AI surveillance is being used to determine behavioural patterns, detect manipulation and insider trading in the stock market, said Sriram Krishnan, Chief Business Development Officer(CBDO) at the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE). "For the last two or three years, we have been using homegrown algorithms mainly as a means of detecting and preventing malpractices in the market," he added, while refusing to disclose statistics on the malpractices it has prevented or detected. He said that the NSE does not publish such statistics, as "it would not be in the interest of the market". On the extent of AI use for surveillance of malpractices, he said it was an evolving process.The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) Initial Public Offering (IPO) will open for public subscription on Thursday, September 17, 2026, and close on Monday, September 21, 2026. After regulatory approvals, National Stock Exchange of India Limited has fixed the price band of Rs 1,700/- to Rs 1,785/- per Equity Share of face value Rs. 1/- each for its initial public offer. Investors can bid for a minimum of 8 Equity Shares and in multiples of 8 Equity Shares thereafter.National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) began its operations in 1994 and was the first exchange in India to implement electronic or screen-based trading. NSE is ranked third in the world in the equity segment by number of trades (electronic order book) in 2025, as per the statistics maintained by the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE).<h2>NSE's IPO comes amid growing pressure on Indian market</h2>When queried about NSE's IPO coming at a time when the Indian markets are facing sustained pressures due to high oil prices, falling value of Indian Rupee, geopolitical tensions, Krishnan replied that the NSE IPO is not meant to "time the market" and that this IPO is only meant to facilitate price discovery. "Investors who commit to NSE are very long-term oriented. They don't look at the current environment. Foreign Investors told us that buying NSE is like buying the India growth story, and that NSE will do well as India continues to develop," he cited.<h2>Why FPIs are pulling out of Indian stock market</h2>On the trend of Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) pulling out of the Indian stock market and opting to invest in overseas markets, NSE's CBDO explained that FPIs have the choice to invest anywhere they find suitable. "For example, a fund manager in San Francisco would prefer to invest in an AI firm delivering 2000% returns, given that India does not have such AI-centric options for investment. They are free to invest anywhere in the world. However, they also reallocate their investments every few months. All this depends on the choice of the fund managers. If they feel India is lacking in AI and that there are risk factors in India, they might go elsewhere. On the contrary, when the AI bubble bursts, or there is a market correction, they will come back to India," he elaborated.<h2>Potential for growth in the Indian stock market</h2>Citing data from recent years, NSE officials pointed out that India's unique registered investor base (tracked via PAN) on the National Stock Exchange surged from approximately 3.1 crore (31 million) in March 2020 just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and crossed the 13 crore (130 million) milestone by April 2026. They said that at least 20-30 lakh (2-3 million) new DMAT accounts(for holding investments digitally) were being opened every month over the last five years. &nbsp;Further, they also highlighted that such growth is sustainable, given that only 13.3 crore Indians out of the country's 140 crore population are trading in the capital markets.Our job is to bring good firms to the trading platform after checking their history and antecedents, track record, trust quotient, among others. To facilitate such growth of investors in the Indian market, we will also need to invest in the technology infrastructure that can help 40-50 crore people trade online, while also having the mechanism to deal with cybercrime and related threats.<h2>Market cap of NSE-listed firms could hit $11 trillion in a decade</h2>Quoting projections, NSE officials said that India's nominal GDP is estimated to climb toward the $10 trillion mark in a decade, which is more than double the present $4.3 trillion. Likewise, they expressed hope that the total market capitalisation of all NSE-listed firms could double from the present $5.1trillion to almost $11-12trillion in a decade. They believe that such growth can be achieved when India's startups, unicorns, and small-medium enterprises transition to public exchange listings. Citing the consistent growth of firms getting listed in the stock market, they pointed out that more than 250 firms have been getting listed every year over the last two years. Citing such numbers, an NSE official expressed hope that it would be possible to add about 3,000 firms to the stock market in about a decade.

The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) Initial Public Offering (IPO) will open for public subscription on Thursday, September 17, 2026, and close on Monday, September 21, 2026.

AI surveillance is being used to determine behavioural patterns, detect manipulation and insider trading in the stock market, said Sriram Krishnan, Chief Business Development Officer(CBDO) at the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE). "For the last two or three years, we have been using homegrown algorithms mainly as a means of detecting and preventing malpractices in the market," he added, while refusing to disclose statistics on the malpractices it has prevented or detected. He said that the NSE does not publish such statistics, as "it would not be in the interest of the market". On the extent of AI use for surveillance of malpractices, he said it was an evolving process. The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) Initial Public Offering (IPO) will open for public subscription on Thursday, September 17, 2026, and close on Monday, September 21, 2026. After regulatory approvals, National Stock Exchange of India Limited has fixed the price band of Rs 1,700/- to Rs 1,785/- per Equity Share of face value Rs. 1/- each for its initial public offer. Investors can bid for a minimum of 8 Equity Shares and in multiples of 8 Equity Shares thereafter. National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) began its operations in 1994 and was the first exchange in India to implement electronic or screen-based trading. NSE is ranked third in the world in the equity segment by number of trades (electronic order book) in 2025, as per the statistics maintained by the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE). NSE's IPO comes amid growing pressure on Indian market When queried about NSE's IPO coming at a time when the Indian markets are facing sustained pressures due to high oil prices, falling value of Indian Rupee, geopolitical tensions, Krishnan replied that the NSE IPO is not meant to "time the market" and that this IPO is only meant to facilitate price discovery. "Investors who commit to NSE are very long-term oriented. They don't look at the current environment. Foreign Investors told us that buying NSE is like buying the India growth story, and that NSE will do well as India continues to develop," he cited. Why FPIs are pulling out of Indian stock market On the trend of Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) pulling out of the Indian stock market and opting to invest in overseas markets, NSE's CBDO explained that FPIs have the choice to invest anywhere they find suitable. "For example, a fund manager in San Francisco would prefer to invest in an AI firm delivering 2000% returns, given that India does not have such AI-centric options for investment. They are free to invest anywhere in the world. However, they also reallocate their investments every few months. All this depends on the choice of the fund managers. If they feel India is lacking in AI and that there are risk factors in India, they might go elsewhere. On the contrary, when the AI bubble bursts, or there is a market correction, they will come back to India," he elaborated. Potential for growth in the Indian stock market Citing data from recent years, NSE officials pointed out that India's unique registered investor base (tracked via PAN) on the National Stock Exchange surged from approximately 3.1 crore (31 million) in March 2020 just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and crossed the 13 crore (130 million) milestone by April 2026. They said that at least 20-30 lakh (2-3 million) new DMAT accounts(for holding investments digitally) were being opened every month over the last five years. Further, they also highlighted that such growth is sustainable, given that only 13.3 crore Indians out of the country's 140 crore population are trading in the capital markets. Our job is to bring good firms to the trading platform after checking their history and antecedents, track record, trust quotient, among others. To facilitate such growth of investors in the Indian market, we will also need to invest in the technology infrastructure that can help 40-50 crore people trade online, while also having the mechanism to deal with cybercrime and related threats. Market cap of NSE-listed firms could hit $11 trillion in a decade Quoting projections, NSE officials said that India's nominal GDP is estimated to climb toward the $10 trillion mark in a decade, which is more than double the present $4.3 trillion. Likewise, they expressed hope that the total market capitalisation of all NSE-listed firms could double from the present $5.1trillion to almost $11-12trillion in a decade. They believe that such growth can be achieved when India's startups, unicorns, and small-medium enterprises transition to public exchange listings. Citing the consistent growth of firms getting listed in the stock market, they pointed out that more than 250 firms have been getting listed every year over the last two years. Citing such numbers, an NSE official expressed hope that it would be possible to add about 3,000 firms to the stock market in about a decade.

The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) Initial Public Offering (IPO) will open for public subscription on Thursday, September 17, 2026, and close on Monday, September 21, 2026.

'National Stock Exchange of India using AI to track & curb malpractices'

The New Delhi Declaration, adopted at the 18th BRICS summit on Saturday (Sep 12), had significant sections pertaining to buiness, economy, trade and global finance. At the 18th BRICS summit, held amid the 20th anniversary of the grouping, the leaders expressed commitment to &nbsp;the three pillars of cooperation - political-security, economic-financial, and people-to-people. Here is a summary of what the declaration said about economic and financial cooperation, an aspect which formed the germinating idea of BRICS itself.<h2>Seeking reforms in International financial institutions</h2>The declaration said the reform of the IMF and World Bank is urgent, and specifically called for a merit-based, transparent leadership selection in the two Bretton Woods institutions. On the IMF , the dclaration said voluntary financial contributions shouldn't buy governance weight. It sought the entry into force of the 16th General Review quota increases without further delay, as also a meaningful quota realignment under the 17th Review. On the World Bank, it said the 2025 Shareholding Review should correct historic underrepresentation of developing countries.<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/brics-summit-2026-in-new-delhi-world-leaders-gather-for-high-stakes-meeting-1789209287155/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/brics-summit-2026-in-new-delhi-world-leaders-gather-for-high-stakes-meeting-1789209287155/embed</a><h2>Trade and the WTO: From condeming ‘coericive measures’ to restoring WTO dispute settlement &nbsp;</h2>In what could be a reference to Trump tariffs, the declaration condemned "unilateral coercive measures, including secondary sanctions and non-UNSC-authorised sanctions." It expressed strong support for restoring a fully functioning two-tier binding dispute settlement system and appointing Appellate Body members. It criticised trade-restrictive actions inconsistent with WTO rules including indiscriminate tariff increases and protectionism dressed as environmental policy. It also backed WTO accession bids of Ethiopia and Iran. The declaration acknowledged China's zero-tariff treatment for 53 African countries.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/brics-summit-2026-india-ensures-consensus-brics-nations-to-issue-joint-statement-today-1789205401103">BRICS Summit 2026: India ensures consensus: BRICS nations to issue joint statement today</a><h2>BRICS Payment Task Force, cross-border trade and investments</h2>The declaration noted that work continues on cross-border payments through the BRICS Payment Task Force, including trade settlement in local currencies. The New Investment Platform, Multilateral Guarantees initiative, a proposed Insurance Resilience Centre and a Risk Lab at GIFT City, CRA treaty amendments, tax and customs cooperation were mentioned. The declaration also referred to MSME finance , spcifically the Jaipur Consensus on invoice discounting, as well as cooperation in Special Economic Zones, global value chains, and the New Development Bank's expanding role.&nbsp;

BRICS New Delhi Declaration pressed for IMF quota realignment and WTO Appellate Body revival. It advocated local-currency cross-border payments, and backed New Development Bank's expansion. But most imporantly, it opposed unilateral tariffs.

The New Delhi Declaration, adopted at the 18th BRICS summit on Saturday (Sep 12), had significant sections pertaining to buiness, economy, trade and global finance. At the 18th BRICS summit, held amid the 20th anniversary of the grouping, the leaders expressed commitment to the three pillars of cooperation - political-security, economic-financial, and people-to-people. Here is a summary of what the declaration said about economic and financial cooperation, an aspect which formed the germinating idea of BRICS itself. Seeking reforms in International financial institutions The declaration said the reform of the IMF and World Bank is urgent, and specifically called for a merit-based, transparent leadership selection in the two Bretton Woods institutions. On the IMF , the dclaration said voluntary financial contributions shouldn't buy governance weight. It sought the entry into force of the 16th General Review quota increases without further delay, as also a meaningful quota realignment under the 17th Review. On the World Bank, it said the 2025 Shareholding Review should correct historic underrepresentation of developing countries. https://www.wionews.com/videos/brics-summit-2026-in-new-delhi-world-leaders-gather-for-high-stakes-meeting-1789209287155/embed Trade and the WTO: From condeming ‘coericive measures’ to restoring WTO dispute settlement In what could be a reference to Trump tariffs, the declaration condemned "unilateral coercive measures, including secondary sanctions and non-UNSC-authorised sanctions." It expressed strong support for restoring a fully functioning two-tier binding dispute settlement system and appointing Appellate Body members. It criticised trade-restrictive actions inconsistent with WTO rules including indiscriminate tariff increases and protectionism dressed as environmental policy. It also backed WTO accession bids of Ethiopia and Iran. The declaration acknowledged China's zero-tariff treatment for 53 African countries. Also read: BRICS Summit 2026: India ensures consensus: BRICS nations to issue joint statement today BRICS Payment Task Force, cross-border trade and investments The declaration noted that work continues on cross-border payments through the BRICS Payment Task Force, including trade settlement in local currencies. The New Investment Platform, Multilateral Guarantees initiative, a proposed Insurance Resilience Centre and a Risk Lab at GIFT City, CRA treaty amendments, tax and customs cooperation were mentioned. The declaration also referred to MSME finance , spcifically the Jaipur Consensus on invoice discounting, as well as cooperation in Special Economic Zones, global value chains, and the New Development Bank's expanding role.

BRICS New Delhi Declaration pressed for IMF quota realignment and WTO Appellate Body revival. It advocated local-currency cross-border payments, and backed New Development Bank's expansion. But most imporantly, it opposed unilateral tariffs.

BRICS Summit: Payment Task Force, tariffs, trade and more: What New Delhi Declaration said about business, finance and economy

BRICS leaders gather at Bharat Mandapam on September 12 and 13 for the 18th summit, closing India's chairship under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability". The bloc's public-private partnership (PPP) agenda has so far been a story of physical infrastructure. But the question is whether it should also be a story about counters, queues and certificates. About people facing services.&nbsp;<h2>The BRICS PPP story so far&nbsp;</h2>BRICS formalised its PPP cooperation in 2016, and the BRICS Taskforce on Public-Private Partnerships was set up to manage that work and establish best practices among member states. The remit of this cooperation has been about infrastructure. At the finance ministers' meeting in October 2024, the task force flagged blended finance as the key instrument for pulling private capital into infrastructure aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. Brazil's presidency opened its first task force meeting in March 2025 on climate-resilient infrastructure. In May that year, Abu Dhabi hosted the task force and a seminar on flexible financing models for education, healthcare, clean energy and transport. Running underneath it all is the New Development Bank, whose project pipeline and membership expansion have shaped the bloc's infrastructure conversation since 2018.

Services for the public: The category nobody counted in PPP

Roads and grids are measurable but public-facing service delivery is not. Yet, it is where citizens actually meet the state. A passport window, a sub-registrar's office, a civil registration counter, and so many other services. BRICS now speaks for close to half the world's population and roughly 40 per cent of global GDP. That is a very large number of queues for such services.&nbsp;<h2>VFS: A 25-year proof of concept on service delivery for the people&nbsp;</h2>The model for service delivery as PPP already exists. In 2001, a VFS Global pilot with the US Consulate in Mumbai led to the establishment of three small visa centres in western India. Twenty-five years on, VFS Global works with 71 client governments, runs more than 4,200 application centres across 169 countries with over 17,500 staff, and has processed more than 557 million transactions. The company handles the administrative, non-judgmental layer while the government keeps the decision powers.<h2>From visas to registries: Potential proven, expansion is the need of the hour&nbsp;</h2>The expansion of service category is already visible. In May 2026, a VFS Global-led consortium with WE Excel Software won a five-year contract from Maharashtra's Inspector General of Registration to set up 60 Model Sub-Registrar Offices. The offices stay under government control and are staffed by departmental officials, and citizens can still choose a regular SRO.&nbsp;Elsewhere, a major milestone in this evolution was the acquisition of CiX Citizen Experience (CiX) in Brazil. Today, CiX Citizen Experience supports more than 170 million citizens through over 250 centres, delivering more than 200 public services. The acquisition has strengthened VFS Global’s position in citizen services and expanded its ability to help governments deliver more accessible and citizen-centric public services.&nbsp;There is huge possibility of expanding the success of VFS Global services into other BRICS nations. A strong impetus for this would come if service delivery is added to the PPP segment in BRICS.&nbsp;South Africa's Department of Home Affairs contracted the company in 2010 for visa and permit intake at its missions abroad, and again in 2013 for intake within the country — an arrangement the Auditor General later recommended be restructured as a formal public-private partnership. Vehicle registration, vital record registrations, company incorporation, e-governance portals — each is administrative volume attached to a sovereign decision. That is exactly the seam the PPP model was built for. Whether BRICS names it in Delhi is the thing to watch.&nbsp;

The PPP agenda of BRICS has so far been about physical infrastructure. But it should also be a story about counters, queues and certificates. About people facing services,  like those offered by VFS Global.

BRICS leaders gather at Bharat Mandapam on September 12 and 13 for the 18th summit, closing India's chairship under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability". The bloc's public-private partnership (PPP) agenda has so far been a story of physical infrastructure. But the question is whether it should also be a story about counters, queues and certificates. About people facing services. The BRICS PPP story so far BRICS formalised its PPP cooperation in 2016, and the BRICS Taskforce on Public-Private Partnerships was set up to manage that work and establish best practices among member states. The remit of this cooperation has been about infrastructure. At the finance ministers' meeting in October 2024, the task force flagged blended finance as the key instrument for pulling private capital into infrastructure aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. Brazil's presidency opened its first task force meeting in March 2025 on climate-resilient infrastructure. In May that year, Abu Dhabi hosted the task force and a seminar on flexible financing models for education, healthcare, clean energy and transport. Running underneath it all is the New Development Bank, whose project pipeline and membership expansion have shaped the bloc's infrastructure conversation since 2018.

The PPP agenda of BRICS has so far been about physical infrastructure. But it should also be a story about counters, queues and certificates. About people facing services, &nbsp;like those offered by VFS Global.

