Walmart has initiated a probe into alleged kickbacks of over INR 150 crore by employees at Flipkart, according to whistleblower reports. Vendors were allegedly bribing employees in the smartphone and luggage divisions with favours in exchange for favourable marketplace treatment.
Indian military startup IG military has inked an MoU with Oman-based MSA Global to investigate co-development and localisation of advanced defence systems for Oman and the wider GCC region. The planned alliance will look at three indigenous platforms including KAL, BAJ and JWALA.
Alphabet saw its market worth fall by more than $500 bn as its shares slumped 13% on the back of poor 3rd-quarter earnings. Google Search & advertising revenue that fell short of expectations, sparking fears of rising AI competition from ChatGPT, Claude & other platforms.
Freshworks has bought Israel-based AI firm Robusta Dev, adding AI-powered incident investigation capabilities to its Freshservice IT service management platform. The technology employs AI agents to examine monitoring data to detect outage core causes.
Innodata, AI services provider headquartered in the US, is said to have chopped approximately 550 jobs in India and the Philippines, the layoffs occurred on October 26. Affected personnel said they were abruptly locked out of business computers and then sent surprise emails of termination.
Carlsberg India has submitted a revised draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) to the capital markets regulator SEBI for its proposed IPO, which will include an offer of sale of up to 8.64 crore shares by promoter South Asian Breweries. The public offering does not involve any new issuing of shares.
The Union Cabinet approved the Container Manufacturing Promotion Scheme (CMPS) with a financial outlay of INR 10,000 cr to boost the container manufacturing industry in India up to FY 2039-40. The plan intends to increase the domestic production capacity to 7.5 lakh TEUs per annum.
On October 28, Amazon cut 250 jobs, most of them in software development positions within its devices division, which makes Kindle e-readers and Echo smart speakers. Affected personnel were notified by text message and early morning email.
PhysicsWallah School of Startups (PW SoS) joins hands with DPIIT & Startup India to bolster India’s startup environment, especially in Tier 2 and 3 cities & rural areas. The 2-year partnership will provide entrepreneurs with incubation, seed cash, access to investors etc.
Amazon and Tata Motors are combining to put 3,000 electric vehicles on the road across India, beginning in Delhi for the festive season. The rollout will include light and medium duty electric trucks for city deliveries and longer freight routes.
The Supreme Court has asked the Center to reply to a plea filed by the DNPA against portions of the DPDP Act and Rules. The petition says that data protection rules could curtail press freedom, investigative journalism, source confidentiality and the right to information.
Indian AI startup Sarvam has signed a 5-year deal with the MoD to create AI applications for the Army, Navy and Air Force. Sarvam will create AI tools for military operations, training, decision making, target acquisition and sensor to shooter data fusion under the MoU with HQ IDS
Meta wants to raise $95 billion for infrastructure for AI and superintelligence projects, including data centers and building AI agents. It will first issue $35 billion via underwritten public offerings, and then $60 billion via an at-the-market programme.
Blackstone is expanding its India operations and global capabilities by opening its first Global Capability Center (GCC) outside the US in Bengaluru. The center will assist financial, technology, legal, compliance and human resources departments and will collaborate with Blackstone’s global teams.
Microsoft is providing voluntary leave incentives to about 60,000 employees in the US, Canada, India and the UK as it seeks to balance staff expenses against increasing spending on AI infrastructure. The program is intended for selected personnel and follows previous staff cutbacks.
Anthropic has filed for a US IPO and plans to issue its Class A common stock on the Nasdaq under the ticker “ANT.” The producer of Claude posted first-half 2026 revenue at $16.3 billion, up 14 times year-on-year, buoyed by booming enterprise demand.
India has revised the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, to allow OEM built flex-fuel vehicles to operate on E85 and E100 ethanol. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on 23 October 2026 notified new testing, certification and emission criteria for high-ethanol automobiles.
