Shivani Khandekar

Groundbreaking research from the World Inequality Lab reveals India's billionaire boom has led to economic inequality surpassing even the heights of the British Raj. Urgent calls for equitable reforms echo as India grapples with widening wealth gaps. Nitin Kumar Bharti Lucas Chancel #ThomasPiketty Anmol Somanchi A detailed report via Kanal Media #EconomicInequality #India #BillionaireRaj #BritishRaj #TaxData

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https://lnkd.in/dKjADtyP A draft of India's Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill 2024 has ignited a controversy - for its vague provisions, potential to stifle free speech and the lack of transparent consultation with the industry. I explain.

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"Insightful perspectives on RBI's potential gold acquisitions from Sachin Jain, WGC India Head. Discover how gold remains a strategic asset in the face of global uncertainties. #Gold #RBI #EconomicStrategy #WGC" My colleague Sayantan Sarkar and I write Edited by Rajeev Pai https://lnkd.in/dDT25dTi

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As the Indian government trains its sights on a sovereign rating upgrade, it needs to drastically improve upon two key metrics to reach its goal – the size of its debt burden, and the affordability of its debt. The key to India’s rating upgrade lies in slashing not only the debt-to-GDP ratio, but also its affordability ratio or interest costs as a percentage of revenues, Christian de Guzman, senior vice president at Moody's Ratings told Informist Media Pvt Ltd in an interview. "The question that is being asked of us is what's it going to take for us to rethink our rating. It is improvements in the debt-to-GDP, and more importantly, improvements in debt affordability," de Guzman told me and Pratigya Vajpayee. Even though the Indian government has brought down its fiscal deficit by 440 basis points over the last three years, de Guzman pointed out that its debt metrics leave a lot to be desired. "India's debt to GDP (ratio) is a key weakness, but interest payments to revenue is an even weaker point of our underlying assessment of fiscal strength," he said. https://lnkd.in/gf6X26ea

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Even without FDI in Multibrand retail, Indian traders have been upset that ecommerce and quick commerce majors, mostly foreign owned, are taking away their business. But domestic retail trade has grown substantially in the last 10 years and innovation is part of their narrative. Time to relook at FDI in Multibrand Retail against the fast-changing realities of today? 2024 is no 2014…. Business Standard

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FUNDING NEWS AppsForBharat, the parent of the SriMandir App, has raised $18m led by Nandan Nilekani's investment firm The Fundamentum Partnership In Decoding Bharat last month, an Accel in India, SeedToScale and CNBC-TV18 show, I spoke to Prashant Sachan, the founder, to understand their interesting business model and possibilities in India's "Devotion market" Do watch this insightful episode on how founders are building unique apps for Bharat and succeeding here.

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Despite this surge in the number of IPOs, the total fundraising amounted to Rs 26,272 crore, falling short of the previous two years. Analysts attribute this shortfall to the absence of mega issues in the market. Investors have generally responded positively to the new listings. Only one IPO failed to attract sufficient interest. Most of the 34 IPOs listed at a premium, and 75% of them have delivered positive returns to shareholders. Notably, five IPOs have doubled or tripled in value within six months of their listing. Jyoti CNC, one of the first issues of the year, has seen its stock price quadruple from its IPO price of Rs 331. Read my story to know more 👇. https://lnkd.in/dchHmdUw

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#Reorgcoverage Reorg has reported a series of exclusive scoops on Continuum Green Energy in April. Subscribe to read our coverage on the company here :https://lnkd.in/dnt-Va5H --Our Apr. 8 newsbreak on Continuum Green has been confirmed today by the company as it announced that its promoter entity would be buying out partial stake from Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners, a long-term investor in the company. We had reported that the promoters are trying to raise ~USD 200M in debt to fund the stake purchase apart from the company's discussions with onshore lenders for the refinancing of its RG bond. --Our team has backed up the initial newsbreak today, Apr. 17, with another exclusive scoop on the terms of financing being raised for the proposed stake purchase. --On Apr. 16, Reorg also reported that the company is testing waters for a 7 year USD bond to refinance its Levanter bonds even as it continues to engage with onshore lenders for refinancing. #continuum #renewables #asiacorecredit #debt #reorg