BRICS beyond infrastucture: The next PPP revolution could be in citizen services

Web traffic to artificial intelligence platforms experienced explosive growth in 2025, reaching 125.7 billion total visits, a 46% surge compared to the previous year, according to newly released analytics from market intelligence platform AITools.xyz. The data, which aggregates traffic estimates from SEMrush and Ahrefs across more than 9,500 AI platforms, reveals a heavy concentration of desktop and web-based usage dominated by a small group of nations. The United States leads the world by a wide margin, accounting for one out of every five AI website visits globally. Traffic originating from the US surpassed second-place India by more than double, while the top three countries combined generated 36.5% of all web-based AI interactions worldwide.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/ai-hacking-scare-anthropic-s-claude-model-hacked-external-systems-during-test-1789062587216/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/ai-hacking-scare-anthropic-s-claude-model-hacked-external-systems-during-test-1789062587216/embed</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;Brazil claimed the third spot globally with 7.0 billion visits, placing it comfortably ahead of major European markets including Germany (4.6 billion), the United Kingdom (3.8 billion), and France (3.4 billion).&nbsp;Large populations significantly contributed to the elevated totals in India and Brazil, but several Southeast Asian nations also showed remarkably strong engagement. Indonesia ranked sixth globally with 3.7 billion visits, while the Philippines ranked tenth with 2.9 billion. Both nations outperformed larger or wealthier economies such as Italy (2.6 billion), Spain (2.5 billion), and South Korea (2.3 billion).&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/anthropic-says-scientists-used-claude-ai-for-research-that-could-aid-biological-weapons-development-1789112065887">Anthropic says scientists used Claude AI for research that could aid biological weapons development</a>&nbsp;Conversely, China ranked 15th with 2.4 billion visits, an unexpectedly low position for the world’s second-largest AI developer. Industry analysts emphasize that this ranking reflects methodological boundaries rather than total national engagement. Major Western platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude face restrictions in China, driving domestic users toward native services like DeepSeek, Doubao, and Quark. Because these local platforms primarily operate through mobile applications and the dataset strictly tracks web browser traffic while excluding mobile apps, China's total usage is significantly understated.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/houthis-used-claude-ai-for-weapons-development-and-guided-rocket-test-what-anthropic-threat-report-claimed-1789110359900">Houthis used Claude AI for weapons development and guided-rocket test? What Anthropic threat report claimed</a>&nbsp;The report also highlights a divergence between overall web volume and population adoption rates. While the US drives the highest absolute traffic volume, separate findings from Microsoft rank the U.S. 21st in workplace adoption, with 31.3% of working-age adults using AI regularly. By contrast, smaller economies exhibit far higher penetration rates; the United Arab Emirates leads global workforce integration, with 70.1% of adults regularly utilizing AI tools.

Global web traffic to AI platforms grew 46% in 2025 to 125.7 billion visits, driven by the US, India, and Brazil, according to new data from AITools.xyz.

Web traffic to artificial intelligence platforms experienced explosive growth in 2025, reaching 125.7 billion total visits, a 46% surge compared to the previous year, according to newly released analytics from market intelligence platform AITools.xyz. The data, which aggregates traffic estimates from SEMrush and Ahrefs across more than 9,500 AI platforms, reveals a heavy concentration of desktop and web-based usage dominated by a small group of nations. The United States leads the world by a wide margin, accounting for one out of every five AI website visits globally. Traffic originating from the US surpassed second-place India by more than double, while the top three countries combined generated 36.5% of all web-based AI interactions worldwide. https://www.wionews.com/videos/ai-hacking-scare-anthropic-s-claude-model-hacked-external-systems-during-test-1789062587216/embed Brazil claimed the third spot globally with 7.0 billion visits, placing it comfortably ahead of major European markets including Germany (4.6 billion), the United Kingdom (3.8 billion), and France (3.4 billion). Large populations significantly contributed to the elevated totals in India and Brazil, but several Southeast Asian nations also showed remarkably strong engagement. Indonesia ranked sixth globally with 3.7 billion visits, while the Philippines ranked tenth with 2.9 billion. Both nations outperformed larger or wealthier economies such as Italy (2.6 billion), Spain (2.5 billion), and South Korea (2.3 billion). Also read: Anthropic says scientists used Claude AI for research that could aid biological weapons development Conversely, China ranked 15th with 2.4 billion visits, an unexpectedly low position for the world’s second-largest AI developer. Industry analysts emphasize that this ranking reflects methodological boundaries rather than total national engagement. Major Western platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude face restrictions in China, driving domestic users toward native services like DeepSeek, Doubao, and Quark. Because these local platforms primarily operate through mobile applications and the dataset strictly tracks web browser traffic while excluding mobile apps, China's total usage is significantly understated. Also read: Houthis used Claude AI for weapons development and guided-rocket test? What Anthropic threat report claimed The report also highlights a divergence between overall web volume and population adoption rates. While the US drives the highest absolute traffic volume, separate findings from Microsoft rank the U.S. 21st in workplace adoption, with 31.3% of working-age adults using AI regularly. By contrast, smaller economies exhibit far higher penetration rates; the United Arab Emirates leads global workforce integration, with 70.1% of adults regularly utilizing AI tools.

Global web traffic to AI platforms grew 46% in 2025 to 125.7 billion visits, driven by the US, India, and Brazil, according to new data from AITools.xyz.

Global AI web traffic soars to 125.7 billion visits in 2025; US and India lead market: report

BRICS is aiming to make cross-border payments faster, cheaper and less dependent on traditional financial channels. The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) recent comments and recommendations point towards a potentially significant shift in how trade and other cross-border payments could be settled among BRICS economies. This is not being described as dedollarisation per se. But it has elements of countries being able to settle trade in their local currencies.<h2>What did RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra say on BRICS payments?</h2>RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra recently said BRICS members were discussing possible links between their fast payment systems and central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs. “Cross-border payments is an area of interest for all of us, including the BRICS, because we feel there is a lot of scope for reducing cost,” Malhotra said in Mumbai.Various options are on the table, he said, while highlighting the speed of India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), compared with international remittances that can take hours or days to settle.<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/brics-focuses-on-diversification-over-de-dollarisation-1789104909152/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/brics-focuses-on-diversification-over-de-dollarisation-1789104909152/embed</a><h2>BRICS is considering more than one mechanism</h2>Linking existing fast-payment systems is one way, while interoperability between national CBDCs is another. But a single BRICS-wide payment network is yet to take shape.The Indian central bank had recommended that the linking of BRICS members’ CBDCs be included on the agenda of the 2026 BRICS Summit. The aim was to streamline cross-border trade, trade finance and tourism payments through compatible technology and governance arrangements.India has been pushing the CBDC-linking proposal ahead of the BRICS Summit. But technical and political hurdles remain. There are questions over governance, technology compatibility and the issue of trade imbalances between member countries.Currency-swap arrangements and regular settlement mechanisms could be required in the case of large bilateral trade imbalances.Finance ministers and central bank governors have been discussing the BRICS Cross-Border Payments Initiative for some time. The BRICS Payment Task Force is exploring greater interoperability between member states’ payment systems.The idea is for facilitating cross-border payments that are fast, low-cost, accessible, efficient, transparent and safe, while supporting trade and investment flows.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/de-dollarisation-question-of-the-brics-economy-how-upi-cips-pix-and-spfs-could-link-up-to-bypass-swift-explaind-1788694362366">De-dollarisation question of the BRICS economy: How UPI, CIPS, Pix and SPFS could link up to bypass SWIFT? EXPLAIND</a><h2>Settling trade in local currencies: The other part of the equation</h2>The RBI is also pushing to expand the international use of the rupee and other national currencies. Malhotra said the RBI would continue efforts to internationalise the rupee and promote the use of local currencies for cross-border payments and trade. India already has bilateral local-currency settlement arrangements with the UAE, Indonesia, Maldives and Mauritius.The RBI’s framework for international trade settlement through the rupee, including Special Rupee Vostro Accounts (SRVAs), is an arrangement alongside the existing system using freely convertible currencies.The RBI’s Inter-Departmental Group on Internationalisation of the Indian Rupee (INR) had recommended expanding the use of local currencies, particularly with major trading partners.&nbsp;<h2>Reducing dollar dependence without removing it entirely</h2>These measures could reduce the need for, and dependence on, the US dollar in some bilateral transactions, even if “dedollarisation” is not the stated objective.If two BRICS nations can use interoperable payment systems to settle directly in their respective currencies, the transaction may not need to be routed through the dollar.For CBDCs, if digital currencies issued by participating central banks can eventually interact directly under agreed technical and regulatory standards, cross-border payments could become faster and potentially cheaper.It is a form of smart diversification, and eventually a third currency such as the dollar may be required less for such transactions.<h2>Is this BRICS dedollarisation?</h2>The RBI and Indian government have not presented these initiatives as dedollarisation or as a move towards establishing a BRICS currency.The RBI’s CBDC proposal is not aimed at promoting dedollarisation, and India’s objective is to make international transactions easier and faster, rather than to replace the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency.India has been cautious about BRICS turning into an explicitly anti-dollar financial bloc. There is no agreed BRICS common currency yet. No plan has been announced for a BRICS alternative to the existing international monetary system either.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/peskov-russia-brics-transactions-national-currencies-1788862059036">BRICS 2026: Russia says over 90% of Russia-BRICS trade settled in national currencies</a><h2>The big challenge of trade imbalances</h2>The basic problem on any future payment mechanism is how to settle persistent trade imbalances. If a country accumulates large balances in another country’s currency but has limited opportunities to spend or invest them, local-currency settlement can become unsustainable.To manage such imbalances, potential BRICS arrangements could require currency swaps and regular settlement mechanisms.

RBI’s BRICS payments push could make cross-border trade faster and cheaper. Mechanisms being considered include CBDCs, UPI links and local currency settlments. These could reduce dollar dependence without formally pursuing dedollarisation 

BRICS is aiming to make cross-border payments faster, cheaper and less dependent on traditional financial channels. The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) recent comments and recommendations point towards a potentially significant shift in how trade and other cross-border payments could be settled among BRICS economies. This is not being described as dedollarisation per se. But it has elements of countries being able to settle trade in their local currencies. What did RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra say on BRICS payments? RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra recently said BRICS members were discussing possible links between their fast payment systems and central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs. “Cross-border payments is an area of interest for all of us, including the BRICS, because we feel there is a lot of scope for reducing cost,” Malhotra said in Mumbai. Various options are on the table, he said, while highlighting the speed of India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), compared with international remittances that can take hours or days to settle. https://www.wionews.com/videos/brics-focuses-on-diversification-over-de-dollarisation-1789104909152/embed BRICS is considering more than one mechanism Linking existing fast-payment systems is one way, while interoperability between national CBDCs is another. But a single BRICS-wide payment network is yet to take shape. The Indian central bank had recommended that the linking of BRICS members’ CBDCs be included on the agenda of the 2026 BRICS Summit. The aim was to streamline cross-border trade, trade finance and tourism payments through compatible technology and governance arrangements. India has been pushing the CBDC-linking proposal ahead of the BRICS Summit. But technical and political hurdles remain. There are questions over governance, technology compatibility and the issue of trade imbalances between member countries. Currency-swap arrangements and regular settlement mechanisms could be required in the case of large bilateral trade imbalances. Finance ministers and central bank governors have been discussing the BRICS Cross-Border Payments Initiative for some time. The BRICS Payment Task Force is exploring greater interoperability between member states’ payment systems. The idea is for facilitating cross-border payments that are fast, low-cost, accessible, efficient, transparent and safe, while supporting trade and investment flows. Also read: De-dollarisation question of the BRICS economy: How UPI, CIPS, Pix and SPFS could link up to bypass SWIFT? EXPLAIND Settling trade in local currencies: The other part of the equation The RBI is also pushing to expand the international use of the rupee and other national currencies. Malhotra said the RBI would continue efforts to internationalise the rupee and promote the use of local currencies for cross-border payments and trade. India already has bilateral local-currency settlement arrangements with the UAE, Indonesia, Maldives and Mauritius. The RBI’s framework for international trade settlement through the rupee, including Special Rupee Vostro Accounts (SRVAs), is an arrangement alongside the existing system using freely convertible currencies. The RBI’s Inter-Departmental Group on Internationalisation of the Indian Rupee (INR) had recommended expanding the use of local currencies, particularly with major trading partners. Reducing dollar dependence without removing it entirely These measures could reduce the need for, and dependence on, the US dollar in some bilateral transactions, even if “dedollarisation” is not the stated objective. If two BRICS nations can use interoperable payment systems to settle directly in their respective currencies, the transaction may not need to be routed through the dollar. For CBDCs, if digital currencies issued by participating central banks can eventually interact directly under agreed technical and regulatory standards, cross-border payments could become faster and potentially cheaper. It is a form of smart diversification, and eventually a third currency such as the dollar may be required less for such transactions. Is this BRICS dedollarisation? The RBI and Indian government have not presented these initiatives as dedollarisation or as a move towards establishing a BRICS currency. The RBI’s CBDC proposal is not aimed at promoting dedollarisation, and India’s objective is to make international transactions easier and faster, rather than to replace the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency. India has been cautious about BRICS turning into an explicitly anti-dollar financial bloc. There is no agreed BRICS common currency yet. No plan has been announced for a BRICS alternative to the existing international monetary system either. Also read: BRICS 2026: Russia says over 90% of Russia-BRICS trade settled in national currencies The big challenge of trade imbalances The basic problem on any future payment mechanism is how to settle persistent trade imbalances. If a country accumulates large balances in another country’s currency but has limited opportunities to spend or invest them, local-currency settlement can become unsustainable. To manage such imbalances, potential BRICS arrangements could require currency swaps and regular settlement mechanisms.

RBI’s BRICS payments push could make cross-border trade faster and cheaper. Mechanisms being considered include CBDCs, UPI links and local currency settlments. These could reduce dollar dependence without formally pursuing dedollarisation&nbsp;

BRICS Summit 2026: Dedollarisation by other methods? What RBI’s remarks on easier trade payment mechanisms means

China's AI chip race has produced another explosive stock-market debut. Tencent-backed Enflame surged roughly 200% on its first day in Shanghai, with investors betting that the company can help build a domestic alternative to Nvidia.&nbsp;Enflame opened at 410 yuan, compared with its IPO price of 142.18 yuan, and later traded around 430 yuan. That pushed its market value to about 185 billion yuan, roughly three times its IPO valuation.&nbsp;The enthusiasm was visible even before trading began. Enflame's online IPO portion attracted orders for 6,109 times the shares available, forcing the company to move additional shares into the retail allocation. More than seven million investor accounts took part.<h2>China’s Nvidia challengers are gaining momentum</h2>Enflame is one of China's so-called “four little GPU dragons”, alongside Moore Threads, MetaX and Biren Technology. All four are trying to build AI accelerators that can reduce China's dependence on foreign chipmakers such as Nvidia. That effort has become more urgent as US export controls restrict China's access to advanced AI processors. Beijing is also pushing technology self-sufficiency, giving domestic chipmakers a major strategic opportunity.&nbsp;Enflame plans to use money from its 6.12 billion yuan ($912 million) IPO to develop its fifth- and sixth-generation AI chips and related technology.<h2>Investors are betting on a much bigger AI market</h2>The optimism comes despite Enflame still losing money. Its revenue reached 990 million yuan in 2025, up 37% from the previous year. However, it recorded a net loss of about 1.2 billion yuan.&nbsp;The company expects to reach break-even or profitability in 2026 or 2027.&nbsp;There is another important factor: Tencent is both Enflame's biggest shareholder and its largest customer. Tencent will hold about 17.95% after the IPO, while it accounted for 83.79% of Enflame's 2025 revenue. The surge shows how strongly investors are backing China's AI hardware ambitions. But Enflame and its peers still face a difficult test: turning enormous market expectations into chips that can genuinely compete with Nvidia's technology and ecosystem.

Tencent-backed Chinese AI chipmaker Enflame surged roughly 200% in its Shanghai debut, tripling its IPO valuation. The explosive listing reflects investor confidence in China's push for domestic Nvidia alternatives amid US export restrictions and booming AI demand.

China's AI chip race has produced another explosive stock-market debut. Tencent-backed Enflame surged roughly 200% on its first day in Shanghai, with investors betting that the company can help build a domestic alternative to Nvidia. Enflame opened at 410 yuan, compared with its IPO price of 142.18 yuan, and later traded around 430 yuan. That pushed its market value to about 185 billion yuan, roughly three times its IPO valuation. The enthusiasm was visible even before trading began. Enflame's online IPO portion attracted orders for 6,109 times the shares available, forcing the company to move additional shares into the retail allocation. More than seven million investor accounts took part. China’s Nvidia challengers are gaining momentum Enflame is one of China's so-called “four little GPU dragons”, alongside Moore Threads, MetaX and Biren Technology. All four are trying to build AI accelerators that can reduce China's dependence on foreign chipmakers such as Nvidia. That effort has become more urgent as US export controls restrict China's access to advanced AI processors. Beijing is also pushing technology self-sufficiency, giving domestic chipmakers a major strategic opportunity. Enflame plans to use money from its 6.12 billion yuan ($912 million) IPO to develop its fifth- and sixth-generation AI chips and related technology. Investors are betting on a much bigger AI market The optimism comes despite Enflame still losing money. Its revenue reached 990 million yuan in 2025, up 37% from the previous year. However, it recorded a net loss of about 1.2 billion yuan. The company expects to reach break-even or profitability in 2026 or 2027. There is another important factor: Tencent is both Enflame's biggest shareholder and its largest customer. Tencent will hold about 17.95% after the IPO, while it accounted for 83.79% of Enflame's 2025 revenue. The surge shows how strongly investors are backing China's AI hardware ambitions. But Enflame and its peers still face a difficult test: turning enormous market expectations into chips that can genuinely compete with Nvidia's technology and ecosystem.

