Govt to sell entire 26.12% stake in Tata Communications
The Indian government will sell its entire 26.12% shareholding in Tata Communications Limited (TCL). It will sell up to 4.59 crore equity shares (forming 16.12% shareholding) of TCL through an offer for sale (OFS) via stock exchanges. The remaining 10% stake will be sold to Tata Son’s investment arm Panatone Finvest Ltd. Tata Sons currently owns 14.1% of TCL, while Panatone Finvest has a 34.8% stake in the company.
Read more here.
SpiceJet introduces 66 new flights in domestic network
SpiceJet Limited has announced 66 new domestic flights to meet the increasing demand for air travel from smaller cities. This includes five additional non-stop flights from Pune to Darbhanga, Durgapur, Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Varanasi. Kolkata–Darbhanga, Chennai–Jharsuguda, and Nashik-Kolkata flights are among others that will be launched on March 28, 2021. The airline will press its Boeing 737 and Bombardier Q400 aircraft into service on these new routes.
Read more here.
Dilip Buildcon gets provisional completion certificate for road project in Maharashtra
Dilip Buildcon Limited has received a provisional completion certificate from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for a road project in Maharashtra. The project involved four/six-laning of the Karodi-Telwadi section of NH 211 in Maharashtra under NHDP Phase IV-B on an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) mode. The company is entitled to receive a bonus of Rs 5.08 crore for completing the project 30 days before the scheduled completion date.
Read more here.
Finance Ministry to infuse Rs 14,500 crore in banks under PCA soon: Report
As per reports from multiple sources, the Finance Ministry is likely to infuse Rs 14,500 crore into banks that are under RBI’s Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework in the next few days. This will help improve the financial health of stressed public sector banks (PSBs) in the country. Indian Overseas Bank, Central Bank of India, and UCO Bank are currently under the PCA framework. Earlier this week, IDBI Bank was removed from this framework.
Read more here.
Indian Railway’s freight loading for FY21 surpasses that of last financial year
Indian Railways has surpassed freight loading figures of the previous financial year (FY 2019-20) despite challenges faced due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As per government data, Railways achieved a cumulative freight loading of 1145.68 million tonnes (MT) as of March 11, 2021. The figure stood at 1145.61 MT during the same period last year. The loading of iron and steel, cement, and other goods has increased.
Read more here.
Bitcoin surges past $60,000 to hit a record high
Bitcoin has crossed the $60,000-mark to hit a new record high on Saturday. The cryptocurrency is benefitting from optimism in financial markets after US President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package. Bitcoin has surged around 1,000% over the past year and has a market value of $1.12 trillion.
Read more here.
IIFL Finance to close bond issue early on March 18
IIFL Finance Limited said that its bond issue will close on March 18 following better than expected response from investors. The issue of unsecured redeemable non-convertible debentures (NCDs) was scheduled to close on March 23. The NCDs, which offer up to 10.03% yield, have already been subscribed for Rs 468 crore. IIFL Finance is a non-banking financial company backed by the UK-based CDC Group.
Read more here.
India’s FinTech industry valuation estimated at $150-160 billion by 2025: FICCI-BGG report
According to a report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and FICCI, India’s financial technology (FinTech) companies are likely to become three times more valuable in the next five years. The report states that the FinTech sector will reach a valuation of $150-160 billion (~Rs 10.9 lakh crore- Rs 11.6 lakh crore) by 2025. India’s dynamic FinTech industry has over 2,100 companies, of which 67% have been set up over the last 5 years alone.
Read more here.
India imposes anti-dumping duty on Chinese antibacterial drug
The Indian government has imposed anti-dumping duty in the range of $0.91-$3.27 per kilogram on the Chinese antibacterial drug- Ciprofloxacin. The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) had recommended imposing the duty after it found that the drug was being exported to India at a cheaper rate, which resulted in dumping. The anti-dumping duty has been imposed for a period of five years. This will help protect the domestic pharma industry.