IMWA and SWA have inked an agreement to work together on sustainability, product authenticity, legal protection, intellectual property and responsible consumption. The deal comes as the India-UK Free Trade Agreement decreases Scotch whisky import duties.
CEO Elon Musk said SpaceX has raised $40 billion in debt financing to buy AI chips, with money coming in the first and second quarters of 2027. The money will be used mostly to purchase GPUs as SpaceX grows its artificial intelligence business.
Nokia has signed a five year deal with L&T Technology Services (LTTS) for engineering and R&D support in India. As part of the arrangement, LTTS will set up an Offshore Development Center and a dedicated engineering team.
Eternal’s District is looking into specialised live-event spaces as a way to lower concert expenses, and protect its business against AI-driven booking disruption. The company is in discussions with governments and possible partners to build event infrastructure in major Indian cities.
Eternal, the parent company of Blinkit and Zomato, has ruled out selling its own-brand products on its quick-commerce platform and will instead focus on third-party brands. Heavy investment is required by private labels, said CEO Albinder Dhindsa.
IBM India has acquired a 10-year lease for 2.83 lakh sq ft in Bagmane Solarium City in the Whitefield-Brookefield district of Bengaluru. The lease comes with a monthly rent of INR 2.49 crore from February 2026 and a 15% hike every three years.
India’s government intends to bring in SIM-binding laws for WhatsApp, Telegram and other phone-number-based messaging apps from Jan 1, 2027, to reduce cyber fraud and misuse of mobile numbers. The proposed framework requires that the user keeps the registered SIM or eSIM active to continue access.
Chinese energy storage firm Sigenergy forms a JV with Failte Energy of India to invest $250 mn in India, With this investment, JV will set up production facilities for inverter and battery energy storage systems. Sigenergy plans to launch its inverter plant by the second quarter of 2027.
Swiggy wants to move Instamart to an inventory-led strategy in the next three quarters, which could enhance working capital by 8-10 days and increase contribution margins by 80 basis points. The move will offer Instamart more say over price, product selection and availability.
Vikram Solar will commission production at its 9 GW N-type TOPCon solar cell plant in Gangaikondan, Tamil Nadu, in December 2026. The factory is expected to be commissioned in phases and is intended to lessen India’s reliance on imported solar cells.
OpenAI is apparently planning to raise about $30 billion from investors and has dropped its valuation aim by $150 billion to $1.25 trillion. The increased valuation comes as the growing scrutiny over AI spending, infrastructure expenses and long-term profitability.
Barclays is planning to shed 5,000 positions, or 5% of its staff, in an AI-driven cost-cutting move. The UK bank wants to use technology and automation to save fixed expenses and over 60 per cent of the employment being cut are support activities.
ndian automaker Force Motors has teamed up with Rosmerta Auto Recycling to provide authorised vehicle scrapping and recycling in India. The cooperation would assist Force Motors customers to dispose of end-of-life vehicles with proper documentation, depollution, dismantling and material recovery.
Anthropic has released its proactive AI agent Claude Duet, which is designed to automate tasks across connected apps and function in the background. It is offered as a study preview for US-based Claude Pro and Max subscribers and connects with email, calendars and business applications.
Nestle India has responded to an FSSAI notice asking for scientific evidence to back the Lactogen Pro 1 label claim that its whey protein is “easy to digest”. The food regulator is tightening the scrutiny on health and nutrition claims especially in case of infant food products.
Shiprocket has forayed into the **food delivery market** with its fastrr platform, in partnership with Vegorama Group, which runs Bikkgane Biryani and Punjabi Angithi. The direct-ordering concept is designed to help restaurants cut aggregator commissions.
KENT RO Systems has joined the renewable energy sector of India by investing INR 250 crore to set up a lithium battery and inverter facility in Noida. Its new division, Kent New Energy, will start with 3.5 GWh of capacity and target 10 GWh in six months.