Tencent-backed Chinese AI chipmaker Enflame surged roughly 200% in its Shanghai debut, tripling its IPO valuation. The explosive listing reflects investor confidence in China's push for domestic Nvidia alternatives amid US export restrictions and booming AI demand.

Nvidia rival Enflame soars 200% in China debut as investors pile into AI chip stocks

Anthropic has reported that a Yemen-based guided weapons engineering cell used its Claude AI models to develop software for several weapons programmes, including a guided rocket and missile systems. The activity was detailed in Anthropic’s September 2026 threat-intelligence report, “Detecting and Countering Misuse of AI”. The company said the activity occurred between December 2025 and August 2026. Anthropic described the actors as a “Yemen-based guided weapons engineering cell” operating in northern Yemen. It did not explicitly identify the cell as the Houthis, but the reported activity took place in Houthi-controlled territory. The cell has been described in subsequent reports as Houthi-linked.&nbsp;<h2>Three weapons programmes identified</h2>Anthropic said the actors used Claude models, including Claude Haiku, Sonnet and Opus, as well as Claude Code. The company investigated the activity, banned the associated accounts and shared information with government and industry partners.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/houthis-vs-saudi-arabia-structures-at-king-khalid-air-base-damaged-1789012190643/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/houthis-vs-saudi-arabia-structures-at-king-khalid-air-base-damaged-1789012190643/embed</a>Anthropic identified three weapons-development programmes associated with the Yemen-based cell.One involved a guided rocket using a commercially available, phone-class flight computer and final-phase homing guidance designed to steer the rocket towards a target.A second programme was for a multi-stage ballistic missile with a stated range goal of more than 2,000 kilometres.The third, referred to as the “R2000” set, involved proposed missile variants, including one incorporating a hypersonic glide vehicle.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/houthis-capture-al-mokha-yemen-bab-el-mandeb-red-sea-1789041773019">Houthis capture Yemen's al Mokha port city, advance towards strategic Bab el-Mandeb</a><h2>How Claude was used in weapons development by Yemen-based group</h2>According to Anthropic, Claude Code was used as a substitute for human software engineers for parts of the development of guidance, navigation and control (GNC) software. GNC software is used to steer and stabilise flying vehicles.The reported uses included integrating an open-source autopilot onto a phone-class flight computer, writing control and position-estimation software, tuning control settings, running firmware build pipelines and conducting flight simulations.The actors used multiple Claude instances at the same time, each handling coding, research and code review. Human operators directed the overall work.Anthropic said the cell also attempted to conceal the full purpose of its activities by dividing work across multiple Claude sessions. As a result, no individual conversation revealed the true intent of the weapons programme.The company said its safeguards blocked many weapons-related requests, but not all, as the actors found ways to work around some of its access controls and refusals. The group concealed its objectives and divided tasks in an effort to avoid triggering its safety systems.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pakistan-walks-back-on-houthi-warning-rules-out-military-action-under-mecca-pact-1789048794860">Pakistan walks back Houthi threat, rules out military action as rebels target Saudi Arabia</a><h2>Claude consulted after guided-rocket test failed</h2>Anthropic said it had no evidence that the actors successfully fielded an operational weapon. However, the company reported that the cell carried out a live field test of a guided rocket.The test appeared to have failed. Anthropic said the actors returned to Claude shortly afterwards to diagnose the failure and investigate what had gone wrong.The disclosure does not establish that Claude independently designed or built a functioning weapon. But it shows that the AI models were used to assist human operators with engineering, coding, simulation and troubleshooting tasks connected to weapons development.Anthropic said it detected the activity through its own investigations into suspected weapons-related misuse, banned the relevant accounts, and shared information with the government and industry partners.The Yemen case was part of a wider set of examples in Anthropic’s September report concerning the misuse of AI models. The company found weapons-related activity in China and Russia, including the use of AI agents and code in drone-related work.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Anthropic said in its latest threat report that a Yemen-based weapons cell used Claude AI to develop missile guidance software and test a guided rocket. Reports say it could be the Houthis


Anthropic has reported that a Yemen-based guided weapons engineering cell used its Claude AI models to develop software for several weapons programmes, including a guided rocket and missile systems. The activity was detailed in Anthropic’s September 2026 threat-intelligence report, “Detecting and Countering Misuse of AI”. The company said the activity occurred between December 2025 and August 2026. Anthropic described the actors as a “Yemen-based guided weapons engineering cell” operating in northern Yemen. It did not explicitly identify the cell as the Houthis, but the reported activity took place in Houthi-controlled territory. The cell has been described in subsequent reports as Houthi-linked. Three weapons programmes identified Anthropic said the actors used Claude models, including Claude Haiku, Sonnet and Opus, as well as Claude Code. The company investigated the activity, banned the associated accounts and shared information with government and industry partners. https://www.wionews.com/videos/houthis-vs-saudi-arabia-structures-at-king-khalid-air-base-damaged-1789012190643/embed Anthropic identified three weapons-development programmes associated with the Yemen-based cell. One involved a guided rocket using a commercially available, phone-class flight computer and final-phase homing guidance designed to steer the rocket towards a target. A second programme was for a multi-stage ballistic missile with a stated range goal of more than 2,000 kilometres. The third, referred to as the “R2000” set, involved proposed missile variants, including one incorporating a hypersonic glide vehicle. Also read: Houthis capture Yemen's al Mokha port city, advance towards strategic Bab el-Mandeb How Claude was used in weapons development by Yemen-based group According to Anthropic, Claude Code was used as a substitute for human software engineers for parts of the development of guidance, navigation and control (GNC) software. GNC software is used to steer and stabilise flying vehicles. The reported uses included integrating an open-source autopilot onto a phone-class flight computer, writing control and position-estimation software, tuning control settings, running firmware build pipelines and conducting flight simulations. The actors used multiple Claude instances at the same time, each handling coding, research and code review. Human operators directed the overall work. Anthropic said the cell also attempted to conceal the full purpose of its activities by dividing work across multiple Claude sessions. As a result, no individual conversation revealed the true intent of the weapons programme. The company said its safeguards blocked many weapons-related requests, but not all, as the actors found ways to work around some of its access controls and refusals. The group concealed its objectives and divided tasks in an effort to avoid triggering its safety systems. Also read: Pakistan walks back Houthi threat, rules out military action as rebels target Saudi Arabia Claude consulted after guided-rocket test failed Anthropic said it had no evidence that the actors successfully fielded an operational weapon. However, the company reported that the cell carried out a live field test of a guided rocket. The test appeared to have failed. Anthropic said the actors returned to Claude shortly afterwards to diagnose the failure and investigate what had gone wrong. The disclosure does not establish that Claude independently designed or built a functioning weapon. But it shows that the AI models were used to assist human operators with engineering, coding, simulation and troubleshooting tasks connected to weapons development. Anthropic said it detected the activity through its own investigations into suspected weapons-related misuse, banned the relevant accounts, and shared information with the government and industry partners. The Yemen case was part of a wider set of examples in Anthropic’s September report concerning the misuse of AI models. The company found weapons-related activity in China and Russia, including the use of AI agents and code in drone-related work.

Anthropic said in its latest threat report that a Yemen-based weapons cell used Claude AI to develop missile guidance software and test a guided rocket. Reports say it could be the Houthis &nbsp;

Houthis used Claude AI for weapons development and guided-rocket test? What Anthropic threat report claimed

New Delhi, September 11, 2026: WION (World Is One News—India's global news channel) today announced WION World Conferences, a curated series of summits, conferences, conclaves, and engagements that will bring together policymakers, business leaders, diplomats, investors, academics, experts, and changemakers to examine the issues transforming India and the world.&nbsp;The initiative comes at a defining moment for the global order. As globalisation faces profound disruption, geopolitical realignments deepen and technology and economic forces redraw traditional boundaries, WION World Conferences will examine these shifts, debate their implications, and explore new opportunities for cooperation.&nbsp;Built around WION’s core philosophy of ‘World Is One’, the platform will take conversations beyond headlines—bringing global perspectives into dialogue with country-specific priorities.&nbsp;Its agenda will span AI, sustainability, tourism, defence, diplomacy, global economics, education, technology, and the future of work, alongside country-to-country partnerships through high-level keynotes, panel discussions, fireside conversations, closed-door roundtables, and strategic networking.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/bond-tokenization-summit-2026-tokenization-explained-how-blockchain-could-change-the-way-you-own-everything-from-homes-to-bonds-1789026218424">Bond Tokenization Summit 2026: How blockchain could change the way you own everything from homes to bonds</a>&nbsp;Announcing the initiative, Raktim Das, CEO, Zee Media Corporation Limited, said: “WION has been about taking India’s conversations to the world and bringing the world’s conversations to India. WION World Conferences is a natural extension of that mission. The world is changing rapidly, and so are the relationships between countries, economies, and people. These platforms will bring together those shaping policy, business and society to engage with the big questions of our time, challenge conventional thinking, and explore new possibilities for collaboration.”<h2>From a Soft Start to a Global Platform</h2>&nbsp;While WION World Conferences is being formally announced today, the platform has already begun taking shape.&nbsp;In May 2026, WION made a soft start with the WION Global Innovation and Leadership Summit in Colombo, bringing together leading Sri Lankan business leaders, policymakers, and influential voices to examine the future of the India-Sri Lanka relationship.&nbsp;The discussions highlighted the potential for deeper economic cooperation, with Sri Lankan business leaders calling for a rethink of existing trade dynamics with India, greater market access and deeper economic integration to unlock the full potential of bilateral ties.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/bond-tokenization-summit-2026-how-india-s-bond-market-is-transforming-for-retail-investors-1789026873158">Bond Tokenization Summit 2026: How India's bond market is transforming for retail investors</a>&nbsp;The Colombo summit offered an early demonstration of the role WION seeks to play — creating credible spaces where countries and communities can move beyond conventional narratives, openly examine shared challenges and identify opportunities for stronger partnerships.&nbsp;Building on that momentum, September 2026 will see WION convene focused forums on Tourism, Bond Tokenization and AI in Education, marking the next phase in the rollout of WION World Conferences.

<h2>From India’s Window to the World — to the World’s Window into India</h2>&nbsp;WION has established itself as a global-facing news platform connecting India with audiences and conversations across geographies. WION World Conferences takes that proposition from the newsroom to the conference room, creating spaces for international engagement, cross-border dialogue, and collaboration.&nbsp;With engagements spanning India, Asia, and Africa, as well as major global platforms such as Davos, the initiative will strengthen WION’s role as a forum for international dialogue.&nbsp;The conversation will not end when the event does. WION’s television, digital and social platforms will take the ideas and debates from the room to audiences across India and the world through interviews, explainers, television specials, digital stories, opinion pieces and follow-up programming.

From AI and sustainability to tourism, diplomacy, defence, trade and the future of work, WION World Conferences will explore India’s place in a rapidly changing world.

New Delhi, September 11, 2026: WION (World Is One News—India's global news channel) today announced WION World Conferences, a curated series of summits, conferences, conclaves, and engagements that will bring together policymakers, business leaders, diplomats, investors, academics, experts, and changemakers to examine the issues transforming India and the world. The initiative comes at a defining moment for the global order. As globalisation faces profound disruption, geopolitical realignments deepen and technology and economic forces redraw traditional boundaries, WION World Conferences will examine these shifts, debate their implications, and explore new opportunities for cooperation. Built around WION’s core philosophy of ‘World Is One’, the platform will take conversations beyond headlines—bringing global perspectives into dialogue with country-specific priorities. Its agenda will span AI, sustainability, tourism, defence, diplomacy, global economics, education, technology, and the future of work, alongside country-to-country partnerships through high-level keynotes, panel discussions, fireside conversations, closed-door roundtables, and strategic networking. Also read: Bond Tokenization Summit 2026: How blockchain could change the way you own everything from homes to bonds Announcing the initiative, Raktim Das, CEO, Zee Media Corporation Limited, said: “WION has been about taking India’s conversations to the world and bringing the world’s conversations to India. WION World Conferences is a natural extension of that mission. The world is changing rapidly, and so are the relationships between countries, economies, and people. These platforms will bring together those shaping policy, business and society to engage with the big questions of our time, challenge conventional thinking, and explore new possibilities for collaboration.” From a Soft Start to a Global Platform While WION World Conferences is being formally announced today, the platform has already begun taking shape. In May 2026, WION made a soft start with the WION Global Innovation and Leadership Summit in Colombo, bringing together leading Sri Lankan business leaders, policymakers, and influential voices to examine the future of the India-Sri Lanka relationship. The discussions highlighted the potential for deeper economic cooperation, with Sri Lankan business leaders calling for a rethink of existing trade dynamics with India, greater market access and deeper economic integration to unlock the full potential of bilateral ties. Also read: Bond Tokenization Summit 2026: How India's bond market is transforming for retail investors The Colombo summit offered an early demonstration of the role WION seeks to play — creating credible spaces where countries and communities can move beyond conventional narratives, openly examine shared challenges and identify opportunities for stronger partnerships. Building on that momentum, September 2026 will see WION convene focused forums on Tourism, Bond Tokenization and AI in Education, marking the next phase in the rollout of WION World Conferences.

From AI and sustainability to tourism, diplomacy, defence, trade and the future of work, WION World Conferences will explore India’s place in a rapidly changing world.

WION announces WION World Conferences — A global platform for the power of ideas

Diesel's average price in the United States has jumped to $6 a gallon. This marks the first time the price has surged in fuel costs, as the war including the US, Israel and Iran, and disruptions at Russian refineries have strained the global supply chain. GasBuddy reports indicate that the US national average had crossed $6 a gallon on Friday, prompting AAA to put the average price at $5.98 a gallon on the same day, rising 61 per cent from $3.71 last year. The price surge is driven by power trucks, trains, ships, farm machinery and construction equipment. Higher diesel prices can also increase the cost of mobile goods and operating businesses. Meanwhile, Benchmark Brent crude oil price also rose more than $100 a barrel on Friday amid escalating conflicts in the region. Amid this, Brent crude oil price settled at $107.63 a barrel; however, the price of the US West Texas Intermediate crude oil settled at $102.48.&nbsp;While crude oil remains the main factor behind fuel prices, the recent spike in diesel prices is being made worse by a shortage of refined fuel. The escalating conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran has disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route that typically carries around one-fifth of the world's oil supply.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/economic-diplomacy-need-of-the-hour-piyush-goyal-pushes-for-simplified-trade-at-brics-1789102769070">‘Economic diplomacy need of the hour’: Piyush Goyal pushes for simplified trade at BRICS Business Forum</a><h3>Strain in diesel market due to disruptions in Russia's refining capacity</h3>The diesel market is under further strain due to disruptions in Russia's refining capacity, caused by repeated Ukrainian drone strikes on the country's energy infrastructure. Adding to this, Russia has restricted diesel exports, cutting down the fuel available to global markets, while China's own export restrictions have tightened supplies even more. As a result, diesel prices have climbed faster than gasoline prices.&nbsp;&nbsp;According to AAA data, the average US gasoline price stood at around $4.28 a gallon on September 10. This price surge is happening even though US refiners are running at high utilisation rates. Data from the US Energy Information Administration shows that US diesel inventories stood at 106.3 million barrels, about 13 per cent below the five-year average.&nbsp;

The price surge is driven by power trucks, trains, ships, farm machinery and construction equipment. Higher diesel prices can also increase the cost of mobile goods and operating businesses.

Diesel's average price in the United States has jumped to $6 a gallon. This marks the first time the price has surged in fuel costs, as the war including the US, Israel and Iran, and disruptions at Russian refineries have strained the global supply chain. GasBuddy reports indicate that the US national average had crossed $6 a gallon on Friday, prompting AAA to put the average price at $5.98 a gallon on the same day, rising 61 per cent from $3.71 last year. The price surge is driven by power trucks, trains, ships, farm machinery and construction equipment. Higher diesel prices can also increase the cost of mobile goods and operating businesses. Meanwhile, Benchmark Brent crude oil price also rose more than $100 a barrel on Friday amid escalating conflicts in the region. Amid this, Brent crude oil price settled at $107.63 a barrel; however, the price of the US West Texas Intermediate crude oil settled at $102.48. While crude oil remains the main factor behind fuel prices, the recent spike in diesel prices is being made worse by a shortage of refined fuel. The escalating conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran has disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route that typically carries around one-fifth of the world's oil supply. Also read: ‘Economic diplomacy need of the hour’: Piyush Goyal pushes for simplified trade at BRICS Business Forum Strain in diesel market due to disruptions in Russia's refining capacity The diesel market is under further strain due to disruptions in Russia's refining capacity, caused by repeated Ukrainian drone strikes on the country's energy infrastructure. Adding to this, Russia has restricted diesel exports, cutting down the fuel available to global markets, while China's own export restrictions have tightened supplies even more. As a result, diesel prices have climbed faster than gasoline prices. According to AAA data, the average US gasoline price stood at around $4.28 a gallon on September 10. This price surge is happening even though US refiners are running at high utilisation rates. Data from the US Energy Information Administration shows that US diesel inventories stood at 106.3 million barrels, about 13 per cent below the five-year average.

The price surge is driven by power trucks, trains, ships, farm machinery and construction equipment. Higher diesel prices can also increase the cost of mobile goods and operating businesses.

