The India Ports & Logistics Conference (IPLC) 2026, held on May 5–6, 2026 at Hotel Four Seasons, Mumbai, concluded successfully, bringing together 300+ delegates from ports, government authorities, regulatory bodies, shipping lines, infrastructure players, EXIM consultants, key vendors and suppliers to the shipbuilding and repair ecosystem, as well as startups solving next-generation logistics challenges.

The conference featured 47 eminent speakers spanning government agencies, port authorities, global maritime organisations, financial institutions, legal experts, and technology leaders, making it one of the most comprehensive gatherings of maritime and logistics leadership in the country.

Centred around the theme “India’s Gateway to Growth: Revolutionising Ports and Logistics – Vision to Global Leadership,” the conference served as a high-impact platform for aligning policy, industry, and investment perspectives toward India’s maritime ambitions.

The event hosted a distinguished mix of policymakers, port authority leaders, global maritime experts, investors, legal professionals, and technology innovators. Sessions covered critical areas such as the Indian Ports Act 2025, global trade corridors, port-led industrialisation, sustainability and green ports, smart port technologies, maritime law, and investment opportunities.

A key highlight was the discussion on the Indian Ports Act 2025, which underscored the transition toward a modern, transparent, and investment-friendly regulatory framework aligned with India’s Maritime Vision 2030 and 2047 ambitions.

The conference also spotlighted India’s $82 billion port investment pipeline, with discussions emphasising the role of sovereign capital, private equity, and global operators in driving the next phase of maritime infrastructure growth.

Drawing a powerful analogy on global trade, Shri Sushil Khopde, Additional Director General of Shipping, emphasised:

“Trade routes are like circulation. If circulation stops, organs fail. A nation’s economic vitality depends on the seamless movement of goods across global corridors.” He further highlighted India’s deep-rooted maritime legacy, noting that the country’s maritime supremacy dates back to the Gupta period, when India maintained active trade linkages with the Roman Empire.

“India has always been a maritime nation at its core. Our history reflects strong global trade connections, and today we are once again reclaiming that position with renewed focus and capability.”

Highlighting the evolving workforce and innovation imperative, Mrs H. K. Joshi, Former Chairperson, Shipping Corporation of India, noted:
“The maritime sector is witnessing increasing participation of women, reflecting a positive and progressive shift. The transformation led under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji has been remarkable. It is now time to leverage the enabling ecosystem created by the government and drive disruptive innovation across the sector.”

Mr Davinder Sandhu, Co-Founder & Chairman, Primus Partners, stated:
“The Indian Ports Act, 2025 marks a fundamental shift from a regime of control to one of facilitation. This transition is critical in unlocking private capital, improving ease of doing business, and accelerating decision-making across the maritime ecosystem.

More importantly, it repositions ports not merely as gateways for trade, but as engines of economic growth, anchoring industrial development, logistics efficiency, and global competitiveness. This creates a strong foundation for attracting long-term investments into India’s maritime sector.”

As the Knowledge Partner for the 4th edition of IPLC, Primus Partners played a central role in moderating key sessions and driving strategic discourse across policy, infrastructure, logistics, and investment themes, reinforcing its position as a thought leader in India’s ports and logistics ecosystem.

Building on the insights from IPLC 2026, Primus Partners will also develop a comprehensive white paper capturing key discussions, strategic recommendations, and actionable insights to support the continued evolution of India’s ports and logistics ecosystem.

Beyond the formal sessions, IPLC 2026 served as a powerful networking platform, enabling strategic partnerships, knowledge exchange, and business collaborations among participants shaping the future of India’s maritime economy.

As India advances toward its vision of becoming a top-five maritime nation by 2047, IPLC 2026 marks a significant step in bringing together the right stakeholders to accelerate this transformation.

Myntra’s Glamfest Tour has emerged as a powerful lever for Gen Z engagement, reaching 10 lakh+ consumers across 35+ cities and supporting ~40% YoY growth in new customer acquisition across participating cities in Q1 2026. The multi-city platform, spanning concerts, creators and fashion discovery, underscores how cultural participation is increasingly influencing growth in emerging markets.

Over the past three months, Glamfest Tour has established itself as one of India’s largest multi-city youth engagement platforms. The initiative reflects Myntra’s focus on building stronger emotional resonance with young consumers through shared cultural moments that extend beyond commerce.

As part of the initiative, Myntra has collaborated with 40+ artists, including Sunidhi Chauhan, Farhan Akhtar, Amit Trivedi, Shaan, Darshan Raval, Benny Dayal, Asees Kaur and Nucleya, while partnering with H&M, Flying Machine, Spotify and L'Oréal for campus activations and FWD-led showcases. The platform has also strengthened the reach of FWD, Myntra Beauty and Ultimate Glam Clan across these markets, extending its role from experiential engagement to deeper consumer consideration.

Speaking on the campaign, Abhishek Gour, Senior Director - Brand Marketing, Myntra, said, “At Myntra, our differentiated approach to Gen Z is rooted in combining trend-first selection on FWD with experiences that go beyond transactions. As this cohort moves from passive consumption to active participation, fashion becomes a reflection of identity shaped by community, culture and content. With nearly 400 million Gen Z consumers in India, including close to 50 million across Tier 2 and beyond, we are seeing a clear shift towards brands that can deliver cultural relevance.” 

“While aspiration and trend awareness are rising across these markets, access to large-scale, shared cultural experiences remains limited. Through the Glamfest Tour, we are bringing these worlds together through immersive, locally resonant experiences, strengthening how young consumers connect with the brand.” He added. 

Hero Realty, the real estate arm of Hero Enterprise, has secured a ₹1,200 crore debt facility from IndusInd Bank to support its growth and expansion plans. The transaction was facilitated by Rezonance Consultants and reflects strong lender confidence in Hero Realty’s portfolio quality, governance standards, and execution capabilities. The funding will further strengthen the company’s balance sheet while providing long-term capital visibility for its ongoing and upcoming residential developments.

Commenting on the development, Rohit Kishore, CEO, Hero Realty, said, “This facility from IndusInd Bank marks another important milestone in Hero Realty’s growth journey. The continued support from leading financial institutions reflects confidence in our strategy, asset quality, and disciplined execution. We remain focused on scaling responsibly while delivering high-quality residential developments under the Hero Homes brand.”

Hardeep Lamba, Founder and Managing Director of Rezonance Consultants added, “Hero Realty’s ability to attract marquee lenders in quick succession underscores the strength of its business fundamentals and the credibility it has built in the capital markets. We are very happy for the role we played in facilitating this transaction.”

The transaction further reinforces Hero Home’s resurgence, supported by strong demand momentum, a robust development pipeline, and prudent capital structuring. The company enters the current financial year with a positive outlook and is well positioned for sustained growth over the next few years.

In Gurugram, the company recently launched The Palatial by Hero Homes, its marquee ultra-luxury residential project located in Sector 104 on the Dwarka Expressway. Spanning approximately 11 acres, The Palatial features over 680 high-end residences along with integrated high-street retail and lifestyle amenities and is positioned as a landmark development along the rapidly developing expressway corridor. Recently, the company announced a landmark strategic partnership with Panasonic Electricals, marking its first-ever collaboration with a real estate developer. This alliance will bring next-generation, AI-enabled smart residences with advanced indoor air purification technologies to The Palatial, setting a new benchmark for wellness-focused luxury living in NCR.

With this latest acquisition in Greater Noida, Hero Realty continues to strengthen its presence across strategic urban hubs, supported by a diversified portfolio spanning group housing, luxury residential, mixed-use and plotted developments.

HIFFIN, one of the recognised names in photography and videography accessories segment, has launched its new experience centre in New Delhi. The experience centre is unveiled at Future Forward, Lajpat Nagar in South Delhi. This marks another step in strengthening its presence in the camera accessories segment.

The experience centre has been designed to give creators, photographers and customers an opportunity to explore and interact with Hiffin products in person.

Visitors can now get a closer look at Hiffin products, understand their functionality and experience different setups before making a purchase decision. Located amid the hustle and bustle of Lajpat Nagar, the space showcases a range of Hiffin products that have so far been available through the brand’s website and social media platforms.

The experience centre includes products across categories such as lighting equipment, tripods, gimbals and other accessories used by photographers, videographers and content creators. The store also serves as a useful space for new-age creators and millennials looking to begin their journey in photography, videography and content creation.

Overall, the idea behind the initiative is to create a more practical and interactive experience for users who prefer understanding products physically before using them in their creative workflows.

Speaking on the occasion of the launch of the Hiffin experience centre, Mr. Vikas Sehgal, Managing Director, Hiffin said, “A large part of the creator community today discovers products online, but many users still want to experience them in person before making a decision. With this experience centre, we wanted to create a space where people can directly interact with our products and understand how they fit into different setups and styles of content creation.”

The experience centre is expected to become a touchpoint for creators looking to understand lighting setups, camera accessories and different content creation tools more closely. Hiffin also plans to use the space for demonstrations, product interaction and community engagement activities going forward.

PayNearby, Bharat’s leading branchless banking and digital financial services network, announced that it has facilitated gold loan disbursals worth ₹550 crore in FY26 through MSME retailers, primarily across semi-urban and rural regions. Of this, ₹100 crore was disbursed in March 2026. The company is expanding access to formal credit in underserved areas through its growing gold loan business, bringing fast, secured financing closer to customers across PayNearby's network.

Gold loans offer a fast and efficient way for households, small business-owners and micro-entrepreneurs to access funds. Since gold is a widely trusted asset, borrowers can avail formal credit with minimal paperwork, for business needs, emergencies or short-term requirements. Through its retailer network, PayNearby enables discovery and initiation of gold loan applications beyond traditional branch catchments, with final verification and disbursement at partner branches. The assisted model helps build create awareness and encourages customers to understand and adopt formal credit options.

Customers can access funds in as little as two hours, making gold loans a practical solution for urgent financial needs. As a secured lending product, they offer a reliable source of credit at reasonable rates, supporting both household requirements and micro-enterprise growth.

The model is also enabling greater participation from women. With gold being a commonly held household asset, it allows women to access credit and support income generation, strengthening their role in financial decision-making.

Speaking on the development, Rajat Agarwal, Chief Business Officer - Enterprise and Financial Assets, PayNearby, said, “Access to timely and affordable credit remains a key need across Bharat. Gold loans, backed by a trusted household asset, offer a simple way to address this need. Through our network, we are enabling customers to access formal credit closer to them, with speed and ease. We also see strong potential to work with more banks and NBFC partners to scale this further, using a plug-and-play model that combines reach, trust and technology.”

PayNearby continues to partner with banks and NBFCs to expand gold loan access across Bharat. By leveraging its distribution network, the platform enables lenders to reach customers at scale through a simple, plug-and-play model, while making credit more accessible, fast and reliable at the last mile.

As summer temperatures rise, Voltas Limited, a Tata Enterprise, expands its residential cooling portfolio with the introduction of the Vertis AI Split Air Conditioner Series. Designed for modern Indian homes, the new range combines intelligent cooling capabilities with enhanced energy efficiency to deliver consistent comfort during peak summer months. Powered by AI Adaptive Cooling, the system dynamically adjusts cooling intensity based on environmental conditions, preventing over-cooling while maintaining balanced comfort for every member of the household.

The series also features AI Energy Manager, integrated with the Voltas Intelligence App, allowing users to set a monthly electricity consumption target. The system then regulates its operation in real time to optimise cooling performance while managing energy usage efficiently, addressing one of the key concerns for households during high-temperature seasons. Additionally, AI Geofencing uses location-based intelligence to detect when users are approaching home, preparing the room temperature in advance for immediate comfort while minimising energy consumption when the space is unoccupied.

Engineered for intelligent climate control, the Vertis AI series reflects Voltas’ continued focus on combining advanced technology with solutions tailored for Indian households. With smart cooling features, energy management capabilities, and performance-driven design, the new range offers a seamless blend of comfort, convenience, and efficiency for the summer season.

Available at: All Voltas authorised dealers, retail stores, and leading consumer electronics outlets across India.

Kyndryl, a leading provider of mission-critical enterprise technology services, unveiled a new patented capability in Kyndryl Bridge – the Company’s Al-powered, open integration platform – that is enabling customers to automatically detect and resolve IT risks before they escalate into business-impacting outages.

Kyndryl’s prediction and prevention capability has been deployed on Kyndryl Bridge and is providing AI agent-assisted support to the more than 1,400 customers using Kyndryl Bridge. Kyndryl Bridge generates more than 16 million AI insights each month, has demonstrated a reduction in IT incidents by up to 50% and drives an aggregate $3 billion in annual customer savings from avoided impact events and planned maintenance costs.

“By embedding AI agents in Kyndryl Bridge for proactive risk detection, we are transforming IT operations from reactive outage recovery to proactive, evidencebased prevention,” said Xerxes Cooper, Global Leader, Kyndryl Delivery. “Correlating millions of observability signals across applications and deep infrastructure helps our customers see and resolve issues before they ever feel them.”

This proactive approach is powered by AI-agent assisted root cause analysis within Kyndryl Bridge, enabled across more than 200,000 customer devices to identify the underlying conditions that commonly precede outages. By accelerating analysis that once required extensive manual investigation, the platform enables teams to surface actionable insights faster – supporting earlier intervention and reducing the impact of complex incidents across hybrid and multi-vendor environments.

At scale, this advanced capability radically reduces the time required to complete root-cause analysis of major IT incidents, allowing organizations to complete reports in hours instead of weeks. Kyndryl experts review and validate the generated insights for operational context and alignment with customer environments. 

Predictive Detection and Prevention of Failures

Kyndryl’s new prediction and prevention feature brings evidence-based intelligence to enable predictive failure detection within IT operations by extending unified observability across a customer’s full IT landscape.

The patented feature dynamically identifies patterns that matter and validates causal relationships between application slowdowns, infrastructure contention, configuration changes, and operational events. It does so by analyzing and delivering insights into how small anomalies accumulate and propagate across IT layers. This transforms IT operations from reactive recovery to proactive prevention, enabling teams to intervene early and reduce downtime across complex, multi-vendor environments.

Customer Impact & Availability

Customer engagements show encouraging results with accelerated detection and improved accuracy of issue prevention that may have led to business downtime. This capability handles early detection at scale for 10 million-plus incidents annually and has demonstrated upwards of a 90% reduction in mission-critical production outages for certain customers. 

This Kyndryl Bridge patented capability is now fully available to Kyndryl customers.

RecFaces, a global developer of enterprise-grade facial biometric software, will host an exclusive online expert panel, “Face Forward: Building the Smart Office Standard in APAC”, on June 2 at 3:00 PM IST, bringing together leading voices in biometrics, smart infrastructure, and workplace transformation to explore how facial recognition is rapidly becoming the new operational standard for offices across India and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

As APAC’s smart office and smart building markets continue to expand at double-digit annual growth rates, driven by the rise of IT campuses, commercial real estate development, and demand for digital workplace efficiency, organizations are increasingly shifting away from traditional access cards toward identity-based biometric systems. 

