08 Jul 2025

OYO's European holiday home brand, DanCenter, plans to add 250 vacation homes in India this fiscal amid growing demand for premium getaways. After launching in Goa in February 2025, DanCenter added 50 homes in Q1 and aims to add 200 more by year-end. The portfolio includes luxury villas and serviced apartments across locations like Lonavala, Kufri, Ramgarh, Chennai, Jaipur, and more. New expansions are planned in Telangana and the North-East. Founded in Denmark in 1957 and acquired by OYO in 2019, DanCenter's Indian growth reflects its strategy to tap into the country's rising appetite for upscale, professionally managed vacation stays.Read more

08 Jul 2025

Lenders of Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JAL) have rejected a resolution plan submitted by Jaypee Infratech, now owned by Suraksha Group, due to late submission and lack of earnest money. JAL, undergoing insolvency since June 2024 with INR 57,185 crore in claims, received resolution plans from five other bidders-Adani, Vedanta, Dalmia Bharat Cement, Jindal Power, and PNC Infratech. The Committee of Creditors declined Jaypee Infratech's request to reconsider its bid. Some of the submitted plans are conditional, tied to pending legal matters. JAL owns major real estate, hotel, and cement assets in NCR, MP, and UP. NARCL is the largest claimant after acquiring JAL's debt from SBI-led lenders.Read more

08 Jul 2025

Whiteland Corporation has awarded INR 2,000 crore in construction contracts to Ahluwalia Contracts and Kalpataru Projects for its premium housing project on Dwarka Expressway. Spread across 20 acres, the project will feature around 1,700 apartments, with 1,400 units launched in the first phase. The developer has partnered with Marriott International to bring Westin Residences to Gurugram, which will manage the upcoming property. The total investment, including land and construction costs, is estimated at INR 5,500-6,000 crore.Read more

08 Jul 2025

Shell has acquired full ownership of Mumbai-based Raj Petro Specialities from Germany's Brenntag Group, enhancing its presence in India's lubricant market. Raj Petro, with plants in Chennai and Silvassa, produces transformer oils, waxes, white oils, and more. Shell already operates a blending plant in Taloja and serves 50,000 outlets via 200+ distributors, a network that will grow with this acquisition. India, the world's third-largest lubricants market, is a key focus for Shell's growth. The company also partners with top OEMs like Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai. With Raj Petro, Shell aims to expand its product range, customer base, and value-added offerings across India's energy sector.Read more

07 Jul 2025

MakeMyTrip has repurchased over 3.4 crore Class B shares from China-based Trip.com, reducing the latter's voting power from 45.34% to 16.90%. Following the transaction, three Trip.com-nominated directors resigned from MakeMyTrip's board, in line with the terms of the share issue. The board now comprises ten members, including three management directors, four independent directors, one Mauritius resident director, and two Trip.com-nominated directors. New appointees include Vivek N Gour, Savinilorna Payandi Pillay Ramen, and Group CFO Mohit Kabra. With 95.38 million shares now outstanding, the move marks a significant shift in MakeMyTrip's governance structure and reduces foreign influence in the Nasdaq-listed travel platform.Read more

07 Jul 2025

IndusInd Bank has opened its 12th all-women branch in India, located at Saveetha Dental College in Chennai. Spanning 1,300 sq ft, the branch is managed by five women officers and offers a full suite of retail banking services. The initiative aims to create a more inclusive, women-friendly banking environment. Separately, Aadhar Housing Finance launched its first all-women-operated branch in Indore, staffed by nine women. The company plans to open 12 more such branches nationwide this year. Aadhar currently operates 46 branches in Madhya Pradesh, with assets under management of INR 2,750 crore-projected to grow to INR 3,200 crore by the fiscal year-end.Read more

