News Digest
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Global Capital Is Doubling Down On NCR's Commercial Assets; What's Fuelling The Rush?
Net office absorption in NCR jumped 61% year-on-year in 2024, the sharpest increase among major cities, to touch 9.5 million sq. ft.
Bitcoin retreats to $87K from October highs as gold, silver and stock markets rally
Bitcoin slipped near $87,000 as crypto retreated from October highs, while gold, silver and equities rose. Analysts cite year-end thin liquidity, geopolitical risks and macro uncertainty, with Bitcoin consolidating above key averages and awaiting clearer directional cues from global markets.
Is silver’s 150% rally fueled by fear, or is a real supply squeeze underway?
Silver prices surged over 150% in 2025 as supply deficits, falling inventories and strong industrial demand tightened the physical market, pushing prices above $75 and decoupling paper contracts from actual availability, with China export risks adding further pressure globally ahead.
Vijay Kedia’s Portfolio in CY25: Most stocks slide, 6 drop up to 68% — Are you impacted?
As per the latest available data for the September 2025 quarter, Kedia holds publicly disclosed stakes in around 16 companies, with a combined value of about Rs 1,170 crore as of December 26, 2025, down nearly 38% from Rs 1,896 crore in December 2024.
'Rs 763 for 28 deliveries in 15 hours': Why Raghav Chadha invited a Blinkit delivery boy to his home
A Blinkit delivery boy from Uttarakhand, who went viral after sharing details of his daily earnings on Instagram, was invited for lunch by Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha, days after the AAP's politician raised concerns over gig workers’ pay and working conditions in Parliament. In a widely shared Instagram reel , the delivery worker who goes by the name "ThapliyalJiVlogs", said he earned Rs 763 after completing 28 deliveries over nearly 15 hours. Screenshots posted from the Blinkit app showed that his final delivery paid Rs 15.83, translating to average earnings of about Rs 52 an hour. The video triggered a broader online debate on compensation, working hours and income stability for gig economy workers. Following the viral clip, Chadha invited Thapliyal to his residence, where the delivery partner spoke about the challenges faced by platform workers. He described long and unpredictable work hours, fluctuating daily earnings, pressure from algorithm-driven targets and the absence ...
Zepto to soon hit Dalal Street, files confidential draft papers for over $1.3 billion IPO: Report
Aadit Palicha-led quick commerce major Zepto has reportedly pre-filed draft papers with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) for an IPO of about $1.3 billion, or roughly Rs 11,600 crore, according to the Economic Times report. The company is looking to raise around Rs 11,000 crore through a fresh issue of shares, with the remaining portion expected to come from an offer for sale by early investors. The four-year-old startup received shareholder approval for the proposed IPO at an extraordinary general meeting held on December 23. Morgan Stanley, Axis Capital, HSBC, Goldman Sachs, JM Financial, IIFL Securities and Motilal Oswal are the bankers to the issue, the report noted. Zepto is expected to go public in the July-September quarter of 2026, which would make it the youngest VC-funded new-age startup in India to tap public markets. The company has opted for SEBI's confidential filing route, a mechanism earlier used by companies such as Swiggy, Meesho and Groww. This all...
The startup cities to watch in 2025: Bengaluru continues to lead, Mumbai and Gurugram rise
Bengaluru continues to anchor India’s startup ecosystem in 2025, even as other cities steadily gain ground, according to the third edition of the ‘India’s Top 200 Self-Made Entrepreneurs of the Millennia’ list released by IDFC FIRST Private Banking and Hurun India. The city remains the leading hub both in terms of founder residences and company headquarters. A total of 88 founders on the list are based in Bengaluru , while 52 companies are headquartered there. This, however, represents a decline of 14 companies from last year, pointing to a gradual diffusion of entrepreneurial activity across the country. Mumbai follows closely, with 83 founders residing in the city and 41 companies headquartered there, up by five from the previous year. Gurugram ranks third, with 36 companies and 32 founders, also recording a net increase of five companies. New Delhi features prominently as a residence city, accounting for 52 founders, while it hosts about 10 companies on the list. Prominent Bengal...
Building an AI Economy That Includes Everyone
“What we’re seeing is that accessibility-driven design often solves a broader problem. It’s not charity. It’s engineering.” The post Building an AI Economy That Includes Everyone appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.
Why 2026 is the year SMEs need to rethink working capital
As India’s small businesses enter the final quarter of the financial year, liquidity planning and access to timely working capital are critical for stability and growth. As 2026 approaches, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across India are gearing up for the final quarter of the financi
Mangaluru emerges as India’s next cost-efficient data centre hub, study finds
Mangaluru, known for its strategic coastal location, port connectivity, power infrastructure and a growing technology ecosystem, is emerging as a potential destination for large-scale digital infrastructure in India, according to the Mangaluru Data Centre Feasibility Study 2025. The study was conducted by the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), in collaboration with the Silicon Beach Program and Deloitte India. It examines Mangaluru’s role in supporting India’s expanding digital backbone for cloud computing, AI and mission-critical workloads, at a time when the country’s total data centre capacity is projected to reach 10-12 GW by 2030. The report positions Mangaluru as a strategic “spoke” within a Bengaluru-led hub-and-spoke architecture, enabling decentralised compute, low-latency services, and stronger disaster recovery and business continuity capabilities. According to the study, land leasing rates in Mangaluru average around Rs 7.69 per sq ft per month, offering a four to...
