Motilal Oswal Alternates raises Rs 1,700-crore fund
INDIA NEWS | Fri, 27 Feb 2026, 5:44AM IST
Mumbai: Motilal Oswal Alternates, the alternative investment arm of Motilal Oswal Financial Services, announced the first close of its maiden private credit fund, at 1,700 crore. The fund-India Credit Excellence Fund-I-launched in January, is targeting a total corpus of 3,000 crore including a green shoe option. The fund will focus on secured lending and bespoke customised solutions targeting mid-market businesses that are profitable, growing and fundamentally creditworthy, yet unable to access capital at the right tenor and structure from banks or capital markets, it said. "The platform's entry into this asset class is a natural extension of its existing capabilities. Our strategy spans senior secured lending across growth capital and dislocated credit situations, with the ability to opportunistically participate in equity upside," said Rakshat Kapoor, head and chief investment officer, private credit, Motilal Oswal Alternates. The company estimates the addressable private credit market would surpass 10 lakh crore over the next few years, he said.
Continue reading at Economic Times
7m
Investors seeking stable play turn to multi-asset funds
INDIA MUTUAL FUNDS | Fri, 27 Feb 2026, 5:38AM IST
Investor interest in multi-asset allocation funds (MAAFs) is surging, with assets under management climbing 72% to 1.75 lakh crore. These schemes offer dynamic asset shifting and volatility cushioning, making them a core holding for many. Driven by strong returns from gold and silver, MAAFs delivered 23% over the past year, outperforming the Nifty 50.
Continue reading at Economic Times
13m
DII flows into equity hit 10-month low in February
INDIA NEWS | Fri, 27 Feb 2026, 5:34AM IST
Mumbai: Domestic institutional flows into stocks slowed in February to their lowest level since April 2025, as lacklustre returns over the past 18 months and a shift in investor interest to outperforming precious metals have reduced flows into plain-vanilla equity products. According to provisional data, these investors, including mutual funds, insurers, pension vehicles and treasuries - bought shares worth 26,130.3 crore so far this month- a cut of more than half of their average buying in the last six months. In the past three months, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were robust, ranging between 69,000 crore and 79,000 crore. The sharp swings in the market -especially in mid- and small-cap stocks - may have led to a decline in domestic inflows. Mutual fund investors in January had doubled their allocations to precious metals, riding the eye-popping surge in silver and gold prices. Monthly flows into gold and silver schemes exceeded those into equity funds - the industry's growth engine in recent years - for the first time. 128833058 Flows chase returns, and unfortunately, the Indian markets have given tepid returns in the last 15 months, said Rupen Rajguru, head - Equity Investment and Strategy, Julius Baer India. "A significant chunk of domestic inflows had come into midcaps, smallcaps and thematic funds and the underperformance in these segments could have led to reduced intensity of flows," he said. Since September 2024 - when the volatility in Indian markets began -Nifty and Sensex fell 2.7% and 4.2%. The Nifty Midcap 150 index moved 1.3% lower and the Nifty Smallcap 250 index slumped 13% in the same period. "Markets attract liquidity when they perform well, but given the underwhelming performance, the inflows into mutual funds could have also reduced," said Siddarth Bhamre, head of Research, Asit C Mehta Intermediates. "However, it's too early to say whether it is a pause or a change in trend." Domestic institutions led by mutual funds have been the bedrock of Indian equities since September 2024, when foreign funds began pulling out of the market in hordes amid worries about slowing earnings growth and lofty share valuations. Individual investors, encouraged by the eye-popping returns from mutual funds till then, continued pumping money into equity schemes, especially through the monthly Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs), hoping for a rebound soon. But some of those expectations have been tempered by the uncertainty, while the surge in silver and gold has prompted them to shift their incremental allocations to these assets.Many participants who started their SIP in 20212022 may feel that they have invested at a lower level, said Bhamre. But a major chunk of their SIPs has been deployed at higher levels over the last 2-3 years, and hence, SIP returns over the last 3-4 years are not looking attractive. In February so far, foreign investors turned buyers worth over Rs 895.6 crore consistent selling, based on data from the exchanges. Foreign flows have been inching higher steadily after the US-India deal framework and coincided with the inflows into emerging markets, said Rajguru. The worst of foreign outflows seems to be behind us, and some foreign money is expected to trickle into India. Since October 2024, they have sold shares worth over `4.02 crore. Domestic investors purchased over Rs 10.6 lakh crore in the same period.Analysts said other emerging markets like South Korea and Brazil offer much higher growth than India, which is why overseas investors are not in a hurry to allocate funds to India. Overseas investors taking a pause is a shift in stance, and the days of aggressive selling sprees seem to be behind us, given Indias relative underperformance compared with its global peers, which makes it a reasonable bet, said Bhamre.
