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India and EU conclude long-pending free trade agreement, says Commerce Secretary

India and the European Union have successfully concluded negotiations for a long-pending Free Trade Agreement (FTA), Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Monday, PTI reported. Calling the agreement balanced and forward-looking from India’s perspective, Agrawal said the deal would deepen economic integration between India and the EU and give a boost to bilateral trade and…

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Will banks work on Tuesday? Public sector banking ops likely to be hit as unions strike for 5-day week

Banking operations at public sector banks across the country are likely to be disrupted on Tuesday as bank unions go ahead with a nationwide strike to press for the immediate implementation of a five-day work week.The strike, called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU)—an umbrella body of nine unions representing bank officers and…

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Budget expectations 2026: Deloitte pitches parity rules, compliance clarity to scale IFSC GIFT City as global BFSI hub

With global banks, broker-dealers and capital markets players weighing India as an offshore financial base, Deloitte has urged the government to use Budget 2026 to have parity rulesa among players, remove tax asymmetries and compliance frictions that are limiting the scale-up of IFSC GIFT City as a full-service international BFSI hub.According to Deloitte, the International…

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Insurance start-up OneCircle targets underinsured small-town commercial vehicle owners

Mumbai: An insurance start-up is betting on a narrow but neglected corner of India’s motor market: micro-entrepreneurs who own commercial vehicles in small towns and rural areas, and who often miss renewals due to lack of access. OneCircle Insurance Brokers, which launched operations this month, is designing its business around these gaps, offering products from…

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Budget 2026: Nasscom pushes for startup-friendly tax policies, cloud regulation clarity

Ahead of the Union Budget 2026, the IT industry association Nasscom has urged the government to address pressing tax concerns for startups and technology firms. As reported by PTI, the Nasscom wishlist for Budget 2026 includes extending the Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP) tax deferment to more startups, clarifying rules around the tax treatment of…

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Budget 2026 expectations: Private space firms seek procurement push, critical infrastructure status for sector

Ahead of the Union Budget, India’s fast-growing private space industry has called on the government to step up public procurement of space products and services and formally recognise space assets as critical infrastructure to unlock financing and accelerate scale-up.Industry leaders said assured government demand, along with easier access to long-term capital, is essential for domestic…

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Union Budget 2026: Tax reforms, customs rationalisation and fiscal reset on the agenda

File photo: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present her ninth consecutive Union Budget on February 1, with expectations centred on tax reforms, a revamp of the customs duty structure and measures to support economic growth amid heightened geopolitical uncertainty. The Budget is also expected to outline a clear…

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Sensex, Nifty slide over 4% in January amid FPI sell-off, rupee weakness and global risks

India’s benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty have slipped more than 4% so far in January, dragged down by sustained foreign fund outflows, a weakening rupee, muted corporate earnings, geopolitical tensions and renewed tariff concerns, according to market data.The 30-share BSE Sensex has fallen 3,682.9 points, or 4.32%, during the month, while the 50-share NSE…

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