Amit Jain-led CarDekho Group invests $10 million in CollegeDekho
CarDekho Group has invested $10 million in Gurugram-based edtech platform CollegeDekho , marking a follow-on infusion and doubling down on its earlier bet on the company. Founded in 2015 by Ruchir Arora, Saurabh Jain, and Rohit Saha, CollegeDekho operates an online platform that helps students discover colleges and courses, prepare for entrance tests, and navigate admissions in India and overseas. The platform has partnerships with more than 2,000 universities and colleges. It also runs CollegeDekho Assured, a programme that enables students to pursue industry-aligned degree courses with partner universities across India. The fresh capital will be used to expand CollegeDekho’s presence in tier-II and tier-III cities, deepen engagement with educational institutions, and broaden its offerings. The company said it has become profitable. Last year, CollegeDekho claimed it recorded nearly 170 million sessions and guided more than 4 million students through admissions. “As we progress, af...
Thailand overtakes UAE as top New Year international destination for Indian travellers: MakeMyTrip
Thailand has emerged as the most booked international destination for Indian travellers during the year-end and New Year holiday period, overtaking the United Arab Emirates, according to booking data released by MakeMyTrip. Citing user bookings for travel between December 20, 2025 and January 5, 2026, the NASDAQ-listed online travel agency said the data points to sustained outbound demand, led largely by short-haul international destinations and higher spending on accommodation. Southeast Asian markets with easier visa or visa-free access continued to see strong traction. Vietnam recorded the sharpest rise in rankings, climbing to fourth position this year from seventh during the same period in 2024. Other destinations featuring in the top 10 included Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States and Hong Kong. In comparison, last year’s list was led by the UAE, followed by Thailand and Sri Lanka, with Australia also featuring among the top destina...
Coforge to acquire US-based AI firm Encora in $2.35-billion, share-swap deal
The Coforge-Encora deal is a “defining moment” that establishes a “scaled AI-led engineering capability moat” for the Noida-based firm, CEO Sudhir Singh says.
Indian Army Revises Social Media Policy, Allows Passive Use Of X, Instagram, YouTube
The Army has updated its social media use policy, allowing personnels to browse Instagram, YouTube, Quora, X to gain information but bars any kind of active participation like sharing, liking, commenting The post Indian Army Revises Social Media Policy, Allows Passive Use Of X, Instagram, YouTube appeared first on MEDIANAMA.
DGCA’s inquiry committee probing IndiGo meltdown submits report
ByteDance plans bigger performance bonuses to retain top talent in 2026
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is preparing to significantly enhance its performance-linked compensation framework, with plans to offer bonus payouts of up to 50 per cent of annual salary to its top-performing employees in 2026. The move signals a sharper focus on rewarding individual impact as competition for skilled talent intensifies across the global [...] The post ByteDance plans bigger performance bonuses to retain top talent in 2026 appeared first on HR Katha .
Zepto total sales jump 129% to Rs 9,669 crore in FY25, losses widen ahead of IPO launch
Aadit Palicha-led Zepto has reported a sharp expansion in scale in FY25, alongside a steep rise in losses, as the company continued to invest heavily in capacity, store expansion and customer acquisition amid intensifying competition in India’s quick commerce market. According to the company’s audited financial statements, Zepto’s total sales, including other income, rose to Rs 9,668.8 crore in FY25, up 129% from Rs 4,223.9 crore in FY24. Net loss widened to Rs 3,367.3 crore during the year, compared with Rs 1,214.7 crore in the previous fiscal. The financial performance comes against the backdrop of sustained competitive intensity in quick commerce, which has extended beyond FY25 into the early part of FY26. As Zepto prepares for the public markets, the company is set to confidentially file DRHP this week. Ahead of the filing, shareholders approved the appointment of founders Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra, along with CFO Ramesh Bafna, as whole-time directors at an extraordinary ...
Titan launches lab-grown diamond jewellery brand beYon; to open first exclusive store in Mumbai
India’s largest jewellery retailer, Titan Company, is set to enter the fast-growing but still niche lab-grown diamond (LGD) jewellery segment, marking a shift from its long-held focus on natural diamonds. The Tata Group company will launch a new brand, beYon – from the House of Titan, with its first exclusive retail store opening in Mumbai on December 29. In an exchange filing on Friday, Titan said beYon will offer a curated range of lab-grown diamond jewellery, positioning the brand as part of its broader strategy to cater to the evolving adornment needs of women beyond its established categories such as watches, perfumes, sarees and handbags. The company plans to add a couple of more stores in Mumbai and Delhi in the near term. Titan’s entry makes it the second Tata Group company to venture into the LGD space, after Trent launched its lab-grown diamond brand, Pome, last year. Lab-grown diamonds account for a small but growing share of India’s Rs 53,512 crore diamond market. The LG...
Sharjah places Imams and Muezzins under government staff system
Sharjah has announced a significant policy shift affecting religious staff across the emirate. All imams and muezzins serving in mosques will now be brought under the Sharjah government’s general staff system, granting them the same employment benefits as other government employees. The directive, issued by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme [...] The post Sharjah places Imams and Muezzins under government staff system appeared first on HR Katha .
Aadhaar-based audit uncovers thousands of ghost employees on government payrolls
A recent government audit using Aadhaar-linked data has revealed significant irregularities in public-sector payrolls, with nearly 7,000 individuals found to be drawing salaries without performing any official duties. The findings point to long-standing weaknesses in employee verification and salary monitoring across multiple departments. The audit was carried out as part of a broader effort to [...] The post Aadhaar-based audit uncovers thousands of ghost employees on government payrolls appeared first on HR Katha .
Employee’s health scare sparks debate on deadline culture at work
A recent social-media post describing a medical emergency at work has reignited conversations around employee well-being and the lack of empathy in high-pressure corporate environments. The user recounted experiencing severe breathing difficulty just minutes before the end of the workday, only to be met with reminders about deadlines instead of concern for their health. According [...] The post Employee’s health scare sparks debate on deadline culture at work appeared first on HR Katha .