A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta to pay a $25 billion penalties for breaching consumer protection and user data privacy regulations. It determined Meta deceived users about safeguarding their personal information, following enquiries stemming from the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
Eternal, the parent company of Zomato and Blinkit, wants to internationally debut its privacy-focused AI helper Dark.AI by the end of 2026. Founder Deepinder Goyal said the platform is for customers who want to have private talks, do sensitive research and make secret requests.
OYO’s parent PRISM has cut its proposed IPO fresh issuance by almost half to INR 3,350 crore from roughly INR 6,650 crore on the back of strong cash creation and improved balance sheet. Most of the IPO proceeds will be used to repay or prepay debt.
Carlsberg India plans to file for an IPO this week and could list in the stock market as soon as December after raising as much as $700 million. The Danish brewer is rumoured to be organising investor roadshows and is collaborating with Kotak Mahindra Capital, Citigroup and JPMorgan.
The US government has blocked Chinese AI firm DeepSeek from civilian federal agency computers due to cybersecurity threats and fears that sensitive data could end up in China. The Department of Homeland Security order bans agencies from buying DeepSeek services and goods.
SBI has detected 3,897 customer records with personally identifiable information among roughly 375,000 documents that were supposedly obtained on the dark web. The potential data leak includes client IDs, email addresses, mobile numbers, home addresses and banking related details.
Mukesh Ambani's Jio Platforms has launched India's biggest share sale, seeking to collect INR 302 billion ($3.2 billion) through its initial public offering (IPO). The Jio IPO, priced at INR 1,065 to INR 1,119 a share, would help to repay debt raised to grow the telecom and digital operations.
Anthropic may spend as much as $750 billion on computing capacity in the next years as it prepares for a massive US IPO. The developer of the Claude chatbot reported a $80.7 billion net loss for the first six months of 2026, mostly owing to accounting penalties.
DP World will invest the remaining $2 billion of its $5 billion investment in India as demand and capacity expansion increase. The global ports and logistics giant has already invested $3 billion in India and will concentrate on ports, logistics centers, warehouses etc.
Bharti Airtel becomes the first telecom operator to comply with the new mandate by offering three voice-only prepaid recharge plans at INR 185, INR 203 and INR 206. The packs also come with unlimited local, STD and roaming calls, 300 SMS and free HelloTunes, but no bundled mobile data.
InvoiceCloud said on Tuesday it will invest INR 350 crore over 3 years to scale up its global innovation hub in Hyderabad, concentrating on areas including artificial intelligence, product development etc. The digital billing and payments startup has grown its India team to over 250 employees.
Tesla has announced the opening of bookings for the next-generation Roadster Performance and Thrust models in India with an initial amount of INR 5.01 lakh. The electric sports car will offer phenomenal acceleration while the special Rocket version may feature rocket-inspired propulsion.
India may impose a transfer pricing audit for numerous financial years, with Truecaller potentially facing a tax demand of up to $90.85 million. The Swedish Tax Authority has already made its first formal decision for the 2022/23 fiscal year.
JLR India is growing its retail network in Delhi-NCR with a move to a larger integrated facility in Delhi and the inauguration of a new dealership in Gurugram. The luxury car company now has 33 retail outlets in 26 Indian cities, buoyed by high demand for its products.
The food safety agency highlighted the necessity of upholding prescribed temperatures throughout the supply chain to prevent spoiling and hazardous microbiological growth. FBOs must employ clean covered vehicles, food-grade packaging, and maintain correct records and traceability.
Brazilian aerospace giant Embraer has signed a deal to buy a 51% share in Mahindra Group-controlled Novavayu Aerospace, strengthening its foothold in India’s commercial aviation and defence industries. The contract will extend Embraer's cooperation with Mahindra and boost its expansion in India.
