to part with Adani Group’s dollar bonds, despite a buyback by its ports arm, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ).

On March 12, APSEZ, India’s largest private port operator, completed a cash tender offer to repurchase parts of two series of US dollar-denominated senior notes, trimming its outstanding debt by about $199.5 million, people with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The offer covered up to $345.1 million of 4 per cent notes due in 2027 and $150 million of 3.10 per cent notes due in 2031, suggesting a potential buyback of roughly $495 million.

Yet bondholders offered back far less than that. APSEZ eventually accepted $102.1 million of the 2027 notes and $97.5 million of the 2031 notes, they said.

In effect, more than 60 per cent of investors chose to keep their bonds, declining the opportunity to exit through the tender offer.

After the early tender deadline, holders submitted an additional $0.5 million of the 2027 notes and $2.13 million of the 2031 notes, bringing the total repurchased to $ 199.5 million, they said.

The exercise forms part of APSEZ’s broader effort to utilise its excess cash on the balance sheet and gradually reduce leverage. In recent years, the company has used refinancing and selective buybacks to reshape its debt profile while maintaining access to international capital markets.

“We were expecting more investors to tender their shares, but the response has been quite positive,” said one of the persons involved in the transaction.

Investors’ limited participation in the tender suggests a steady appetite for the group’s debt, particularly among global funds looking for exposure to India’s infrastructure expansion.

According to people familiar with the matter, some US-based institutional investors have also continued to add to their holdings in Adani-linked bonds in the secondary market.

Settlement for the notes accepted after the early tender date is expected around March 16.

For APSEZ, the buyback provides a modest reduction in debt and underscores its liquidity position. For bondholders, the choice to stay invested points to a continuing willingness to back one of India’s largest privately-owned infrastructure groups.

Published on March 13, 2026

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युवाओं ने बदला रियल एस्टेट ट्रेंड, कम उम्र में घर खरीद रहे युवा; जानिए विशेषज्ञों की राय

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 13, 2026 | Business

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India Real Estate Trend: भारत का रियल एस्टेट बाजार तेजी से बदल रहा है और इस बदलाव की अगुवाई अब युवा कर रहे हैं. एक नई रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक Gen Z और युवा मिलेनियल्स अब पहले से कम उम्र में घर खरीद रहे हैं और मेट्रो शहरों की जगह टियर-2 और टियर-3 शहरों की ओर रुख कर रहे हैं.

होम फाइनेंस प्लेटफॉर्म BASIC Home Loan की रिपोर्ट “How Bharat Finances Its Housing Dreams” के अनुसार, डिजिटल लोन और बेहतर फाइनेंसिंग विकल्पों की वजह से युवाओं के लिए घर खरीदना पहले से ज्यादा आसान हो गया है.

क्यों बदल रहा है हाउसिंग ट्रेंड

विशेषज्ञों के अनुसार इस बदलाव के पीछे कई कारण हैं:

डिजिटल लेंडिंग प्लेटफॉर्म्स से आसान और तेज होम लोन

बेहतर वित्तीय जागरूकता

टियर-2 और टियर-3 शहरों में कम प्रॉपर्टी कीमतें

छोटे शहरों में बेहतर इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर और रोजगार के अवसर

क्या कहते हैं विशेषज्ञ

Ashish Bhutani, CEO, Bhutani Infra के मुताबिक आज की युवा पीढ़ी रियल एस्टेट को लॉन्ग-टर्म वेल्थ क्रिएशन के भरोसेमंद माध्यम के रूप में देख रही है. डिजिटल लोन अप्रूवल ने घर खरीदना पहले से कहीं ज्यादा आसान बना दिया है.

वहीं E Lakshminarayana Reddy, Founder और CEO, EARA Group का कहना है कि टियर-2 और टियर-3 शहरों में बेहतर इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर और कम कीमतें खरीदारों को आकर्षित कर रही हैं.

इसके अलावा Prakhar Agrawal, Director, Rama Group के अनुसार आज के युवा खरीदार सिर्फ घर नहीं बल्कि बेहतर लाइफस्टाइल चाहते हैं. ग्रीन स्पेस, सस्टेनेबल डिजाइन और हेल्दी कम्युनिटी लिविंग जैसे फैक्टर अब घर खरीदने के फैसले में अहम भूमिका निभा रहे हैं.

