Business

Mumbai, February 14 – Rising geopolitical tensions involving the United States, China, and Russia are prompting Europe and Canada to accelerate their economic and strategic engagement with India, positioning the country as "a viable third pole," according to a new report.The report from National Interest argued, "With the United States, China, and Russia creating a hostile world, Brussels and Canada have no choice but to deepen ties with India.""India offers scale without the geopolitical and normative baggage associated with China. It is not a substitute for the US security umbrella, nor a replica of China's manufacturing ecosystem, but it represents a viable third pole in an increasingly fragmented global economy," the report...

New Delhi, February 14 – Pakistan's fragile economy has received temporary relief after the United Arab Emirates extended $2 billion in maturing loans for one month at an interest rate of 6.5 per cent.The extension covers two separate $1 billion loans that matured in mid-January 2026. However, the short tenure of just one month highlights the ongoing financial stress faced by Islamabad, as it negotiates for a longer rollover period of up to two years at a lower rate.The move underscores Pakistan's heavy reliance on friendly countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and China to avoid default.In the current fiscal year 2025–26, Pakistan faces external debt repayments of around $23-26 billion.Despite some progress in achieving...

Mumbai, February 14. Generative AI is not causing widespread job displacement in India's IT sector, but is restructuring work, increasing productivity, and shifting demand towards hybrid skill sets, according to a report released on Saturday.The report from the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and OpenAI found modest moderation in hiring at entry-level positions, while mid-level and senior-level hiring remained stable, and noted productivity gains from AI outnumbering declines by a ratio of 3.5 to 1 across affected business divisions."Companies report a modest moderation in hiring, primarily concentrated at the entry level, alongside stability at mid and senior levels. Researchers note that...

Mumbai, February 14 – The European Union should move quickly to provisionally apply the EU–Mercosur Interim Trade Agreement and expedite the provisional application of the EU–India free trade agreement in response to urgent geopolitical pressures, including from the United States, a new report has said."The agreements with Mercosur and India would create the world's two largest free trade zones and send a strong message of enhanced cooperation between democracies in this age of great power rivalry and spheres of influence," the report from EU lawlive said.It reminded that the United States was threatening its European allies with tariffs and military force."Advancing these agreements is exactly the spirit Prime Minister Mark...

New Delhi, February 14 – The Union Cabinet has approved projects worth ₹1,60,504 crore in its final meeting at the South Block, before passing a resolution to shift its operations to the Seva Teerth complex, Union Minister for Railways and Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said on Saturday.Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the new complex, named ‘Seva Teerth’, on Friday, which houses the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), and the Cabinet Secretariat.In its final session at the South Block, the Cabinet cleared major decisions related to railways, national highways, metro expansion, urban reforms, and startup funding.This marks a significant shift in the approach to urban...

New Delhi, February 14 – Skyways Air Services Ltd, a Delhi-based air freight forwarding and logistics company that is preparing for an IPO, is facing an FIR (First Information Report) filed by PG Paper Company Limited, a UK-based company, with the Delhi wing of the Economic Offences Wing (EOW). The alleged "large-scale fraud" involves nine firms/persons, including Skyways Air Services Ltd, and amounts to approximately Rs 480 crore.According to the FIR filed with the EOW in Delhi, PG Paper Company Limited, through its directors and key managerial personnel, accused Skyways Air Services Ltd and others of offences under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), The Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), and The Foreign Exchange...

Noida, February 14, 2026 (IST) – Dixon Technologies (India) Limited (BSE: 540699 | NSE: DIXON) has entered into a Joint Venture Agreement with Longcheer Intelligence Pte. Ltd. and its wholly owned subsidiary Dixtel Infocom Private Limited to strengthen its position in high-growth electronics manufacturing segments. The agreement, executed on February 14, 2026, formalizes the operational and management framework of the joint venture company. Upon closing, Dixon will hold a 74% stake, while Longcheer will own the remaining 26% on a fully diluted basis. JV Structure and ShareholdingParticularsDetailsJV CompanyDixtel Infocom Private LimitedEquity HoldingDixon – 74%Longcheer – 26%BasisFully diluted share capital...