India’s cybersecurity watchdog CERT-In has cautioned that AI agents tested by vendors accessed real systems and confidential data at many Indian organisations without consent. The critical advisory warns of vulnerabilities including exposed credentials, weak cloud permissions etc.
Eight US states have sued ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, claiming it affects kids and misleads adults by giving unsafe advice and encouraging destructive action. Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, West Virginia and Iowa have filed complaints under consumer protection legislation.
The bond rout at CoreWeave adds to concerns about debt risks driving the artificial intelligence boom, since the AI cloud provider is saddled with about $50 bn of debt. As bond yields rise and default risks increase, investors are wondering if future AI revenues will justify.
Reliance Industries has replied to Elon Musk's claims of delays in the India launch of Starlink, stating Indian restrictions apply equally to domestic and foreign enterprises. Reliance said its satellite internet services were also seeking regulatory clearances.
Goldman Sachs sold 53.4 lakh shares of Eternal for INR 168.7 crore in a block sale. Bank of America bought the stake through its subsidiary. The deal comes as Eternal’s shares have risen 16.2% this year on strong investor demand.
Fairfa has offered to transfer its holdings in Go Digit Insurance and Go Digit Life Insurance to IDBI Bank. A separate proposal has been made with IIFL Capital Services. This follows the Indian government’s selection of a Fairfax subsidiary as the strategic bidder for a 60.72% interest in IDBI Bank.
Starting November 1, 2026, India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will compel CNAP to display callers’ names in addition to phone numbers. The technology, which will be initially available on 4G and newer networks, would identify domestic callers with the use of telecom subscriber records.
WhatsApp has announced guest calling, which enables users without an account to join audio and video calls through invitation links without installing the program. The functionality offers end-to-end encryption, screen sharing, and up to 32 participants on calls.
Canadian subsurface engineering company VZFOX is setting up its India base in Bengaluru by the end of 2026 with an initial five workers. The company wants to enter India’s oil and gas market through collaborations with engineering, EPC companies, project developers and energy operators.
boAt has forayed into Sri Lanka and Bhutan under boAt 2.0 effort to strengthen its presence in foreign markets. FY26 saw international sales of the consumer electronics brand grow over 100% to INR 45 crore even as total revenue declined 5% to INR 2,931 crore.
Reliance’s Jio Platforms has filed its red herring prospectus for an IPO which will start on October 21, 2026 and end on October 23. The sale is priced between INR 1,065 to INR 1,119 per share. The size of the deal might be over INR 30,213 crore making it the biggest IPO in India.
SEBI has suggested broad modifications to India’s SME IPO laws to ease investor entrance, decrease fund raising costs and improve investor safety. Key modifications include a revamped eligibility framework based on post issue market capitalisation, lower minimum application amounts etc.
Citi has completed an aircraft financing transaction worth $328 mn with IndiGo for the acquisition of 8 Airbus aircraft, comprising six A321s and two A320s. The transaction, structured using GIFT IFSC, is the first aviation finance transaction to be covered by Belgian export credit agency Credendo.
India’s food safety regulator is stepping up its scrutiny of online grocery and quick-commerce platforms like Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart and Amazon Now. New restrictions could mean product listings will have to include batch numbers, production and expiry dates.
Zoho Corporation has stopped yearly wage increases and cut marketing expenses as it confronts increasing AI infrastructure costs and software industry uncertainties. “Server prices have gone up four times, which has increased operational expenses,” founder Sridhar Vembu stated.
Freshworks has agreed to buy Israeli SaaS management platform Torii to enhance its Freshservice IT service management capabilities. The acquisition would strengthen capabilities around software usage tracking, license management, AI spend governance and shadow IT identification.
Indian, US and Chinese investors have shown interest in Peru’s proposed $844 million Corio port project as the South American country looks to boost commercial ties with Asia. The port has the potential to boost Peru's maritime capacity, accommodate larger boats and export copper and other minerals.
