President Donald Trump announced that 25% tariffs on medium- and heavy-duty trucks will begin November 1, 2025, delayed from the originally planned October 1 start date. The tariffs stem from a Commerce Department investigation launched in April under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, focusing on trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds and their parts. The probe cited concerns about a small number of foreign suppliers dominating US imports through predatory trade practices. About 245,000 medium- and heavy-duty trucks worth over $20 billion were imported to the US last year. The tariffs will significantly impact companies with high import reliance, including International Motors LLC (98% of US trucks from Mexico) and Daimler (83% imports), while Paccar and Volvo produce nearly all their US trucks domestically. This action is part of Trump's expanding industry-specific tariff regime, which already covers steel, aluminum, automobiles, and auto parts, with additional levies on lumber and other products scheduled for October and January.

The European Commission plans to propose 50% tariffs on global steel imports that exceed quota levels established in 2013. This tariff structure would apply to steel imports from all countries once they surpass the predetermined quota thresholds from that baseline year.

Tata Group representatives led by Noel Tata will meet with senior central ministers to address an ongoing boardroom struggle within the organization. The leadership is divided into two camps - one led by Noel Tata and another by Mehli Mistry. The Mistry camp claims it has been excluded from key strategic decisions at Tata Sons, while the Tata camp maintains its decisions benefit all shareholders. The conflict escalated after a contentious Tata Trusts meeting that resulted in Vijay Singh's exit from the Tata Sons board. The government is intervening due to concerns that Tata Group distress could impact the broader corporate sector. Discussions will also cover Tata Sons' mandatory listing under RBI guidelines. Tata Trusts owns 66% of Tata Sons, the group's primary investment arm. Tata Sons has applied to cancel its core investment company registration to avoid mandatory listing by September 2025 and has become net zero debt. The RBI is still considering the cancellation request.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that trade calculations are being disrupted by tariff volatility, speaking at the Aravalli Summit at Jawaharlal Nehru University. His comments come as the US has imposed tariffs as high as 50% on Indian goods while both countries continue trade deal negotiations. Jaishankar highlighted that one-third of global manufacturing is now concentrated in a single geography, creating fragile supply chains and strategic risks. He noted that anti-globalization sentiment is disrupting traditional trade interdependence models. The minister observed that cost is no longer the primary factor in economic transactions, with ownership and security becoming equally important. He described the current global environment as characterized by more competition and less cooperation, with nations weaponizing various tools for leverage. Despite global volatility, Jaishankar expressed confidence in India's ability to navigate these challenges and continue rising amid the turbulence.

Trump announced that all medium and heavy duty truck imports will face a 25% tariff beginning November 1, 2025. The announcement was made on Truth Social.

Prestige Estates Projects' subsidiary, Prestige Mulund Realty Private Limited, received a show cause notice from the Directorate General of Goods & Services Tax Intelligence (DGGI), Mumbai, alleging non-payment or short-payment of GST. The notice demands ₹153.60 crore in GST along with equivalent penalty and applicable interest under the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017. The subsidiary has 30 days to respond to the Additional/Joint Commissioner, CGST & Central Excise, Mumbai East Commissionerate. Prestige Estates stated the demand is not maintainable and expects no material impact on its financials, operations, or business activities. The company's shares closed at ₹1,547.00, up 0.94% on the BSE.

Assets Under Management of passive funds grew 6.4 times to ₹12.2 lakh crore from ₹1.91 lakh crore in 2019, with 1.7 times growth since March 2023. Motilal Oswal MF's Passive Survey 2025 surveyed over 3,000 investors and 120 distributors across India. Investors select passive funds primarily for low costs (54%), diversification (46%), simplicity and transparency (46%), and performance (29%). One-third of investors remain outside passive investing due to higher confidence in active funds or unfamiliarity. Among distributors, 93% understand passive funds, 46% have deep knowledge, and 70% include them in client portfolios. Most distributors (93%) plan to increase passive allocation by at least 5% this fiscal. Currently, 70% of clients hold fewer than three passive funds. Pratik Oswal noted that awareness extends beyond broad-based index solutions to factor-based funds and innovative passive strategies.