The panel will examine why post-pandemic APAC has seen touchless access control, biometric office entry, and hybrid employee identity models evolve from innovation into expectation — especially for business centers, enterprise campuses, coworking environments, and modern corporate offices seeking to improve both security and operational efficiency.

Hosted by RecFaces, the event will feature:

• Oleg Kurochkin, Business Development Director for APAC, RecFaces

• Farida Baichora, Product Owner, RecFaces

• Shashi Kumar Yadav, Co-Founder and CEO, Startologic Technologies

• Karan Kanal, Director, EINS Technologies India Pvt. Ltd.

Designed specifically for system integrators, distributors, facility managers, business center operators, coworking providers, and organizations managing offices with 100+ employees, the discussion will address the growing business challenges facing modern offices, including outdated card systems, inefficient workforce time tracking, administrative overload for HR and security teams, and limited scalability of legacy infrastructure.

Attendees will gain practical insights into how facial biometrics can help businesses:

• Eliminate card sharing and badge misuse

• Accelerate employee access with frictionless office entry

• Reduce administrative and HR overhead

• Improve workforce attendance accuracy

• Strengthen office security without increasing staff burden

• Scale seamlessly across growing office ecosystems

The panel will also showcase real-world implementation of biometric access control, automated time and attendance, infrastructure integration, and workforce analytics.

“In a region as digitally advanced and fast-evolving as APAC, smart offices are already a business reality”, said Oleg Kurochkin, Business Development Director for APAC, RecFaces. “But today, businesses need more than digitalization alone. They need measurable operational and security outcomes. Facial biometrics helps eliminate queues at entry points, removes friction from daily office access, and at the same time protects organizations from costly security risks — from unauthorized access and physical theft to one of the most critical business threats of all: the loss of sensitive data and intellectual property.”

Shashi Kumar Yadav, Co-Founder and CEO of Startologic Technologies, added: “The market is clearly moving from physical credentials to trusted digital identity. For integrators and enterprise leaders, the real opportunity is not simply deploying new technology, but creating scalable ecosystems that combine security, automation, and business intelligence. This panel is about showing how that transformation can happen in practice.”

In addition to market insights and use cases demonstrations, the webinar will provide attendees with implementation-focused guidance covering project lifecycles, infrastructure requirements, deployment timelines, common risks, and strategies for successful scaling, making it especially relevant for partners and enterprise stakeholders evaluating biometric transformation.

As Chair of BRICS in 2026, India is spearheading a renewed agenda for MSME cooperation under the BRICS Partnership on the New Industrial Revolution (PartNIR). During India’s Chairship, the Ministry of MSME is mandated to convene three SME Working Group Meetings and the inaugural BRICS MSME Forum.

The 1st SME Working Group Meeting (webinar) was successfully convened on 24th April 2026 with a specialized focus on “Access to Finance for MSMEs”. The deliberations among BRICS Member Countries centered on the themes of “Bridging the MSME Credit Gap through Financial Inclusion, Literacy and Credit Readiness” and “Fintech-Driven Ecosystems: Expanding SME Credit and Seamless Global Trade Payments”.

The webinar witnessed active participation from BRICS Member Countries and served as an important platform for exchanging experiences and best practices on MSME financing challenges and opportunities. Discussions highlighted the critical role of MSMEs as key drivers of economic growth, employment generation, innovation, and inclusive development, and underscored the persistent challenges relating to timely and adequate access to credit. The deliberations emphasized on the need for a multi-pronged approach to bridge the credit gap through financial inclusion and improved financial literacy and strengthening credit capacities of MSMEs.

The Meeting further emphasized the importance of enhanced collaboration among BRICS economies to strengthen institutional capacities, promote innovative financing mechanisms, and build a supportive ecosystem for MSME finance. The discussions also facilitated valuable policy exchange among BRICS Member Countries facing similar developmental challenges and reaffirmed the shared commitment towards fostering resilient, inclusive, and globally competitive MSME sectors across BRICS economies.

Samsung has announced the launch of the fifth edition of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, its flagship innovation and education programme designed to empower India’s next generation of young innovators to build technology-driven solutions for real-world challenges.

As Samsung marks 30 years in India, the company is significantly expanding the scale and ambition of the programme, reinforcing its long-term commitment to India’s innovation ecosystem and the vision of #DigitalIndia.

In line with this ambition, the 2026 edition will provide incubation grants worth INR 2 crore to the top four winning teams, enabling them to further develop and scale their ideas through incubation support at IIT Delhi. In addition, the top 20 teams will receive INR 20 lakh, while the top 40 teams will be awarded INR 8 lakh along with Samsung devices and mentorship support.

“We are proud to have been a trusted partner in the country’s digital and innovation journey over the last 30 years, contributing to a growing culture of innovation led by its youth. Samsung Solve for Tomorrow has evolved into a strong platform for nurturing young innovators and enabling a pipeline of emerging startups addressing real-world challenges. With the 2026 edition, we are taking innovation deeper into Bharat—more than doubling our outreach to schools and expanding access for young changemakers. In its fifth year, the programme reflects our sustained commitment to India’s innovation journey, while strengthening the ecosystem through design thinking, skilling, industry exposure, and start-up support, in alignment with the vision of #DigitalIndia,” said JB Park, President & CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia.

Empowering the Next Generation of Innovators

This year’s programme invites students aged 14–22 to submit ideas across four themes — AI Living for India, Health & Education, Environmental Sustainability, and Sport & Tech — reflecting the growing role of technology in building a smarter, more inclusive, and future-ready India.

The six-month programme will provide thousands of participants access to hands-on prototyping support, investor connects, expert mentorship, immersive workshops, and extensive training designed to help transform ideas into scalable solutions.

Industry, Academia, and Government Come Together

“Bharat is being shaped by a new generation of young innovators who are solving for the world as well. Through Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, we see early-stage ideas being nurtured into viable solutions with the potential to scale. Such initiatives strengthen the pipeline of future entrepreneurs and innovators,” said Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.

“We believe that young students can find innovative solutions to local, regional and global problems. Our continuing collaboration with Samsung Solve for Tomorrow enables students to access deep-tech mentorship, interdisciplinary research and prototyping support. This initiative reflects how academia and industry together can accelerate innovation that addresses both national priorities and global challenges,” said Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT Delhi.

“India’s journey towards a knowledge-driven and innovation-led economy depends on how effectively we nurture scientific temper and problem-solving skills among our youth. Platforms like Samsung Solve for Tomorrow play an important role in encouraging young people to apply science and technology to solve real-world challenges aligned with national priorities,” said Dr. Sapna Poti, Director, Office of Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.

Programme Journey: From Ideas to Impact

Applications for Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2026 will remain open from May 7 to July 3, 2026. During this phase, Samsung will conduct 100 design-thinking workshops across schools and colleges nationwide to equip participants with foundational problem-solving and ideation skills.

Following the application phase, the top 100 teams 25 from each theme will be shortlisted for expert-led online training and mentorship. After a video pitch round, 40 teams will advance to the next stage, with 10 teams selected from each theme.

Exposure to World-Class Innovation Ecosystems

Semi-finalists will participate in intensive mentoring sessions with Samsung leaders and industry experts, alongside curated visits to Samsung’s R&D centres in Bengaluru, Noida, and Delhi and Head Office offering first-hand exposure to world-class innovation ecosystems.

Participants will also undergo an immersive prototyping programme and residential bootcamp designed to refine ideas and prepare teams for the final stage of the competition.

The top 20 teams — five from each theme — will advance to the grand finale and participate in investor meets, pitch presentations, and mentoring sessions with Samsung experts.

Awards, Grants, and Incubation Support

• Top 100 teams: Certificates of achievement
• Top 40 teams: INR 8 lakh and Samsung laptops for every member
• Top 20 teams: INR 20 lakh and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip smartphones for every member
• Special Awards: Digital Impact Award and Community Choice Award with a combined prize pool of INR 2.5 lakh
• Top 4 winning teams: Incubation grants worth INR 2 crore at IIT Delhi 

A Global Platform for Young Changemakers

First launched in the US in 2010, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is now operational in 68 countries and has engaged more than 3 million young people.

Genus Innovation Ltd., a leading player in India’s energy storage systems (ESS) and renewable energy management solutions (REMS), announced the launch of its Hi-FLO Hybrid Solar Inverter, marking a strategic expansion of its portfolio in the fast-evolving distributed energy and rooftop solar market.

The launch was unveiled at the Uttar Pradesh Energy Expo 2026, at a time when India’s residential and commercial solar adoption is accelerating, driven by policy support and increasing demand for energy reliability. With hybrid energy systems emerging as a critical enabler of energy independence, Genus Innovation’s latest offering is designed to address the growing need for seamless integration of solar, battery, and grid power.

Commenting on the new addition in its ESS portfolio, Yash Todi, Director and Chief Marketing & Sales Officer, Genus Innovation Ltd., said, “India’s energy transition is entering a new phase wherein reliability, storage, and intelligent energy management will define value. Hybrid systems are no longer optional; they are becoming central to how homes and businesses consume power.

Uttar Pradesh is witnessing a steady rise in rooftop solar adoption, supported by policy momentum and increasing consumer awareness. Our decision to launch the Hi-FLO solution here is strategic, as we look to address the growing demand for integrated, reliable energy solutions in one of India’s largest and fastest-evolving power markets.

With the Hi-FLO Hybrid solar inverter addition, we are strengthening our position in this high-growth segment by offering solutions that combine efficiency, scalability, and real-time energy intelligence. This launch aligns with our broader strategy to build a future-ready, sustainable and integrated energy solutions portfolio.”

The Hi-FLO Hybrid Solar Inverter has been engineered to deliver uninterrupted power through intelligent energy management, enabling users to optimise solar consumption while reducing dependence on the grid. The system supports high-efficiency performance, fast switch over (UPS level switching <10 ms), and advanced load prioritisation, along with features like built-in Wi-Fi for remote monitoring and scalable parallel connectivity. With advanced MPPT efficiency of over 99.9%, it maximises solar utilisation while ensuring consistent performance, making it suitable for both residential and commercial applications. Importantly, the solution is aligned with government initiative PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, positioning it to benefit from the ongoing push toward rooftop solar adoption across India.

In addition to this, Genus has also introduced a Battery Management System (BMS), aimed at enhancing storage efficiency, safety, and lifecycle performance, further strengthening its integrated energy ecosystem. Genus Innovation’s participation at the Uttar Pradesh Energy Expo underscores its continued focus on building scalable, technology-led solutions for India’s energy transition, with a clear emphasis on storage, smart energy management, and distributed power systems.

Genus Innovation has been strengthening its presence in the energy storage and power electronics segment and currently operates with a manufacturing capacity of over 750,000 units, supported by 150,000+ sq. ft. of integrated manufacturing facilities. With a robust retail network of more than 10,000 partners, Genus Innovation has served more than 5 million customers and has expanded its international footprint with exports to over 28 countries

Genpact, an agentic and advanced technology solutions company, today announced an expanded alliance with Google Cloud to build and scale agentic AI-led solutions for the Office of the CFO.

The expanded alliance brings together Genpact’s deep domain and industry expertise with Google Cloud’s leading technology capabilities to help enterprises modernize mission-critical finance operations and turn AI investments into measurable business outcomes.

“Scaling AI into production requires an enterprise-ready platform combined with partners who can engineer targeted outcomes in the field,” said Kevin Ichhpurani, President, Global Partner Ecosystem, Google Cloud. “Genpact’s domain-led approach brings critical industry context to core finance workflows, and we are pleased to expand our work to bring these specialized, production-ready solutions to customers through our Agent Marketplace.”

“While most CFOs have run an AI pilot, very few have an AI-powered finance function,” said Vijay Vijayasankar, Global Agentic AI Officer, Genpact. “The gap between what is promised and what is delivered is exactly what Genpact and Google Cloud are closing. We bring together Google’s world class AI capabilities and Genpact’s deep finance expertise to give CFOs not just a roadmap, but results. Agents that execute, learn, connect, and deliver outcomes.”

Genpact is building a portfolio of specialized AI agents built on Google Cloud and available through Google Cloud’s Agent Marketplace, giving enterprise clients a streamlined path to access, deploy, and scale solutions within their existing cloud environments. The first offering, Genpact Finance One – Revenue Lens Agents, is now available to help CFOs and finance teams enhance revenue forecasting accuracy, improve cash flow, and free teams to focus on strategic initiatives that drive growth.

Genpact plans to rapidly expand its solution portfolio for the Office of the CFO, with additional agentic capabilities across accounts payable, record to report, and financial planning and analysis.

Genpact and Google Cloud are already helping leading enterprises modernize data, analytics, and finance operations across industries, including a Fortune 500 healthcare company that modernized its data and analytics landscape, one of the world’s largest retailers that reimagined finance and accounting operations, and a leading pharmaceutical and specialty healthcare distributor that improved productivity, cash flow, and operational efficiency through AI-led finance workflows.

Gautam Solar with over 29+ yrs of Solar Experience, has reported a remarkable financial performance for FY2025–26, recording an annual revenue of ₹4406 Cr. This represents an exceptional 4X growth compared to ₹1040 Cr in the previous financial year, underscoring the company’s rapid scale-up and strong market positioning.

The company’s revenue has grown by 323%+, reflecting sustained momentum driven by increasing demand for domestically manufactured solar solutions, a robust execution pipeline, and strategic capacity enhancements.

Gautam Solar continues to maintain a strong and expanding order book, providing clear visibility for future growth. The company attributes its performance to a combination of operational efficiency, customer trust, and its ability to deliver at scale in a rapidly evolving renewable energy landscape.

Further strengthening its growth trajectory, Gautam Solar is actively investing in new innovations and advanced manufacturing capabilities aimed at enhancing product efficiency, optimizing delivery timelines, and meeting the evolving requirements of large-scale solar projects. These initiatives are expected to play a critical role in supporting the company’s next phase of expansion.

Commenting on this milestone, Mr. Gautam Mohanka, Director, Gautam Solar said:

“This milestone reflects not just the scale we have achieved, but the strength of our strategy, execution, and long-term vision. Delivering over 300% growth in a single year is a strong validation of the trust our customers place in us and the resilience of our business model. At a time when the Indian solar industry is witnessing significant module overcapacity and the entry of several new and relatively inexperienced players, there is a clear and growing preference for trusted legacy brands. As demand for high-quality, domestically manufactured solar solutions continues to accelerate, customers are increasingly placing their trust in legacy brands with proven track records—an area where Gautam Solar, as a legacy brand with nearly three decades of experience, is well-positioned to lead this transition.”

With a strong foundation, a growing order pipeline, and a clear focus on innovation, Gautam Solar is well-positioned to sustain its high-growth trajectory and further consolidate its leadership in the solar manufacturing sector.

PSB Xchange, India’s unified working capital finance platform, has enabled a Dealer financing program for Shree Cement in partnership with Central Bank of India. The initiative marks another step in scaling institutional credit access across large corporate ecosystems through a national-level shared digital infrastructure.

The program is designed to provide structured working capital financing to Shree Cement’s 17000 plus dealer and distributor network, enabling improved liquidity, faster credit access, and more efficient working capital cycles across its distribution value chain. Through PSB Xchange, dealers will be able to seamlessly access financing from participating lenders, with Central Bank of India acting as the financing partner for this program.