US diesel prices cross $6 per gallon for first time, surge 61% in a year amid Middle East conflict

India’s corporate bond market is beginning to take a closer look at blockchain as a possible way to modernise some of its long-standing processes. At the Zee Business Bond Tokenization Summit 2026, co-presented by E-Sutra and Blockmaze, leaders from the finance, policy and technology sectors discussed whether blockchain could fundamentally alter how bonds are issued, settled and owned in India. Held in Mumbai on Wed (Sep 9), the event brought together voices who discussed the future of bond tokenization and the broader application of blockchain-based digital assets. A key focus was the use of digital tokens to represent ownership or economic value connected to real-world financial and physical assets. The conversation moved beyond the realm of fintech experimentation.&nbsp;<h2>What does bond tokenization actually mean?</h2>Bond tokenization involves creating digital tokens using blockchain infrastructure to represent ownership or economic rights associated with a bond.Rather than relying solely on conventional systems to maintain ownership records, the information can be stored on a shared digital ledger. Smart contracts can automatically handle tasks such as interest payments, principal repayments and some compliance requirements. This could have three immediate implications: fewer intermediaries, quicker transactions and the possibility of breaking a large bond into smaller units that investors can purchase individually.<h2>Four ways tokenization could change the bond market.&nbsp;</h2>At the Zee Business Bond Tokenization Summit 2026, participants highlighted four ways tokenization could change the bond market. First, it could make bonds more accessible through fractional ownership, allowing large bonds to be divided into smaller digital units so retail and smaller investors can participate with lower amounts. Second, tokenization could speed up issuance and settlement by using smart contracts to automatically handle coupon payments, redemptions and corporate actions, reducing manual work and enabling near real-time transfers. Third, blockchain could improve transparency by creating a time-stamped and verifiable record of ownership and transactions, while permissioned systems could provide issuers, investors and regulators with a clear audit trail, subject to KYC, custody and SEBI and RBI requirements. Finally, tokenization could lower distribution and settlement costs, making smaller bond issues more viable and allowing more issuers to access the market directly.<h2>Regulation remains the key hurdle</h2>Panelists repeatedly highlighted the importance of regulation at the Zee Business Bond Tokenization Summit 2026. Blockchain infrastructure by itself cannot determine whether tokenized bonds become a mainstream financial product, they said. Issues such as investor protection, KYC and anti-money laundering requirements, custody, settlement finality, taxation and interoperability with existing depositories will all have to be addressed.The regulatory architecture could ultimately determine how quickly tokenized bonds move from experimental projects and pilots into the mainstream market. Without sufficient certainty around these issues, the technology cannot become part of the wider financial system.<h2>Why India could have an advantage</h2>Experts at the Zee Business Bond Tokenization Summit 2026 said that the case for India is also linked to the country's rapidly developing digital financial infrastructure. Systems such as UPI, account aggregators and e-rupee pilots are developing alongside the broader digital economy. If blockchain-based infrastructure for bonds can connect with this ecosystem, while regulation evolves at the same pace, India could potentially create a tokenized bond market that is globally competitive while still operating within a trusted-intermediary framework.<h2>The top focus</h2>The summit focused on four key conversations around the technology, regulation and investment potential of tokenized assets. “Code to Capital” explored how traditional bonds can be represented on blockchain and what bond tokenization means in practical terms. “Sandbox to Scale” looked at the regulatory, custody and settlement frameworks needed to take tokenization from pilot projects to wider adoption. “Code, Connectivity &amp; Capital” examined how blockchain and smart contracts could make bond issuance and settlement faster and reduce manual processes. “Think Global, Tokenize Local” focused on whether fractional investment through tokenized bonds could increase retail participation and make fixed-income investments more accessible.

Bond tokenization could reshape India’s corporate bond market by using blockchain to enable fractional ownership, faster settlement, automated payments and greater transparency. At the Zee Business Bond Tokenization Summit 2026, experts discussed the road ahead.

India’s corporate bond market is beginning to take a closer look at blockchain as a possible way to modernise some of its long-standing processes. At the Zee Business Bond Tokenization Summit 2026, co-presented by E-Sutra and Blockmaze, leaders from the finance, policy and technology sectors discussed whether blockchain could fundamentally alter how bonds are issued, settled and owned in India. Held in Mumbai on Wed (Sep 9), the event brought together voices who discussed the future of bond tokenization and the broader application of blockchain-based digital assets. A key focus was the use of digital tokens to represent ownership or economic value connected to real-world financial and physical assets. The conversation moved beyond the realm of fintech experimentation. What does bond tokenization actually mean? Bond tokenization involves creating digital tokens using blockchain infrastructure to represent ownership or economic rights associated with a bond. Rather than relying solely on conventional systems to maintain ownership records, the information can be stored on a shared digital ledger. Smart contracts can automatically handle tasks such as interest payments, principal repayments and some compliance requirements. This could have three immediate implications: fewer intermediaries, quicker transactions and the possibility of breaking a large bond into smaller units that investors can purchase individually. Four ways tokenization could change the bond market. At the Zee Business Bond Tokenization Summit 2026, participants highlighted four ways tokenization could change the bond market. First, it could make bonds more accessible through fractional ownership, allowing large bonds to be divided into smaller digital units so retail and smaller investors can participate with lower amounts. Second, tokenization could speed up issuance and settlement by using smart contracts to automatically handle coupon payments, redemptions and corporate actions, reducing manual work and enabling near real-time transfers. Third, blockchain could improve transparency by creating a time-stamped and verifiable record of ownership and transactions, while permissioned systems could provide issuers, investors and regulators with a clear audit trail, subject to KYC, custody and SEBI and RBI requirements. Finally, tokenization could lower distribution and settlement costs, making smaller bond issues more viable and allowing more issuers to access the market directly. Regulation remains the key hurdle Panelists repeatedly highlighted the importance of regulation at the Zee Business Bond Tokenization Summit 2026. Blockchain infrastructure by itself cannot determine whether tokenized bonds become a mainstream financial product, they said. Issues such as investor protection, KYC and anti-money laundering requirements, custody, settlement finality, taxation and interoperability with existing depositories will all have to be addressed. The regulatory architecture could ultimately determine how quickly tokenized bonds move from experimental projects and pilots into the mainstream market. Without sufficient certainty around these issues, the technology cannot become part of the wider financial system. Why India could have an advantage Experts at the Zee Business Bond Tokenization Summit 2026 said that the case for India is also linked to the country's rapidly developing digital financial infrastructure. Systems such as UPI, account aggregators and e-rupee pilots are developing alongside the broader digital economy. If blockchain-based infrastructure for bonds can connect with this ecosystem, while regulation evolves at the same pace, India could potentially create a tokenized bond market that is globally competitive while still operating within a trusted-intermediary framework. The top focus The summit focused on four key conversations around the technology, regulation and investment potential of tokenized assets. “Code to Capital” explored how traditional bonds can be represented on blockchain and what bond tokenization means in practical terms. “Sandbox to Scale” looked at the regulatory, custody and settlement frameworks needed to take tokenization from pilot projects to wider adoption. “Code, Connectivity & Capital” examined how blockchain and smart contracts could make bond issuance and settlement faster and reduce manual processes. “Think Global, Tokenize Local” focused on whether fractional investment through tokenized bonds could increase retail participation and make fixed-income investments more accessible.

Bond tokenization could reshape India’s corporate bond market by using blockchain to enable fractional ownership, faster settlement, automated payments and greater transparency. At the Zee Business Bond Tokenization Summit 2026, experts discussed the road ahead.

Bond Tokenization Summit 2026: How blockchain could change the way you own everything from homes to bonds

The global push for bond tokenisation is gaining momentum, but financial experts warn that creating digital tokens is only the beginning of a much longer journey. The Zee Business Bond Tokenization Summit 2026, organised in Mumbai on September 9, brought together leaders from finance, policy and technology to examine how real-world asset (RWA) tokenisation and digital bonds could reshape India’s financial landscape and democratise passive income for retail investors.&nbsp;The penultimate panel discussion at the summit focused on the need for robust frameworks, safeguards and stronger investor protection as tokenised assets move closer to mainstream adoption. STOEX CEO Sudeep Chatterjee said the concept of Security Token Offerings (STOs) has helped streamline the asset issuance process, but argued that a much broader infrastructure is required to support digital assets beyond the point of issuance. Chatterjee said industry leaders are increasingly turning their attention to the logistical, legal and operational challenges that emerge after a token is minted.<h2>Singapore offers a glimpse of the challenges</h2>Chatterjee cited Singapore as an example of the gap that can emerge between technological capability and market readiness. The country has emerged as a major testing ground for digital finance, with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) using Project Guardian to explore tokenised financial assets. "Under the Monetary Authority of Singapore's (MAS) Project Guardian, financial institutions have conducted approximately 15 localized sandbox experiments to test tokenized assets.While these trials proved that tokenized bonds can be successfully issued on a ledger, they also exposed a fragmented secondary market," said Chatterjee. The experience, he said, highlights a fundamental challenge facing the tokenisation industry: successfully creating a token does not automatically create a functioning market around it.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/over-919-kolkata-hotels-receive-temporary-closure-notices-over-fire-safety-lapses-1789023488468">Over 919 Kolkata hotels receive temporary closure notices over fire safety lapses</a><h2>Three key challenges after a token is created</h2><ul><li>Trading and liquidity: Tokenised bonds need access to traditional and digital exchanges where they can be listed and actively traded. Without sufficient secondary-market liquidity, tokenisation may not deliver its promised benefits to investors.</li><li>Asset safeguarding: The industry needs secure, institutional-grade custody infrastructure capable of protecting digital assets while providing investors with confidence around ownership and security.</li><li>Settlement and onboarding: Market participants also need mechanisms for real-time distribution and standardised processes through which global investors can legally access tokenised asset networks.</li></ul><h3>Legal recognition of digital ownership</h3>One of the biggest challenges, he said, is establishing the legal status of tokenised ownership. "First, the industry is introducing an entirely new method of asset ownership. For these digital bonds to scale, this new format must be deeply regularized and legislated. Global legal frameworks must explicitly define what a token represents, ensuring that digital ownership holds the exact same legal weight as traditional paper-and-registry documentation in a court of law," he said.<h2>Cybersecurity remains another major hurdle</h2>Beyond regulation, blockchain-based infrastructure introduces a new set of operational and cybersecurity risks. "Second, blockchain infrastructure brings its own distinct operational challenges, most notably the threat of cyberattacks and hacking risks. Smart contracts and distributed networks open up new vulnerabilities that require robust, institutional-grade defense systems," said Chatterjee.&nbsp;He argued, however, that such technology-related risks should be viewed as part of the broader evolution of financial systems rather than as a reason to halt innovation. Chatterjee emphasised that the banking sector itself has faced significant IT and technology risks during its digital transformation over the past three decades. Tokenisation, he said, will face similar challenges as traditional financial ownership is combined with blockchain-based technology. The priority now, according to Chatterjee, should be to address these vulnerabilities proactively by establishing stronger legal, regulatory, cybersecurity and market infrastructure.

Bond tokenisation in India faces challenges beyond issuance, with experts highlighting regulation, liquidity, custody, settlement and cybersecurity risks

The global push for bond tokenisation is gaining momentum, but financial experts warn that creating digital tokens is only the beginning of a much longer journey. The Zee Business Bond Tokenization Summit 2026, organised in Mumbai on September 9, brought together leaders from finance, policy and technology to examine how real-world asset (RWA) tokenisation and digital bonds could reshape India’s financial landscape and democratise passive income for retail investors. The penultimate panel discussion at the summit focused on the need for robust frameworks, safeguards and stronger investor protection as tokenised assets move closer to mainstream adoption. STOEX CEO Sudeep Chatterjee said the concept of Security Token Offerings (STOs) has helped streamline the asset issuance process, but argued that a much broader infrastructure is required to support digital assets beyond the point of issuance. Chatterjee said industry leaders are increasingly turning their attention to the logistical, legal and operational challenges that emerge after a token is minted. Singapore offers a glimpse of the challenges Chatterjee cited Singapore as an example of the gap that can emerge between technological capability and market readiness. The country has emerged as a major testing ground for digital finance, with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) using Project Guardian to explore tokenised financial assets. "Under the Monetary Authority of Singapore's (MAS) Project Guardian, financial institutions have conducted approximately 15 localized sandbox experiments to test tokenized assets.While these trials proved that tokenized bonds can be successfully issued on a ledger, they also exposed a fragmented secondary market," said Chatterjee. The experience, he said, highlights a fundamental challenge facing the tokenisation industry: successfully creating a token does not automatically create a functioning market around it. Also Read: Over 919 Kolkata hotels receive temporary closure notices over fire safety lapses Three key challenges after a token is created Trading and liquidity: Tokenised bonds need access to traditional and digital exchanges where they can be listed and actively traded. Without sufficient secondary-market liquidity, tokenisation may not deliver its promised benefits to investors. Asset safeguarding: The industry needs secure, institutional-grade custody infrastructure capable of protecting digital assets while providing investors with confidence around ownership and security. Settlement and onboarding: Market participants also need mechanisms for real-time distribution and standardised processes through which global investors can legally access tokenised asset networks. Legal recognition of digital ownership One of the biggest challenges, he said, is establishing the legal status of tokenised ownership. "First, the industry is introducing an entirely new method of asset ownership. For these digital bonds to scale, this new format must be deeply regularized and legislated. Global legal frameworks must explicitly define what a token represents, ensuring that digital ownership holds the exact same legal weight as traditional paper-and-registry documentation in a court of law," he said. Cybersecurity remains another major hurdle Beyond regulation, blockchain-based infrastructure introduces a new set of operational and cybersecurity risks. "Second, blockchain infrastructure brings its own distinct operational challenges, most notably the threat of cyberattacks and hacking risks. Smart contracts and distributed networks open up new vulnerabilities that require robust, institutional-grade defense systems," said Chatterjee. He argued, however, that such technology-related risks should be viewed as part of the broader evolution of financial systems rather than as a reason to halt innovation. Chatterjee emphasised that the banking sector itself has faced significant IT and technology risks during its digital transformation over the past three decades. Tokenisation, he said, will face similar challenges as traditional financial ownership is combined with blockchain-based technology. The priority now, according to Chatterjee, should be to address these vulnerabilities proactively by establishing stronger legal, regulatory, cybersecurity and market infrastructure.

Bond tokenization is gaining momentum, but experts warn that regulation, liquidity, custody, settlement and cybersecurity must evolve before digital bonds scale

Bond Tokenization Summit 2026: Experts flag liquidity, custody and cybersecurity challenges for digital bonds