The RSPCB has cancelled operating consent for Carlsberg India & ordered the shutdown of its Alwar brewery for serious pollution violations. An investigation detected particulate matter emissions of 633 mg/Nm³, almost eight times the allowed level.
HCLTech has teamed with Anthropic to set up a dedicated AI business unit and Center of Excellence to speed up enterprise adoption of agentic AI. Anthropic’s Claude and Claude Code will also be included in HCL Software products, such as HCL AppScan and HCL BigFix, and HCLTech’s AIForce platform.
McCain Foods is expanding its manufacturing footprint in India through the acquisition of the frozen potato processing business of Falcon Agrifriz Foods in Gujarat. The acquisition will add to McCain’s current activities in Mehsana and boost the company’s developing domestic and export markets.
Rajesh Power Services has bagged turn-key contracts aggregating INR 471.92 cr from MGVCL for upgradation of overhead power lines & creation of underground power distribution networks in Gujarat. The projects being executed under the SI Scheme Robust-III are to be finished in 18 months.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) aims to ensure that 80% of its new personnel has digital and AI skills, with 25–30% of them specialising in artificial intelligence. “As demand for advanced technology skills grows, we will continue with this hiring strategy,” said COO Arathi Subramanian.
FMCG majors, including Emami, ITC, Britannia and Orkla India, are reportedly eyeing a stake in healthy food brand Farmley, which may be worth at INR 2,000 crore. Early investors with a 31% stake in the company are mulling an exit and anticipate to receive preliminary bids by the end of October.
🏆 Lists & Rankings
A logo's dual function as a representation of the brand and an indicator of the company's values makes it an indispensable tool in the branding process. To create the ideal logo that would leave an indelible impression on customers, numerous major organizations and sectors have shelled
More than 1,000 former workers have approached Walmart & Flipkart boards seeking liquidity for their vested ESOPs amid uncertainties surrounding the company’s delayed IPO. The Oct 10 representation has received backing from ex-executives from other Flipkart firms, including Myntra & Cleartrip.
Audi India is contemplating local manufacture of EVs to boost its market share in the luxury automotive segment from 8% to 15-16% in the next 3 to 5 years. The luxury car company intends to grow its model portfolio, enhance dealerships in tier-II and tier-III cities and improve customer experience.
Netflix is readying to trim roughly 5% of its workforce as soon as next week, according to reports, as revenue growth decelerates, competition in streaming heats up and investors get jittery. The corporation had about 16,000 full-time employees at the end of last year.
Anthropic has modified its policy on the use of AI to ban the exploitation of models, interference with elections, illegal surveillance and the creation of autonomous weaponry. The new regulations outlaw voter disinformation, impersonating candidates and more.
Vietnamese electric vehicle company VinFast will set up over 50 electric motorcycle dealerships in 34 Indian cities across 15 states and territories by partnering with local dealers. The extension will also have charging infrastructure and better after-sales services to assist the clients.
Rolls-Royce wants to increase its footprint in India in areas including defence, aerospace, civil aviation and energy. CEO Tufan Erginbilgiç held a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on strategic alliances supporting India’s economic growth and national security.
FSSAI has issued notices to Dr. Reddy’s, Nestlé Health Science, Amazon India, Flipkart India and other companies for allegedly making deceptive claims for Celevida GLP+. The FSSAI has asked the concerned food industry owners to show cause as to why action should not be taken against them.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) onboarded 10,000 freshers in Q2 FY27 and aims to maintain demand-led hiring as technology demand remains high. The IT firm is focusing on upskilling its employees, artificial intelligence (AI) skills and niche expertise to further increase delivery readiness.
The US government has banned Cognisant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL and other leading companies from the PLC Program, which means they may no longer sponsor foreign workers to get green cards. These firms have exploited visa programs at the expense of American workers, say U.S. officials.