Building a Scalable, Multi-Participant Financing Ecosystem

PSB Xchange operates as a collaborative ecosystem connecting corporates and fintech partners with lenders through a unified digital infrastructure. The platform enables standardized onboarding, program discovery, and seamless integration between fintech originators and lenders, creating a scalable foundation for supply chain finance programs across industries.

This architecture allows fintech partners to participate in originating and enabling financing programs, while lenders gain access to curated, structured opportunities through a single platform. By creating a shared infrastructure layer, PSB Xchange reduces fragmentation across the ecosystem and enables faster deployment of financing programs at scale.

Strengthening MSME Credit Access at Scale

The initiative is aligned with the broader objective of expanding formal credit access to India’s

MSME sector, where a significant financing gap continues to exist.

By embedding financing within corporate supply chains, PSB Xchange enables lenders to underwrite MSMEs based on transaction-level visibility and anchor relationships—improving credit quality while accelerating disbursement timelines. This approach also enhances transparency and reduces operational friction across the financing lifecycle.

Driving Adoption of Digital SCF Infrastructure

PSB Xchange has onboarded multiple lenders within a short period and continues to expand participation across public sector banks, private sector banks, NBFCs, and fintech originators.

The platform is designed to scale across industries, enabling corporates to plug into a ready network of lenders and financing partners, while fintechs gain access to institutional capital through a standardized infrastructure. This collaborative model enables faster program launches, reduces integration complexity, and enhances overall efficiency in credit delivery.

As more participants join the ecosystem, PSB Xchange is expected to play a key role in accelerating adoption of digital supply chain finance across sectors, while enabling greater inclusion of MSMEs into formal financing channels. 

Stakeholder Perspectives

Mr. S. S. Murthy, GM, MSME, Central Bank of India said:

“Supply chain financing remains an important avenue for expanding credit access to MSMEs. Through our partnership with PSB Xchange, we aim to extend timely and structured working capital solutions that support the growth and liquidity requirements of Shree Cement Dealers while strengthening India’s industrial supply chains.”

·         Government policies on organic fertilisers

·         Biofertilisers and biostimulants

·         Innovations and new technologies in the biofertiliser space

·         Crop-specific applications

The Second BRICS Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting under India's BRICS Presidency successfully concluded today in Thiruvananthapuram. The meeting was firmly anchored in the theme of India’s BRICS Presidency of 2026- Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability. 

The meeting witnessed two days of intensive and productive deliberations and brought together distinguished delegates from BRICS member countries, knowledge partners including the International Labour Organization (ILO), International Social Security Association (ISSA), and United Nations India, as well as representatives from India's Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

The first day of the meeting focused on three priority areas: advancing social security and formalisation, enhancing women's labour force participation, and strengthening cooperation on employability and skills development. Member States converged around a shared vision of progressively expanding social protection coverage to all forms of work through contributory and non-contributory mechanisms. On women's participation, members emphasized that female labour force participation rate (FLFPR) is an important parameter of development, contributing directly to productivity, economic resilience, and inclusive labour markets. Under employability and skills mapping, there was strong convergence on the importance of lifelong learning, vocational training, and better skills-to-jobs matching. India's ongoing feasibility study on a reference classification of occupations, undertaken in collaboration with the ILO, was well received as a noble initiative to develop a common language of skills and qualifications.

Delegations appreciated the spirit of collaboration and South-South cooperation that characterised the first day's exchanges. In the evening, a cultural programme was organised for the delegates, showcasing the rich heritage of Kerala through vibrant folk and classical art forms such as Bharatanatyam, Mohiniattam, Kalaripayattu, Mayoora Nritham, Margamkali, and Oppana, offering participants a warm cultural experience of "God's Own Country".

The second day of the meeting witnessed continued deliberations, with delegates underscoring the convergence of priorities among BRICS nations. There was a shared recognition of the need for deeper cooperation, stronger knowledge-sharing mechanisms, and coordinated action to address common challenges such as extending social protection to informal and gig workers, closing gender gaps in labour markets, and responding to rapidly evolving skill requirements.

Subsequently, deliberations were held on the fourth priority area: leveraging digital technologies for all workers, including gig and platform workers. Member States acknowledged that digitalisation is fundamentally reshaping the nature of work and offers significant opportunities to improve access, enhance transparency, and enable inclusive delivery of social protection and employment-related services. At the same time, countries stressed the need to address emerging risks and ensure that digital transformation remains inclusive, equitable, and worker-centric. Discussions focused on the exchange of best practices related to registration systems, benefit delivery mechanisms, data-driven governance, and technology-enabled solutions.

The meeting also featured a dedicated knowledge-sharing session, during which BRICS countries presented innovative initiatives and experiences from their respective national contexts, including India’s NCS and e-Shram, Egypt's mobile training units, UAE's Wage Protection System and unemployment insurance scheme, and Brazil's Equal Pay Law, among others. These exchanges reinforced the value of peer learning and mutual collaboration in addressing shared labour market challenges.

The meeting concluded with a reaffirmation of the collective commitment of BRICS member states to work together towards building inclusive, resilient and future-ready labour markets, anchored in cooperation, consensus, and shared learning.

Addressing the 'Fruit Horizon 2026' conference organised at ICAR–Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH) in Lucknow, Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that merely increasing production will no longer be enough. He stressed that India must now work seriously on quality, shelf life, processing, logistics and export standards to establish a strong identity in the global fruit market. The Union Minister underlined that agriculture can no longer remain confined to the farm alone. Strengthening the entire value chain from production to processing, marketing and exports is now the need of the hour, he said.

Focus Must Shift from Production Alone to Quality

Interacting with farmers and stakeholders associated with fruit production, exports and the horticulture business ecosystem, Shri Chouhan said that improving fruit quality is essential if India aims to strengthen its position in the global fruit market. He emphasized that special attention must now be given to enhancing shelf life, maintaining quality during exports and ensuring production in line with international standards.

Task Force to Be Formed for Enhancing Farmers’ Income

During the program, chaired by Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, it was decided that scientific institutions under ICAR, exporters, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority and other concerned agencies would jointly constitute a task force. The task force will work towards resolving issues faced by producers and exporters and prepare an effective, time-bound action plan to ensure concrete steps are taken to enhance farmers’ income.

Uttar Pradesh to Benefit Significantly from Clean Plant Mission

Shri Chouhan stated that, keeping farmers’ needs in mind, the Government of India has decided to strengthen Uttar Pradesh under the Clean Planting Material Program. As part of this initiative, a modern Clean Plant Centre is being established at CISH, Lucknow, where disease-free and genetically pure planting material for fruit crops such as mango, guava, litchi and avocado will be developed and conserved.

Emphasis on Zero Rejection and Premium Quality

The Union Minister said that if India has to become globally competitive, special focus must be placed on producing premium-quality fruits with 'zero rejection' standards. He added that the Indian horticulture sector can achieve new heights through modern technology, better post-harvest management, pack houses, processing infrastructure and practical Standard Operating Procedures for exports.

FPOs, Clusters and Export Infrastructure to Transform the Sector

Shri Chouhan highlighted the critical role of FPOs, FPCs and Self-Help Groups in connecting small farmers with better markets and export opportunities. The programme also highlighted that the National Horticulture Board is developing several export-oriented clusters, while strengthening modern irradiation and integrated post-harvest infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh especially initiatives linked to Noida International Airport (Jewar Airport) will be an important step in this direction.

Farmers, scientists, exporters, nursery operators, FPO representatives, fruit processing sector stakeholders and participants from various organisations across different states attended the program. Ministers from the Government of Uttar Pradesh, including Shri Surya Pratap Shahi and Shri Dinesh Pratap Singh, along with several senior officials and scientists, were also present on the occasion.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, and Minister of State for PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh today held bilateral talks with Prof. Dr. Vu Hai Quan, Minister of Science and Technology of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, in New Delhi, with both sides agreeing to deepen cooperation in emerging technologies, innovation, research and startup ecosystems.

The discussions focused on advancing collaboration in Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, deep technologies, semiconductors, robotics, biotechnology, digital technologies and innovation-led research, while also strengthening institutional mechanisms between the two countries in science and technology.

Welcoming the Vietnamese delegation, Dr. Jitendra Singh described India and Vietnam as civilizational partners connected by nearly two thousand years of shared cultural and historical linkages. He said the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries has gained new momentum over the last decade and acquired greater depth following the visit of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to India in August 2024.

The Minister said Vietnam remains an important partner in India’s Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific vision, adding that the growing India-ASEAN engagement in science, technology and innovation provides a strong foundation for collaborative research, innovation and technology-driven growth. He said the present engagement offers an important opportunity to further elevate bilateral cooperation in frontier areas of science and technology.

Dr. Jitendra Singh referred to India’s rapidly expanding startup ecosystem and proposed stronger engagement between startups, innovators and research institutions of the two countries. He said India and Vietnam can work together to create new opportunities for entrepreneurs and young researchers in emerging technology sectors.

The Minister also referred to Vietnam’s active participation in India-ASEAN Science, Technology and Innovation programmes. Around ten researchers from Vietnam have availed fellowships under the India-ASEAN Research and Training Fellowship programme, while several joint projects are currently underway in different domains of science and technology. Vietnamese innovators and women scientists have also participated in innovation and scientific forums organised under regional cooperation frameworks.

The two sides discussed the proposed next India-Vietnam Joint Committee Meeting (JCM) and reviewed preparations for advancing bilateral engagement in science, technology and innovation through structured institutional cooperation.

Prof. Dr. Vu Hai Quan welcomed the growing engagement between the two countries in science and technology and expressed Vietnam’s interest in developing structured collaboration in deep technologies with practical applications and societal benefits. He proposed nomination of dedicated nodal points from both Ministries for regular coordination and preparation of a concrete action plan to translate bilateral initiatives into implementable outcomes.

The Vietnamese Minister also supported continuation of the Joint Committee mechanism between the two Ministries and informed that Vietnam would nominate a Deputy Minister-level representative to coordinate future engagements with the Indian side.

During the discussions, both sides also exchanged views on cooperation in Artificial Intelligence missions, cybersecurity frameworks, innovation ecosystems and technology transfer initiatives. India expressed readiness to share its experiences and best practices in these areas.

The meeting also reviewed ongoing academic and institutional engagements between the two countries, including collaborations involving research institutions, innovation hubs and technology incubation platforms. Discussions covered possibilities for startup exchange programmes, co-innovation centres and industry-linked research partnerships.

India and Vietnam share a strong and expanding partnership under their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework, with science and technology emerging as a key pillar of bilateral cooperation. Both sides agreed to maintain regular engagement and work towards translating the outcomes of the bilateral dialogue into concrete collaborative initiatives delivering technological, economic and societal benefits for the people of both countries.

IndiaAI, the Government of India’s flagship initiative under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), implemented through the Digital India Corporation (DIC), today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India’s apex body for biomedical and health research. The partnership marks a significant step towards advancing healthcare outcomes through the responsible and scalable application of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The MoU establishes a structured framework for collaboration, bringing together IndiaAI’s technology infrastructure and AI ecosystem capabilities with ICMR’s deep domain expertise in biomedical research and public health. The partnership aims to create a nationally coherent and interoperable AI ecosystem for healthcare in India.

Under this collaboration, both institutions will leverage their complementary strengths, IndiaAI’s compute infrastructure, dataset platforms, and AI skilling initiatives, alongside ICMR’s biomedical research expertise and its Medical Information Data for AI Solutions (MIDAS) framework to enable innovation, research, and deployment of AI-driven healthcare solutions.

Key Pillars of the Collaboration

• AIKosh Dataset Platform
  ICMR will contribute anonymised and ethics-approved health research datasets, AI models, and toolkits developed under the MIDAS framework to the AIKosh platform. This will enable broader access to high-quality biomedical datasets for researchers, startups, and innovators across India.
• Compute Access
  IndiaAI will provide ICMR with access to GPU-based and high-performance computing infrastructure at subsidised rates, subject to defined service-level agreements. This is expected to address a critical infrastructure gap in scaling advanced AI research in healthcare.
• Collaborative AI Use Case Development
  The partnership will support the co-development of AI-powered solutions addressing priority public health challenges in India. These solutions will be informed by ICMR’s disease burden data and enabled by IndiaAI’s technology stack.

This MoU builds on ongoing collaboration between the two institutions. In September 2025, IndiaAI and ICMR’s National Institute for Research in Digital Health and Data Sciences (NIRDHDS) were recognised as Pioneer Countries under the HealthAI Global Regulatory Network (GRN), a multilateral initiative co-founded with the United Kingdom and Singapore to advance responsible governance of AI in healthcare.

Subsequently, a tripartite MoU between IndiaAI, ICMR (NIRDHDS), and HealthAI further strengthened this engagement, laying the foundation for operationalising a robust and responsible AI ecosystem for healthcare in India.

The IndiaAI–ICMR collaboration is expected to catalyse innovation at the intersection of technology and public health, while ensuring adherence to ethical standards, data privacy, and regulatory frameworks.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, and Minister of State for PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh today held a bilateral meeting via video conference with Prof. Philippe Baptiste, France’s Minister for Higher Education, Research and Space, reviewing the expanding canvas of India-France cooperation in science, technology and space.

The interaction reflected the depth of the long-standing India-France strategic partnership, with both sides expressing satisfaction over the sustained momentum in collaboration, particularly in high-technology domains.

Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted that India-France engagement in science and space has evolved into a strong pillar of bilateral relations, contributing to both technological advancement and closer people-to-people connect. He noted that the declaration of 2026 as the Indo-French Year of Innovation offers a significant opportunity to scale up collaboration in emerging areas.

Referring to recent developments, the Minister spoke about the strengthening of institutional partnerships between the Department of Science and Technology and leading French organisations, including new initiatives in advanced materials and digital sciences, as well as the joint call on Applied Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence launched this year.

On space cooperation, Dr. Jitendra Singh referred to the long history of collaboration between ISRO and CNES, including joint satellite missions such as Megha-Tropiques and SARAL, and ongoing work on TRISHNA. He also mentioned cooperation on NavIC ground station development in France and acknowledged France’s support in India’s Gaganyaan mission.

The Minister further shared that India’s space sector has seen rapid expansion following recent reforms, with a growing ecosystem of nearly 400 space startups and strong projections for the space economy in the coming years, creating new opportunities for deeper industry-level partnerships between the two countries.

Prof. Philippe Baptiste, Minister for Higher Education, Research and Space, France, described India as a key and trusted partner in space and research cooperation. Recalling his earlier engagement with ISRO, he highlighted the strong legacy of collaboration and expressed interest in further strengthening cooperation across Earth observation, launch systems and space exploration.

Prof. Philippe Baptiste proposed enhanced collaboration in ocean-related data sharing through the “Space for Ocean Alliance” and suggested closer engagement between CNES and Indian institutions. He also conveyed readiness to expand cooperation in human spaceflight, including training, microgravity experiments and long-term collaborative opportunities.

Referring to global engagement, Prof. Baptiste invited India to participate actively in the International Space Summit to be held in Paris in September 2026, suggesting alignment with India’s Bengaluru space event to create a coordinated global platform for space discussions.