विशेषज्ञों का मानना है कि आने वाले वर्षों में भारत का हाउसिंग सेक्टर युवा खरीदारों, डिजिटल फाइनेंसिंग और छोटे शहरों की बढ़ती आर्थिक ताकत के दम पर और तेजी से बढ़ सकता है.

यह भी पढ़ें: लंबे इंतजार के बाद फिर तेज हुई हलचल… एनएसई आईपीओ लिस्टिंग के लिए चुनी गई 20 मर्चेंट बैंकर्स की टीम, जानिए ताजा अपडेट

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पिछले 10 महीने में हाई पर पहुंची महंगाई, 93 के करीब रुपया, ईरान वॉर के बीच जेब पर कैसा असर

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 13, 2026 | Business

India’s Inflation Impact: पश्चिम एशिया में बढ़ते तनाव का असर अब भारत की अर्थव्यवस्था पर भी दिखने लगा है. तेल की कीमतों में तेजी और वैश्विक अनिश्चितता के कारण भारतीय मुद्रा पर दबाव बढ़ गया है. हालात यह हैं कि रुपया लगातार कमजोर होकर 93 रुपये प्रति डॉलर के करीब पहुंच गया है, जिससे आर्थिक अनिश्चितता की स्थिति पैदा हो रही है. वहीं देश में महंगाई भी लगभग दस महीने के उच्च स्तर पर पहुंच गई है.

विशेषज्ञों का मानना है कि अगर यह संकट लंबे समय तक जारी रहता है तो इसका असर सीधे आम लोगों की जेब पर पड़ सकता है. हालांकि फिलहाल उपभोक्ताओं पर इसका बड़ा असर नहीं दिख रहा है, लेकिन स्थिति लंबी खिंची तो ईंधन, यात्रा और रोजमर्रा के खर्चों में बढ़ोतरी हो सकती है.

भारत पर संभावित असर

1. ईंधन और गैस महंगी हो सकती है

अगर अंतरराष्ट्रीय बाजार में Brent Crude की कीमत 100 डॉलर प्रति बैरल से ऊपर बनी रहती है, तो पेट्रोल, डीजल और गैस के दाम बढ़ सकते हैं. इससे यात्रा और दैनिक जीवन का खर्च बढ़ने की आशंका है.

2. आयात महंगा हो जाएगा

भारत अपनी जरूरतों का बड़ा हिस्सा आयात करता है. रुपये की कमजोरी के कारण खाने-पीने की चीजों, औद्योगिक कंपोनेंट्स, इलेक्ट्रॉनिक्स और अन्य आयातित सामान की कीमतें बढ़ सकती हैं.

3. विदेश यात्रा और पढ़ाई महंगी

रुपया कमजोर होने से विदेश यात्रा, विदेशी विश्वविद्यालयों की फीस और अंतरराष्ट्रीय ऑनलाइन सब्सक्रिप्शन जैसी सेवाएं पहले से ज्यादा महंगी हो सकती हैं.

4. ईएमआई पर भी असर पड़ सकता है

अगर महंगाई बढ़ती है तो Reserve Bank of India को ब्याज दरों में कटौती को लेकर सतर्क रहना पड़ सकता है. ऐसी स्थिति में लोन की ईएमआई कम होने की संभावना घट सकती है और लंबे समय तक ऊंची ब्याज दरों का दबाव बना रह सकता है. जाहिर है पश्चिम एशिया का संकट फिलहाल भारत में सीमित असर दिखा रहा है, लेकिन अगर तेल की कीमतें ऊंची बनी रहती हैं और रुपया कमजोर होता है, तो इसका असर धीरे-धीरे महंगाई, ईंधन और रोजमर्रा के खर्चों के जरिए आम लोगों तक पहुंच सकता है।

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PayU and CoRover.ai join hands to enable voice-based payments in 100 languages

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 13, 2026 | Business

One of the early use cases emerging from the partnership is the enablement of voice-based UPI payments on Afterlife, the first ever digital succession planning platform, powered by CoRover’s Voice AI.

