India’s insurance sector is poised for a major overhaul, with regulator Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) proposing sweeping reforms to expand insurance penetration, lower costs, improve transparency and foster competition. While the proposals promise a more accessible and efficient insurance ecosystem, the proposed curbs on commissions and operating expenses have sparked concerns […]
The RBI’s latest measures to defend the rupee were hardly unexpected. With the Indian currency inching towards the psychologically significant 100-per-dollar mark, intervention by the central bank was only a matter of time. From directly meeting the dollar requirements of state-run OMCs to tightening rules governing foreign exchange derivatives, the RBI has stepped up efforts […]
Indian households may hold as much as USD 5 trillion worth of gold, but much of this wealth remains outside the productive economy. With gold imports touching USD 72 billion a year, call to unlock household gold rises, while raising a difficult question: can India monetise its gold without changing the centuries-old relationship the people […]
The US Federal Reserve has returned to rate hikes after a three-year hiatus, raising the federal funds target range by 25 basis points to 3.75 – 4 per cent as inflation remains stubbornly above its 2 per cent goal. The move has wider implications for emerging markets, including India, where a weakening rupee, elevated inflation […]
The RBI’s special USD-INR swap facility has delivered a bigger-than-expected boost to foreign-currency inflows, helping shore up the rupee, replenish forex reserves and inject liquidity into a banking system hungry for deposits. But the success has also opened up a new set of questions around the risks of taking on large dollar liabilities and managing […]
The Indian economy grew by 7.8 per cent in Q1 FY27, better-than-expected, despite a challenging global environment. India’s growth story continues to draw strength from resilient domestic demand. Despite geopolitical tensions, volatile commodity prices and an uneven monsoon, economic activity has remained relatively firm, supported by healthy private consumption, a revival in investment, improving employment […]
Chair of the Federal Reserve of the United States, Kevin Warsh’s hawkish message at Jackson Hole has jolted expectations ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s September policy meeting, reviving bets of a rate hike later this year. While the new Fed chief stopped short of offering explicit guidance, his warning that the central bank still […]
AI can help decarbonise complex systems, but its rapidly growing physical footprint is testing power grids, water supplies and corporate climate commitments. The outcome will depend less on the technology’s promise than on the choices organisations make now. The paradox behind the promise Artificial intelligence (AI) is often described as an intangible technology: an algorithm […]
The Monetary Policy Committee’s decision to keep the repo rate unchanged at 5.25 per cent came as no surprise. With inflation still being driven largely by food and fuel prices, and growth holding up better than expected, there was little incentive for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to either tighten policy or signal an […]
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is deploying a multi-pronged strategy to strengthen the country’s foreign exchange reserves, ease domestic liquidity and shield the rupee from mounting global uncertainties, signalling a shift from reactive intervention to pre-emptive reserve building. The central bank’s latest package of measures to attract foreign currency inflows comes at a time […]