Responding to the proposals, Dr. Jitendra Singh welcomed the initiatives and indicated India’s openness to further collaboration in ocean research and human spaceflight. He also highlighted India’s Deep Ocean Mission and its extensive coastline as key strengths in advancing ocean-related partnerships.

Both sides also acknowledged the important role played by the Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (CEFIPRA) in sustaining long-term scientific collaboration and fostering research partnerships across institutions.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to further deepen India-France cooperation in science, technology and space, leveraging innovation, research capabilities and growing industry participation for mutual and global benefit.

The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises flagship scheme, the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), implemented through the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), continues to play a pivotal role in promoting entrepreneurship and employment generation across the country.

PMEGP supports prospective entrepreneurs in establishing new micro-enterprises in the non-farm sector by providing Margin Money (MM) subsidy on bank loans. The scheme primarily aims to create self-employment opportunities for first-generation entrepreneurs and promote sustainable livelihoods in the manufacturing and services sectors, especially in rural areas.

Strong Performance During the 15th Finance Commission Cycle

During the 15th Finance Commission cycle (FY 2021–22 to FY 2025–26), PMEGP has demonstrated robust performance, reaffirming its contribution to strengthening India’s micro-enterprise ecosystem.

Against an approved budgetary outlay of ₹13,554.42 crore, the scheme achieved full utilization of funds and facilitated the establishment of 4,03,706 micro-enterprises, surpassing the target of 4,02,000 enterprises. This achievement reflects effective implementation and sustained demand for entrepreneurship-led initiatives.

The programme also generated sustainable employment opportunities for approximately 36.33 lakh individuals, significantly contributing to livelihood creation and grassroots economic development across the country.

Inclusive Growth and Rural Outreach

PMEGP has continued to promote inclusive development through targeted support to women and socially disadvantaged communities.

• Women beneficiaries account for nearly 40% of the total micro-enterprises assisted under the scheme.
• Around 45% of the total Margin Money subsidy disbursed has been provided to women entrepreneurs, encouraging women-led enterprises.
• Approximately 54% of the beneficiaries belong to SC/ST/OBC categories, highlighting the scheme’s strong focus on social inclusion.
• Nearly 80% of the enterprises established under PMEGP are located in rural areas, supporting rural industrialization and balanced regional development.

Driving Self-Reliance and Grassroots Entrepreneurship

The achievements during the 15th Finance Commission cycle reaffirm PMEGP’s role as a key driver of micro-enterprise development and employment generation in India. By facilitating access to credit-linked subsidies and fostering entrepreneurship at the grassroots level, the scheme continues to contribute significantly to inclusive economic growth and the vision of self-reliant India.

The Ministry remains committed to further strengthening PMEGP in the forthcoming cycle with an enhanced focus on innovation, scalability, and wider outreach.

Awfis Space Solutions Limited (Awfis), India's largest flexible workspace solutions provider, has announced the launch of two new centres in Chennai. The centre at Olympia Crystal, Guindy, spans approximately 56,360 sq. ft. across four floors, while the centre at DLF Cyber City offers 57,802 sq. ft. of chargeable area and is also an Awfis Gold centre. With these additions, Awfis’ total footprint in Chennai has expanded to 28 centres, covering ~875,000 sq. ft., further strengthening its presence in one of South India's key commercial markets.

Olympia Crystal is a premium commercial building located in Guindy, Chennai's prominent IT corridor, offering state-of-the-art infrastructure and connectivity. Furthermore, DLF Cyber City is situated in the heart of Chennai's western IT corridor, a world-class integrated campus that enables a walk-to-work culture with premium infrastructure. Both these centres are located in Grade A developments, providing businesses with strategic access to the city's key commercial districts, major transportation hubs, and proximity to Chennai's thriving technology ecosystem.

The new centre design focuses on efficiency, functionality, and consistent user experience, making it an ideal choice for enterprises and professionals. Chennai's flexible office sector has witnessed unprecedented expansion, with a remarkable 5.6x growth trajectory that has brought the city's total flexible office stock to approximately 8.5 million square feet. as of early 2026. The landscape has shifted toward enterprise adoption, with Global Capability Centres (GCCs) accounting for 51% of the demand in 2025, as large corporations increasingly embrace managed offices to keep capital expenditure low and flexibility high, moving away from long-term traditional leases.

Commenting on the launch, Amit Ramani, CMD, Awfis Space Solutions Limited, said, "The Chennai market exemplifies the future of enterprise workspace strategy in India. We are witnessing a fundamental reimagining of how organizations think about real estate: as a strategic enabler of business agility. The expansion in Olympia Crystal, Guindy, and DLF Cyber City, Manapakkam, represents our commitment to creating future-ready environments in the city's most accessible and prestigious business districts, giving our clients the operational flexibility they need as markets evolve."

Awfis’ expansion continues to grow by strong underlying demand from enterprise clients and global capability centres (GCCs), along with increasing adoption of flexible workspace models across industries. The company has seen consistent growth in its network, with over 200 centres across 18 cities, serving a diversified client base of more than 3,400 + organizations. This scale is complemented by healthy occupancy levels and a rising share of large enterprise clients, reflecting deeper client relationships and growing multi-city mandates. 

The company has also been strengthening its integrated service offerings, including design, build, and allied services, enabling it to support clients across the full workspace lifecycle. This broader platform approach, combined with a growing presence in premium centres, positions the company to capture long-term demand from both domestic enterprises and global firms looking to expand in India.

Snapdeal has announced the launch of Bharat Manthan, a leadership-led market immersion initiative aimed at deepening its understanding of customers and sellers across India’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns.

Under this initiative, Snapdeal’s leadership team, along with its CEO, Achint Setia is travelling across key manufacturing and consumption hubs to engage directly with sellers, customers, and ecosystem participants, with a focus on understanding evolving shopping behaviours, business needs, and local market dynamics.

The initiative builds on Snapdeal’s long-standing focus on serving value-conscious India and strengthening its connection with the millions of buyers and sellers who power commerce beyond the metros.

Since commencing earlier this year, the Bharat Manthan journey has covered hubs such as Tirupur, Jaipur, Amritsar, and Coimbatore, with plans to expand to several more towns and cities over the coming months.

Through these on-ground engagements, Snapdeal is gathering insights across areas such as product demand trends, trust in online commerce, logistics expectations, festive buying behaviour, regional preferences, and seller growth challenges.

Early learnings from the initiative highlight a set of emerging consumer and seller themes shaping India’s next phase of e-commerce growth. These include the deeply personal nature of fashion consumption, a strong preference for simple and intuitive user experiences, and the central role of trust built through consistent platform performance. The interactions have also revealed how value-conscious customers often evaluate purchases through a broader lens: factoring in time, convenience, and social considerations alongside price.

As part of its broader effort to document and share stories from emerging India, Snapdeal is also amplifying voices from these markets through its content initiative, Gully to Glory. The podcast, hosted by CEO Achint Setia, captures journeys of entrepreneurs and sellers from India’s manufacturing hubs, offering a ground-up view of India’s evolving commerce landscape and the aspirations driving it. Three episodes of the podcast are live currently on Snapdeal YouTube and Instagram handles.

Speaking on the initiative, Achint Setia said:
“India’s next wave of commerce growth is being shaped in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets. Bharat Manthan is our effort to stay closely connected to the customers and sellers driving this transformation. The most meaningful insights come from real conversations on the ground, and these engagements help us build a platform that is both relevant and responsive to their needs.”

Snapdeal has built its business around delivering accessible, trend-led, value-focused shopping experiences to millions of users across the country, with a strong presence in non-metro India. Bharat Manthan further strengthens this commitment by ensuring that strategic decisions are informed by real market realities and customer voices.

As digital adoption deepens and entrepreneurship rises across smaller towns, Snapdeal believes India’s growth story will increasingly be shaped by consumers seeking smart value and by sellers building ambitious businesses from every corner of the country.

CrowdStrike  announced the launch of Jet, its mobile app for partners, which transforms how partners engage, sell, and grow with CrowdStrike. Now available on the Apple App Store and Google Play, Jet brings deal origination, closure, rewards, and enablement into a single, real-time experience – empowering partners to capture opportunities in the moment.

CrowdStrike’s partner ecosystem is central to how the company scales, and Jet accelerates every stage of the partner experience. What once required multiple systems, manual workflows, and delayed follow-up can now be completed in seconds – moving rewards from the mailbox, to the inbox, to the digital wallet – directly from a partner’s phone.

“Speed is everything – both in cybersecurity and in how business gets done,” said Daniel Bernard, chief business officer at CrowdStrike. “With Jet, we’re bringing CrowdStrike into the flow of how our partners actually work. They can capture opportunities in the moment, move deals forward faster, and get rewarded immediately. That’s how we scale our ecosystem – by making it easier for partners to win with CrowdStrike.”

Jet brings the following capabilities to the partner selling motion:

• Real-time deal origination and closure: Partners can register opportunities in under 30 seconds, dramatically reducing the time and effort required to secure deal protection and incentives – capturing more opportunities in the moment.
• Unified partner experience: Deal tracking, enablement resources, support, and real-time notifications come together in a single interface, allowing partners to monitor progress, access content, and engage CrowdStrike teams without switching systems.
• Instant, cash-based rewards: Through CrowdCard, partners can convert earnings into cash as deals close – loaded onto a reloadable card and accessible via digital wallets such as Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.

Jet is going to change how we sell with CrowdStrike,” said Jim Finn, Vice President of Cybersecurity Sales at Presidio. “It brings CrowdStrike’s innovation directly into the selling motion – letting us register opportunities in seconds, track deals in real time, and get rewarded immediately. As a partner that drives a significant portion of business through the marketplace, it’s refreshing to see CrowdStrike take the same approach by embedding marketplace insights and documentation directly into the app. That level of speed, visibility, and alignment fundamentally changes how we engage customers and build pipeline.”

The Jet mobile app is available by invitation to partners via the Apple App Store and Google Play for iOS and Android devices.

In a move shaped by shared conviction and complementary expertise, four seasoned leaders from the financial services industry have come together to launch Daksham Capital, a multi-family office, premium private banking and wealth management firm serving high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family-owned businesses, CXOs and global Indian investors.

Headquartered in Delhi-NCR region, the firm is led by Saket Lakhotia (Group CEO), Astha Mago (COO), Achin Bhardwaj (Jt. CIO) and Pankaj Kedia (Jt. CIO), bringing rich experience spanning private banking, fund management, investment banking, corporate advisory and institutional finance. Together, the leadership team brings a blend of strategic management, market insight and institutional experience. 

With India’s serviceable wealth pool set to triple to ~$9 trillion by 2035, Daksham Capital aims to address fragmented advisory through an integrated, research-led wealth platform. Saket Lakhotia, Group CEO said, “India’s wealth management landscape is at an inflection point. Clients today are more informed and more discerning than ever before — they expect institutional rigour, beyond just relationship-driven advice. Our investment framework is built around that expectation, combining proprietary research with a disciplined, process-driven approach to deliver consistent, long-term outcomes.”

At its core, Daksham Capital is built around a research-first and process-driven approach. The platform combines institutional-grade research, proprietary allocation models, disciplined product selection frameworks, and continuous portfolio monitoring to help clients navigate an increasingly complex investment environment. Daksham follows a process-based approach to risk management and return optimization, ensuring that every portfolio decision is evaluated through the lens of suitability, diversification, liquidity, risk, and long-term wealth outcomes.

Daksham Capital’s guiding principles are anchored in its “Daksham Compass” — Wisdom, Stability, Ethics, and Niche. These principles reflect the firm’s commitment to experience-backed insights, disciplined processes, personalized solutions, and uncompromising integrity. Trust, transparency, and accountability remain central to the firm’s advisory philosophy.

The firm combines human insight with algorithmic precision, leveraging data intelligence, analytics and AI-driven advisory to enable clarity, agility and control.

With a prior track record of advising 600+ clients amounting to $1 bn+ of assets under advisory, Daksham Capital combines institutional depth with diligent processes and is well positioned to bring a fresh approach to a rapidly growing industry. It is entering the market with a focus on delivering disciplined, transparent and long-term wealth strategies.

Bank of America convened its Breakthrough Technology Dialogue in Singapore on April 28, bringing together a carefully curated group of the world’s most influential CEOs, innovators, investors, academics and scientists for in‑depth, in‑person discussions on the forces set to bend the arc of our future.

Key Points

• Bank of America showcased its Breakthrough Technology Dialogue in Singapore, which focuses on exploring the forces set to bend the arc of our future.
• Now in its fifth-year, the Breakthrough Technology Dialogue brings together a carefully curated group of the world’s most influential CEOs, innovators, investors, academics and scientists for an informed discussion on advances in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, energy, MedTech and space.

The Breakthrough Technology Dialogue is one of Bank of America’s most exclusive events, with its trademark being the quality of immersive discussions and debates on cutting-edge topics, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, energy, MedTech and space.

“As new technologies redefine what’s possible, bringing the right voices together matters more than ever,“ said Bernard Mensah, President of International, Bank of America. “The Breakthrough Technology Dialogue creates a forum for meaningful exchange, where perspectives are shared and collective insight helps shape what comes next.” 

Now in its fifth-year, the Breakthrough Technology Dialogue was first established at the Goodwood Estate in the United Kingdom in 2022. Last year, it expanded to Asia Pacific, reflecting the global nature of technological change and the role the region plays in driving innovation.

KPIT Technologies, a global leader in software solutions for the mobility ecosystem, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire a majority stake (subject to achievement of specific milestones) in Cymotive, a leading automotive cybersecurity specialist headquartered in Israel.

The initial investment by KPIT (subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals) would be $ 10 Mn in Preference Capital which would get converted to Equity Capital, basis achievement of certain performance milestones by Cymotive. Post such conversion, KPIT would acquire the balance stake to own 100% in Cymotive which is expected to be completed by mid-2029. The total consideration for acquisition of 100% stake would happen in 2 tranches and is dependent upon the actual revenue and EBIT numbers achieved by Cymotive. Currently the total consideration payable by KPIT is expected to be between $ 60 Mn to $ 120 Mn (including upfront $ 10 Mn investment).   

This acquisition shall strengthen KPIT’s strategic focus on building deep, future‑ready competencies required to deliver comprehensive software strategy and execution for mobility OEMs globally. As vehicles continue their rapid transformation towards being software‑defined(SDV) & AI-defined(AIDV), cybersecurity is a core enabler of safety, compliance, trust, and long‑term differentiation.

Founded jointly by senior Israeli cybersecurity leaders and CARIAD, the automotive software company of the Volkswagen Group, Cymotive specializes in end‑to‑end vehicle lifecycle cybersecurity, spanning secure architecture, threat modeling, intrusion detection, continuous monitoring, and regulatory / homologation compliance. Cymotive has been a trusted cybersecurity partner to leading global automotive players and brings strong domain depth in addressing automotive‑specific cyber threats.

With this acquisition, Cymotive’s solutions will form a strong and complementary addition to KPIT’s existing portfolio. Coupled with Beacon – KPITs Mobility Intelligence Product ,  AI led cybersecurity will enable OEMs to adopt an integrated approach—embedding cybersecurity products into vehicle platforms from design through production and operations.