LG Electronics India Ltd. raised Rs 3,475 crore from anchor investors by allotting 3.04 crore shares at Rs 1,140 per share to 149 anchor investors. SBI Large & Midcap Fund received the highest allocation at 4.6%, followed by INQ Holding LLC at 3.9%, Government Of Singapore at 3.4%, and Government Pension Fund Global at 3%. Goldman Sachs and Blackrock Global Funds also participated. The IPO will launch on October 7 and close on October 9, comprising an offer for sale of up to 10.18 crore equity shares priced between Rs 1,080-1,140 per share. The South Korean parent company LG Electronics Inc. will offload 10.2 crore shares through this IPO. LG Electronics India operates in home appliances, air solutions, and home entertainment segments, holding market leadership positions in washing machines, refrigerators, panel TVs, inverter air conditioners, and microwaves. The company reported a profit of Rs 1,511 crore in fiscal 2024 and paid dividends of Rs 2,093 crore. In the first quarter, the company posted revenue of Rs 6,409 crore, profit of Rs 680 crore, and operating margin of 14.94%.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva asked Donald Trump to remove 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods and sanctions on top officials during a 30-minute phone call. The leaders agreed to meet in person soon, with Lula suggesting a potential encounter at a summit in Malaysia. Trump designated Secretary of State Marco Rubio to lead ongoing trade negotiations with Brazil. The call represents a thaw in US-Brazil relations after Trump imposed trade levies and sanctions in response to former President Jair Bolsonaro's coup attempt trial. Finance Minister Fernando Haddad characterized the call as positive. High-level diplomatic channels have reopened, with Vice President Geraldo Alckmin resuming talks with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Haddad expected to meet Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Key issues include the legal framework for US social media companies in Brazil and the charges against Bolsonaro, Trump's close ally in Latin America.

Adani Green Energy Ltd signed a deal to raise approximately $250 million from four global lenders: DBS Bank Ltd., DZ Bank, Rabobank, and Bank SinoPac Co Ltd. The five-year loan carries an interest rate of around 8.20% and will be used to refinance existing debt. This financing is part of the Adani Group's strategy to reduce leverage over the next five years, with no plans to issue international bonds until 2027. The group secured over $10 billion in new credit facilities during the first half of the year across multiple units. In March, Adani Green refinanced a construction-linked loan worth Rs 92.61 billion with India's Power Finance Corporation Ltd. The Adani family injected about $1.1 billion of equity into Adani Green Energy in July.

Flipkart Investments sold a 6% stake in Aditya Birla Lifestyle Brands for ₹998 crore through a block deal. The shares were sold at ₹136.45 per share, representing a 7% discount to the closing price. The transaction attracted strong interest from domestic institutions, with SBI Life Insurance purchasing ₹236 crore worth of shares, Nippon India Mutual Fund buying ₹241 crore worth, and ICICI Prudential Asset Management acquiring ₹260 crore worth. Following the sale, Flipkart's shareholding in Aditya Birla Lifestyle Brands decreased from 25% to approximately 19%. Aditya Birla Lifestyle Brands operates in the premium apparel and lifestyle segment, managing brands across men's and women's wear categories.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) sold shares worth ₹313.77 crores, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) purchased shares worth ₹5036.39 crores.

Canara Robeco AMC's IPO will open for subscription on Thursday with shares priced between ₹253 and ₹266. Managing Director Rajnish Narula expressed confidence in the offering despite competing with other large issuances like Tata Capital, LG Electronics and WeWork. The IPO is an offer for sale where existing shareholders will dilute 25% stake, with all proceeds going to them rather than the company. Narula noted that as an asset-light business, the AMC doesn't require significant capital and has over ₹650 crore networth to support growth for the next 5-10 years. The company has transformed from being 80% debt-focused to 91% equity-focused following the Lehman Brothers crisis, and now serves over 5 million customer folios with a retail focus. Narula expressed optimism about India's structural positioning and believes domestic investors are better positioned than foreign portfolio investors for long-term market participation.

Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company Rubicon Research has fixed its IPO price band at ₹461 to ₹485 per share, targeting to raise ₹1,377.5 crore. The IPO opens for subscription on October 9 and closes on October 13, with anchor investor bidding on October 8. The offering comprises a fresh issue of ₹500 crore and an offer-for-sale of ₹877.5 crore by promoter General Atlantic Singapore. The company plans to use ₹310 crore from fresh proceeds for debt repayment, acquisitions, strategic initiatives, and general corporate purposes. General Atlantic remains the majority shareholder with 52.15% stake after recent share transfers. Rubicon Research operates USFDA-inspected R&D facilities in India and Canada, along with two manufacturing plants, focusing on specialty pharmaceutical formulations for regulated markets including the US. The company is expected to debut on stock exchanges on October 16.