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It is high time directors, particularly #independentdirectors realised they will no longer be able to go scot free for their acts of omission and commission, negligence or financial misconduct, with SEBI increasingly cracking the whip. Recently, the regulator imposed a fine of Rs 10 Lakh on two independent directors of LEEL Electricals Ltd for their failure to discharge their statutory duties as members of the Audit Committee (AC). The independent directors in question were approached by the erstwhile promoter of LEEL on the assurance that their role as AC members would ‘not require any specialised knowledge of law and finance’ and that AC meetings were ‘routine’ and ‘actual decisions would be taken by the board’. On the contrary, AC members are required by law to have  proficiency in reading financial statements, besides a thorough understanding of their roles as independent directors. https://lnkd.in/gjB6jZNb

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A report on a discussion on my book, India’Finance Ministers, brings out some interesting thoughts that are relevant even today. https://lnkd.in/ghFxU-Cr

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Foreign fund managers are increasingly carving out their maiden India investment strategy as they look to diversify their portfolios, betting big on the country’s long-term growth story amid rising global uncertainties. PE and VC firms which are currently in the queue to launch their debut India-dedicated vehicles include marquee names such as L Catterton Asia, backed by French luxury brand LVMH; Affirma Capital, managed by the former senior leadership of Standard Chartered Private Equity; and Tribe Capital, which is a spinoff of Social Capital, among others. Also, General Catalyst, a US-headquartered venture capital firm, announced its acquisition of Venture Highway in India as it looks to double down on the nation despite a broader slowdown in funding activity. And, it's not funds alone. A host of companies are also shifting their base to India. DealStreetAsia Thank you Mo Abrar Pratip Mazumdar and Girish Vanvari for sharing your perspectives on the Indian investment landscape. Venture Intelligence Pine Labs Groww PhonePe Meesho udaan.com Razorpay Zepto https://lnkd.in/gHh4mPrA

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We keep mapping FDI inflows into our country. But did you know India is the 2nd largest source of FDI into UK? I didn't. Guess between Tata Group ArcelorMittal and now Bharti Enterprises the reverse colonization is complete. My piece in The Economic Times https://lnkd.in/d4tywjYU

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BJP & Congress' wealth tax fight: Much ado about nothing (read vote bank)? The idea of wealth redistribution proposed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has sparked a heated debate in India's political landscape, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi labeling it as 'dangerous'. The issue highlights growing income inequality and calls for radical measures to address economic disparities. However, can you win votes with this? Then how? https://lnkd.in/gj6-cdxS #wealthtax #inheritancetax #wealthredistribution #indianeconomy #incomeinequality #BJP #Congress #Modi #Rahulgandhi #LokSabha #LokSabhaelections #Indianwealthtax #SamPitroda #indiaincome #Indianelections #loksabhavotes

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"Discover insights from Nirmal Bang's Shah on the gold market! Bullish sentiments prevail, but at lower levels. Dive into the interview for expert perspectives. #GoldMarket #ExpertInsights" My colleague Anjali Lavania and I write Edited by Avishek Dutta https://lnkd.in/ghxxyFM7

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In this series, BW Businessworld analyses Himachal Pradesh's fiscal health as the hill state grapples with economic turmoil amid rising debt and limited revenue sources #debt #revenue #HimachalPradesh #economy #hillstate #oldpensionscheme #himachalgovernment #centralgovernment #freebies https://lnkd.in/ghgQDZB6

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Investment by Private Equity - Venture Capital (PE-VC) companies was down by $400 million in Oct CY2024 at $2.3 billion against $2.7 billion in Sept this year. It was lower by $300 million when compared with $2.6 billion in the corresponding month of last year (Oct CY2023). The number of PE-VC deals were also low last month recorded this year at 62. In contrast, Sept witnessed the highest number of deals at 104 this year, data released by research firm Venture Intelligence has revealed. Five deals more than $100 million in value and that collectively accounted for $1.3 billion in Oct. #equity #venturescapital https://lnkd.in/gY5YpftV