Real-world asset (RWA) tokenization could open up new ways of investing in bonds, private credit, trade receivables and other income-generating assets, according to experts speaking at the&nbsp;Zee Business Bond Tokenization Summit 2026, organised in Mumbai on Wednesday, September 9. The Summit saw the country’s finance, policy and technology leaders come together to discuss the future of bond tokenization. The central idea was to use blockchain-based digital tokens to represent the ownership or economic value associated with real-world financial and physical assets.&nbsp;Experts said the technology could potentially improve access, liquidity, price discovery and fractional participation in assets that are currently difficult for smaller investors to access. However, they also cautioned that India will need to clearly define what a token represents from a legal and regulatory perspective before the market can scale.<h2>What is real-world asset (RWA) tokenization?</h2>&nbsp;RWA tokenization broadly refers to bringing an asset or its economic value onto a blockchain-based digital infrastructure through tokens. During the discussion, Ramana Kumar A, President of ADI Foundation of Abu Dhabi, said tokenization should not be viewed only through the lens of corporate bonds.&nbsp;"I think the concept is very clear. People have run behind equity. Debt is now the biggest factor," Kumar said, arguing that investors should look beyond conventional bonds at other assets capable of generating cash flows.&nbsp;According to Kumar, these could include trade receivables, private credit, treasury-related cash flows and other forms of economic interests linked to real-world assets.&nbsp;"We should not just focus on bonds. Focus on trade receivables. Focus on cash flow arbitrage. Focus on treasury tokens," he said.&nbsp;Kumar said the broader opportunity could create new liquidity and investment avenues for investors who currently have relatively limited choices between bank deposits, savings products and more complex wealth-management offerings.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/bond-tokenization-summit-market-leaders-map-out-the-future-of-digital-debt-in-mumbai-1789021040196">Bond Tokenization Summit 2026: Market leaders map out the future of digital debt in Mumbai</a><h2>How could tokenization change the bond market?</h2>&nbsp;Zubin Goyal, CEO and Director of Exchange One, said bond tokenization could be particularly significant for India because many bonds currently have limited liquidity and price discovery. Goyal, who previously worked as a bond trader, said the market for government securities and corporate bonds has significant potential for wider participation.&nbsp;"If you're able to tokenize these assets, open up the access to this market, to not just institutional investors, but high net worth investors, retail investors, foreign investors, and just make the sort of guardrails a little bit more relaxed," he said, clarifying that he was referring to participation rather than relaxing compliance requirements. According to Goyal, greater participation could improve price discovery and liquidity in bonds.&nbsp;He said tokenization could also expand the utility of a bond after it has been purchased. A tokenized bond, for example, could potentially be used as collateral to borrow funds."If that bond is sitting in my ledger, I can take that anywhere," Goyal said. He gave an example of an investor using a Rs 10 lakh bond as collateral to borrow against it. Because the asset is tokenized, borrowing periods could potentially become more flexible, allowing for shorter-duration funding rather than requiring conventional three-month, six-month or one-year borrowing periods, he said. "The settlement cycle, everything gets accelerated," Goyal added.<h2>Could tokenization improve access to credit for SMEs?</h2>&nbsp;Prashant Nikam, co-founder and Chairman of Sapio Analytics, said bond tokenization could potentially help deepen and widen India's financial markets, particularly by improving access for smaller businesses.&nbsp;According to Nikam, government and highly rated blue-chip issuers generally do not face major difficulties in accessing the bond market through existing systems. "It is the SME who hasn't been able to really access the bond market," he said. Nikam said tokenization and fractionalisation could potentially help bring a wider pool of investors into SME financing.&nbsp;"If we can use this new methodology, this new technology, to give them better access to the market, to raise finance, and to get more wider participation through getting that bond fractionalized, I think that will be the real great value we can unleash in a bond tokenization market," he said. However, he acknowledged that attracting investors to SME-linked credit would remain challenging because of credit-risk concerns.&nbsp;"If we can fractionalize the bonds, then we might be able to attract a new set of investors who may be willing to take the chances on this new asset class," Nikam said, while adding that the process would not necessarily be easy. He said the benefits could outweigh the cost of building the required blockchain infrastructure if the system succeeds in bringing SMEs and new investors into the market.<h2>Beyond bonds: Trade receivables and private credit</h2>&nbsp;Kumar said some of the biggest opportunities in RWA tokenization may lie outside traditional corporate bonds. He cited examples from overseas markets involving trade receivables, private credit and other cash-flow-linked assets.&nbsp;For example, Kumar described a model in which receivables from fintech companies were pooled through a special purpose vehicle, or SPV, to create what he called a "treasury token".&nbsp;He said such structures could create investment products linked to short-duration receivables rather than requiring investors to rely solely on conventional corporate bonds.Kumar also pointed to private credit and trade-related financing as areas that could potentially be replicated in India.&nbsp;"These are the assets that should go into tokenization," he said while discussing suppliers that wait 90 to 120 days to receive payments. The opportunity, according to Kumar, lies in bringing economic interests and cash flows associated with such assets onto digital infrastructure.&nbsp;<h2>Fractional investing and faster movement of capital</h2>&nbsp;One of the major potential benefits of tokenization is fractionalisation, which could allow investors to participate in assets in smaller units. Goyal compared the potential impact of tokenization with the way digital infrastructure increased the speed and convenience of payments in India.&nbsp;"Nothing in the existing infra has been replaced, but you've been able to add a level of speed, a level of velocity to sort of daily life," he said, referring to the evolution of India's digital financial infrastructure.&nbsp;According to Goyal, tokenization could similarly add "velocity, discoverability, fractionalization" to financial markets and real-world assets. The underlying idea, he said, is that faster circulation and movement of capital could potentially improve liquidity across the financial system.<h2>Token ownership versus economic value: The key legal question</h2>&nbsp;Despite the potential benefits, experts said one of the most important questions for India is determining exactly what ownership of a token represents. Kumar said the industry cannot treat all forms of tokenization in the same way. "We should understand, while we are talking tokenization very easily, let's understand what is a token," he said.&nbsp;"Are we talking about a legal ownership? Are we talking about a financial instrument? Are we talking about a token being an economic value? It's important what it is, so we know what regulation is needed."&nbsp;According to Kumar, direct tokenization of legal ownership of physical assets could create complex legal and jurisdictional questions. He gave the example of a coffee-related asset, where questions could arise over responsibility if there were disputes over the quality of the underlying product.&nbsp;Kumar said his experience had led to a different approach: instead of directly tokenizing legal ownership of an underlying asset, structures could potentially place assets into an SPV and create a tokenized fund or instrument linked to their economic value. "You're not buying the legal ownership of the tokens. You're buying the economic value of the tokens and that's how you create liquidity," he said.<h2>Can India use its existing financial infrastructure?</h2>&nbsp;Goyal argued that tokenization does not necessarily require India to replace its existing financial system.&nbsp;"I don't think you need fresh regulation, you don't need fresh institutions, you don't need fresh platforms to come out," he said, adding that regulators, exchanges, market infrastructure providers and other existing participants could potentially continue to operate while tokenization adds another layer to the system.&nbsp;However, Kumar took a more nuanced view, saying that existing frameworks may not be sufficient where tokens represent direct legal ownership of assets. "If you talk about asset ownership, you cannot have existing systems work. It will not work," he said.&nbsp;"You need to have new regulation that defines what is a token legal ownership means."The discussion highlighted that the regulatory approach may depend on the nature of the underlying asset and what rights the token holder receives.&nbsp;Zubin Goyal also pointed out that fungible assets such as bonds may be easier to structure than unique or bespoke physical assets.&nbsp;A unit of a particular government security or bond can be interchangeable, whereas different lots of physical commodities such as coffee may have different characteristics and associated risks, he said.<h2>Why bonds could be India's starting point</h2>&nbsp;Nikam said beginning with bond tokenization could be a practical way for India to build investor awareness and experience before expanding tokenization into more complex real-world assets such as infrastructure. "I think the government is doing the right thing. They have started off with a bond tokenization," he said.&nbsp;"To tokenize real world asset, infrastructure asset, is gonna be a little more complicated. So before we can go there, I think the bond tokenization will probably set the stage, will create investor awareness."&nbsp;He said tokenization could later potentially be extended to infrastructure financing and municipal bonds.&nbsp;Infrastructure projects require capital at different stages, including planning and design, construction, and operations and maintenance, Nikam said. Different financing structures could potentially be designed for different stages to access capital more efficiently.<h2>The road ahead for India</h2>&nbsp;The experts agreed that RWA tokenization could create new investment and financing possibilities, but its success would depend on balancing innovation with governance.Nikam said India should not lose sight of governance while pursuing efficiency."We have embarked on a new journey," he said. “Governance and efficiency will have to be finally balanced. So I think we must not lose sight of governance, just to push efficiency agenda.” Kumar, meanwhile, said India should look beyond simply copying global models and develop structures that work within clear legal and financial frameworks.&nbsp;The opportunity, according to the panel, could extend from tokenized bonds to SME financing, private credit, trade receivables and other cash-flow-generating assets.For investors, tokenization could eventually mean access to a wider range of assets in smaller units. For borrowers and businesses, it could potentially open new channels for raising capital. And for financial markets, supporters believe it could improve liquidity, price discovery and the speed at which capital moves through the system.&nbsp;But before that opportunity can fully take shape, India will have to answer a fundamental question: when an investor buys a token, what exactly do they own—the underlying asset, a financial instrument or simply its economic value? The answer could determine how India's real-world asset tokenization market develops.

Discover how discussions at the Bond Tokenization Summit 2026 are paving the way for digital debt, real-world asset tokenization, and fresh investment avenues across India's financial landscape.

Real-world asset (RWA) tokenization could open up new ways of investing in bonds, private credit, trade receivables and other income-generating assets, according to experts speaking at the Zee Business Bond Tokenization Summit 2026, organised in Mumbai on Wednesday, September 9. The Summit saw the country’s finance, policy and technology leaders come together to discuss the future of bond tokenization. The central idea was to use blockchain-based digital tokens to represent the ownership or economic value associated with real-world financial and physical assets. Experts said the technology could potentially improve access, liquidity, price discovery and fractional participation in assets that are currently difficult for smaller investors to access. However, they also cautioned that India will need to clearly define what a token represents from a legal and regulatory perspective before the market can scale. What is real-world asset (RWA) tokenization? RWA tokenization broadly refers to bringing an asset or its economic value onto a blockchain-based digital infrastructure through tokens. During the discussion, Ramana Kumar A, President of ADI Foundation of Abu Dhabi, said tokenization should not be viewed only through the lens of corporate bonds. "I think the concept is very clear. People have run behind equity. Debt is now the biggest factor," Kumar said, arguing that investors should look beyond conventional bonds at other assets capable of generating cash flows. According to Kumar, these could include trade receivables, private credit, treasury-related cash flows and other forms of economic interests linked to real-world assets. "We should not just focus on bonds. Focus on trade receivables. Focus on cash flow arbitrage. Focus on treasury tokens," he said. Kumar said the broader opportunity could create new liquidity and investment avenues for investors who currently have relatively limited choices between bank deposits, savings products and more complex wealth-management offerings. Also read: Bond Tokenization Summit 2026: Market leaders map out the future of digital debt in Mumbai How could tokenization change the bond market? Zubin Goyal, CEO and Director of Exchange One, said bond tokenization could be particularly significant for India because many bonds currently have limited liquidity and price discovery. Goyal, who previously worked as a bond trader, said the market for government securities and corporate bonds has significant potential for wider participation. "If you're able to tokenize these assets, open up the access to this market, to not just institutional investors, but high net worth investors, retail investors, foreign investors, and just make the sort of guardrails a little bit more relaxed," he said, clarifying that he was referring to participation rather than relaxing compliance requirements. According to Goyal, greater participation could improve price discovery and liquidity in bonds. He said tokenization could also expand the utility of a bond after it has been purchased. A tokenized bond, for example, could potentially be used as collateral to borrow funds. "If that bond is sitting in my ledger, I can take that anywhere," Goyal said. He gave an example of an investor using a Rs 10 lakh bond as collateral to borrow against it. Because the asset is tokenized, borrowing periods could potentially become more flexible, allowing for shorter-duration funding rather than requiring conventional three-month, six-month or one-year borrowing periods, he said. "The settlement cycle, everything gets accelerated," Goyal added. Could tokenization improve access to credit for SMEs? Prashant Nikam, co-founder and Chairman of Sapio Analytics, said bond tokenization could potentially help deepen and widen India's financial markets, particularly by improving access for smaller businesses. According to Nikam, government and highly rated blue-chip issuers generally do not face major difficulties in accessing the bond market through existing systems. "It is the SME who hasn't been able to really access the bond market," he said. Nikam said tokenization and fractionalisation could potentially help bring a wider pool of investors into SME financing. "If we can use this new methodology, this new technology, to give them better access to the market, to raise finance, and to get more wider participation through getting that bond fractionalized, I think that will be the real great value we can unleash in a bond tokenization market," he said. However, he acknowledged that attracting investors to SME-linked credit would remain challenging because of credit-risk concerns. "If we can fractionalize the bonds, then we might be able to attract a new set of investors who may be willing to take the chances on this new asset class," Nikam said, while adding that the process would not necessarily be easy. He said the benefits could outweigh the cost of building the required blockchain infrastructure if the system succeeds in bringing SMEs and new investors into the market. Beyond bonds: Trade receivables and private credit Kumar said some of the biggest opportunities in RWA tokenization may lie outside traditional corporate bonds. He cited examples from overseas markets involving trade receivables, private credit and other cash-flow-linked assets. For example, Kumar described a model in which receivables from fintech companies were pooled through a special purpose vehicle, or SPV, to create what he called a "treasury token". He said such structures could create investment products linked to short-duration receivables rather than requiring investors to rely solely on conventional corporate bonds. Kumar also pointed to private credit and trade-related financing as areas that could potentially be replicated in India. "These are the assets that should go into tokenization," he said while discussing suppliers that wait 90 to 120 days to receive payments. The opportunity, according to Kumar, lies in bringing economic interests and cash flows associated with such assets onto digital infrastructure. Fractional investing and faster movement of capital One of the major potential benefits of tokenization is fractionalisation, which could allow investors to participate in assets in smaller units. Goyal compared the potential impact of tokenization with the way digital infrastructure increased the speed and convenience of payments in India. "Nothing in the existing infra has been replaced, but you've been able to add a level of speed, a level of velocity to sort of daily life," he said, referring to the evolution of India's digital financial infrastructure. According to Goyal, tokenization could similarly add "velocity, discoverability, fractionalization" to financial markets and real-world assets. The underlying idea, he said, is that faster circulation and movement of capital could potentially improve liquidity across the financial system. Token ownership versus economic value: The key legal question Despite the potential benefits, experts said one of the most important questions for India is determining exactly what ownership of a token represents. Kumar said the industry cannot treat all forms of tokenization in the same way. "We should understand, while we are talking tokenization very easily, let's understand what is a token," he said. "Are we talking about a legal ownership? Are we talking about a financial instrument? Are we talking about a token being an economic value? It's important what it is, so we know what regulation is needed." According to Kumar, direct tokenization of legal ownership of physical assets could create complex legal and jurisdictional questions. He gave the example of a coffee-related asset, where questions could arise over responsibility if there were disputes over the quality of the underlying product. Kumar said his experience had led to a different approach: instead of directly tokenizing legal ownership of an underlying asset, structures could potentially place assets into an SPV and create a tokenized fund or instrument linked to their economic value. "You're not buying the legal ownership of the tokens. You're buying the economic value of the tokens and that's how you create liquidity," he said. Can India use its existing financial infrastructure? Goyal argued that tokenization does not necessarily require India to replace its existing financial system. "I don't think you need fresh regulation, you don't need fresh institutions, you don't need fresh platforms to come out," he said, adding that regulators, exchanges, market infrastructure providers and other existing participants could potentially continue to operate while tokenization adds another layer to the system. However, Kumar took a more nuanced view, saying that existing frameworks may not be sufficient where tokens represent direct legal ownership of assets. "If you talk about asset ownership, you cannot have existing systems work. It will not work," he said. "You need to have new regulation that defines what is a token legal ownership means." The discussion highlighted that the regulatory approach may depend on the nature of the underlying asset and what rights the token holder receives. Zubin Goyal also pointed out that fungible assets such as bonds may be easier to structure than unique or bespoke physical assets. A unit of a particular government security or bond can be interchangeable, whereas different lots of physical commodities such as coffee may have different characteristics and associated risks, he said. Why bonds could be India's starting point Nikam said beginning with bond tokenization could be a practical way for India to build investor awareness and experience before expanding tokenization into more complex real-world assets such as infrastructure. "I think the government is doing the right thing. They have started off with a bond tokenization," he said. "To tokenize real world asset, infrastructure asset, is gonna be a little more complicated. So before we can go there, I think the bond tokenization will probably set the stage, will create investor awareness." He said tokenization could later potentially be extended to infrastructure financing and municipal bonds. Infrastructure projects require capital at different stages, including planning and design, construction, and operations and maintenance, Nikam said. Different financing structures could potentially be designed for different stages to access capital more efficiently. The road ahead for India The experts agreed that RWA tokenization could create new investment and financing possibilities, but its success would depend on balancing innovation with governance. Nikam said India should not lose sight of governance while pursuing efficiency. "We have embarked on a new journey," he said. “Governance and efficiency will have to be finally balanced. So I think we must not lose sight of governance, just to push efficiency agenda.” Kumar, meanwhile, said India should look beyond simply copying global models and develop structures that work within clear legal and financial frameworks. The opportunity, according to the panel, could extend from tokenized bonds to SME financing, private credit, trade receivables and other cash-flow-generating assets. For investors, tokenization could eventually mean access to a wider range of assets in smaller units. For borrowers and businesses, it could potentially open new channels for raising capital. And for financial markets, supporters believe it could improve liquidity, price discovery and the speed at which capital moves through the system. But before that opportunity can fully take shape, India will have to answer a fundamental question: when an investor buys a token, what exactly do they own—the underlying asset, a financial instrument or simply its economic value? The answer could determine how India's real-world asset tokenization market develops.

Discover how discussions at the Bond Tokenization Summit 2026 are paving the way for digital debt, real-world asset tokenization, and fresh investment avenues across India's financial landscape.