Gallant Ispat plans to review and approve new wholly owned subsidiaries and establish a solar power plant on October 9. The company is expanding its business operations through subsidiary creation while also venturing into renewable energy infrastructure.

Crest Residency Pvt. Ltd., associated with Crest Ventures, has entered into a partnership with Saidale Co-Operative Housing Society in Mumbai for a development deal. The partnership involves a development project in Mumbai's real estate sector.

Oil India has entered into an agreement with Mahanagar Gas for collaboration in the LNG sector. The partnership involves both companies working together on liquefied natural gas initiatives.

Coal India Ltd and Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation Ltd executed a non-binding MoU to collaborate on exploration and exploitation of critical minerals and other minerals of mutual interest. The partnership aims to strengthen cooperation in identifying and developing mineral resources in areas of strategic and economic importance. Coal India reported consolidated net profit of ₹8,734 crore for the June quarter, down 20.1% year-on-year from ₹10,934 crore, though beating analyst estimates of ₹8,005 crore. Revenue from operations declined 4.4% to ₹35,842 crore from ₹37,503 crore, while EBITDA fell 12.7% to ₹12,521 crore from ₹14,338 crore. Coal India shares closed at ₹382.05, down 0.34%.

Sam Altman and Jony Ive are encountering technical difficulties while developing a palm-sized, screen-free AI device intended as an alternative to Apple's Siri. The device would use speakers, microphones, and cameras for user interaction and remain active continuously rather than requiring voice activation. Key challenges include determining appropriate voice and interaction patterns, deciding when the device should engage or disengage with users, and addressing privacy concerns from constant monitoring capabilities. The project also faces infrastructure limitations due to OpenAI's lack of computing resources compared to competitors like Google, Apple, and Amazon. The partnership began in May 2025 when OpenAI acquired Ive's company 'io' for $6.5 billion, with Altman stating the deal would increase OpenAI's valuation by $1 trillion and enable development of a device family.

The government has stepped in to help resolve a board dispute at Tata Sons led by Noel Tata. The intervention aims to prevent Tata Sons from going public. The company is seeking deregistration as the main investment entity and plans to raise private funding to repurchase SP Group's 18.4% stake in the company.

Solex Energy has received approval to move its equity shares from NSE Emerge platform to the main board of the National Stock Exchange (NSE). This migration represents a transition from the SME platform to the main exchange board for the company's listed shares.

AMD announced a multi-year agreement to supply AI chips to OpenAI, expected to generate tens of billions in annual revenue. The deal involves deploying hundreds of thousands of AMD's AI GPUs equivalent to six gigawatts, starting in the second half of 2026. OpenAI will build a one-gigawatt facility using AMD's forthcoming MI450 series chips beginning next year. AMD expects over $100 billion in new revenue over four years from OpenAI and other customers influenced by this partnership. As part of the arrangement, AMD issued a warrant allowing OpenAI to purchase up to 160 million AMD shares for 1 cent each, with vesting tied to milestones including AMD stock price targets reaching up to $600 per share. AMD shares closed Friday at $164.67 and surged 34% following the announcement. OpenAI, valued at $500 billion, has been securing chip supply through multiple partnerships, including a separate $100 billion investment from Nvidia announced in September.

India's festive shopping season has started earlier than usual with retailers reporting the strongest consumer sentiment in nearly a decade. Tax reforms including GST cuts effective September 22 and income tax reductions have increased disposable income, driving higher footfall and sales across retail sectors from apparel to electronics. DLF Malls' Senior Executive Director Pushpa Bector noted consumers have more money in their wallets due to income tax cuts, Central Government Pay Commission benefits, and GST reductions. Ambience Malls Director Arjun Gehlot reported 15% increase in footfall since GST cuts were announced, with anticipated 15% sales growth and 10-15% growth across properties. The Gurgaon mall sees over 100,000 visitors on weekends while Vasant Kunj attracts around 75,000 weekend visitors. Mid-segment brands are experiencing particularly strong growth, while luxury brands remain steady. Retailers are optimistic the momentum will continue through Diwali and beyond, potentially making this one of the strongest consumption cycles in recent years.