Continue reading at Economic Times
17m
Netflix declines to raise its offer to buy Warner, says deal is 'no longer financially attractive'
INDIA BUSINESS | Fri, 27 Feb 2026, 5:13AM IST
Netflix, Warner and Paramount have spent the last couple of months in a heated, public back-and-forth over whose deal has a better regulatory path and offers more value for Warner shareholders.
Continue reading at The Hindu
39m
32.6 Million Watched State of the Union, Nielsen Says
GLOBAL NEWS | Fri, 27 Feb 2026, 5:13AM IST
The audience was roughly on par with former President Bidens final State of the Union address in 2024.
Continue reading at The New York Times
39m
Block Cuts 40% of Its Work Force Because of Its Embrace of A.I.
GLOBAL NEWS | Fri, 27 Feb 2026, 4:38AM IST
About 4,000 workers will lose their jobs as the payments company does more work with new artificial intelligence tools, its top executive said.
Continue reading at The New York Times
1h
Netflix Backs Out of Bid for Warner Bros., Paving Way for Paramount Takeover
GLOBAL NEWS | Fri, 27 Feb 2026, 4:32AM IST
The move was a stunning development in the long-running corporate battle for the storied media giant.
Continue reading at The New York Times
1h
Netflix Backs Out of Bid for Warner Bros., Paving Way for an Ellison Takeover
GLOBAL NEWS | Fri, 27 Feb 2026, 4:22AM IST
The move was a stunning development in the long-running corporate battle for the storied media giant.
Continue reading at The New York Times
1h
Online betting ban and GST relief boost demand: Titan MD Ajoy Chawla
INDIA BUSINESS | Fri, 27 Feb 2026, 4:00AM IST
Titan MD Ajoy Chawla attributes bolstered consumer demand to the online betting ban, GST rationalization, income tax slab relaxation, and increased infrastructure investment. He noted that while gold buying volumes in terms of customers remain flat, grammage has seen a decline, mirroring industry trends.
Continue reading at Economic Times
1h
INDIA BUSINESS | Fri, 27 Feb 2026, 4:00AM IST
PLI scheme 2.0: The government is in talks with smartphone makers for a new incentive scheme as the current production-linked incentive ends next month. Officials are considering an exception to the general rule of single-round incentives due to changing circumstances, including the zeroing of fentanyl tariffs on China and a persistent manufacturing cost disadvantage for Indian players.
Continue reading at Economic Times
1h
Warner Bros. Discovery Deems Paramounts $111 Billion Bid Superior
GLOBAL NEWS | Fri, 27 Feb 2026, 2:48AM IST
Warner Bros. determination is a new chapter in the bidding war for the studio and now Netflix has four business days to decide whether it wants to counter Paramounts offer.
Continue reading at The New York Times
3h
Optimum Solutions, ABeam Consulting combine opens GCC in Hyderabad to focus on Japanese firms
INDIA BUSINESS | Fri, 27 Feb 2026, 1:23AM IST
MD Sumit Malik said a lot of long-term, long-horizon projects will be taken up by the GCC in terms of digital transformation of the client firms.
Continue reading at The Hindu
4h
Analysing Indias cycle of deprivation and affluence
INDIA BUSINESS | Fri, 27 Feb 2026, 1:14AM IST
Analysis of income mobility during 2014-25 shows sharp upward and downward shifts, with implications for social stability
Continue reading at The Hindu
4h
When music isn't just about the note
INDIA NEWS | Fri, 27 Feb 2026, 12:51AM IST
Mumbai: In a shift mirroring a long-established trend in Western markets, a growing number of Indian composers and singers are launching their own music labels, signalling that music is increasingly being viewed as an asset class by both artists and investors, executives at independent labels, music licensing platforms and industry analysts said.Most recently, Tamil composer Anirudh Ravichander launched Albuquerque Records, his own music label. Over the past six to seven years, at least eight prominent artists have set up similar ventures, including Salim Merchant, AR Rahman, Badshah, Armaan Malik, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Arijit Singh. The move reflects a broader push by artists to retain control over IP and capture a larger share of long-term revenue streams."Over the past four-five years, India's music industry ecosystem has become fairer and more transparent. Singers and composers have realised that music has become a very valuable asset class which they can monetise in different ways," explained Gaurav Dagaonkar, co-founder and CEO of Hoopr, a leading platform for music licensing.128824881 A favourable revenue structure involved in functioning as a label is a key reason why artists are launching their own labels."It is a great time to be an independent artist. Seven out of top ten songs on Spotify are non-film songs, which shows the growing importance of independent artists. By launching a label, an artist gets the share of labels in royalties. They also own perpetual rights to their creations. This is a better deal for them," said Shivansh Jindal, CEO, Merchant Records, a label launched by Salim-Sulaiman.Apart from streaming, publishing, licensing platforms, YouTube and other digital avenues, music labels earn revenues from royalties (from audio streamers as well). The revenue structure of royalty payment is as follows: 50% goes to labels, and the remaining 50% of royalty revenues is equally shared by composers and lyricists. Singers earn revenues from payments either by composers or labels and from concerts. When composers or singers launch their own labels, they earn 50% of the royalties earned by labels, in addition to their own share of earnings.Labels fetch attractive valuations in the long run, music licensing players said."Today, PE investors and HNIs are interested in music assets. They want to now invest in intellectual property. And music is good for long-term monetization," said the CEO of a leading platform for music licensing. "Labels, when acquired by PE investors, can generate 10 to 25 times RoI. Emerging labels are good candidates for acquisition," he added. In launching one's own label, artists gain creative freedom under their own labels."A label frees artists from constraints of film music. Independent artists nurture new talent through their labels. They give back to industry," said Aditya Kalia, an independent music business professional.