Bond Tokenization Summit 2026: How India's bond market is transforming for retail investors

The air inside Mumbai's grand Sahara Star ballroom was thick with quiet, electric energy on Wednesday (Sep 9). On stage, the high-definition LED backdrop glowed with a single, compelling title:&nbsp;BOND TOKENIZATION SUMMIT 2026. In the world of global finance, bonds have long been the bedrock of stability. Yet, traditionally, they have remained locked behind institutional doors—burdened by mountains of paperwork, high minimum investment thresholds, and slow settlement layers. Co-hosted by&nbsp;WION&nbsp;and&nbsp;Zee Business, the landmark summit brought together a rare assembly of exchange leaders, Web3 pioneers, and policy architects under one roof to address a fundamental question:&nbsp;What happens when you rewrite the DNA of capital markets with code?<h2>The Prime Minister's Spark</h2>The momentum in the room was fueled by an unmistakable policy tailwind. Just two days earlier in Mumbai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set the stage at the Global Fintech Fest. In his address, PM Modi highlighted&nbsp;tokenisation—alongside Agentic AI and quantum computing—as one of the three cornerstone technologies destined to drive the next global financial revolution. Emphasising the need to move real-world asset digitisation from experimental sandboxes into full-scale market execution, the Prime Minister’s remarks provided a clear vision for the evening’s discussions.&nbsp;At its foundation, bond tokenisation converts traditional debt instruments into programmable digital assets hosted on secure blockchain networks. By automating interest (coupon) payouts via smart contracts, reducing settlement timelines from days to instant atomic execution, and fractionalising large issues into smaller ticket sizes, tokenisation opens high-yield debt markets to a vastly wider pool of investors.<h2>Setting the vision</h2>Summit host WION's&nbsp;Disha Yadav&nbsp;brought the central theme into sharp focus. "Bond tokenisation may sound technical," she told the gathered audience, “but at its core, it is about using technology to make debt markets more digital, efficient, and accessible.” The tone for the evening was established by key figures in Indian financial sector.&nbsp;Anil Singhvi, Managing Editor of Zee Business, delivered the opening welcome, highlighting the structural shifts already sweeping across global fixed-income markets. Raktim Das, CEO of ZEE Media Corporation Limited, joined Singhvi and&nbsp;NN Kumar&nbsp;(Advisor, E-Sutra) on stage to felicitate the Chief Guest of the evening:&nbsp;Sundararaman Ramamurthy, MD &amp; CEO of BSE Ltd.Taking the podium, Ramamurthy delivered an authoritative keynote address on how traditional stock exchanges must actively lead asset digitisation while preserving the regulatory trust and investor protections that anchor robust capital markets.<h3>From code to capital: Key highlights of Bond Tokanization Summit</h3>&nbsp;The narrative of the evening unfolded through a series of focused, high-impact conversations:&nbsp;<ul><li>Code to Capital:&nbsp;In the opening panel,&nbsp;Tajinder Virk&nbsp;(Co-Founder &amp; CEO, Blockmaze),&nbsp;Kanhaiya Singh(Co-Founder, E-Sutra), and&nbsp;Mohan Lal Kumawat&nbsp;(Executive Director, REC), moderated by WION's Kanishka Sarkar, debated how programmable digital debt unlocks liquidity and lowers issuance costs.</li><li>Sandbox to Scale:&nbsp;Addressing the regulatory landscape, compliance experts&nbsp;C.A. Sonu Jain&nbsp;(Tickr),&nbsp;Edul Patel&nbsp;(Mudrex &amp; Saber Money), and&nbsp;Sudeep Chatterjee&nbsp;(Stoex) explored how risk management protocols and legal safeguards can be coded directly into smart contracts.</li><li>Strategic Roadmap:&nbsp;Media personality&nbsp;Bhupendra Chaubey&nbsp;detailed strategic market initiatives, complemented by presentation insights from Blockmaze and E-Sutra leadership.</li><li>The Troika of Trust:&nbsp;Moderated by&nbsp;Nikhil Aggarwal&nbsp;(Founder, Grip Invest), industry leaders&nbsp;Ashish Singhal&nbsp;(CoinSwitch/Lemonn),&nbsp;Rudresh Kunde&nbsp;(BSE), and&nbsp;DC Patwari&nbsp;(Former Chairman, MSE) examined how code, network connectivity, and institutional capital must converge to build long-term market confidence.</li><li>Civic Infrastructure in Action:&nbsp;A fireside chat with&nbsp;Devidas Kshirsagar, Joint Municipal Commissioner (Finance) at the BMC, offered a practical look at how municipal debt tokenization could transform urban development by funding local infrastructure projects.</li><li>Think Global, Tokenize Local? Led by moderator&nbsp;Avinash Rao&nbsp;(ALT DRX), international perspectives were shared by&nbsp;Ramana Kumar&nbsp;(ADI Foundation, Abu Dhabi),&nbsp;Jubin Goyal&nbsp;(eXchange1), and&nbsp;Prashant Nikam&nbsp;(Sapio Analytics) on building cross-border digital asset standards.</li></ul><h2>A new chapter for digital assets</h2>Presented by&nbsp;E-SUTRA&nbsp;and&nbsp;Blockmaze, co-powered by&nbsp;Grip Invest&nbsp;and&nbsp;STOEX, and supported by associate partner&nbsp;Alt DRX, the&nbsp;Bond Tokenization Summit 2026&nbsp;demonstrated that digital debt has moved out of theoretical whitepapers and into the core architectural design of modern finance.As co-hosts&nbsp;WION&nbsp;and&nbsp;Zee Business&nbsp;brought the evening to a close, the consensus across the ballroom was clear: with strong regulatory alignment and institutional technology, tokenised bonds are set to define the next era of global capital markets.

At the Bond Tokenization Summit in Mumbai, industry leaders and market experts mapped out the future of digital debt and blockchain-powered finance.

The air inside Mumbai's grand Sahara Star ballroom was thick with quiet, electric energy on Wednesday (Sep 9). On stage, the high-definition LED backdrop glowed with a single, compelling title: BOND TOKENIZATION SUMMIT 2026. In the world of global finance, bonds have long been the bedrock of stability. Yet, traditionally, they have remained locked behind institutional doors—burdened by mountains of paperwork, high minimum investment thresholds, and slow settlement layers. Co-hosted by WION and Zee Business, the landmark summit brought together a rare assembly of exchange leaders, Web3 pioneers, and policy architects under one roof to address a fundamental question: What happens when you rewrite the DNA of capital markets with code? The Prime Minister's Spark The momentum in the room was fueled by an unmistakable policy tailwind. Just two days earlier in Mumbai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set the stage at the Global Fintech Fest. In his address, PM Modi highlighted tokenisation—alongside Agentic AI and quantum computing—as one of the three cornerstone technologies destined to drive the next global financial revolution. Emphasising the need to move real-world asset digitisation from experimental sandboxes into full-scale market execution, the Prime Minister’s remarks provided a clear vision for the evening’s discussions. At its foundation, bond tokenisation converts traditional debt instruments into programmable digital assets hosted on secure blockchain networks. By automating interest (coupon) payouts via smart contracts, reducing settlement timelines from days to instant atomic execution, and fractionalising large issues into smaller ticket sizes, tokenisation opens high-yield debt markets to a vastly wider pool of investors. Setting the vision Summit host WION's Disha Yadav brought the central theme into sharp focus. "Bond tokenisation may sound technical," she told the gathered audience, “but at its core, it is about using technology to make debt markets more digital, efficient, and accessible.” The tone for the evening was established by key figures in Indian financial sector. Anil Singhvi, Managing Editor of Zee Business, delivered the opening welcome, highlighting the structural shifts already sweeping across global fixed-income markets. Raktim Das, CEO of ZEE Media Corporation Limited, joined Singhvi and NN Kumar (Advisor, E-Sutra) on stage to felicitate the Chief Guest of the evening: Sundararaman Ramamurthy, MD & CEO of BSE Ltd. Taking the podium, Ramamurthy delivered an authoritative keynote address on how traditional stock exchanges must actively lead asset digitisation while preserving the regulatory trust and investor protections that anchor robust capital markets. From code to capital: Key highlights of Bond Tokanization Summit The narrative of the evening unfolded through a series of focused, high-impact conversations: Code to Capital: In the opening panel, Tajinder Virk (Co-Founder & CEO, Blockmaze), Kanhaiya Singh(Co-Founder, E-Sutra), and Mohan Lal Kumawat (Executive Director, REC), moderated by WION's Kanishka Sarkar, debated how programmable digital debt unlocks liquidity and lowers issuance costs. Sandbox to Scale: Addressing the regulatory landscape, compliance experts C.A. Sonu Jain (Tickr), Edul Patel (Mudrex & Saber Money), and Sudeep Chatterjee (Stoex) explored how risk management protocols and legal safeguards can be coded directly into smart contracts. Strategic Roadmap: Media personality Bhupendra Chaubey detailed strategic market initiatives, complemented by presentation insights from Blockmaze and E-Sutra leadership. The Troika of Trust: Moderated by Nikhil Aggarwal (Founder, Grip Invest), industry leaders Ashish Singhal (CoinSwitch/Lemonn), Rudresh Kunde (BSE), and DC Patwari (Former Chairman, MSE) examined how code, network connectivity, and institutional capital must converge to build long-term market confidence. Civic Infrastructure in Action: A fireside chat with Devidas Kshirsagar, Joint Municipal Commissioner (Finance) at the BMC, offered a practical look at how municipal debt tokenization could transform urban development by funding local infrastructure projects. Think Global, Tokenize Local? Led by moderator Avinash Rao (ALT DRX), international perspectives were shared by Ramana Kumar (ADI Foundation, Abu Dhabi), Jubin Goyal (eXchange1), and Prashant Nikam (Sapio Analytics) on building cross-border digital asset standards. A new chapter for digital assets Presented by E-SUTRA and Blockmaze, co-powered by Grip Invest and STOEX, and supported by associate partner Alt DRX, the Bond Tokenization Summit 2026 demonstrated that digital debt has moved out of theoretical whitepapers and into the core architectural design of modern finance. As co-hosts WION and Zee Business brought the evening to a close, the consensus across the ballroom was clear: with strong regulatory alignment and institutional technology, tokenised bonds are set to define the next era of global capital markets.

At the Bond Tokenization Summit in Mumbai, industry leaders and market experts mapped out the future of digital debt and blockchain-powered finance.

Bond Tokenization Summit 2026: Market leaders map out the future of digital debt in Mumbai

Oil is approaching the psychologically important $100-a-barrel price. Americans are already paying record-high prices for the Labor Day period. This could become a political problem for Trump and the Republican Party as the November midterm elections loom. At the time of writing, Brent futures briefly hit $100 a barrel. The US West Texas Intermediate was around $94.13 on Wednesday (Sep 9). Brent has risen about 25 per cent since early August as renewed fighting with Iran crushed hopes of an end to the six-month conflict. Reports suggested that oil could hit $100 as early as Friday. Here is why it matters for Trump's midterm prospects.&nbsp;<h2>The Iran war is showing up at the pump for Americans</h2>Trump returned to office promising an energy boom, lower prices and inflation relief. The US military adventure in Iran upended these plans, emerging as a major source of uncertainty for the global oil market. Much of the Gulf's critical energy infrastructure is under attack or threat, caused by US strikes, Iranian attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure, and Houthi hits on Saudi targets. Oil shipping is disrupted from the Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea and further afield. &nbsp;Iran conflict is leading to supply fears, causing higher crude prices and renewing inflation pressure on the US.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/brent-crude-hits-100-per-barrel-after-seven-weeks-as-tension-in-middle-east-escalates-1788940129398">Brent Crude hits $100 per barrel after seven weeks as tension in Middle East escalates</a><h2>$4 gasoline is already a political problem</h2>The national average price of regular gasoline was about $4.15 a gallon around Labor Day, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), a record for this holiday period. AAA said the national average never exceeded $4 on Labor Day. For diesel prices, the national average climbed to a record of roughly $5.85-$5.90 a gallon. Diesel also powers much of America's freight, agriculture, construction and rail economy. And that could contribute to the inflation problem, as higher diesel and petrol prices hurt household budgets.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/goldman-warns-brent-could-top-120-again-wion-news-world-business-watch-1784783515303/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/goldman-warns-brent-could-top-120-again-wion-news-world-business-watch-1784783515303/embed</a><h2>Oil prices spike: The timing could hardly be worse for Republicans</h2>Republicans are entering the midterms with narrow margins, even as a Reuters/Ipsos poll put Trump approval ratings at just 33 per cent, with only 25 per cent of Americans saying the Iran war is worthwhile. A Financial Times/Focaldata survey found that 57 per cent of voters felt financially worse off under Trump. That is precisely why petrol prices are so dangerous politically.Republicans have spent years telling voters that Democratic policies were responsible for expensive petrol, but that won't wash this election season.Democratic candidates have been using gas prices as a political weapon against Republican incumbents, linking Trump's Iran policy to higher cost of living for Americans.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/oil-prices-jump-over-3-brent-tops-86-after-us-says-it-intercepted-iranian-missile-attack-1785285962484">Oil prices jump over 3% after US says it intercepted Iranian missile attack</a><h2>How oil prices historically affected the prospects of the ruling party</h2>A 2026 Morgan Stanley analysis found that since 1978, midterm cycles in which gasoline prices rose from January of the previous year through October of the election year were associated with an average loss of 32 House seats for the incumbent party, as opposed to lower prices, in which case the average loss was six seats. A TIME analysis said that in the three midterms in which inflation-adjusted oil prices were around or above $100 a barrel, the ruling party lost an average of 29 House seats. An energy shock just ahead of midterms is a scary prospect for the incumbent party.<h2>A looming inflation: Why Trump needs to bring down gas prices</h2>If gasoline prices fall dramatically in October, Trump - who put himself at the centre of the Republican campaign - can point to the decline as evidence that his administration's strategies worked. But if they still hover around $4 or higher, Democrats will be able to tell voters that Trump's war made energy more expensive.But will the market correct itself? Brent repeatedly approached $100 in past months without decisively breaking through it. So far, whatever oil is passing via Hormuz, alternative export routes, rising production outside OPEC and weaker Chinese demand have prevented a larger price shock.But if prolonged disruptions to oil shipments cause Brent to remain around $100, the pinch at the pump could persist. And that could translate into anger against Trump and the Republicans at the elections.

US oil prices are near $100 once again as the Iran conflict disrupts energy supplies. The pinch at the pump and looming inflation could become a political headache for Trump and Republicans ahead of the midterms. Here is how

Oil is approaching the psychologically important $100-a-barrel price. Americans are already paying record-high prices for the Labor Day period. This could become a political problem for Trump and the Republican Party as the November midterm elections loom. At the time of writing, Brent futures briefly hit $100 a barrel. The US West Texas Intermediate was around $94.13 on Wednesday (Sep 9). Brent has risen about 25 per cent since early August as renewed fighting with Iran crushed hopes of an end to the six-month conflict. Reports suggested that oil could hit $100 as early as Friday. Here is why it matters for Trump's midterm prospects. The Iran war is showing up at the pump for Americans Trump returned to office promising an energy boom, lower prices and inflation relief. The US military adventure in Iran upended these plans, emerging as a major source of uncertainty for the global oil market. Much of the Gulf's critical energy infrastructure is under attack or threat, caused by US strikes, Iranian attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure, and Houthi hits on Saudi targets. Oil shipping is disrupted from the Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea and further afield. Iran conflict is leading to supply fears, causing higher crude prices and renewing inflation pressure on the US. Also read: Brent Crude hits $100 per barrel after seven weeks as tension in Middle East escalates $4 gasoline is already a political problem The national average price of regular gasoline was about $4.15 a gallon around Labor Day, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), a record for this holiday period. AAA said the national average never exceeded $4 on Labor Day. For diesel prices, the national average climbed to a record of roughly $5.85-$5.90 a gallon. Diesel also powers much of America's freight, agriculture, construction and rail economy. And that could contribute to the inflation problem, as higher diesel and petrol prices hurt household budgets. https://www.wionews.com/videos/goldman-warns-brent-could-top-120-again-wion-news-world-business-watch-1784783515303/embed Oil prices spike: The timing could hardly be worse for Republicans Republicans are entering the midterms with narrow margins, even as a Reuters/Ipsos poll put Trump approval ratings at just 33 per cent, with only 25 per cent of Americans saying the Iran war is worthwhile. A Financial Times/Focaldata survey found that 57 per cent of voters felt financially worse off under Trump. That is precisely why petrol prices are so dangerous politically. Republicans have spent years telling voters that Democratic policies were responsible for expensive petrol, but that won't wash this election season. Democratic candidates have been using gas prices as a political weapon against Republican incumbents, linking Trump's Iran policy to higher cost of living for Americans. Also read: Oil prices jump over 3% after US says it intercepted Iranian missile attack How oil prices historically affected the prospects of the ruling party A 2026 Morgan Stanley analysis found that since 1978, midterm cycles in which gasoline prices rose from January of the previous year through October of the election year were associated with an average loss of 32 House seats for the incumbent party, as opposed to lower prices, in which case the average loss was six seats. A TIME analysis said that in the three midterms in which inflation-adjusted oil prices were around or above $100 a barrel, the ruling party lost an average of 29 House seats. An energy shock just ahead of midterms is a scary prospect for the incumbent party. A looming inflation: Why Trump needs to bring down gas prices If gasoline prices fall dramatically in October, Trump - who put himself at the centre of the Republican campaign - can point to the decline as evidence that his administration's strategies worked. But if they still hover around $4 or higher, Democrats will be able to tell voters that Trump's war made energy more expensive. But will the market correct itself? Brent repeatedly approached $100 in past months without decisively breaking through it. So far, whatever oil is passing via Hormuz, alternative export routes, rising production outside OPEC and weaker Chinese demand have prevented a larger price shock. But if prolonged disruptions to oil shipments cause Brent to remain around $100, the pinch at the pump could persist. And that could translate into anger against Trump and the Republicans at the elections.

US oil prices are near $100 once again as the Iran conflict disrupts energy supplies. The pinch at the pump and looming inflation could become a political headache for Trump and Republicans ahead of the midterms. Here is how

US oil prices at $100 could be bad news for Trump ahead of midterm elections

Robots building robots is no longer just a science-fiction idea. Chinese electric vehicle maker XPeng says it has commissioned an automated production line where humanoid robots can help manufacture other humanoid robots.&nbsp;XPeng CEO He Xiaopeng announced the development on X, calling it the world’s first automated production line for advanced general-purpose humanoid robots. The company says the system is designed to reduce manual involvement and help take humanoid production towards larger-scale manufacturing. The first robot produced on the line has also been given a name: IRON.&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today, we launched the world’s first automated production line for advanced general‑purpose humanoid robots, using robots to mass‑produce robots, autonomously. This was uncharted territory, and we solved it from scratch. The commissioning of our production line means humanoid… <a href="https://t.co/qlpeSLJx77">pic.twitter.com/qlpeSLJx77</a>&mdash; Xiaopeng He (@xiaopenghexpeng) <a href="https://x.com/xiaopenghexpeng/status/2097135503015616798?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<h2>XPeng’s IRON robot walks off the line</h2>According to He, IRON completed its assembly and then walked away from the production line on its own. The moment is significant because XPeng is not simply showing a robot performing one task inside a factory. The company says its manufacturing system can produce a complete advanced general-purpose humanoid.&nbsp;He shared images of the facility and IRON, saying the production line had been developed from scratch. However, XPeng has not disclosed how many robots the factory can currently produce, or provided detailed information about its production capacity.<h2>Why robots building robots matters</h2>The bigger challenge for the humanoid robotics industry may not simply be making robots walk, talk or perform tasks.&nbsp;It is making them cheaply and quickly enough to produce in large numbers.Humanoid robots contain complex mechanical, electrical and computing systems. If companies can automate more of the manufacturing process, production could eventually become faster and more consistent while reducing the need for manual assembly. That could be crucial if humanoids are ever expected to move beyond expensive prototypes and enter factories, warehouses, homes and other workplaces at scale.&nbsp;<h2>XPeng wants IRON to do more than factory work</h2>He said he hopes future versions of IRON will develop stronger general-purpose abilities.&nbsp;The longer-term goal is for humanoids to handle dangerous, repetitive or undesirable jobs that people may not want to perform. He also suggested a much more ambitious future, saying robots could one day become companions, friends or even part of a family.&nbsp;For now, that remains a vision rather than a demonstrated capability.&nbsp;XPeng has yet to reveal IRON’s full capabilities, commercial availability or the actual scale of the new production line. But the development highlights a major shift in the robotics race: companies are no longer only trying to build smarter humanoids. They are also trying to build the factories that can build them.&nbsp;

Chinese EV maker XPeng says it has launched an automated production line where humanoid robots help build other humanoid robots. Its first IRON robot reportedly completed assembly and walked off the line autonomously, though production capacity remains undisclosed.