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari announced that electric vehicle prices in India are expected to equal petrol vehicle prices within 4-6 months. Gadkari highlighted India's annual fuel import expenditure of Rs 22 lakh crore as an economic burden and environmental concern, emphasizing the need for clean energy adoption. The minister set a five-year target to make India's automobile industry the world's largest. He noted the Indian automobile industry's growth from Rs 14 lakh crore to Rs 22 lakh crore during his tenure. Currently, the US leads with Rs 78 lakh crore, followed by China at Rs 47 lakh crore and India at Rs 22 lakh crore. Gadkari also mentioned that farmers have earned an additional Rs 45,000 crore through ethanol production from corn.

Dilip Buildcon's joint venture has received approval for a 100 MW solar power project that will supply electricity to Madhya Pradesh Jal Nigam. The project represents the company's expansion into renewable energy infrastructure.

Fabtech Tech has received a letter of intent valued at 68 crore rupees. The company announced this development, though specific details about the nature of the project, client, or timeline were not disclosed.

Farm Peace, an integrated contract farming company established in 2021, has filed preliminary papers with BSE's SME platform for an initial public offering. The IPO consists entirely of a fresh issue of 54.24 lakh equity shares with a face value of Rs 10 each. The company plans to raise Rs 23 crore, which will be used for incremental working capital requirements and general corporate purposes. Farm Peace specializes in processed-grade potato varieties including Santana, Frysona, Innovators, Lady Rosetta, and Chipsona, supplying to processing companies for french fries, chips, and other potato-based products. The Ahmedabad-based company manages the entire farming cycle and provides comprehensive support to farmers. The company reported revenue of Rs 79.24 crore with a profit after tax of Rs 6.66 crore. Neeraj Vishnukumar Gupta, founder of Meru Cabs, serves as an advisor to Farm Peace. Socradamus Capital is the sole book-running lead manager for the offering.

SEBI imposed fines of Rs 30 lakh and Rs 5 lakh on two non-executive independent directors of Brightcom Group, Allam Raghunath and Subrato Saha, for irregularities in the company's financial statements from FY15 to FY20. The accounting irregularities artificially inflated profits by Rs 1,280.06 crore during FY 2018-19 and 2019-20, enabling the promoter group to sell shares at inflated prices. The violations included wrongly capitalizing research expenditure and failing to recognize impairment losses on subsidiary investments. Raghunath also submitted false independence declarations starting from FY 2015-16. SEBI rejected the directors' defense arguments, stating their gross negligence deprived investors of accurate financial information and interfered with market price discovery mechanisms.

Wall Street's main indexes opened higher on Monday, continuing last week's upward momentum. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 17.8 points (0.04%) to 46,776.04, the S&P 500 gained 18.1 points (0.27%) to 6,733.86, and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 113.8 points (0.50%) to 22,894.352. The gains were driven by AMD's chip-supply partnership with OpenAI, which represents the latest development in ongoing AI sector deals. The positive market movement helped offset investor concerns about a potential prolonged federal government shutdown.

White House Official Kevin Hassett announced that negotiations for a trade deal between India and the United States are ongoing. The statement indicates that discussions between the two countries continue as they work toward reaching an agreement.

Coal India has entered into an agreement with Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corp for exploring and exploiting minerals. The partnership aims to develop mineral resources through joint exploration activities.

India's telecom sector showed modest growth in August with total wireless subscribers reaching 1,167.03 million. Reliance Jio led with 19.5 lakh new users, significantly higher than July's 4.83 lakh additions. Bharti Airtel added 4.96 lakh users, slightly up from 4.94 lakh in July. Vodafone Idea lost 3.1 lakh subscribers, though the decline was lower than July's 3.5 lakh loss. The country's wireless tele-density improved to 82.35% from 82.16% in July. Private operators Jio, Airtel, and Vi maintained dominance with 92.11% market share, while state-run BSNL and MTNL held 7.89%. Broadband users increased to 989.58 million, up 0.50% from July.

Sebastien Lecornu resigned as France's prime minister, citing the intransigence of opposition groups in parliament and deepening the national political crisis. His resignation came less than 24 hours after President Macron named a new cabinet filled with centrist loyalists, ignoring opposition threats. French stocks tumbled by the most since late August, while the 10-year bond yield rose nine basis points to 3.6%. The borrowing premium over German debt widened to over 89 basis points, the highest since late 2024. Lecornu faced the same budget challenges as his predecessors - passing unpopular spending cuts and tax increases to address the eurozone's largest deficit. Macron now faces three options: naming a new prime minister, calling parliamentary elections, or resigning. The budget filing deadline is next Monday, likely requiring emergency measures. Opposition parties are demanding fresh elections, with Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure calling it an unprecedented political crisis and National Rally President Jordan Bardella pressing for dissolution of the National Assembly.

