KKR-backed HR platform Darwinbox is fielding buyout interest from investors Salesforce and Microsoft, plus payroll rival ADP, even as it weighs an IPO in the next couple of years. Sources peg a potential valuation at $1.8-2 billion, roughly double its last round. Darwinbox denies stake-sale talks and says the listing stays on track.
Vijay Shekhar Sharma's Netherlands-based Resilient is offering up to 31.9 million Paytm shares, worth ₹4,895 crore, in a block trade, with an upsize option taking the sale to roughly 5% of One 97 Communications. It follows Elevation Capital's $200 million exit and the board scrapping a bonus share issue.
Jio is keeping its ₹299 entry plan and selling a ₹300 Prime membership that locks in current tariffs for a year, while Airtel just retired its ₹299 pack to push users to ₹349. The divergence threatens Airtel's upgrade strategy and puts Vodafone Idea's pricing in the spotlight. Real impact won't be clear for a quarter.
India Inc. posted 18% YoY profit growth in Q1FY27, the best in 10 quarters and well above Motilal Oswal's 10% estimate, with ONGC, Reliance, Hindalco, JSW Steel and Bharti Airtel driving 60% of the gains. Yet Nifty fell for a fifth straight session to 24,287.65 on crude spikes, geopolitics and a weak rupee, closing below its 20-day moving average.
Diageo will reformulate Indian whiskies and rums after FSSAI flagged added-flavour violations, hitting Antiquity Blue, Royal Challenge and McDowell's No.1 Celebration XXX Rum. The company says it has aligned products with the regulator's revised guidelines, signalling reformulation ripples across India's mass-premium spirits market.
India's installed clean energy capacity now hits 331.7 GW versus 302.0 GW for fossil fuels, the first time non-fossil sources hold a majority share, per Ember and Global Energy Monitor data. Solar alone stands at 211 GW, nearly matching coal's 254.4 GW. Coal still generates ~70% of power, but the capacity mix shows where the grid is heading.
India's unemployment rate fell to a four-month low of 5.1% in July, per fresh PLFS data, with rural joblessness down to 4.5%. The labour force participation rate rose to 55.4% and youth joblessness improved to 15.6%, though urban unemployment ticked up to 6.7%.
India's July CPI hit 4.45%, topping the RBI's 4% midpoint for a second straight month as food and fuel prices firmed. Food inflation rose to 5.52% while core stayed near 4%, and analysts see headline at 4.5-4.7% in Q2 FY27, keeping the rate-cut debate alive.
India's wholesale inflation slipped to 9.78% in July from 9.87%, but the relief was narrow: fuel and power eased to 20% while primary articles (8.52%) and manufactured goods (8.29%) accelerated, with non-food articles up 17.66%. Economists see WPI averaging near 8.5% through FY27.
Iran threatens a 'timely and precise' military strike to break the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, declaring its posture 'fully offensive.' The warning landed as Monday's deadline for a final US-Iran deal under the June 17 memorandum passed with tanker traffic still stalled. Trump countered that Tehran should put up 'the white flag of surrender.'
Europe's ECMWF says India has likely already seen the best of this monsoon, with El Nino expected to widen the all-India rainfall deficit, now 13%, through September. East and North-East India are worst hit at a 27% shortfall, and Skymet puts drought odds at 70%. Kharif sowing, however, has nearly caught up.
India's August soyoil imports are set to hit a record 620,000 metric tons, ~46% above the marketing year's monthly average, as Russia-Ukraine attacks disrupt Black Sea sunflower shipments and soyoil's premium over palm narrows to ~$50. Refiners are locking in volumes through December ahead of festive demand, shifting southern buyers off sunflower.
You’re caught up.
That was all 12 stories in the 18 August issue.