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Board approval for #IIFCL is in place and an #IPO launch could happen in the next 1 year, or sooner if the Cabinet gives approval for it ahead of expected timeline. According to company sources, #DFS and #DIPAM are now seeking comments from other ministries and then a Cabinet note will be prepared. Next few months could be exciting for the infra financier as govt may sell some stake via #OFS as well. Besides, #equityinfusion needs are also being discussed. Read the copy below for all details: Sagar Sen and I report.

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2024 is almost over, let's take a look back at the biggest market movers and shakers of the year! SEBI:  Let's start with the regulator. #SEBI cracked down hard and fast, but two major actions grabbed our attention: ✅First, stress test disclosures to see how fast managers can liquidate their portfolios ✅Second, SEBI overhauled #FnO rules, attempting to protect retail investors Reserve Bank of India:  #RBI had an eventful year, with major actions taken on microfinance institutions, #KotakMahindraBank, gold financiers, IIFL Securities, and Paytm Payments Bank. So far, we've seen no rate cuts for the year, but the new Guv might bring some joy to markets in February! Elections:  Over 64 countries went to the polls in 2024, but #Nifty50 and #Sensex took cues from three polling results: Lok Sabha, the US Presidential race, Maharashtra elections. The Lok Sabha elections disappointed the markets, with the benchmarks falling over 8% intraday! Union Budget 2024-25: The Budget will be tough one for investors to forget.  ➡️While the welfare tilt was priced in, the surprise hike in LTCG, STCG and STT caught the markets by surprise.   ➡️Further, the indexation benefit on real estate was scrapped, much to investors' chagrin IPOs:  With a record breaking Rs 1.8 lakh crore raised through 317 IPOs, 2024 shattered all records.  ➡️81 issues were listed on the mainboard ➡️236 were SME IPOs ➡️The largest IPO in India, Hyundai Motors India, boasted of an issue size of Rs 27,900 crore FIIs:  Believe or not, despite the news flow, foreign portfolio investors have been net buyers for the year. According the NDSL, #FII selling was the heaviest in October, but foreign institutional investors remained net buyers in equities for seven of the past 12 months. DIIs and retail investors: Retail investors and DIIs kept the markets afloat in 2024, making Indian equities more resilient to FII sell-offs! ➡️Indian households' equity exposure reached 30.6% in H1FY25, up from 17.2% in FY16 ➡️Tier 2-3 cities contribute 27% of individual equity investments SMIDs rally:  Small- and mid-caps outperform! The large-caps underperformed the broader markets in 2024. Blue-chips like Asian Paints, HUL, Reliance Industries all saw pain on the bourses, while SMIDs stole the show. There's a lot more factors that drove the markets, and you can find them here:  https://lnkd.in/d2WT8CZ6

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🌍 Exploring the Future of Sustainable Investments 🌱 In a recent ETMarkets Smart Talk interview, Atul Singh, MD and CEO of LGT Wealth India highlights the transformative potential of water and renewable energy as niche themes poised for long-term growth in 2025 and beyond. 💧⚡ Key takeaways: Full Interview - https://lnkd.in/gSS8SeWn ✅ Water: A critical resource driving global demand for efficient management and sustainable solutions. ✅ Renewable Energy: The backbone of the transition to a low-carbon economy, with significant investment opportunities. ✅ India's Role: A pivotal player in these sectors, with policies and innovations driving momentum. As we step into 2025, themes like these underscore the importance of aligning investments with sustainability and long-term value creation. 🌟 What are your thoughts on the growth potential of water and renewable energy as investment themes? Let's discuss! 👇 #SustainableInvesting #RenewableEnergy #WaterManagement #ETMarkets #InvestmentThemes #GreenEconomy

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