Mumbai, February 14 – The Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) Research and Development institution, the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), has signed an agreement with Synergy Quantum India Private Limited to jointly develop an automated tool that will detect, classify, and report "quantum-vulnerable cryptographic algorithms in target devices," the government said on Saturday.The agreement aims to create an automated tool to scan devices, identify their cryptographic algorithms and security mechanisms. The tool will flag security vulnerabilities, distinguish quantum-safe from quantum-vulnerable algorithms, according to an official statement."Finally, it will generate a detailed report highlighting quantum-vulnerable...

Mumbai, February 14 – The tax holiday for foreign cloud service providers aims to “provide investment certainty, anchor high-value digital infrastructure within the country, and strengthen India’s role in global digital value chains,” the government said on Saturday.The government has announced a tax holiday until 2047 in the 2026-27 budget for eligible foreign cloud service providers operating through India-based data center infrastructure. The income of such companies will be exempt from Indian taxation from the 2026–27 tax year until 2046–47, subject to certain conditions.“The proposed tax framework extending to 2047 provides long-term policy visibility for such capital-intensive investments. The tax holiday for foreign cloud...

New Delhi, February 14 – The US Department of Defense has decided to add several major Chinese companies, including Alibaba and BYD, to a list of firms it believes have links to China's military, according to a report.The move comes just weeks before US President Donald Trump is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, raising the possibility of fresh tensions between the two countries, according to the Financial Times report.The Pentagon submitted its updated "Chinese Military Companies" list, also known as the 1260H list, to the Federal Register on Friday.However, the document was suddenly removed from the Pentagon's website without explanation, according to the report.A defence official later said the revised...

New Delhi, February 14 – In an effort to improve road connectivity in Gujarat, the government approved on Saturday the upgrade of two sections of National Highway-56 to a 4-lane configuration in Gujarat, with an outlay of ₹4,583.64 crore.This involves the construction of 4-lane sections of the Dhamasiya–Bitada/Movi (47.46 km) and Nasarpore–Malotha (60.21 km) sections within the state, for a total project length of 107.67 km, according to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The project is part of NH-56, which begins in Nimbahera in the state of Rajasthan, traverses through the Dahod District in Gujarat, the Alirajpur District in the state of Madhya Pradesh, and then re-enters...

New Delhi, February 14 – Marking a significant shift in the approach to urban development, the government on Saturday approved the launch of the Urban Challenge Fund (UCF) with a central assistance of Rs 1 lakh crore.The central assistance will cover 25 per cent of the project cost, subject to raising a minimum of 50 per cent of the project cost from the market.This will lead to a total investment of Rs 4 lakh crore in the urban sector over the next five years, marking a shift from grant-based financing to market-linked, reform-driven, and outcome-oriented infrastructure creation, according to the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The Fund will be operational from FY 2025–26 to FY 2030–31, with a possible...

New Delhi, February 14, 2026 (IST) – GMR Airports Limited (BSE: 532754 | NSE: GMRAIRPORT) reported its highest-ever monthly passenger traffic, serving 11.13 million passengers in January 2026, marking a 3.9 percent year-on-year growth, according to the company’s monthly traffic update for January 2026 . The airport operator also crossed the 100 million passenger milestone in the current financial year (YTD FY26), setting a new record for cumulative traffic handled across its network. January 2026 Traffic Snapshot GMR Airports maintained strong traffic momentum across its key hubs, with both domestic and international segments showing resilience. Passenger Traffic – January 2026AirportTrafficYoY ChangeDelhi7,228,717▲ 4.7%...