PayU, a leading diversified fintech platform, has entered into strategic partnership with CoRover.ai, the creator of BharatGPT and the world’s first human-centric conversational agentic AI platform, to enable AI-led agentic payments in over 100 Indian languages and dialects.

Through this collaboration, PayU’s secure and compliant payment infrastructure will be integrated with CoRover’s BharatGPT-powered conversational agentic AI platform and commerce protocol, enabling multilingual, voice-first payment experiences at scale.

The collaboration represents one of the first partnerships between a sovereign large language model provider and a payment aggregator to power AI-driven agentic payments.

By combining trusted payment infrastructure with sovereign AI, the companies aim to unlock seamless commerce experiences for the next 500 million users in India who interact with technology primarily through voice and natural conversations.

Going forward, both companies plan to extend this collaboration to multiple agentic payment use cases across sectors including e-commerce, travel, OTT platforms and BFSI.

The partnership will also explore the integration of innovations such as NPCI’s UPI Circle and UPI Reserve Pay, enabling AI agents to initiate and complete transactions.

Manas Mishra, Chief Product Officer, PayU, said the next phase of digital payments will happen inside AI-led conversations, and India’s next 500 million users, who are voice-first and conversational, deserve the same security and reliability.

Through the partnership with CoRover’s BharatGPT, the company will enable scalable, compliant agentic payments for Digital Bharat.

Ankush Sabharwal, CEO, CoRover.ai, said commerce will become frictionless when AI agents can understand intent, complete tasks and execute payments securely through conversation.

The tie-up creates a trusted AI-led payment experience that is voice-first, multilingual, and designed for the scale and diversity of India, he said.

Published on March 13, 2026

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“Normal day, normal supply”: IndianOil highlights steady operations amid global energy crisis

by Hansraj Agrawal | Mar 13, 2026 | Business

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd has reassured the public that fuel supply in India remains stable despite a deepening global energy crisis triggered by geopolitical tensions in West Asia.

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) today shared a glimpse of its operational stability amidst a deepening international energy crisis. The state-run oil major took to social media on Friday to highlight the calm efficiency at its flagship outlets.

Providing a live snapshot from the ground, the corporation said on its X account, “Normal day. Normal supply. Normal operations. While the world faces its worst energy crisis in modern history — this is what an IndianOil fuel station looks like today. COCO BKC, Mumbai Shot at 10 AM — peak morning hours. No panic. No rush. Just business as usual. Global Crisis. India Delivers.”

IndianOil highlights steady fuel supply

By showcasing “normal day. Normal supply. Normal operations,” IndianOil aims to reassure the public that the country’s fuel security is well-managed and robust.

The visual evidence of a steady, orderly flow of vehicles at one of Mumbai’s most critical junctions showcase strategic planning behind India’s energy infrastructure.

UBS flags risks for OMCs

A recent report by UBS showcased rising risks for India’s state-owned oil marketing companies as crude oil market volatility intensifies due to geopolitical tensions in West Asia.

According to UBS Global Research, the recent rally in crude prices and refining margins is creating conditions similar to the disruptions seen during the 2022 oil market shock.

OMCs vulnerable to rising crude

The brokerage said Indian oil marketing companies are structurally vulnerable to higher crude prices because their earnings are heavily exposed to fuel marketing margins.

UBS said integrated margins for Indian state-owned oil marketing companies, including Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, could come under pressure if crude prices remain elevated while domestic retail fuel prices stay largely unchanged.

Limited pricing flexibility for OMCs

The brokerage noted that OMCs have limited flexibility to pass on higher crude costs to consumers due to the government’s influence over retail fuel pricing.

As a result, rising crude prices directly compress marketing margins, which account for a significant portion of profits for these companies.

West Asia tensions may lift oil

UBS said geopolitical disruptions in the West Asia region could push crude prices higher in the near term.

The bank has raised its short-term oil price forecasts, estimating crude could average around USD71 per barrel in the second quarter of 2026 and around USD 72 per barrel for the full year.

Published on March 13, 2026

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