Continue reading at Economic Times
5h
When music isn't just about the note but about 'notes', too
INDIA BUSINESS | Fri, 27 Feb 2026, 12:51AM IST
Music is emerging as a valuable asset class with singers and composers launching their own labels to make more in royalty payments.
Continue reading at Economic Times
5h
NARCL may bid 900 cr for Videocon Oil
INDIA NEWS | Fri, 27 Feb 2026, 12:49AM IST
Mumbai: NARCL plans to submit a bid of around 900 crore to acquire the stressed debt of Videocon Oil Ventures (VOVL). The total admitted claims amount to 30,640 crore, including accumulated interest. VOVL, the oil and gas exploration arm of the Videocon group, was admitted into insolvency in 2019, after the parent conglomerate collapsed under a debt burden. A spokesperson at NARCL did not immediately respond to requests for comment. NARCL has been engaged with lenders on the account for nearly six months. An initial lower indicative offer was discussed earlier, but valuation differences and structural complexities delayed progress, the people cited above said. Lenders' expectations were significantly higher in view of the size of the admitted claims. The account also involves overseas legal structures and contractual arrangements, adding to the due diligence challenges. NARCL is understood to have consulted sector experts and industry participants before firming up its revised offer. Following the extended negotiations, the bad bank has now formally decided to submit a bid of around 900 crore. Based on this offer, the banks could conduct a Swiss Challenge process. If successful, the acquisition would add to NARCL's pipeline of large non-performing assets as it works towards meeting its annual resolution targets. NARCL's bid is in an 85:15 structure where 15% is paid in cash and the remaining 85% is paid in security receipts which are backed by government guarantee. Government guarantee will be invoked to cover the shortfall between the amount realised from the underlying assets and the face value of SRs issued for that asset, subject to overall ceiling of 30,600 crore, valid for 5 years. NARCL is intended to resolve stressed loan assets above 500 crore each amounting to about 2 lakh crore. As of March 31, 2025, NARCL had managed Rs 1.6 lakh crore in debt with Rs 29,000 crore of assets under management.
Continue reading at Economic Times
5h
NARCL may bid 900 cr for Videocon Oil's over 30,000 cr debt
INDIA BUSINESS | Fri, 27 Feb 2026, 12:49AM IST
National Asset Reconstruction Company of India (NARCL) plans to bid approximately 900 crore for Videocon Oil Ventures' (VOVL) stressed debt, which has admitted claims of 30,640 crore. After months of negotiations and addressing complexities, the bad bank has formalized its offer, potentially leading to a Swiss Challenge process.
Continue reading at Economic Times
5h
Branded hotels set for big growth on infrastructure push
INDIA BUSINESS | Fri, 27 Feb 2026, 12:48AM IST
India's branded hospitality sector is poised for significant expansion, projected to reach $45.4 billion by 2030, driven by a 13.4% CAGR. A substantial 38% growth in operational rooms is anticipated by 2029. Tier-2 and tier-3 markets show immense potential, with over 40% of hotel searches originating from these regions, highlighting underserved opportunities amidst massive infrastructure development.
Continue reading at Economic Times
5h
Banks may have to pay more on CDs, bulk deposits in March
INDIA BUSINESS | Fri, 27 Feb 2026, 12:47AM IST
Indian banks are bracing for higher funding costs on certificates of deposit and large-ticket deposits, as robust year-end credit demand collides with a liquidity squeeze. With the credit-to-deposit ratio at a record high, lenders see borrowing rates staying elevated at least until March, complicating efforts to sustain strong loan growth while protecting margins.
Continue reading at Economic Times
5h
INDIA BUSINESS | Fri, 27 Feb 2026, 12:41AM IST
IndiGo's international freight increased 5.3% in the first nine months of FY26, while domestic freight grew 7.1%, boosting total freight by 6% from a year earlier, according to Airports Authority of India data.
Continue reading at Economic Times
5h
more