Kishor Patil, CEO & Managing Director, KPIT Technologies, said:
“Mobility continues to be transformed by Software and AI defined vehicles. Cybersecurity is now fundamental to how vehicles are designed, built, and trusted. Our investment in Cymotive aligns directly with KPIT’s long‑term strategy of creating differentiated, AI solutions‑led value for global OEMs. Cymotive brings deep, proven automotive cybersecurity expertise, and together we can integrate security into the foundation of mobility software—at scale, across programs, and across the vehicle lifecycle—creating meaningful value for the entire mobility ecosystem.”

This investment also strengthens KPIT’s solutions and products strategy, enhancing opportunities to develop platforms and cybersecurity products. It will start adding to product and licensing‑led revenue streams, in addition to KPIT’s established engineering engagements.

Dr. Andre Stoffels, CFO and Board Member, CARIAD, said:

“KPIT has consistently shown that it understands automotive software deeply and can deliver at scale. Now, Cymotive becomes part of the KPIT family. This helps speed up the development of the kind of strong, real‑world cybersecurity solutions carmakers need today. We are looking forward to working with KPIT and Cymotive to further strengthen automotive cybersecurity for customers worldwide.” 

Yuval Diskin, Chairman, Cymotive, said:

“Cymotive was founded to bring Israel’s world class cybersecurity expertise, together with a culture of creativity and innovation, to protect the rapidly evolving world of software defined mobility. Joining the KPIT group, allows us to scale this vision globally. KPIT’s deep mobility expertise, global reach, and strong OEM relationships significantly strengthen Cymotive’s automotive cybersecurity capabilities. Together, we are uniquely positioned to deliver end to end, AI driven solutions and products that enable the mobility ecosystem to innovate with confidence, while staying ahead of an increasingly complex  cyber threat landscape. This strategic alignment positions us to build the world’s leading cybersecurity company for the mobility domain".

Cymotive will continue to operate with its existing leadership team, talent base, and customer relationships, while leveraging KPIT’s global delivery footprint, domain scale, and long‑standing presence across automotive programs worldwide.

KPMG in India and CleverTap announced a strategic alliance to embed advanced customer engagement capabilities into enterprise transformation programs. The alliance brings together KPMG in India’s Connected Enterprise and advisory capabilities with CleverTap’s customer engagement and retention platform, enabling organisations to explore greater personalisation, while staying aligned with governance, security, and key business priorities.

The alliance will focus on organisations across the BFSI (Banking and Financial Services), retail, and consumer markets. By integrating CleverTap’s analytics and orchestration capabilities into KPMG in India–led initiatives, the alliance is intended to provide organisations with pathways to more effectively connect customer data with execution and to explore more coordinated, lifecycle-based approaches to engagement.

Together, KPMG in India is expected to contribute its consulting experience across operating model design, governance, risk, and compliance, alongside CleverTap’s integrated platform capabilities including real-time analytics and AI-driven engagement enablement, aimed at supporting organizations in strengthening customer engagement, retention initiatives, and customer lifetime value.

Building on these complementary strengths, the alliance is designed to support companies in their efforts to reduce churn, strengthen customer engagement, and pursue sustainable revenue growth, while also helping them navigate and align with relevant regulatory requirements.

“Our alliance with CleverTap strengthens our ability to help organisations activate insights responsibly and scale customer engagement in a measured, sustainable way. By bringing together our transformation-led consulting approach with CleverTap’s analytics-driven platform, we aim to support companies as they work to deepen customer relationships in a rapidly evolving digital and regulatory environment,” said Ram Seshadri, Partner, Digital Cloud Solutions, KPMG in India.

“Enterprises don’t just need more data; they need intelligence to deliver personalized experiences. By combining KPMG in India’s transformation expertise with our all-in-one customer engagement platform, powered by CleverAI™, we’re equipping brands to deliver true 1:1 personalized journeys that increase customer lifetime value,” said Anand Jain, Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer, CleverTap.

By combining strategic advisory insights with advanced engagement technology, the alliance aims to help organisations develop stronger, more resilient customer ecosystems for the future.

Alpha Corp Development Limited has successfully acquired three stalled projects of Earth Infrastructures Limited through the resolution process under the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), marking a landmark milestone in the revival of long-pending real estate developments and bringing major relief to over 3,000 affected homebuyers and commercial-space buyers. The projects include two commercial developments — Earth TechOne and Earth Sapphire Court in Greater Noida — and one residential project, Earth Copia in Gurugram.

In a significant legal development, the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, vide its judgment dated May 5, 2026, restored Alpha Corp Development’s Resolution Plan in Civil Appeal No. 1526 of 2023, setting aside the order dated 31.01.2023 of the Hon’ble NCLAT that had rejected the plan. The judgment is being viewed as a historic win in favour of the developer-led resolution framework under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), while simultaneously safeguarding the interests of thousands of affected buyers awaiting completion and possession for over a decade.

The Hon’ble Supreme Court upheld the revival framework under the IBC and cleared the path for completion of the stalled projects, observing that any further delay would seriously prejudice homebuyers and commercial-space buyers who had invested substantial amounts in the developments. The Court also directed that Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) would be entitled to recover only its principal dues, while waiving penal interest, penal charges, and time-extension penalties, noting that prolonged inaction by the authority had contributed significantly to the present situation. It further mandated that Alpha will clear these dues over 24 months, with no financial burden passed on to homebuyers.

The acquisition follows the approval and restoration of the resolution plan through the insolvency proceedings, enabling Alpha Corp Development, as the Successful Resolution Applicant (SRA), to undertake the completion, revival, and delivery of the projects.

Speaking on the development, Mr. Santosh Agarwal, Executive Director & CFO, Alpha Corp Development, said:

“The restoration of the Resolution Plan marks an important and positive step towards the resolution of these long-stalled projects. This historic judgment reinforces confidence in the insolvency resolution framework and paves the way for timely revival of stressed real estate assets. At Alpha Corp, our focus remains on transparent execution, timely completion, and restoring the trust of over 3,000 homebuyers and office-space buyers who have waited several years for delivery.”

Mr. Sandeep Bhuraria, Senior Partner, Zeus Law Associates, assisted by Ms. Vatsala Pandey, Associate, who represented Alpha Corp in the matter, said, “This judgment by the Hon’ble Supreme Court is a significant step towards resolving long-stalled projects and will provide much-needed relief to homebuyers and allottees. It also sets an important precedent for the resolution of stressed real estate assets across NCR.”

The projects had remained stalled for several years following financial distress faced by the erstwhile developer, significantly impacting buyers across NCR. Through the resolution process, Alpha Corp Development will now oversee project execution, construction management, regulatory coordination, customer engagement, and phased delivery.

Alpha Corp Development is expected to invest approximately INR 750 crore towards completion, redevelopment, infrastructure upgrades, and delivery of the projects, with a projected revenue potential of around INR 1,200 crore.

As part of the revival approach, the company is evaluating redevelopment and upgradation measures, including infrastructure improvements, amenity enhancements, and design modernization to align the projects with current market expectations.

Detailed execution schedules, customer engagement mechanisms, and phased completion timelines are expected to be communicated progressively following regulatory and operational alignments.

The revival of the projects is being viewed as a significant development in the resolution of stressed real estate assets under the IBC framework and a major step towards restoring confidence in the NCR real estate ecosystem.

Shree Cement, India’s third-largest cement group by capacity, announced its financial results for the quarter and year ended 31st March 2026. The highlights are:

Financial Highlights

(₹ in crore)

*excluding one-time impact of ₹55.99 crore due to notification of new labour codes

Operational highlights (India operations)

• Total cement sale volume grew by 11% year-on-year, from 9.52 million tonnes to 10.56 million tonnes, while registering 24.5% growth on quarter-on-quarter. Total volume (including clinker sales) also jumped year-on-year basis by 9.4% from 9.84 million tonnes to 10.77 million tonnes, while increasing 23.2% on quarter-on-quarter basis.
• Sales of premium products jumped to 22% of total trade volume via-a-vis 16% in the corresponding quarter of previous year.

Ready-Mix Concrete business

The Company is rapidly expanding its RMC business with 26 operational plants at the end of FY25-26. During the month of March 2026, Company inaugurated 10 new commercial RMC plants, which are currently under commissioning. With the commissioning of these plants, the total RMC plant count will increase to 36 plants, significantly strengthening the Company’s operational footprint at the start of FY27.

Mr. Neeraj Akhoury, Managing Director, Shree Cement Ltd. said, “We are happy to report a strong performance during the quarter, with domestic cement sale volume increasing 11% year-on-year, supported by proactive efforts to deepen customer engagement and expand market reach. The sharp quarter-on-quarter improvement in EBITDA and Profit After Tax reflects the effectiveness of our operational initiatives and revenue actions.

While cost pressures persisted due to the impact of the West Asia conflict, we continue to strengthen our performance by improving energy efficiency, increasing digitalisation across operations, and leveraging data-driven processes to enhance productivity. With robust demand fundamentals and ongoing digital and sustainability-led interventions, we are confident of delivering sustainable and profitable growth in the coming quarters.”

Capex

During the quarter, the Company commissioned its integrated project of 3.65 MTPA clinker capacity and 3.50 MTPA cement capacity at Kodla, Karnataka. With this, the Company’s installed cement production capacity in India (including its wholly owned subsidiaries) increased to 69.3 MTPA, strengthening its position as India’s third largest cement group.

To further expand its capacity, the Company is setting up an Integrated Cement Plant with clinker capacity of 0.95 MTPA and cement capacity of 0.99 MTPA in the state of Meghalaya. During the quarter, the Company also incorporated a wholly-owned subsidiary with a purpose to establish and operate cement, blending, storage, and packaging facilities in Mauritius.

The Company continues to actively and strategically pursue multiple expansion opportunities, currently at various stages of pre-project development, to accelerate capacity build‑up and firmly position to achieve its growth milestones.

Sustainability initiatives

Key highlights of the sustainability performance of the Company are as under: -

• The Company’s share of green electricity in total electricity consumption stood at 61% in Q4’FY26 (59% for Q4’FY25) including of its wholly owned subsidiaries in India which is one of the highest in the Indian cement industry.
• The Company is consistently ramping up its green power generation capacity which currently stands at 666.5 MW (including of its wholly owned subsidiary in India).
• All the Company’s manufacturing locations are Zero Liquid Discharge, treating, recycling, and reusing 100% of wastewater generated from its operations. These efforts, aided by good rainfall, have enabled the Company to maintain its water positivity index of >8 times in FY2025-26, consistent with the levels achieved in FY2024-25.
• The Company was recognized for the first time among India’s Top 60 Most Sustainable Companies (IMSC) 2024–25 in 5th edition of the IMSC Awards orgnanised by BW Businessworld, underscoring its strong commitment to responsible and sustainable business practices.

Servotech Renewable Power System Ltd. an NSE-listed renewable energy and EV charging solutions company, has secured a 1415 kW solar rooftop project order from the Vijayawada Division (BZA) of the South Central Railway (SCR), strengthening its growing engagement with Indian Railways and public infrastructure renewable energy projects.

Under the scope of the project, Servotech Renewable will be responsible for the design, engineering, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of grid-connected rooftop solar systems across multiple railway sites under the Vijayawada Division. The project aligns with Indian Railways’ ongoing focus on accelerating renewable energy adoption and reducing carbon emissions through sustainable infrastructure development. The order was secured through a competitive bidding process, further reflecting Servotech Renewable’s capabilities in executing institutional and government-led renewable energy projects.

Commenting on the order, Sarika Bhatia, Director, Servotech Renewable Power System Ltd., said, “We are pleased to strengthen our association with Indian Railways through this project with the Vijayawada Division. Such projects reflect the growing momentum towards clean energy integration across critical public infrastructure in India. We remain committed to delivering efficient, reliable, and high-performance solar solutions that support institutions in achieving their sustainability objectives while contributing to broader renewable energy adoption goals.”

The project further strengthens Servotech Renewable’s institutional order book and reflects the company’s continued participation in government-led renewable energy initiatives.

Krisp launched Krisp VIVA 2.0, the voice AI infrastructure layer for voice agents, IVRs, and conversational AI. The release introduces a new generation of small, real-time models that improve WER, predict when users finish speaking, classify interruptions, and read perceptual signals like synthetic speech, gender, and accent, setting a new benchmark for how voice agents handle audio in production.

Voice agent usage grew 9x in 2025, yet most voice agents still fail in the same predictable ways the moment they leave a demo room. Background voices and noises push speech-to-text word error rates from 5% to over 30%. Voice activity detection misfires on background voices; bots can ignore real interruptions or hallucinate them. And on telephony, the agent's own voice can loop back through the mic and trigger self-interruption.

Voice AI systems today are built on STT, LLMs, and TTS. What’s been missing is a layer to handle real-world audio and conversational dynamics before those systems engage.

VIVA fills that gap to ensure AI agents function in messy, real-world environments.

Krisp’s VIVA SDK runs server-side directly in each customer’s audio pipeline before STT, improving reliability across the entire stack.

What’s new in VIVA 2.0:

• Turn Prediction v3: A new multilingual model that predicts end-of-turn from audio alone, no transcription needed. Reacts quickly to real turn-ends while holding through mid-sentence pauses — low-latency responses without the agent cutting users off. Tiny enough to run on standard CPUs or locally, on-device for robotics and conversational toys. 

• Interrupt Prediction v1: A first-of-its-kind audio-only classifier that predicts when a user is intending to interrupt the agent (start-of-turn prediction). Distinguishes intent-to-take-the-floor from backchannel speech like "yes" or "mhm." Different from end-of-turn prediction, which detects when the user has finished speaking. Patent filed. 

• Signal Detectors: A new category of real-time audio models that give voice AI the perceptual cues humans use without thinking.
  Three models launching with VIVA 2.0:

• TTS Detector: Detects synthetic speech in real time. Use case: an outbound voice AI agent calls a number and recognizes when an inbound voice AI agent or IVR picks up.

• Accent Detector: Identifies the speaker's accent so audio can be routed to the STT model best tuned for it, lifting transcription quality.

• Gender Detector: Identifies speaker gender to enable personalized responses.

• Voice Isolation v3: The world’s most widely used voice isolation model has been upgraded to deliver measurable improvements in downstream WER.

All models run on standard server CPUs, operate on audio input alone with no transcription required, and are bundled into existing VIVA pricing at no additional charge.

Krisp has spent over eight years solving real-world voice in production, first for human-to-human conversations and now for human-to-AI. That experience gives VIVA the depth of training data and field-tested reliability nothing else in the market can match. 

Krisp VIVA SDK processes more than 12 billion minutes of voice AI agent traffic a year and is embedded in over 130 voice AI products, including Daily, Vapi, LiveKit, Ultravox, Telnyx, the world's leading AI labs, and the largest enterprise contact centers.

Platforms running VIVA report:

• 3.5x improvement in turn-taking accuracy

• 50% fewer dropped calls

• 30% higher customer satisfaction

“At scale, the biggest challenge in voice AI isn’t the model. It’s the quality of the signal going into it,” said David Casem, CEO of Telnyx. “Krisp addresses that at the source, which improves everything downstream from transcription to response.”