07 Jul 2025

India's fintech sector raised USD 889 million in H1 2025, marking a 26% drop from H2 2024, according to Tracxn. Despite the decline, early-stage funding rose 10% to USD 361 million, signaling investor confidence in innovation-led startups. Seed-stage and late-stage funding fell 27% and 41% respectively. India ranked third globally in fintech funding, behind the US and UK. Bengaluru led with 55% of funds, followed by Mumbai. Notable deals included Groww's USD 150 million acquisition of Fisdom. Top investors included Peak XV, Accel, and Bessemer. Accel led with 34 deals, while Blume Ventures added 7 new companies to its portfolio.Read more

07 Jul 2025

Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) reported a credit growth of 15.36% in Q1 FY26, with total credit reaching INR 2.41 lakh crore, up from INR 2.09 lakh crore in the same quarter last year. The bank also posted a 14.08% rise in deposits to INR 3.09 lakh crore. As a result, its total business grew 14.64% year-on-year to INR 5.46 lakh crore. The CASA ratio improved to 50.07% from 47.86%, indicating a stronger low-cost deposit base. BoM's credit-deposit ratio also rose slightly to 79.04% from 78.17%. These gains reflect robust performance in both lending and deposit mobilization during the April-June 2025 quarter.Read more

07 Jul 2025

Travel Food Services has raised nearly INR 600 crore from 33 anchor investors, including ICICI Prudential, Axis MF, and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, ahead of its INR 2,000 crore IPO opening on July 7. The IPO, priced at INR 1,045-1,100 per share, is a full offer for sale by promoter Kapur Family Trust, with no proceeds going to the company. Operating under K Hospitality, the firm runs quick-service restaurants and 31 lounges across 14 Indian and 3 Malaysian airports, and recently expanded to Hong Kong. Its portfolio features global brands like KFC and Wagamama alongside Indian chains like Sangeetha and Bikanervala. Listings are planned on NSE and BSE.Read more

07 Jul 2025

The JSW Group has secured INR 9,300 crore in financing to acquire Akzo Nobel India for INR 12,915 crore. This financing mix includes an INR 3,300 crore operating company-level debt from foreign lenders, a INR 3,000 crore convertible instrument from private credit funds, and a INR 3,000 crore loan against shares from domestic mutual funds. This acquisition aims to make JSW Paints India's fourth-largest paint company. The funding strategy also potentially includes proceeds from a recent INR 1,210 crore stake sale by promoters.Read more

07 Jul 2025

New RBI guidelines banning prepayment charges on floating rate loans will impact MSME-focused lenders and those providing loans against property. Released last week, these rules, effective from January 1, 2026, mean regulated entities cannot charge for early repayment on such loans. Lenders may need to adjust business models, exploring fixed-rate structures or upfront pricing to recover costs. While small finance banks, middle layer NBFCs, and urban co-operative banks retain some flexibility for business loans up to INR 50 lakh, the directive aims to standardize practices across the financial sector.Read more

07 Jul 2025

Kolkata's office leasing volume reached 11 lakh sq ft from January to July 2025, marking a 60% year-on-year increase and the highest half-yearly transaction volume in a decade. This surge was driven by large IT outsourcing and flexible workspace deals. Office vacancy rates dropped to 33.5%. However, the residential market saw an 11% sales decline and 29% drop in new launches. Despite this, unsold residential inventory decreased by 12%, showing a healthier market balance, indicating a strong commercial segment contrasting with a paused residential sector.Read more

07 Jul 2025

Smartworks Coworking Spaces will launch its INR 583 crore IPO on July 10, with a price band of INR 387-407 per share. The IPO closes on July 14, with anchor bidding on July 9. The fresh issue has been trimmed to INR 445 crore and the offer for sale reduced to 33.79 lakh shares. Proceeds will fund fit-outs, security deposits, loan repayments, and general corporate needs. Specialising in large, tech-enabled office campuses, Smartworks serves mid-to-large companies across cities like Bengaluru, Gurugram, and Mumbai. From FY23 to FY25, it added 2.83 million sq ft of space and recorded 38.98% CAGR in revenue. JM Financial and others are managing the offering.Read more