Retail traders oppose introduction of UPI MDR costs from October 15; may be deferred to January 1, 2027. Under the proposed framework, a 0.40% MDR would be charged on qualified UPI merchant transactions exceeding INR 2,000, up to a maximum of INR 300.
Meta intervened on 5.3 million pieces of child sexual exploitation content in India in H1 2026, over 97% of which was proactively discovered across Facebook and Instagram. The company has launched new AI technologies to identify dangerous adverts that link to illegal off-platform content.
India’s fast commerce industry is anticipated to touch $90 billion by FY2031 from $13 billion in FY2026, Google and Redseer Strategy Consultants said. Metros will be responsible for more than 60% of incremental growth, with non-grocery categories experiencing strong rise.
Tata Power, partners with Norwegian renewable energy tech firm Ocean Sun for membrane based floating solar equipment in India. The businesses will pilot Ocean Sun’s revolutionary solution in a 300 kWp pilot at Tata Power’s Mulshi reservoir in Maharashtra.
Elon Musk has accused “certain oligarchs” of blocking the introduction of Starlink in India to protect a monopolistic stranglehold on the market. Starlink has made significant investments in India and is awaiting government clearances such as foreign direct investment and security clearance.
Amazon has announced more job layoffs, with the most of the cuts apparently impacting its Stores segment with less than 1,000 white-collar staff across the US, India and UK said to be affected. The layoffs came after Prime Big Deal Days and a broader restructure of Amazon’s personnel.
Brookfield has entered India’s logistics space by acquiring a portfolio of 10.5 million sq. ft. of logistics and industrial real estate from ESR India for INR 4,300 cr. The portfolio is spread across 400 acres in 6 metro clusters with 8 Grade A parks in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi-NCR, Chennai and Kolkata.
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has got the letter of award to develop the main plant of a 1,600 MW thermal power project in Chandrapura, Jharkhand. DVC CIL Power will have two 800 MW ultra-supercritical units and L&T will be responsible for essential equipment and engineering.
Meta is piloting a new video-first Facebook experience in India that opens the app right into full-screen video and highlights Reels. The new UX is aimed to increase video engagement, with some users given the option to revert to the Feed-first experience.
Paramount Skydance has finalised its $11 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, one of Hollywood’s biggest media giants. The unprecedented merger will combine key franchises including Mission: Impossible and Harry Potter, and Paramount+ and HBO Max, CBS, TNT and other networks.
Bike taxi aggregators like Rapido, Ola and Uber have been told by the Maharashtra state to switch to electric vehicles from petrol-powered motorcycles by July 2027. The state transport government has given platforms nine months to comply citing Maharashtra Bike Taxi Rules, 2025.
Uber is buying US workplace catering platform ezCater for $2.3bn in an all-cash deal to boost Uber Eats’ footprint in group catering and company meals. ezCater connects companies with more than 140,000 restaurants, and has more than $2.5 billion in revenue bookings in the last 12 months.
JioHotstar has expanded its international streaming footprint to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, outside of India, the UK, Canada and Singapore. STARZPLAY is now accessible in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Morocco and more regions.
Meesho’s Content Commerce business grew by 152% year-on-year in Net Merchandise Value (NMV) from authors in non-metro Indian cities. Almost 90% of its 1.6 lakh active producers are nano creators and 81% of them are outside the big urban centers.
Reliance Industries has obtained interim relief from the Delhi High Court in its case against FSSAI over the usage of “energy drink” on Campa products. The court questioned the decision making process of the FSSAI and let Reliance Consumer Products to continue selling Campa as an energy drink.
A major legal challenge has been mounted against Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee as US district judges in California and Massachusetts have declared that the administration does not have the power to levy the price. Court rulings put fee enforcement on hold affording reprieve to Indian IT firms.
Huawei and Qualcomm have entered into a multi-year patent licensing arrangement that covers 5G, artificial intelligence, computing and networking technologies. Under the transaction, Qualcomm will purchase a portfolio of US patents from Huawei.