“Voice is becoming the primary interface between humans and AI,” said Robert Schoenfield, EVP of Licensing and Partnerships at Krisp. “Those conversations don’t happen in clean environments. They happen in the real world, shaped by noise and subtle human cues. VIVA brings that layer into the system, so voice agents can operate the way people actually speak.” 

VIVA 2.0 is available now and Krisp will showcase it live at Twilio Signal 2026 May 6-7 in San Francisco.

Strengthening its commitment to evolving consumer needs, Hamdard Foods India continues to enhance accessibility through its Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) online platform, enabling consumers across India to conveniently shop its trusted range of products from the comfort of their homes.

Available at https://myhamdardstore.com/, the platform brings together Hamdard Foods India diverse portfolio, including its iconic summer beverages, honey, spices, edible oils, ready-to-cook essentials, and digestive health products, under one seamless digital experience.

As consumer behavior increasingly shifts towards convenience-led and digital-first shopping, Hamdard Foods India D2C presence reflects the brand’s ongoing focus on making its offerings more readily available while building a closer connection with its consumers. The platform offers a user-friendly interface, secure payment options, and reliable doorstep delivery, ensuring a smooth and efficient purchase journey.

CEO - Mr. Hamid Ahmed, from Hamdard Foods shared, “Our focus has always been on meeting the evolving needs of our consumers. Strengthening our direct-to-consumer presence through myhamdardstore.com allows us to make our products more accessible, while continuing to uphold the trust and quality that the brand is known for.” 

Beyond convenience, the platform also enables consumers to explore product benefits, discover new offerings, and find inspiration for everyday usage, making it a holistic destination for both purchase and discovery.

With its growing emphasis on digital engagement, Hamdard Foods India aligns with the broader industry shift, in which legacy brands are increasingly leveraging D2C channels to remain relevant, agile, and consumer-centric in today’s dynamic retail landscape.

CrowdStrike  announced Falcon OverWatch for Defender, extending industry-leading managed threat hunting to Microsoft endpoint customers. Falcon OverWatch for Defender strengthens security outcomes for Microsoft Defender with enhanced visibility, real-time detection and response, and continuous expert monitoring to identify and stop sophisticated threats that would otherwise go undetected, extending the value of existing endpoint deployments.

For organizations standardized on Microsoft Defender, automated detections alone leave gaps that today's AI-accelerated adversaries are built to exploit. Falcon OverWatch for Defender closes those gaps with continuous, expert-led hunting that identifies and stops threats before they escalate. The announcement builds on CrowdStrike's continued support for Microsoft environments, following the launch of Falcon Next-Gen SIEM for Defender.

“Today's attacks are stealthy, fast-moving, and designed to evade detection, making expert-led threat hunting essential," said Adam Meyers, head of counter adversary operations at CrowdStrike. "OverWatch for Defender extends proven threat hunting to Microsoft environments, delivering the security outcome customers need most: stopping the breach.”

Proactively Hunting Stealthy Adversaries

According to the CrowdStrike 2026 Global Threat Report, 82% of detections in 2025 were malware-free. Adversaries are increasingly using AI, trusted identities, and legitimate tools to accelerate attacks, blend into normal activity, and evade detection. At the same time, frontier AI models are surfacing a surge of new vulnerabilities adversaries can exploit. With breakout times as fast as 27 seconds, alert-driven approaches alone cannot keep pace. Identifying and stopping stealthy threats requires continuous, intelligence-driven threat hunting. Powered by the AI-native Falcon® platform and deep adversary expertise, Falcon Adversary OverWatch's elite threat hunters rapidly uncover and disrupt evasive threats.

Falcon OverWatch for Defender
Falcon OverWatch for Defender uncovers subtle patterns of attack, escalates high-confidence threats, and guides response to disrupt sophisticated threats that might otherwise go undetected, without impacting existing protections.

Key features and benefits include:

• Adversary Intelligence-Driven Hunting: CrowdStrike tracks over 280 of the world’s most sophisticated nation-state, eCrime, and hacktivist groups. The industry’s top threat hunters leverage this intelligence to identify real threat actor behavior, deliver high-confidence detections, and stop sophisticated attacks.
• AI-Powered Threat Hunting at Machine Speed and Scale: The OverWatch team leverages patented AI, proprietary detection patterns, and deep adversary expertise to analyze up to 6.2 trillion events per day, uncovering stealthy and novel threats.
• Power of the Crowd: With visibility across CrowdStrike's vast global customer base, OverWatch rapidly applies new techniques identified in one environment across others, enabling earlier detection and response. No single-customer deployment can replicate this advantage.

Customer results show Falcon OverWatch can reduce alert volume up to 500x, with 98% true positives, and up to 95% reduction in threat hunting staffing costs. OverWatch for Defender brings these proven outcomes to Microsoft Defender customers.

Blue Star registered 3.6% revenue growth in FY26 despite multiple headwinds impacting  the businesses. The Room AC business was adversely impacted during the summer of 2025 due to unseasonal rains. But the demand for Room Air Conditioners picked up towards the  end of the year, helping the Company record its highest ever quarterly revenue in Q4FY26.  Further, growth in the Projects, Commercial Air Conditioning and International Business helped offset external challenges and contributed to the Company’s overall performance for the year. 

Consolidated Financial Performance for Q4FY26 

• The Company’s Revenue from Operations grew by 1.3% to Rs 4072.06 crores for the  quarter ended March 31, 2026, compared to Rs 4018.96 crores during the same period  in the previous year.
• The Operating Profit (PBIDTA excluding Other Income) for the quarter grew by 16.8% to Rs 326.25 crores (8.0% of Revenue) in Q4FY26 compared to Rs 279.40 crores in  Q4FY25 (7.0% of Revenue).
• Pursuant to the notification of Labour Codes and as required by the ICAI Guidance Note,  the Company had, on an estimated basis, recognised the incremental impact of Gratuity  and Leave Encashment amounting to Rs 56.35 crores for the period ended on December 31, 2025, and this was shown as an Exceptional Item. In the current quarter, the liability  was reassessed and finalised at Rs 38.83 crores and accordingly provision of Rs 17.52  crores has been reversed in Q4FY26.
• Finance costs for the quarter increased to Rs 23.06 crores as compared to Rs 18.75  crores for Q4FY25.
• Other Income, including treasury income, for Q4FY26 was Rs 23.95 crores compared to  Rs 23.99 crores in Q4FY25. 
• Tax expense for the quarter was Rs 72.91 crores, as compared to Rs 54.82 crores in  Q4FY25. 
• Consequently, Profit (before share of Profit/Loss of JV and exceptional items) grew by  11.9% to Rs 278.92 crores in Q4FY26 compared to Rs 249.22 crores in Q4FY25.
• Net Profit for the quarter was Rs 227.18 crores compared to Rs 194.00 crores in Q4FY25 representing a growth of 17.1%.  

Consolidated Financial Performance for FY26 

• The Company’s Revenue from Operations increased to Rs 12401.99 crores for the year ended March 31, 2026, as compared to Rs 11967.65 crores for the year ended March  31, 2025, representing a growth of 3.6%.
• Operating Profit (PBIDTA excluding Other Income) for the year grew by 6.2% to Rs  930.41 crores (7.5% of revenue) compared to Rs 875.92 crores (7.3% of revenue) in  FY25, mainly owing to the Company’s overall focus on cost management.
• Profit Before Exceptional Items & Tax declined by 3.9% to Rs 741.94 crores in FY26 compared to Rs 772.42 crores in FY25.
• Pursuant to the notification of Labour Codes and as required by the ICAI Guidance  Note, the Company has recognised the incremental impact of Gratuity and Leave  Encashment amounting to Rs 38.83 crores. This non-recurring item is shown as an  Exceptional Item in the consolidated Statement of Profit and Loss for the year ended  March 31, 2026.
• Net Profit for the year declined to Rs 527.33 crores (4.3% of the revenue) compared to Rs 591.28 crores (4.9% of revenue) in FY25.
• Other Income, including treasury income, for FY26 decreased by 17.5% to Rs 61.91 crores compared to Rs 75.00 crores in FY25, as the average cash surplus levels during  the current year were lower than the previous year.
• Net cash balance as of March 31, 2026, was Rs 175.45 crores compared to a net cash  balance of Rs 640.35 crores as of March 31, 2025.
• Finance cost for FY26 was Rs 72.14 crores compared to Rs 48.80 crores in FY25,  mainly due to higher borrowing levels to support working capital requirements during  the year.
• Capital Employed as of March 31, 2026, increased to Rs 3258.41 crores as compared  to Rs 2427.28 crores as of March 31, 2025.
• Tax expense for FY26 was Rs 175.78 crores as compared to Rs 193.65 crores in FY25. The effective tax rate was 25% for FY26 as compared to 24.7% in FY25.
• Earnings per share for the year (face value of Rs 2) was Rs 25.65 vis-à-vis Rs 28.76 in the previous year. 
• Carried Forward Order Book as of March 31, 2026, grew by 10.5% to Rs 6923.00 crores, compared to Rs 6263.36 crores as of March 31, 2025. 

Consolidated Segment Performance for FY26 

• Revenue from the Electro-Mechanical Projects and Commercial Air Conditioning Systems segment grew by 12.8% to Rs 6762.80 crores in FY26 compared to Rs 5997.99 crores in FY25. The Segment Result for FY26 grew to Rs 501.91 crores (7.4%  of Revenue) compared to Rs 490.88 crores (8.2% of Revenue) in FY25. The Electro Mechanical Projects business delivered a steady revenue performance, supported by  demand from buildings, data centres, and factories. The Commercial Air Conditioning  business also maintained steady momentum, supported by enhanced offtake from  government, industrial, and retail segments. However, traction from the office,  education, and IT sectors remained subdued during Q4FY26. Revenue growth in  ducted systems and chillers remained robust during the year, and VRF systems  demonstrated steady progress. The margins for this segment were influenced by  composition of businesses within this segment.

• Unitary Products revenue declined by 5.1% to Rs 5332.36 crores in FY26 compared to Rs 5621.11 crores in FY25. Consequently, the Segment Result stood at Rs 434.82 crores (8.2% of Revenue) in FY26 compared to Rs 471.26 crores (8.4% of Revenue) in FY25. Due to early onset of monsoon and an overall mild summer, the Room Air Conditioners  

business was highly impacted in Q1FY26. However, there was healthy demand during  Q4FY26, driven by enhanced primary offtake in March and channel stocking across all  regions ahead of the summer. The Company also launched a wide new range of Room  ACs in Q4FY26, complying with the new BEE norms which came into effect from January  1, 2026. The range includes a premium flagship series, covering all consumer segments  and price points. Cost rationalisation measures taken throughout the year and  deferment of certain discretionary costs resulted in improved margins for the quarter. 

In the Commercial Refrigeration business, muted demand from the frozen food and  QSR segments kept the deep freezers and cold rooms market largely stagnant during  the year. Meanwhile, storage water coolers delivered double-digit growth, driven by  government and corporate sectors. 

• The revenue of the Professional Electronics and Industrial Systems business declined  by 12.0% to Rs 306.83 crores in FY26 as compared to Rs 348.55 crores in FY25. The Segment Result stood at Rs 34.89 crores (11.4% of Revenue) in FY26 compared to Rs  29.72 crores (8.5% of Revenue) in FY25. Uncertainty surrounding the regulatory policy  framework for the Med-Tech Solutions business persisted during the year, leading to a  moderation in performance. Meanwhile, the Industrial Solutions business continued to  deliver strong growth, driven by the automotive and steel sectors, while the Data  Security Solutions business maintained steady performance. 

Dividend 

The Board of Directors has recommended a dividend of Rs 8.5 per equity share of face  value of Rs 2 each for FY26 (FY25: Rs 9 per equity share).

Outlook 

Vir S. Advani, Chairman & Managing Director, Blue Star Limited adds, “FY26 was a  challenging year shaped by multiple external factors but it concluded on a positive note. The onset of summer from mid-April 2026 has led to a steady pickup in consumer sales  of Room ACs, indicating improving market momentum for FY27. The Electro-Mechanical  Projects and Commercial Air Conditioning segments are expected to sustain their growth  trajectory, supported by demand from the manufacturing and data centre sectors.  However, rising input and commodity costs along with volatile exchange rates may  present some challenges in managing margins. Further, the ongoing Middle East crisis  may lead to supply chain disruptions and could dampen growth. Overall, we remain  cautiously optimistic about the outlook for FY27, while continuing to take a balanced  approach and strengthen operational efficiencies to navigate the evolving business  environment.” 

Leading commercial property insurer FM announced the wider launch of FM Essential, an insurance product to support a broader group of manufacturing companies seeking to strengthen their resilience and more proactively embrace a culture of loss prevention.

Unveiled at RISKWORLD in Philadelphia, USA, the new product comes at a time when manufacturing companies are facing an increasingly challenging global risk landscape. FM Essential offers manufacturers a flexible path to navigate those challenges.

“Resilience has evolved from a ‘nice to have’ to an essential priority for businesses around the globe,” said Alex Tadmoury, executive vice president, International, at FM. “FM Essential brings together engineering insight, data analytics and competitive risk transfer capabilities to help manufacturers navigate complexity and focus investment where it has the greatest impact.”

“Manufacturers in India are scaling rapidly ranging from relatively simple manufacturing operations with critical bottlenecks to highly complex sites with interconnected supply chains and operational dependencies,” said Sumit Khanna, CEO, FMIC India - Reinsurance Branch. “FM Essential is designed to meet organizations at an earlier stage of their resilience journey, combining engineering insight from a loss‑prevention standpoint with data‑led intelligence and a more flexible (re)insurance pathway. In India, with our cedants, the reinsurance offering reflects the realities of growth in this market and provides manufacturers with an option to a long‑term, risk‑to‑resilience strategy and towards continual stability.” 

A new insurance option for manufacturers

Offered through FM's broker partners, FM Essential is initially designed to serve manufacturing companies with a medium risk complexity profile. The solution features a more streamlined quote process and supports both 100% capacity placements as well as insurance programs shared by multiple insurers.

FM Essential goes beyond a traditional insurance product by combining core engineering solutions and claims expertise with intelligence built on FM’s unique understanding of property risk. FM's artificial intelligence capability is grounded in data from more than 40,000 client location evaluations conducted each year by 1,100 engineers and validated through real loss experience.

Through FM Essential, brokers can offer an additional placement option for their manufacturing clients, helping to strengthen client relationships by supporting their long‑term resilience journeys, not just renewal‑to‑renewal transactions.

In addition, FM Essential is designed to support manufacturers at earlier stages of their resilience journey, complementing FM’s broader suite of property insurance solutions.

After a successful pilot last year in New York, France and India, FM Essential is now expanding into further hubs in Chicago and Cleveland, with Atlanta and Dallas to follow shortly in the United States. On the international stage, Australia, South Korea, Italy, Spain and Switzerland launched the offering in the first quarter of 2026. Germany and the United Kingdom are slated for the second quarter. Additional countries will continue to be added in the future.