07 Jul 2025

Mahindra Holidays & Resorts, through its Finnish subsidiary Holiday Club Resorts Oy, has fully acquired Keskin in Kiinteistö Oy Salla Star (KKOSS) for INR 2.35 crore in an all-cash deal. The acquisition transitions Mahindra from a lessee to the outright owner of a holiday property in Märkäjärvi, Salla, Finland—previously leased since 2012 under a share purchase arrangement. KKOSS is now a wholly owned unit, with no related-party involvement. This move strengthens Mahindra's footprint in Europe's leisure market, particularly in the scenic Lapland region. The company now gains full control to upgrade or integrate the resort into its broader Holiday Club portfolio across Finland.Read more

07 Jul 2025

Global Capability Centres (GCCs) were the biggest contributors to India's office leasing in the past financial year, accounting for 42% of total leasing activity up from 41% previously. They occupied 31.8 million sq ft of office space, recording a 24% year-on-year growth. While the number of deals dipped slightly, the average deal size increased considerably, with large-sized transactions rising 44%. Nearly 43% of this demand came from Fortune 500 companies. The leasing momentum was strongest in Bengaluru, followed by Mumbai, NCR, Pune, and Hyderabad, with sectoral growth led by IT, BFSI, and life sciences.Read more

07 Jul 2025

India's real estate sector witnessed extraordinary growth last week, with capital mobilisation jumping more than threefold in FY25, climbing from INR 109,554 million to INR 328,526 million, driven by 17 major transactions. Large-cap firms topped the charts in fundraising, followed by REITs, mid-caps, and small-caps. Notably, REITs generated around 17.9% returns, outperforming both the Sensex and realty equities. Over the longer term since 2021, smaller real estate players have outshone their bigger counterparts and benchmark indices a testament to rising investor confidence across segments.Read more

07 Jul 2025

In a focused effort to support the unorganized sector, over 12,000 construction workers in Kodagu district in Karnataka have now been registered with the state's Construction Workers Welfare Board. This registration grants them access to a wide range of government-backed benefits, including financial assistance for children's education, medical treatments, pensions, maternity care, disability support, and funeral expenses. Marriage grants and aid for preschool nutrition are also available. The district's labour department is pushing for clean, genuine enrolment especially after earlier state-wide concerns around fraudulent claims and underutilized welfare funds. The initiative is part of a broader effort to ensure construction workers receive the entitlements they're due.Read more

06 Jul 2025

India will host the 7th International Real Estate Conference (IREC) in Hyderabad in September 2026, marking a major win for the country's property sector. Organized by NAR-INDIA and Hyderabad Realtors Association, the event will bring together over 600 global real estate leaders, investors, and policymakers. NAR-INDIA secured the bid at IREC 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, where India's potential drew strong investor interest. IREC 2026 will spotlight Hyderabad's smart-city progress, host investor roundtables, and showcase landmark projects. With themes like proptech, ESG, and global investment, the event highlights India's growing leadership in real estate. High-level government participation and global media coverage are also expected.Read more

06 Jul 2025

Reliance Retail has initiated a major internal restructuring by transferring its fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands business to a newly formed entity New Reliance Consumer Products Ltd (New RCPL). The move, cleared for creditor approval by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in Mumbai, is intended to grant the consumer brands division more focused management, dedicated resources, and investment potential. New RCPL will mirror the same shareholding structure as Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL), with the consumer business being transferred as a going concern through a slump sale.Read more

06 Jul 2025

India's top eight property markets witnessed a marginal 2 per cent decline in residential sales during January to June 2025, totalling 1,70,201 units, as per data released by Knight Frank. In contrast, office space leasing registered a 41 per cent surge, reaching 48.9 million square feet in the same period. The consultant highlighted that 49 per cent of residential sales were for properties priced above INR 1 crore, with prices rising by up to 14 per cent. Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, Pune, and Kolkata led the commercial leasing recovery, with Bengaluru alone more than doubling its leased area.Read more