Six companies received approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India for their initial public offerings. The approved companies include Lenskart Solutions Ltd., Waterways Leisure Tourism (which operates Cordelia Cruises), Wakefit Innovations, Shree Ram Twistex Ltd., Tenneco Clean Air India Ltd., and Lamtuf Ltd. The regulatory approvals were granted on Monday.

India's telecom sector added 35.19 lakh new subscribers in August, bringing the total user base to 1,167.03 million. Reliance Jio dominated with 19.49 lakh wireless subscriber additions, maintaining its 41.08% market share, though it lost 15.51 lakh wireline subscribers. Bharti Airtel added 4.96 lakh mobile subscribers and 1.08 lakh wired subscribers, holding over 22.72% market share. Vodafone Idea continued declining, losing 3.09 lakh mobile users. BSNL showed recovery by adding 13.85 lakh subscribers after previous losses, while MTNL continued losing subscribers. Urban subscribers totaled 686.79 million with 134.51% tele-density, while rural users reached 537.75 million with 59.31% tele-density. India's broadband subscribers stood at 989.58 million in August.

AMD announced a multibillion-dollar partnership with OpenAI to collaborate on artificial intelligence data centers, causing AMD's premarket stock price to surge over 35% to $223.22. The deal involves OpenAI deploying six gigawatts of AMD's Instinct GPUs over several years, beginning with a 1-gigawatt deployment in the second half of 2026. AMD has issued OpenAI a warrant to purchase up to 160 million shares of common stock, which if fully exercised would give OpenAI roughly a 10% stake in AMD. The warrant vests in tranches as OpenAI completes deployment milestones. This partnership positions AMD as a key strategic partner for OpenAI and represents one of the largest GPU procurement agreements in the AI industry. The deal comes two weeks after OpenAI finalized a $100 billion equity-and-supply agreement with Nvidia, where Nvidia took an ownership stake in OpenAI. Nvidia's premarket shares were trading marginally lower following the AMD announcement.

Eyewear company Lenskart Solutions received Sebi approval for its IPO on October 3, clearing the path for its public listing. The company plans to target a mid-November debut on Indian stock exchanges. The IPO includes a fresh issue of Rs 2,150 crore and an offer-for-sale of 13.23 crore shares. Existing shareholders including founders Peyush Bansal, Neha Bansal, Sumeet Kapahi, and Amit Chaudhary, along with investors SoftBank, Premji Invest, Temasek, Kedaara Capital, and Alpha Wave Global will partially sell their holdings. Lenskart operates over 2,500 stores globally and reported a net profit of Rs 297 crore in FY25, reversing from a Rs 10 crore loss in FY24. Revenue increased 22% year-on-year to Rs 6,625 crore. The book-running lead managers include Kotak Mahindra Capital, Morgan Stanley, Citi, Avendus Capital, and Intensive Fiscal Services.

Consumer electronics brand boAt reported a net profit of ₹60 crore in FY25, returning to profitability after losses of ₹79.7 crore in FY24 and ₹129.5 crore in FY23. The company achieved consolidated revenue of ₹3,097.8 crore and EBITDA of ₹142 crore. On standalone basis, revenues reached ₹3,089.6 crore with net profit of ₹64.2 crore. The turnaround was driven by growth in premium range 'Nirvana by boAt', software-focused approach in wearables achieving EBITDA neutrality in the final quarter, and expansion through quick commerce channels. boAt launched over 100 new products including TWS earbuds and boAt TAG for connected consumer tech. The company increased local manufacturing to over 70% of products, reducing working capital cycles from 71 days to 36 days. boAt maintained strong market position in India's personal audio segment and ranks as third-largest globally in branded personal audio, while expanding presence in GCC markets.

AMD shares jumped 37% in pre-market trading following announcement of a multi-billion dollar agreement with OpenAI. Under the deal, OpenAI will deploy 6 gigawatts of AMD Graphics Processing Units over multiple years. OpenAI received warrants for up to 160 million shares representing a 10% stake in AMD, with conversion tied to achieving specific milestones including AMD's stock price reaching $600 per share. AMD's stock had closed at $164 on Friday. The partnership comes two weeks after competitor Nvidia announced a $100 billion investment in OpenAI for AI infrastructure and data centers with 10 GW capacity. AMD's AI GPU revenue is projected to reach $6.55 billion this year, with the OpenAI deal expected to be accretive from next year and accelerate from 2027. The first gigawatt of chips will roll out in the second half of 2026. AMD executives expect the deal to push overall revenue past $100 billion. While AMD shares surged, Nvidia shares declined 1.5% in pre-market trading.