The new offering complements FM’s existing products—with FM Affiliated dedicated to middle-market non-manufacturing occupancies and specific verticals; and the FM flagship mutual with market-leading coverage and risk management solutions for large, highly protected businesses, including specialty industries.

FM unveils ‘Protect Your Purpose’ brand campaign

FM this week also launched a new brand campaign to bring these new initiatives to light. Called “Protect Your Purpose,” the campaign—debuting at RISKWORLD 2026—will highlight how FM’s engineers, data-driven insights and proactive partnerships help clients mitigate risk, strengthen resilience and pursue progress with confidence.

The campaign will feature an integrated mix of digital and social media, events and sponsorships, and content on FM.com, reinforcing FM’s belief that a company’s purpose is its most vital asset—and worth protecting.

Under the framework of the India-EU Trade & Technology Council (TTC)- Working Group 2 on Green and Clean Energy Technologies, the Government of India and the European Union announced the launch of a third coordinated call for proposals focused on the Recycling of EV Batteries on 5 May 2026. The submission deadline for the same is 15 September 2026.

The call for proposals aims to secure critical raw materials, accelerate the global transition to a circular economy, and strengthen bilateral relations between India and the European Union (EU). With a combined funding pool of €15.2 million (~₹169 crore), the initiative will be funded through the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, while the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) will support the Indian component.

The programme will focus on developing advanced recycling technologies, including high-efficiency material recovery, safe and digitalised collection systems, and pilot-scale demonstration of innovative processes. It will also support the establishment of a joint India-EU pilot line in India to enable real-world validation and industrial deployment, bringing together leading researchers, industries, and startups. The call for proposal will focus on High Recovery Rates; Mixed Chemistry Handling; Logistics & Inclusion and Safety & Second Life for critical minerals like lithium, graphite, and cobalt.

On the launch of these calls, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India remarked that this launch is a pivotal moment in the India-EU strategic partnership. As India’s EV market continues its rapid expansion, creating a robust domestic recycling ecosystem is essential for our resource security and environmental commitments.

H.E. Mr. Hervé Delphin, Ambassador of the European Union to India highlighted the importance of batteries that sit at the core of the green transition. The goal is to translate the innovations from the development phase to real-world deployment; thereby, directly investing in mineral security and shared climate goals.

Dr. Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of the PSA mentioned that this joint initiative marks a critical leap in India’s circular economy and catalyses momentum for pioneering a digitalized, inclusive logistics model that integrates the informal sector while ensuring the highest safety standards for second-life applications.

Mr. Marc Lemaître, Director-General, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (RTD), European Commission emphasised on the strengthening bond between the EU and India in the field of green innovation and co-creating a resilient, cross-continental value chain that will ensure that the strategic materials of tomorrow remain within our economies.

In a major boost to India’s advanced manufacturing and data center infrastructure ecosystem, Carrier commenced construction of its industrial-grade chiller manufacturing facility in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, with an investment of over ₹863 crore. The project is expected to create more than 721 direct jobs over 3000 direct and indirect jobs, while significantly strengthening Andhra Pradesh’s emergence as a global hub for advanced HVAC manufacturing, engineering and innovation.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Andhra Pradesh Minister for Education, IT & Electronics Shri Nara Lokesh along with David Gitlin, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Carrier Global, and Michael L. Gierges, President, Climate Solutions Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa.

The upcoming facility will manufacture high-capacity commercial HVAC chillers exceeding 1,500 TR (tons of refrigeration) in India and house 15 advanced testing and R&D laboratories, positioning Andhra Pradesh at the forefront of high-end industrial cooling systems.

The project marks another milestone in Andhra Pradesh’s larger strategy to move beyond attracting data centres toward building the full manufacturing ecosystem that powers the AI economy.

Over the past year, Andhra Pradesh has rapidly emerged as one of India’s most ambitious destinations for AI and data center infrastructure, with major hyperscaler investments announced in Visakhapatnam.

The state is targeting nearly 6 GW of data center capacity and positioning itself as India’s leading AI and digital infrastructure hub.

Carrier’s Sri City facility will play a critical role in this ecosystem by manufacturing advanced cooling solutions essential for high-density AI-driven data centers. Cooling infrastructure is increasingly becoming one of the most critical components of next-generation AI compute facilities globally.

Sri City has already evolved into India’s largest air-conditioning manufacturing cluster, producing over 5 million AC units annually and hosting major players including Daikin Industries, LG Electronics, Blue Star and Havells. The cluster currently contributes nearly 35% of India’s AC manufacturing capacity and is rapidly scaling into a global HVAC manufacturing ecosystem. Carrier’s investment is expected to catalyze a broader supplier and component manufacturing network in Andhra Pradesh, accelerating the state’s “Make in India, Make for the World” vision.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Nara Lokesh said: “Andhra Pradesh is building far more than data centers - we are building the entire ecosystem that powers the AI revolution. From cooling systems and electronics to advanced infrastructure manufacturing, our goal is to make Andhra Pradesh the data center manufacturing capital of India. Carrier’s investment in Sri City is another strong endorsement of Andhra Pradesh’s speed of execution, industrial ecosystem and long-term manufacturing vision.”

David Gitlin, Chairman & CEO, Carrier Global, said: “India is now Carrier’s fastest-growing major market globally. With strong economic growth, rapid digital infrastructure expansion and a supportive policy environment, this is the right place for our next phase of manufacturing growth. We are proud to establish this state-of-the-art facility in Sri City and grateful for the extraordinary support extended by the Government of Andhra Pradesh.”

Michael L. Gierges, President, Climate Solutions Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, Carrier, said: India is witnessing a once-in-a-generation economic and industrial transformation, and Andhra Pradesh has all the ingredients to be at the forefront of this growth story. With world-class port connectivity, industrial infrastructure and the rapid expansion of AI and data center ecosystems, Sri City is uniquely positioned to become a global manufacturing hub for advanced cooling technologies.”

The investment comes at a time when India’s HVAC market is projected to grow at over 15% CAGR, driven by urbanization, industrialization, commercial real estate growth and rapidly increasing demand for AI infrastructure.

The groundbreaking represents another major milestone in Andhra Pradesh’s industrial growth story and reflects the convergence of policy stability, infrastructure readiness, industrial clustering and execution-driven governance under the state’s vision for a globally competitive and innovation-led economy. 

Larsen & Toubro Group secured orders worth ₹ 435,590 crore, registering a y-o-y growth of 22% for the year ended March 31, 2026. During the year, order inflows covered multiple geographies and a diverse set of businesses, including Buildings & Factories, Transportation Infrastructure, Heavy Civil Infrastructure, Power Transmission & Distribution, Renewables, Minerals & Metals, Thermal BTG, and the Hydrocarbon businesses. International orders stood at ₹ 251,078 crore, contributing 58% to the total order inflow.

For the quarter ended March 31, 2026, the Company recorded consolidated order inflows of ₹ 89,772 crore. During the quarter, several high-value order wins were secured across sectors, including Commercial & Residential Buildings, Roads & Runways, Urban Transport, Transmission & Distribution and the Hydrocarbon Onshore businesses. International orders stood at ₹ 59,994 crore, contributing 67% of the total order inflow.

The Group’s consolidated order book as on March 31, 2026, stood at an all-time high of ₹ 740,327 crore, reflecting a 28% growth over March 2025. International orders constituted 52% of the overall order book.

The Company achieved consolidated revenues of ₹ 285,874 crore for the year ended March 31, 2026, registering a y-o-y growth of 12% driven by steady execution progress across businesses. International revenues during the year stood at ₹ 153,738 crore, constituting 54% of total revenues, reflecting improved execution in the overseas Projects & Manufacturing portfolio.

For the quarter ended March 31, 2026, the Company reported consolidated revenues of ₹ 82,762 crore, reflecting a y-o-y growth of 11%. International revenues stood at ₹ 43,747 crore, contributing 53% of the Company’s total revenues.

The Company, for the year ended March 31, 2026, posted a Recurring Profit After Tax (PAT) of ₹ 17,238 crore, registering an y-o-y growth of 18%. The total Consolidated PAT for the year of ₹ 16,084 crore includes a one-time material provision of ₹ 1,155 crore (net of tax & NCI) towards employee benefits arising from the implementation of the new labour codes which has been classified under Exceptional Item.

Similarly, for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, the Recurring PAT stood at ₹ 5,289 crore, registering a growth of 5% on y-o-y basis. The total Consolidated PAT for the quarter was at ₹ 5,326 crore, reflecting a decline of 3%. The year‑on‑year decline in Consolidated PAT is primarily attributable to an exceptional gain (net of tax & NCI) of ₹ 475 crore in the previous year.

The Board of Directors has recommended a final dividend of ₹ 38 per equity share, subject to shareholders approval.

Commenting on the results, S N Subrahmanyan, Chairman and Managing Director, said:

“The year concluded on a strong note, supported by good financial performance across segments. Order inflow for the year exceeded a record ₹ 4 lakh crore - a clear reflection of our strategy, built on a strong domestic base complemented by a significant international presence, enabling the Company to exploit global opportunities.

During the year, we have executed Agreements for divesting our full stakes in Nabha Power Limited and L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Limited. We expect the closure of these transactions by 30th June 2026. This aligns with our stated strategy to exit from the Concessions portfolio.

As this being the terminal year of our Lakshya’26 plan, I am happy to say that we have achieved most of the targets we set for ourselves, whether in terms of order book, revenue or exits from non-core businesses.

We embark on another 5-year journey of Lakshya’31 to make the organisation future- ready through accelerated adoption of AI & digital technologies and investments in data centers, green energy, industrial electronics & semiconductor technologies.

With evolving global dynamics, the Company’s performance and strategic initiatives reflect its leadership in the core Infrastructure, Energy and Hi-Tech Manufacturing segments. Over the past years, we have strengthened our leadership position through timely execution, operational excellence, and a commitment to innovation. Our growing international presence underscores our ability to compete on a global scale. Our well-diversified portfolio ensures resilience and positions us to capture both, near-term and long-term growth opportunities. This approach demonstrates the Company’s readiness to navigate an increasingly complex business landscape.

Our endeavour has been, as always, to be agile and proactive in responding to an ever- changing environment and drive a technology-led profitable growth, for long-term stakeholder value creation.”

Business Highlights for FY 2025-26

Segment-wise Performance Highlights

The key parameters of the Group and Segment Performance for the quarter and year ended March 31, 2026, are shown in Annexure 1.

Segment composition is provided in Annexure 2.

Infrastructure Projects Segment

The Infrastructure Projects segment secured order inflow of ₹ 199,064 crore, during the year ended March 31, 2026, registering a growth of 15% on y-o-y basis. International orders constituted 59% of the total order inflow of the segment during the year aided by receipt of major orders in the Renewables, Power Transmission & Distribution and Heavy Civil Infrastructure businesses.

The segment secured orders of ₹ 43,477 crore, during the quarter ended March 31, 2026, registering growth of 26% over the corresponding quarter of the previous year. International orders constituted 67% of the total order inflow for the quarter.

As on March 31, 2026, the segment order book stood at ₹ 422,562 crore, with international orders contributing 48% to the total.

For the year ended March 31, 2026, the customer revenues at ₹ 133,910 crore registered a y-o-y growth of 3%. The subdued performance is largely attributable to execution challenges in domestic water jobs, impacted by project funding constraints. International revenues constituted 45% of the total customer revenues of the segment during the year.

The segment recorded customer revenues of ₹ 39,694 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, registering a y-o-y growth of 2%. International revenues constituted 44% of the total customer revenues of the segment during the quarter.

The EBITDA margin of the segment for the year ended March 31, 2026, was at 6.9% compared to 6.4% in the previous year. The improvement in margins was driven by execution cost- savings.

Energy Projects Segment

The Energy Projects segment secured orders valued at ₹ 136,921 crore during the year ended March 31, 2026, registering a strong growth of 56% on y-o-y basis aided by receipt of high- value orders in both the Hydrocarbon and CarbonLite Solutions businesses respectively. International order inflow constituted 60% of the total order inflow during the year.

The segment secured orders of ₹ 21,296 crore, during the quarter ended March 31, 2026, registering a y-o-y decline of 34%. The decline is largely due to high-base effect. International orders constituted 80% of the total order inflow for the quarter.

The segment order book stood at ₹ 258,472 crore as on March 31, 2026, with the international order book representing 67% of the total.

For the year ended March 31, 2026, the customer revenues stood at ₹ 54,865 crore registering a healthy growth of 35% y-o-y on improved execution in the Hydrocarbon business as well as the CarbonLite Solutions business. International revenues constituted 74% of the total customer revenues of the segment during the year.

For the quarter ended March 31, 2026, customer revenues stood at ₹ 16,594 crore, reflecting a y-o-y growth of 36%. International revenues constituted 74% of the segment’s total customer revenues for the quarter.

The segment recorded an EBITDA margin of 6.8% for the year ended March 31, 2026, compared to 8.5% in the previous year. The margin variation is primarily due to cost inflation in few legacy jobs in the Hydrocarbon business.

Hi-Tech Manufacturing Segment

The segment reported order inflows of ₹ 8,366 crore during the year ended March 31, 2026, registering a decline of 54% over the previous year, attributable to a high base effect in the Precision Engineering & Systems (PES) business. Export orders accounted for 32% of the total order inflow of the segment during the year.

The segment reported order inflows of ₹ 1,727 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, reflecting a 24% decline compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year largely due to the deferment of targeted orders. Export orders accounted for 25% of the total order inflow during the quarter.

As on March 31, 2026, the segment order book stood at ₹ 35,312 crore, with export orders contributing 13% to the total.

For the year ended March 31, 2026, the customer revenues were ₹ 14,109 crore registering a healthy growth of 46% y-o-y, driven by improved execution progress in both businesses. International revenues constituted 19% of the total customer revenues of the segment during the year.

For the quarter ended March 31, 2026, customer revenues were ₹ 4,861 crore, registering a y-o-y growth of 45%. International revenues constituted 15% of the segment’s total customer revenues during the quarter.

The segment recorded an EBITDA margin of 16.7% for the year ended March 31, 2026, compared to 17.3% reported in the previous year. The margin is reflective of the stage of execution and job mix in the portfolio.

IT & Technology Services (IT&TS) Segment

The segment recorded customer revenues of ₹ 53,497 crore for the year ended March 31, 2026, registering a y-o-y growth of 12%, largely reflecting continued customer engagement in the IT&TS sector across the various markets. International billing contributed 92% of the total customer revenues of the segment for the year ended March 31, 2026.

The segment reported customer revenues of ₹ 14,078 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, registering a y-o-y growth of 13%. International billing accounted for 92% of the total customer revenues during the quarter.

The segment delivered an EBITDA margin of 19.5% for the year ended March 31, 2026, in line with the previous year.

Financial Services Segment

The segment recorded income from operations at ₹ 17,283 crore during the year ended March 31, 2026, registering y-o-y growth of 14%, primarily driven by focused and higher disbursements in the retail business.

The segment reported income from operations at ₹ 4,669 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, registering a y-o-y growth of 22%.

The total Loan Book stood at ₹ 121,728 crore as on March 31, 2026, reflecting a 25% growth compared to March 2025 at ₹ 97,762 crore. The Retail Loan Book constitutes 98% of the total loan book as on March 31, 2026.