Robots building robots is no longer just a science-fiction idea. Chinese electric vehicle maker XPeng says it has commissioned an automated production line where humanoid robots can help manufacture other humanoid robots. XPeng CEO He Xiaopeng announced the development on X, calling it the world’s first automated production line for advanced general-purpose humanoid robots. The company says the system is designed to reduce manual involvement and help take humanoid production towards larger-scale manufacturing. The first robot produced on the line has also been given a name: IRON.

Chinese EV maker XPeng says it has launched an automated production line where humanoid robots help build other humanoid robots. Its first IRON robot reportedly completed assembly and walked off the line autonomously, though production capacity remains undisclosed.

Future of manufacturing is here: Chinese EV maker sets up factory where robots are building robots

Over the last decade, five countries have been quietly building over $40 billion alternative to the World Bank and the IMF-dominated global financial system: the New Development Bank or the BRICS Bank. The amount is modest when compared to the Bretton Woods Twins, but it's a project aimed at dismantling 80 years of financial control, creating a parallel system without replacing it.&nbsp;There is huge asymmetry in place; by the end of 2025, the National Development Bank has approved roughly $42.9 billion. The World Bank approves roughly $100 billion in every fiscal year. The New Development Bank has an authorised capital base of $100 billion. The World Bank has an authorised capital base of roughly $327 billion, while the IMF has a $646 billion quota base. Combined, the Bretton Woods System has roughly $1 trillion in capital base.But there are positive signs too; the New Development Bank has been around for just over a decade, and the Bretton Woods System has been there since the aftermath of the Second World War. It has grown from five founding members to eleven members. It has sanctioned development projects such as in India, the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut original rapid transit system; in China, an offshore wind power plant which generated over 1 billion kWh of carbon-free electricity in the first year; in Brazil, Pernambuco state expanded water supply and sanitation services, which benefits roughly $2 million people; and in South Africa, they are modernising the Durban port, a gateway to the African continent. It is more democratised, where every nation has an equal vote, despite China being a bigger economy and Brazil being comparatively smaller. Unlike the World Bank and IMF, where the US holds veto power with over 16 per cent of total voting rights. It does not seek harsh austerity measures, nor does it require structural and political change in exchange for loans to nations.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/zohran-mamdani-170000-9-11-records-toxic-air-1788882722776">Zohran Mamdani releases 170,000 pages of 9/11 records, says officials misled New Yorkers over toxic air</a><h2>Can it help the Global South out of Western hegemony?</h2>Structurally, the New Development Bank is an extension of the same capitalist financial architecture that fuels the Bretton Woods System. It's not a radical break from the Western Hegemony; it is an extension of it. It is merely a scaled-up and pooled version of domestic development banks, copying the exact financial blueprint of the World Bank.But the real problem is that it is still dependent on dollar-based assets; it seeks finance from Wall Street and international capital markets for the majority of its bond issuances. Its credit rating is associated with Western credit agencies like Flich and S&amp;P. This is one of the reasons the bank had to freeze one of its founding members, Russia, following the Western sanctions in 2022 to maintain its credit rating of AA+.&nbsp;Under the leadership of President Dilma Rousseff, the NDB has grown its local currency lending portfolio to approximately 25 per cent and plans to achieve the 30 per cent mark by 2026. It actively issues bonds and uses local-currency financing such as the Chinese Yuan, Indian Rupee, and South African Rand to protect from US monetary policy shocks and exchange rate volatility. The position is somewhere between hegemony and autonomy. &nbsp;It is not breaking free but trying to build a more inclusive pipeline inside the existing global financial grid.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The New Development Bank, or BRICS Bank, has emerged as an alternative development finance institution, expanding local-currency lending while seeking to reduce dependence on the Western-dominated financial system.

Over the last decade, five countries have been quietly building over $40 billion alternative to the World Bank and the IMF-dominated global financial system: the New Development Bank or the BRICS Bank. The amount is modest when compared to the Bretton Woods Twins, but it's a project aimed at dismantling 80 years of financial control, creating a parallel system without replacing it. There is huge asymmetry in place; by the end of 2025, the National Development Bank has approved roughly $42.9 billion. The World Bank approves roughly $100 billion in every fiscal year. The New Development Bank has an authorised capital base of $100 billion. The World Bank has an authorised capital base of roughly $327 billion, while the IMF has a $646 billion quota base. Combined, the Bretton Woods System has roughly $1 trillion in capital base. But there are positive signs too; the New Development Bank has been around for just over a decade, and the Bretton Woods System has been there since the aftermath of the Second World War. It has grown from five founding members to eleven members. It has sanctioned development projects such as in India, the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut original rapid transit system; in China, an offshore wind power plant which generated over 1 billion kWh of carbon-free electricity in the first year; in Brazil, Pernambuco state expanded water supply and sanitation services, which benefits roughly $2 million people; and in South Africa, they are modernising the Durban port, a gateway to the African continent. It is more democratised, where every nation has an equal vote, despite China being a bigger economy and Brazil being comparatively smaller. Unlike the World Bank and IMF, where the US holds veto power with over 16 per cent of total voting rights. It does not seek harsh austerity measures, nor does it require structural and political change in exchange for loans to nations. Also Read: Zohran Mamdani releases 170,000 pages of 9/11 records, says officials misled New Yorkers over toxic air Can it help the Global South out of Western hegemony? Structurally, the New Development Bank is an extension of the same capitalist financial architecture that fuels the Bretton Woods System. It's not a radical break from the Western Hegemony; it is an extension of it. It is merely a scaled-up and pooled version of domestic development banks, copying the exact financial blueprint of the World Bank. But the real problem is that it is still dependent on dollar-based assets; it seeks finance from Wall Street and international capital markets for the majority of its bond issuances. Its credit rating is associated with Western credit agencies like Flich and S&P. This is one of the reasons the bank had to freeze one of its founding members, Russia, following the Western sanctions in 2022 to maintain its credit rating of AA+. Under the leadership of President Dilma Rousseff, the NDB has grown its local currency lending portfolio to approximately 25 per cent and plans to achieve the 30 per cent mark by 2026. It actively issues bonds and uses local-currency financing such as the Chinese Yuan, Indian Rupee, and South African Rand to protect from US monetary policy shocks and exchange rate volatility. The position is somewhere between hegemony and autonomy. It is not breaking free but trying to build a more inclusive pipeline inside the existing global financial grid.

The New Development Bank, or BRICS Bank, has emerged as an alternative development finance institution, expanding local-currency lending while seeking to reduce dependence on the Western-dominated financial system.

BRICS Bank: Can the New Development Bank challenge the World Bank and IMF?

Nvidia is becoming much more than the company behind the world’s most powerful AI chips.&nbsp;The chip giant’s equity investments have surged to $99 billion, up from about $7 billion a year earlier and roughly $2.2 billion two years ago, according to its latest regulatory filing. Nvidia also disclosed another $25 billion in equity investment commitments as of July 26. The rapid expansion shows how Nvidia is using its enormous financial strength to shape the AI industry around its hardware. Instead of simply selling GPUs, Nvidia is increasingly putting money into the companies that need those GPUs.<h2>Where is Nvidia putting its billions?</h2>A large part of the strategy is focused on frontier AI labs.&nbsp;Nvidia CFO Colette Kress said the company had invested nearly $50 billion in frontier AI labs. Nvidia announced a $30 billion investment in OpenAI in February as part of OpenAI’s $110 billion funding round. Nvidia is also backing the rapidly growing group of so-called neoclouds companies that buy large numbers of GPUs and rent computing power to AI customers. It invested $2 billion in CoreWeave in January and another $2 billion in Nebius in March. Nvidia said the Nebius investment would help accelerate its build-out of a full-stack AI cloud platform. The strategy has now expanded beyond cloud and AI models.<h2>Nvidia is betting on the technology behind AI</h2>Nvidia has also been investing heavily in optical and photonics technology, which uses light to move data rather than traditional electrical connections. Companies including Lumentum, Coherent and Marvell have each received major investments, according to CNBC’s analysis. The technology could become increasingly important as AI systems require faster movement of enormous amounts of data. Nvidia has also benefited from the rising value of some of its investments. Its $5 billion Intel investment has reportedly risen to around $30 billion, while its SpaceX holding was valued at about $21 billion as of June, according to CNBC.<h2>Why Nvidia is doing this</h2>The strategy is simple: help the AI ecosystem grow, and Nvidia can grow with it. Nvidia itself says its investments are intended to enhance growth opportunities, cultivate its ecosystem and strengthen its competitive position.&nbsp;That creates a powerful cycle. AI companies need computing power. Nvidia supplies the GPUs. By investing in those companies, Nvidia can also help them raise the capital needed to buy more computing infrastructure.The result is a company that increasingly sits at several levels of the AI economy supplier, investor, infrastructure partner and, increasingly, owner. Nvidia’s $99 billion portfolio shows just how much that role has expanded.

Nvidia’s equity investments have surged to $99 billion from about $7 billion a year earlier. The chip giant is backing AI labs, cloud providers, infrastructure and emerging technologies, using its capital to strengthen the ecosystem around its GPUs.



Nvidia is becoming much more than the company behind the world’s most powerful AI chips. The chip giant’s equity investments have surged to $99 billion, up from about $7 billion a year earlier and roughly $2.2 billion two years ago, according to its latest regulatory filing. Nvidia also disclosed another $25 billion in equity investment commitments as of July 26. The rapid expansion shows how Nvidia is using its enormous financial strength to shape the AI industry around its hardware. Instead of simply selling GPUs, Nvidia is increasingly putting money into the companies that need those GPUs. Where is Nvidia putting its billions? A large part of the strategy is focused on frontier AI labs. Nvidia CFO Colette Kress said the company had invested nearly $50 billion in frontier AI labs. Nvidia announced a $30 billion investment in OpenAI in February as part of OpenAI’s $110 billion funding round. Nvidia is also backing the rapidly growing group of so-called neoclouds companies that buy large numbers of GPUs and rent computing power to AI customers. It invested $2 billion in CoreWeave in January and another $2 billion in Nebius in March. Nvidia said the Nebius investment would help accelerate its build-out of a full-stack AI cloud platform. The strategy has now expanded beyond cloud and AI models. Nvidia is betting on the technology behind AI Nvidia has also been investing heavily in optical and photonics technology, which uses light to move data rather than traditional electrical connections. Companies including Lumentum, Coherent and Marvell have each received major investments, according to CNBC’s analysis. The technology could become increasingly important as AI systems require faster movement of enormous amounts of data. Nvidia has also benefited from the rising value of some of its investments. Its $5 billion Intel investment has reportedly risen to around $30 billion, while its SpaceX holding was valued at about $21 billion as of June, according to CNBC. Why Nvidia is doing this The strategy is simple: help the AI ecosystem grow, and Nvidia can grow with it. Nvidia itself says its investments are intended to enhance growth opportunities, cultivate its ecosystem and strengthen its competitive position. That creates a powerful cycle. AI companies need computing power. Nvidia supplies the GPUs. By investing in those companies, Nvidia can also help them raise the capital needed to buy more computing infrastructure. The result is a company that increasingly sits at several levels of the AI economy supplier, investor, infrastructure partner and, increasingly, owner. Nvidia’s $99 billion portfolio shows just how much that role has expanded.

Nvidia’s equity investments have surged to $99 billion from about $7 billion a year earlier. The chip giant is backing AI labs, cloud providers, infrastructure and emerging technologies, using its capital to strengthen the ecosystem around its GPUs.

Nvidia now has $99 billion invested across the AI industry, here’s where the money is going

Adobe’s Board of Directors has appointed company insider Anil Chakravarthy as its next President and Chief Executive Officer, effective December 1, 2026. Chakravarthy, currently serving as President of Adobe’s Customer Experience Orchestration business and worldwide field operations, will also join the company’s Board. He succeeds long-time CEO Shantanu Narayen, who will transition to the role of Executive Chair after a transformative 18-year tenure.&nbsp;Narayen’s planned departure was initially signalled earlier this year. During his nearly two-decade leadership, he oversaw Adobe’s pivotal shift from desktop software licences to a recurring cloud-subscription model, growing revenue from approximately $3 billion to over $25 billion.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/jensen-huang-s-nvidia-makes-a-huge-open-source-ai-bet-with-hugging-face-deal-1788439759576">Jensen Huang’s Nvidia makes a huge open-source AI bet with Hugging Face deal</a><h2>A Tech Veteran Primed for the AI Era</h2>Chakravarthy joined Adobe in January 2020 as Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Digital Experience business, expanding his remit over the years to manage global sales, enterprise customer support, and field operations across creative and productivity suites. Before his time at Adobe, Chakravarthy served for four years as CEO of cloud data management giant Informatica and held executive posts at Symantec, VeriSign, and McKinsey &amp; Company. He holds a Bachelor of Technology from IIT (BHU) Varanasi and a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.&nbsp;During his time at Adobe, Chakravarthy has championed major AI-driven customer experience products including Adobe CX Enterprise, GenStudio, and Brand Visibility and spearheaded key strategic acquisitions, such as Workfront.&nbsp;"I am deeply honoured to have been chosen to lead Adobe during this pivotal moment," Chakravarthy said in a statement. "I’m energised by the opportunity to fuel growth and drive Adobe's leadership in the next era of agentic software for creativity, productivity, and customer experience."&nbsp;The leadership transition arrives as legacy software giants face unprecedented market pressures and shifting investor sentiment surrounding generative AI disruption. Despite embedding AI capabilities across flagship products like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat, Adobe’s shares have felt the heat of emerging competitors.&nbsp;

Adobe appoints Anil Chakravarthy as its new President and CEO, effective December 1. He succeeds long-time leader Shantanu Narayen, who will transition to Executive Chair as the software giant steps up its AI innovation focus. 

Adobe’s Board of Directors has appointed company insider Anil Chakravarthy as its next President and Chief Executive Officer, effective December 1, 2026. Chakravarthy, currently serving as President of Adobe’s Customer Experience Orchestration business and worldwide field operations, will also join the company’s Board. He succeeds long-time CEO Shantanu Narayen, who will transition to the role of Executive Chair after a transformative 18-year tenure. Narayen’s planned departure was initially signalled earlier this year. During his nearly two-decade leadership, he oversaw Adobe’s pivotal shift from desktop software licences to a recurring cloud-subscription model, growing revenue from approximately $3 billion to over $25 billion. Also read: Jensen Huang’s Nvidia makes a huge open-source AI bet with Hugging Face deal A Tech Veteran Primed for the AI Era Chakravarthy joined Adobe in January 2020 as Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Digital Experience business, expanding his remit over the years to manage global sales, enterprise customer support, and field operations across creative and productivity suites. Before his time at Adobe, Chakravarthy served for four years as CEO of cloud data management giant Informatica and held executive posts at Symantec, VeriSign, and McKinsey & Company. He holds a Bachelor of Technology from IIT (BHU) Varanasi and a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During his time at Adobe, Chakravarthy has championed major AI-driven customer experience products including Adobe CX Enterprise, GenStudio, and Brand Visibility and spearheaded key strategic acquisitions, such as Workfront. "I am deeply honoured to have been chosen to lead Adobe during this pivotal moment," Chakravarthy said in a statement. "I’m energised by the opportunity to fuel growth and drive Adobe's leadership in the next era of agentic software for creativity, productivity, and customer experience." The leadership transition arrives as legacy software giants face unprecedented market pressures and shifting investor sentiment surrounding generative AI disruption. Despite embedding AI capabilities across flagship products like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat, Adobe’s shares have felt the heat of emerging competitors.

Adobe appoints Anil Chakravarthy as its new President and CEO, effective December 1. He succeeds long-time leader Shantanu Narayen, who will transition to Executive Chair as the software giant steps up its AI innovation focus.