Adani Enterprises is raising up to 10 billion rupees ($112.6 million) through private placement of bonds with 2.5-year maturity, offering an 8.70% semi-annual coupon. This marks the company's first private placement since 2023, with large mutual funds expected as primary buyers. The bonds are rated AA- by ICRA. The company previously raised 10 billion rupees in July through public bonds at 8.95%-9.30% coupons and 7 billion rupees in October 2023 at 10% coupon. India's securities regulator recently dismissed some stock manipulation allegations against the Adani Group made by Hindenburg Research, though investigations continue into other allegations. The initial accusations had triggered a $150-billion stock sell-off, but shares have since recovered.

Hedge fund manager Ray Dalio expressed skepticism about Bitcoin becoming a reserve currency for central banks, citing two main concerns: lack of privacy due to public transactions and potential government controls that could reduce its effectiveness. Speaking on 'The Master Investor' podcast, Dalio acknowledged Bitcoin is perceived as alternative money worth attention, noting that money must serve as both a medium of exchange and store of wealth. Despite his reservations, Dalio disclosed he holds some Bitcoin in his portfolio, though not much. Bitcoin recently surged to an all-month high of $125,000 before trading around $123,901.25. Citigroup adjusted its price targets, lowering Bitcoin's forecast to $133,000 from $135,000 while raising its 12-month target to $181,000.

Dish TV India received a favorable ruling from the Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT), which resulted in the cancellation of a ₹56.47 lakh duty demand from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). This legal victory eliminates the financial liability for the direct-to-home television service provider.

Fino Payments Bank settled a case with SEBI by paying Rs 5.88 lakh for failing to make timely and complete disclosure regarding frauds perpetrated by its employees. The bank received 15 complaints alleging fraudulent investment schemes by employees and obtained KPMG's investigation report on November 8, 2023. However, the bank failed to make adequate disclosure within the required 24 hours and did not provide subsequent updates as mandated under LODR Regulations. The disclosure should have been made by November 9, 2023. The settlement was made without admission or denial of findings, and SEBI disposed of the adjudication proceedings that began with a show cause notice dated October 8, 2024.

Landmark Cars announced its plan to purchase the remaining 17% stake in Landmark Cars (East) Pvt. Ltd. This acquisition will make the East division a fully owned subsidiary of the company, giving Landmark Cars complete ownership and control over its eastern operations.

Medico Remedies has received a government supply order valued at $17.81 million. The order represents a significant contract win for the pharmaceutical company from government authorities.

Lenskart has received regulatory approval for its stock market listing, positioning it to become India's first eyewear-only company to go public. The company filed for an IPO in July that includes fresh shares worth 21.5 billion rupees ($250 million). Proceeds will fund new company-owned stores, technology and cloud infrastructure investments, and general corporate purposes. Lenskart operates as India's largest organized eyewear company with 2,067 domestic stores and 656 overseas locations. The company was valued at $6.1 billion as of September 10 and operates in a market expected to grow at double-digit rates over the next five years. Analysts expect demand growth driven by rising vision issues, deeper market penetration, and expanding health insurance coverage.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. is preparing to enter India's asset-management industry and has appointed Milind Barve, former head of HDFC Asset Management Co., as an adviser for strategy and regulatory approvals. India's mutual fund industry has experienced significant growth since the pandemic, with total assets more than doubling over five years and monthly equity inflows averaging $3 billion since April. The firm will compete against established fund houses backed by major Indian banks like HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and State Bank of India, as well as global players like BlackRock, which recently returned to India in partnership with Jio Financial Services. India's stock market value has doubled to $5.1 trillion over five years, driven by retail investor participation. Jefferies reported record revenue of $2.05 billion in the September quarter, with asset management net revenue nearly tripling due to stronger fund performance.

Tourism Finance Corp has received initial approval to proceed with the acquisition of Cosmea Investment Pvt. Ltd. and its subsidiaries. The approval represents a preliminary step in the acquisition process for the tourism finance company.

Isgec Heavy Engineering has signed an agreement to purchase a 26% stake in FPEL HR1 Energy Pvt. Ltd. The acquisition is related to a solar power project located in Haryana.