The segment recorded a Profit Before Tax (PBT) of ₹ 4,032 crore for the year ended March 31, 2026, compared to ₹ 3,491 crore in the previous year. This improvement was primarily driven by higher disbursements.

Development Projects Segment

The segment recorded customer revenues of ₹ 5,117 crore during the year ended March 31, 2026, registering decline of 5% on y-o-y basis. The reduction is attributable to a lower Plant Load Factor (PLF) at the Nabha Thermal Power Plant and the absence of revenue from the any transit-oriented development monetisation in the current year.

The segment reported customer revenues of ₹ 1,175 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, registering a y-o-y decline of 5%.

The segment recorded an EBIT of ₹ 539 crore for the year ended March 31, 2026, which was lower than the ₹ 716 crore reported in the previous year. The EBIT of the previous year included monetisation of commercial property by the Hyderabad Metro SPV.

“Others” Segment

“Others” segment comprises (a) Realty (b) Industrial Valves (c) Construction Equipment & Mining Machinery and (d) Rubber Processing Machinery.

Customer revenues of the segment during the year ended March 31, 2026 were ₹ 7,093 crore vis-à-vis ₹ 7,065 crore recorded in the previous year. Export sales constituted 15% of the total customer revenues of the segment during the year, largely attributable to exports of Industrial Valves.

The segment reported customer revenues of ₹ 1,690 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, registering a y-o-y decline of 29% on the back of lower handover of residential units in Realty business during the quarter ended March 31, 2026. Export sales constituted 21% of the total customer revenues of the segment during the quarter.

The EBITDA margin for the segment was higher at 31.3% for the year ended March 31, 2026, compared to 29.2% in the previous year, primarily aided by improved product mix.

Today, at ServiceNow’s annual customer and partner event, Knowledge 2026, ServiceNow , the AI control tower for business reinvention, expanded its AI Control Tower offering with new capabilities that give enterprises control over every AI system, agent, and workflow, regardless of where it runs.

AI Control Tower, first introduced at Knowledge 2025, has evolved from visibility and management into a comprehensive, end-to-end solution that lets customers act with confidence across five dimensions:

• Discover finds AI assets once deployed across the organization — including systems beyond ServiceNow — through 30 new enterprise integrations spanning Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, and enterprise applications such as SAP, Oracle, and Workday. Discovery also extends to non-human identities and connected devices, bringing OT and IoT assets into the same governance model as AI agents and cloud services.
• Observe provides continuous monitoring with live metrics and alerts, replacing periodic audits for ROI analysis. Through the recently completed acquisition of Traceloop, AI Control Tower now delivers deep observability into AI agent behavior at runtime, giving teams visibility into how agents reason, where they make decisions, and when to course-correct.
• Govern delivers AI-driven risk assessment across all types of AI, not only agents but also models, data sets, prompts, and classic machine-learning. Five new risk frameworks aligned to NIST and EU AI Act standards provide compliance controls out of the box.
• Secure extends identity access governance to hyperscaler AI environments and every connected device through integration with Veza, bringing patented access graph technology, scoped permissions, and least-privilege enforcement to every AI system, agent, and identity. When an agent goes off script or operates beyond its permissions, AI Control Tower can detect it and shut it down in real time — giving organizations the kill switch they need as agents take on more critical work.
• Measure provides cost tracking and ROI dashboards that give customers financial control as they scale AI — addressing runaway model spend — one of the most pressing challenges enterprises face as AI deployments grow.

This approach is powered by two decades of enterprise operational data accumulated through 100 billion workflows and 7 trillion workflow transactions annually, and anchored by the ServiceNow CMDB and Context Engine, which is designed to map digital assets to the services, people, and processes it supports. Enterprises can sense signals across their full digital estate, decide with live business context, act through autonomous workflows, and secure every agent action. Standalone governance tools simply cannot replicate this. In addition to its existing integrations with Anthropic and OpenAI, ServiceNow has also announced deepened AI Control Tower integrations with AWS, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and other LLM providers, extending governance and observability across the infrastructure enterprises rely on most. For example, the ServiceNow AI Control Tower now integrates with the NVIDIA Enterprise AI Factory validated design for agent observability, extending governance and risk controls to the infrastructure layer of large-scale AI deployments.

“Enterprises are under real pressure to deploy AI and show results, but there’s a major gap between adoption and accountability,” said Jon Sigler, executive vice president and general manager of AI Platform at ServiceNow. "ServiceNow AI Control Tower was built for this moment: delivering unified governance across the entire enterprise AI stack, so security and control move at the speed of the business."

Additionally, for all customer Model Context Protocol (MCP) transactions, a new AI Gateway provides real-time controls for agentic workloads, with governance, observability, and security for full visibility across any third-party AI system.

From AI investment to AI outcomes

For many enterprises, the bottleneck is deciding where to apply AI first, validating that it works, and reducing the effort to deploy. New AI agents and innovations from ServiceNow form a connected loop that helps accelerate time to value from day one:

• AI Agent Advisor analyzes each customer’s operational data, including incidents, cases, and conversations, to identify the automation opportunities that will have the greatest impact in their environment. It identifies patterns in real workflows and matches them against available agents or helps create new ones.

• AI-powered setup applies AI to the implementation process itself. Instead of time spent on manual configuration, AI agents can handle plugin installation, role provisioning, and system setup autonomously. For new customers, applications are ready to go the moment their instance is provisioned.
• AI-powered center brings all AI administration into one centralized hub for setup, configuration, optimization, and ongoing management. The Evaluation Suite lets organizations validate that deployed AI is performing as intended, both before and during production. More than 150 customers have already used it across approximately 1 million AI interactions.

AI in the natural flow of work

Too often, enterprise AI lives in a separate window, a chatbot sidebar, or a tool that requires users to leave what they’re doing to get the support they need. Users want to speak and ask questions in natural language and receive contextual answers while staying in their workflow. The ServiceNow AI Platform embeds intelligence directly into the surfaces, interactions, and modalities where work happens.

The ServiceNow AI Platform delivers these capabilities across modalities, including voice, vision, and natural language, so employees experience AI as a seamless part of how they already work:

• Device cameras populate forms and trigger actions from real-world context
• Users get real-time, step-by-step help using voice and natural language across the platform with Dynamic Guidance.
• Complex screens are transformed into clear summaries, improving accessibility and boosting productivity with Screen Summarization.
• Employees can consume policy updates, runbooks, and training content on the go with SmartDocs and read policies in plain language, evaluate incoming requests in real time, and handle routine decisions instantly with Intelligent Approvals.
• Key partnerships for voice AI give organizations the flexibility to use AI-powered voice with their existing contact center infrastructure including Amazon Connect, NiCE, Five9, 3CLogic, and Twilio.

What customers say about the ServiceNow AI Platform

Rolls-Royce

"For more than a century, Rolls‑Royce has engineered the extraordinary, and now we're applying that same standard to how we work. ServiceNow AI has transformed our digital self‑service, delivering critical information directly into workflows. Adoption has nearly tripled, with 38,000 tickets deflected in a year and resolution times reduced by 34%," said Rachel Cameron, VP of performance & improvement at Rolls Royce. "We're now scaling that success across Global Business Services, introducing autonomous actions across IT, HR, and Finance to reduce manual effort and drive measurable outcomes. ServiceNow is a critical enabler of our journey toward self‑reliant service management, responsibly and at scale."

HDFC Bank

“As India’s largest private sector bank, we operate at a scale where AI governance isn’t optional, it’s foundational,” said Ramesh Lakshminarayanan, group CIO at HDFC Bank. “We run ServiceNow AI across IT and risk, and AI Control Tower is the common governance layer across all of it, giving us the visibility to manage every AI use case and the confidence to scale."

Rossmann

“Retail is all about efficiency, is all about speed. Being able to use voice is an absolute game-changer — because every second matters in a store,” said Christian Metzner, managing director HR and IT at Rossmann. “With AI Voice Agents, Rossmann's store associates will be able to resolve issues hands-free, in their native language — keeping their focus where it belongs: on the customer."

National Hockey League

"At the NHL, working smarter has always been the goal so we can stay focused on delivering extraordinary fan experiences,” said John Frantzeskakis, SVP of technology, operations and digital transformation at the National Hockey League. “The ServiceNow AI Platform gives us the AI control tower we need to scale AI with confidence, transforming fragmented operations across 32 clubs and 1,300-plus games a season into connected, intelligent workflows. We’re already seeing real productivity gains, and we’ve only scratched the surface of what AI can do for us.”

Academy Sports

"ServiceNow is a strategic differentiator, our platform of intelligence. As we begin this journey, IT is the engine, but we are architecting a digital twin of our operating footprint where AI connects our assets to our people,” said Amyn Gillani, VP core technology and AI transformation at Academy Sports. “This expands the value radius far beyond the tech stack, rippling into HR, Security, Supply Chain and more; ultimately revolutionizing Retail Operations by empowering our associates and providing a superior customer experience.”

Muthoot Finance Ltd., India’s largest gold loan NBFC, marks a significant milestone as it completes 15 years since its listing on the Indian stock exchanges. The occasion reflects the company’s remarkable journey from its origins in Kerala as a family-owned business to becoming a globally recognised financial services institution and a trusted Indian household name.

Since its listing in 2011, Muthoot Finance has demonstrated consistent growth, operational resilience, and strong financial performance. The company’s market capitalization has grown from approximately ₹60 billion in 2011 to recently crossing ₹1.5 trillion, representing an increase of over 25 times. This extraordinary achievement is a direct result of public confidence, as reflected by the company's recognition as India’s No. 1 most trusted financial services brand for 10 consecutive years as per the TRA Brand Trust Report. Over the past five years alone, the company’s stock price has more than doubled, underscoring continued investor confidence and sustained growth momentum.

During this period, Muthoot Finance has significantly expanded its operational scale. The company has played a critical role in unlocking the value of idle household gold and channelising it into productive economic use, serving over 2.5 lakh customers every single day across India. At a consolidated level, the Group’s branch network has expanded to 7,500+ branches, with nearly 70% located in semi-urban and rural areas, reinforcing its commitment to financial inclusion. This deep reach is backed by strong consolidated financial milestones, with consolidated loan Assets Under Management reaching an all-time high of ₹1.6 Lakhs crore as on December 31, 2025. Gold loan operations are secured by a state-of-the-art 7-layer safety and security infrastructure, which has resulted in zero successful burglary attempts in the past six years.

Commenting on the milestone, George Jacob Muthoot, Chairman, Muthoot Finance Ltd., said, “Our journey has been guided by the core values of trust, integrity, and customer-centricity. This milestone is not just about numbers, but about the impact we have created, enabling access to credit, empowering households, and upholding the highest standards of trust and governance. As we move forward, we will continue to build on this strong foundation with a sustained focus on customer service, innovation, and integrity.”

George Alexander Muthoot, Managing Director, Muthoot Finance Ltd., added, “Crossing a ₹1.5 trillion market cap is more than a financial achievement; it is a measurable validation of the trust Indian households and investors have placed in us for over 15 years. We pioneered the organized gold loan industry, and our deep understanding of the financial needs of households remains our anchor. We are committed to build on this legacy by accelerating growth and creating long-term value for all our stakeholders.”

Muthoot Finance's institutional strength is reinforced by its pedigree. The company has over three lakh shareholders and has been consistently paying dividends every year since 2012. We are classified as an Upper Layer NBFC by RBI, a constituent of the NIFTY Next 50 index of NSE, and proudly the first listed company from Kerala to cross the ₹1 lakh crore market cap. Furthermore, the company has been certified as a “Great Place to Work” for five consecutive years. 

Building on this strong foundation, the Muthoot Group is evolving into a diversified financial services conglomerate, expanding its presence across multiple lending and financial service segments. This strategic diversification reflects the Group’s vision to create a comprehensive financial ecosystem that caters to the evolving needs of customers while ensuring long-term, sustainable growth. This commitment to sustainability includes extensive initiatives in CSR and ISR with over ₹500 crore spent since 2014, impacting over 5 million lives across India. Muthoot Finance’s growth has been anchored in its customer-centric approach, and ability to adapt to evolving market dynamics, enabling it to remain resilient across economic cycles. As the company enters its next phase of growth, it will continue to focus on expanding access to credit, leveraging technology, and reinforcing its leadership in the gold loan segment.

Zebra Technologies Corporation, a global leader in digitizing and automating workflows to deliver intelligent operations, today reaffirmed its commitment to advancing frontline innovation by scaling its channel strategy to focus on Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) – often categorized locally as Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) - within India's manufacturing and retail sectors.

Announced at the India Partner Summit in Goa, this strategic expansion coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Zebra™ PartnerConnect program. For a decade, PartnerConnect has unified more than 10,000 global partners under a proven model for growth and profitability. Zebra is now leveraging this global legacy to introduce market-specific initiatives and product innovations designed to empower India’s partners to scale and capture emerging opportunities within the MSME segment.

India is home to more than 70 million MSMEs, contributing approximately 31% to the national GDP and nearly 49% of exports. However, with 97% of these registered businesses classified as micro-enterprises, many are just beginning their digital modernization journeys. This presents a significant opportunity for India’s MSMEs to “leapfrog” traditional development stages. By investing in the right foundational technologies today, these businesses can transition directly from manual operations to AI-enabled, connected workflows – ensuring they have the agile, scalable infrastructure required to expand into the mid-market seamlessly as market demands grow.

“India’s MSME sector is a powerful growth engine, yet many enterprises remain fragmented and lack access to scalable technology,” said Subramaniam Thiruppathi, Country Lead, India and Subcontinent, Zebra Technologies. “To remain competitive and expand their footprint, businesses must adopt purpose-built, future-proof tech solutions that can grow alongside them. As we celebrate 10 years of our PartnerConnect program, we are doubling down on our partner-led approach in India. By providing plug-and-play solutions that build a connected frontline, deliver real-time visibility, and drive intelligent automation, we are helping MSMEs evolve into truly connected, intelligent enterprises capable of scaling upwards efficiently whenever the need arises.”

The expanded strategy allows India's partners to leverage Zebra’s Mid-Market program within the PartnerConnect program. This provides resellers with the specific resources needed to solve the complex needs of customers in the manufacturing and retail verticals, giving those customers the technological runway to expand without operational bottlenecks.

Together with its partners, Zebra is building a future-ready ecosystem in India - one that enables Zebra and its partners to better serve our shared customers with solutions that digitize, automate and embed intelligence into frontline operations everywhere.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• Zebra marks a decade of its PartnerConnect program by scaling its India partner ecosystem to specifically reach the high-growth manufacturing and retail MSME sectors.
• With most Indian MSMEs currently operating at a micro-scale, Zebra’s strategy emphasizes the adoption of scalable technologies, enabling businesses to skip manual stages and build a resilient foundation for future capacity and mid-market expansion.
• Through new market-specific initiatives and PartnerConnect’s proven model, Zebra is equipping India’s partners to deliver scalable, plug-and-play solutions that establish a connected frontline, improve asset visibility, and utilize intelligent automation to drive profitability and long-term business growth.