New Delhi, February 14 – In a significant development, the Centre has approved three multi-tracking projects, covering 12 districts across Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, with a total cost of ₹18,509 crore.This will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by approximately 389 km. The projects are planned according to the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan, with a focus on enhancing multi-modal connectivity and logistic efficiency through integrated planning and consultations with stakeholders.These projects will also provide seamless connectivity for the movement of people, goods, and services. The proposed multi-tracking project will enhance connectivity to nearly 3,902 villages, with a combined population of...

New Delhi, February 14 – In a major push to India’s rapidly growing startup ecosystem, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the establishment of the Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0, with a total corpus of ₹10,000 crore.The new fund aims to mobilize long-term domestic capital and provide stronger financial support to startups across the country.The scheme is designed to accelerate the next phase of India’s startup journey by strengthening the venture capital ecosystem and supporting innovation-driven entrepreneurship.The government said the fund will help channel more patient and risk capital into emerging and high-potential sectors.Startup India FoF 2.0 builds on the success of the earlier...

New Delhi, February 14 – The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the rehabilitation and upgrade of the Ghoti–Trimbak (Mokhada)–Jawhar–Manor–Palghar section of NH-160A in Maharashtra, which has a total length of 154.635 km, with an outlay of ₹3,320.38 crore.The project is estimated to generate approximately 19.98 lakh person-days of direct employment and 24.86 lakh person-days of indirect employment, in addition to stimulating economic activity along the corridor.The region west of Nashik, particularly around Ambad and Satpur, is home to a dense cluster of industrial units developed by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation.This generates significant freight...

New Delhi, February 14 – Artificial intelligence (AI) is unlikely to replace IT services companies anytime soon, according to a new report by JP Morgan's Asia Pacific Equity Research team.Instead of shrinking the industry, AI is expected to become another tool that helps companies deliver more work within the same budgets.In a note titled “India IT Services: Looking through the AI fog 2 – Discounted for extinction? Div/FCF yields at crisis levels,” JP Morgan said fears that AI could wipe out Indian IT firms may be exaggerated.The report argues that AI will create new areas of work rather than reduce opportunities for IT vendors.The brokerage compared AI with earlier technology shifts such as offshore labour, enterprise software...

Washington, February 14 – The administration of US President Donald Trump has unveiled an action plan to rebuild America's shipbuilding industry, pledging to continue "historic" cooperation with South Korea and Japan, and proposing a strategy that would allow the first ships in a contract to be built in a shipyard in an allied foreign country.The White House released "America's Maritime Action Plan," as Seoul and Washington are pushing to strengthen cooperation under the former's "Make American Shipbuilding Great Again (MASGA)" proposal as part of a bilateral trade and investment agreement, reports Yonhap news agency.In April, Trump signed an executive order, titled "Restoring America's Maritime Dominance," which calls for the...

Washington, February 14 – Calling the upcoming India AI Impact Summit a “key event,” Dell Technologies senior executive Vivek Mohindra said the gathering marks a pivotal moment for India and the broader Global South as artificial intelligence reshapes economies and governance.“This is the first global AI summit to be held in the Global South,” Mohindra told IAND in an exclusive interview.He added that India, with its “ambitious goals,” is convening global leaders “at a crucial time” to outline not only its own vision but “the role that all of us can play in helping India achieve its goals.”Mohindra serves as Special Advisor to the Vice Chair and COO at Dell Technologies and has previously held roles, including Chief Strategy...

New Delhi, February 14 – While India has strong artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, the key challenge remains scaling, coordination, and interoperability, according to experts.Professor V Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, emphasized that AI should enhance inclusion, preserve linguistic diversity, and strengthen all learners without creating divisions.He was speaking at the ‘Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave 2026’ here, which brought together an unprecedented gathering of India's education and technology ecosystem.The conclave reaffirmed a collective commitment to the responsible transformation of India's education ecosystem through AI.Three key conclusions emerged from the conclave: India already has strong AI-in-education...