Adobe appoints Anil Chakravarthy as next CEO, succeeding Shantanu Narayen

The Volkswagen Board has approved a plan to cut another 50,000 jobs as part of sweeping changes amid losses. In March, the German car giant had announced that it would chop off 50,000 positions by 2030. This brings the total number of roles that will be eliminated by the end of the decade to 100,000. The group manufactures Audi, Porsche, and Skoda, besides the VW brand. SEAT, Bentley, and Lamborghini are also wholly owned subsidiaries of the Volkswagen Group.&nbsp;Volkswagen is facing a demand crunch as other players enter the field. Chinese car brands have turned into fierce competitors, forcing the company to take drastic steps amid falling profits. VW's chief executive Oliver Blume said in a statement on Thursday, “This is a strong signal for the future of the Volkswagen Group. [The plan will] make our iconic brands even more attractive, stronger, and competitive.”<h2>What Volkswagen said about job cuts</h2>He added that "a consistent alignment of workforce capacity with economic reality is essential" amid "intensifying global competition, shifting demand, and technological change in the automotive industry." Blume had talked about the additional cuts in July this year. The company stated the conditions necessitate "a Group-wide workforce adjustment of approximately 50,000 positions - including management roles."&nbsp;Volkswagen plans to prioritise the "most compelling vehicles" and make more of these models to lower costs. Alternate uses of manufacturing plants in Emden, Zwickau, Hanover and Neckarsulm will be assessed since the production capacity here exceeds demand.<h2>Chinese brands are giving fierce competition</h2>Volkswagen started operations in 1937 and has never witnessed such drastic restructuring in all these decades. VW employed more than 660,000 people worldwide as of 2025. But the demand for its cars has seen a sharp drop, especially in China, which once used to be its biggest market. It also witnessed a drop in sales in the United States, with the tariffs imposed by Donald Trump being partly responsible.&nbsp;Christianne Benner, the president of Europe's largest industrial union IG Metall and deputy chair of VW's Supervisory Board, said the company tried its best to fix the crisis situation.&nbsp;

Volkswagen has announced 50,000 more job cuts, taking the total number to a massive 100,000. All these positions will be eliminated by the end of 2030. The German car maker is facing fierce competition from Chinese brands and is suffering because of extreme tariffs in the US. 

The Volkswagen Board has approved a plan to cut another 50,000 jobs as part of sweeping changes amid losses. In March, the German car giant had announced that it would chop off 50,000 positions by 2030. This brings the total number of roles that will be eliminated by the end of the decade to 100,000. The group manufactures Audi, Porsche, and Skoda, besides the VW brand. SEAT, Bentley, and Lamborghini are also wholly owned subsidiaries of the Volkswagen Group. Volkswagen is facing a demand crunch as other players enter the field. Chinese car brands have turned into fierce competitors, forcing the company to take drastic steps amid falling profits. VW's chief executive Oliver Blume said in a statement on Thursday, “This is a strong signal for the future of the Volkswagen Group. [The plan will] make our iconic brands even more attractive, stronger, and competitive.” What Volkswagen said about job cuts He added that "a consistent alignment of workforce capacity with economic reality is essential" amid "intensifying global competition, shifting demand, and technological change in the automotive industry." Blume had talked about the additional cuts in July this year. The company stated the conditions necessitate "a Group-wide workforce adjustment of approximately 50,000 positions - including management roles." Volkswagen plans to prioritise the "most compelling vehicles" and make more of these models to lower costs. Alternate uses of manufacturing plants in Emden, Zwickau, Hanover and Neckarsulm will be assessed since the production capacity here exceeds demand. Chinese brands are giving fierce competition Volkswagen started operations in 1937 and has never witnessed such drastic restructuring in all these decades. VW employed more than 660,000 people worldwide as of 2025. But the demand for its cars has seen a sharp drop, especially in China, which once used to be its biggest market. It also witnessed a drop in sales in the United States, with the tariffs imposed by Donald Trump being partly responsible. Christianne Benner, the president of Europe's largest industrial union IG Metall and deputy chair of VW's Supervisory Board, said the company tried its best to fix the crisis situation.

Volkswagen has announced 50,000 more job cuts, taking the total number to a massive 100,000. All these positions will be eliminated by the end of 2030. The German car maker is facing fierce competition from Chinese brands and is suffering because of extreme tariffs in the US.&nbsp;

Volkswagen to cut 50,000 more jobs, 100,000 roles to be eliminated by 2030

A new artificial-intelligence platform has entered India’s retail trading landscape with a clear brief: equip individual participants with enough real-time technical understanding that they no longer have to trade on tips, guesswork or late-night commentary alone.Kwala Intel (kwalaintel.com) is being presented as a user-friendly market-intelligence tool designed to help retail traders read technical indicators, interpret what is unfolding on the chart, and make more informed decisions while positions are open. In a market where regulatory data shows that the large majority of individual futures and options traders finish the year with losses, any system that aims to improve decision quality is drawing attention.&nbsp;The Trust Problem the Data Keeps Highlighting&nbsp;SEBI’s studies of individual traders in the equity F&amp;O segment have become a standing reference point. Across multi-year windows, loss rates have remained extremely high — in some periods above 90 per cent of unique individual participants after transaction costs. Cumulative losses over five years have been estimated at around Rs 3.85 lakh crore. Even after participation moderated in FY26, roughly 87–88 per cent of remaining individual traders still recorded net losses, with options accounting for the bulk of the damage.Those figures have concerned regulators, brokers and educators alike. They also help explain a quieter erosion of trust among participants who entered in large numbers after the COVID-era retail boom. Many discovered that access to a trading app was not the same as access to usable market intelligence. Tips arrived easily; continuous, understandable technical context did not. The familiar cycle followed: entry on a tip, hours of uncertainty, then an exit driven by emotion. Repeated losses reduced both capital and confidence.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/this-indian-ai-is-bringing-market-intelligence-to-intraday-traders-1788419237060">This Indian AI is bringing market intelligence to intraday traders</a>&nbsp;What the New Platform Is Trying to Change&nbsp;Kwala Intel frames itself as an intelligence layer rather than a tip engine. Users can query charts and market structure in plain language, receive explanations of technical indicators and key levels, and see visual context linking the commentary to actual price action. The intent is to give retail participants a practical way to apply the same categories of information professional desks treat as routine: support and resistance, momentum readings, pattern structure and related signals.&nbsp;The platform is also positioned for continuous use, not only during market hours. That matters for traders who review positions, prepare levels or learn after the close. By remaining available as a companion rather than a one-time alert service, it aims to support both decision-making and ongoing learning.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/this-indian-ai-is-making-stock-charts-easier-to-understand-in-hindi-tamil-telugu-and-other-indian-languages-1788315316303">This Indian AI is making stock charts easier to understand in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and other Indian languages</a>&nbsp;Company representatives have described an explicit ambition: over the coming year, to help reduce the share of retail participants who lose money through purely uninformed or tip-dependent trading. Whether any single platform can shift industry-wide loss rates remains an open question. What is clear is the problem the product is built around — the persistence of high retail loss ratios despite years of easy market access.&nbsp;A Generation That Arrived After COVID&nbsp;Much of the recent expansion in retail participation has come from younger adults, roughly in the 22–30 age band, who began trading actively after the pandemic. This group is digitally native, comfortable with apps and conversational interfaces, and often more willing to try new tools than earlier cohorts. It is also a group that has experienced both the excitement of easy onboarding and the disappointment of repeated losses in derivatives.&nbsp;Platforms that speak this cohort’s language — simple interfaces, on-demand explanations, visual feedback — are betting that behaviour can still be shaped. If technical structure becomes easier to query and understand, a larger share of these traders may move from speculative tip-following toward more deliberate, context-aware decisions. That would mark a shift from the dominant retail pattern of the post-COVID years.&nbsp;Trend Change or Incremental Tool?&nbsp;Claims of a complete trend change should be treated with caution. Loss rates are driven by leverage, options product design, behavioural biases and the advantages of better-capitalised counterparties — not only by the absence of chart explanations. No AI companion removes the need for risk limits or the decision not to trade at all.&nbsp;At the same time, after years in which retail growth was fuelled mainly by access — discount brokerages, smartphone apps, social distribution of ideas — a second wave of tools is focusing on interpretation. Kwala Intel is one of the newer entrants in that wave. Its success will ultimately be measured by whether users trade with clearer context, fewer blind intervals, and, over time, better outcomes than the broad averages published by SEBI.&nbsp;For now, the platform’s arrival adds another data point to a larger experiment: whether giving retail participants a user-friendly way to understand technical indicators and live market structure can help restore a degree of trust that years of high loss rates have eroded — especially among younger traders who still have the longest road ahead.&nbsp;&nbsp;Disclaimer: Trading in equity derivatives involves substantial risk of loss. SEBI data cited pertains to individual traders in the equity F&amp;O segment. This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice. Ambitions attributed to platforms reflect stated positioning, not guaranteed outcomes.

With SEBI data showing most individual F&O traders still losing money, Kwala Intel positions itself as a user-friendly intelligence layer for younger participants who entered markets after COVID — aiming to rebuild trust through understanding rather than tips.

A new artificial-intelligence platform has entered India’s retail trading landscape with a clear brief: equip individual participants with enough real-time technical understanding that they no longer have to trade on tips, guesswork or late-night commentary alone. Kwala Intel (kwalaintel.com) is being presented as a user-friendly market-intelligence tool designed to help retail traders read technical indicators, interpret what is unfolding on the chart, and make more informed decisions while positions are open. In a market where regulatory data shows that the large majority of individual futures and options traders finish the year with losses, any system that aims to improve decision quality is drawing attention. The Trust Problem the Data Keeps Highlighting SEBI’s studies of individual traders in the equity F&O segment have become a standing reference point. Across multi-year windows, loss rates have remained extremely high — in some periods above 90 per cent of unique individual participants after transaction costs. Cumulative losses over five years have been estimated at around Rs 3.85 lakh crore. Even after participation moderated in FY26, roughly 87–88 per cent of remaining individual traders still recorded net losses, with options accounting for the bulk of the damage. Those figures have concerned regulators, brokers and educators alike. They also help explain a quieter erosion of trust among participants who entered in large numbers after the COVID-era retail boom. Many discovered that access to a trading app was not the same as access to usable market intelligence. Tips arrived easily; continuous, understandable technical context did not. The familiar cycle followed: entry on a tip, hours of uncertainty, then an exit driven by emotion. Repeated losses reduced both capital and confidence. Also read: This Indian AI is bringing market intelligence to intraday traders What the New Platform Is Trying to Change Kwala Intel frames itself as an intelligence layer rather than a tip engine. Users can query charts and market structure in plain language, receive explanations of technical indicators and key levels, and see visual context linking the commentary to actual price action. The intent is to give retail participants a practical way to apply the same categories of information professional desks treat as routine: support and resistance, momentum readings, pattern structure and related signals. The platform is also positioned for continuous use, not only during market hours. That matters for traders who review positions, prepare levels or learn after the close. By remaining available as a companion rather than a one-time alert service, it aims to support both decision-making and ongoing learning. Also read: This Indian AI is making stock charts easier to understand in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and other Indian languages Company representatives have described an explicit ambition: over the coming year, to help reduce the share of retail participants who lose money through purely uninformed or tip-dependent trading. Whether any single platform can shift industry-wide loss rates remains an open question. What is clear is the problem the product is built around — the persistence of high retail loss ratios despite years of easy market access. A Generation That Arrived After COVID Much of the recent expansion in retail participation has come from younger adults, roughly in the 22–30 age band, who began trading actively after the pandemic. This group is digitally native, comfortable with apps and conversational interfaces, and often more willing to try new tools than earlier cohorts. It is also a group that has experienced both the excitement of easy onboarding and the disappointment of repeated losses in derivatives. Platforms that speak this cohort’s language — simple interfaces, on-demand explanations, visual feedback — are betting that behaviour can still be shaped. If technical structure becomes easier to query and understand, a larger share of these traders may move from speculative tip-following toward more deliberate, context-aware decisions. That would mark a shift from the dominant retail pattern of the post-COVID years. Trend Change or Incremental Tool? Claims of a complete trend change should be treated with caution. Loss rates are driven by leverage, options product design, behavioural biases and the advantages of better-capitalised counterparties — not only by the absence of chart explanations. No AI companion removes the need for risk limits or the decision not to trade at all. At the same time, after years in which retail growth was fuelled mainly by access — discount brokerages, smartphone apps, social distribution of ideas — a second wave of tools is focusing on interpretation. Kwala Intel is one of the newer entrants in that wave. Its success will ultimately be measured by whether users trade with clearer context, fewer blind intervals, and, over time, better outcomes than the broad averages published by SEBI. For now, the platform’s arrival adds another data point to a larger experiment: whether giving retail participants a user-friendly way to understand technical indicators and live market structure can help restore a degree of trust that years of high loss rates have eroded — especially among younger traders who still have the longest road ahead. Disclaimer: Trading in equity derivatives involves substantial risk of loss. SEBI data cited pertains to individual traders in the equity F&O segment. This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice. Ambitions attributed to platforms reflect stated positioning, not guaranteed outcomes.

With SEBI data showing most individual F&amp;O traders still losing money, Kwala Intel positions itself as a user-friendly intelligence layer for younger participants who entered markets after COVID — aiming to rebuild trust through understanding rather than tips.

New AI platform enters market betting it can help retail traders stop flying blind

German firm ZEISS, best known for high-precision optics and opto-electronics, has opened its first Innovation Hub outside of its home country. This facility has been established at the IIT Madras Research Park (IITMRP), which is India’s first university-based research park, created to bridge the gap between academia and industry, and accelerate deep-tech innovation. The hub will focus on areas including advanced frugal engineering, harsh-environment optics, robotics and fluid dynamics, while fostering interdisciplinary research with real-world industrial applications. The firm did not reveal its investment in this Indian facility.&nbsp;According to ZEISS, its Chennai-based Innovation Hub is meant to enhance collaboration between the firm's global research network and the IIT Madras ecosystem, bringing together faculty, researchers, startups and industry to accelerate long-term research and technology translation. It will also support researcher exchanges, postgraduate research and closer engagement with IIT Madras students and graduates.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/bar-council-has-no-power-to-discipline-law-students-before-enrollment-supreme-court-1788442808743">Bar Council has no power to discipline law students before enrollment: Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;Natarajan Malupillai, Group CEO, IITM Research Park &amp; Incubation Cell, said the establishment of the ZEISS Innovation Hub at IIT Madras Research Park is a significant milestone for both our institutions. “ZEISS brings 180 years of leadership in precision optics, microscopy and advanced engineering, while IIT Madras Research Park has built one of India's most vibrant deep-tech innovation ecosystems. By joining hands, we have an opportunity to combine these complementary strengths to accelerate frontier research, develop globally competitive technologies to create a distinct innovation advantage that benefits both industry and society,” he commented.&nbsp;&nbsp;Further, he highlighted that IIT Madras Research Park continues to strengthen its position as a destination for global corporations seeking research-led collaboration in India. Today, the ecosystem brings together over 250 research-driven companies &amp; labs, startups and Centres of Excellence.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/india-ready-to-help-end-russia-ukraine-war-says-eam-jaishankar-during-kyiv-visit-1788437687980">India ready to help end Russia-Ukraine war, says EAM Jaishankar during Kyiv visit</a>&nbsp;Speaking at the launch, Andreas Pecher, President and CEO of the ZEISS Group, said that the establishment of the ZEISS Innovation Hub in Chennai, India, reflects the firm's confidence in the country's rapidly evolving innovation ecosystem and its growing significance as a strategic market. The dynamic ecosystem at IIT Madras Research Park provides an ideal platform to co-develop future-ready solutions and shape the next generation of technologies for India and the world, he added.&nbsp;Pecher revealed that in the previous fiscal year ZEISS Group generated annual revenue totaling almost 12 billion euros, across major sectors such as: Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology, Industrial Quality &amp; Research, Medical Technology, and Consumer Markets. On the importance of R&amp;D spending, he said that his group invests 14 percent of its revenue in research and development.

ZEISS said its Innovation Hub is meant to enhance collaboration between the firm's global research network and the IIT Madras ecosystem, bringing together faculty, researchers, startups and industry to accelerate long-term research and technology translation.

German firm ZEISS, best known for high-precision optics and opto-electronics, has opened its first Innovation Hub outside of its home country. This facility has been established at the IIT Madras Research Park (IITMRP), which is India’s first university-based research park, created to bridge the gap between academia and industry, and accelerate deep-tech innovation. The hub will focus on areas including advanced frugal engineering, harsh-environment optics, robotics and fluid dynamics, while fostering interdisciplinary research with real-world industrial applications. The firm did not reveal its investment in this Indian facility. According to ZEISS, its Chennai-based Innovation Hub is meant to enhance collaboration between the firm's global research network and the IIT Madras ecosystem, bringing together faculty, researchers, startups and industry to accelerate long-term research and technology translation. It will also support researcher exchanges, postgraduate research and closer engagement with IIT Madras students and graduates. Also Read: Bar Council has no power to discipline law students before enrollment: Supreme Court Natarajan Malupillai, Group CEO, IITM Research Park & Incubation Cell, said the establishment of the ZEISS Innovation Hub at IIT Madras Research Park is a significant milestone for both our institutions. “ZEISS brings 180 years of leadership in precision optics, microscopy and advanced engineering, while IIT Madras Research Park has built one of India's most vibrant deep-tech innovation ecosystems. By joining hands, we have an opportunity to combine these complementary strengths to accelerate frontier research, develop globally competitive technologies to create a distinct innovation advantage that benefits both industry and society,” he commented. Further, he highlighted that IIT Madras Research Park continues to strengthen its position as a destination for global corporations seeking research-led collaboration in India. Today, the ecosystem brings together over 250 research-driven companies & labs, startups and Centres of Excellence. Also Read: India ready to help end Russia-Ukraine war, says EAM Jaishankar during Kyiv visit Speaking at the launch, Andreas Pecher, President and CEO of the ZEISS Group, said that the establishment of the ZEISS Innovation Hub in Chennai, India, reflects the firm's confidence in the country's rapidly evolving innovation ecosystem and its growing significance as a strategic market. The dynamic ecosystem at IIT Madras Research Park provides an ideal platform to co-develop future-ready solutions and shape the next generation of technologies for India and the world, he added. Pecher revealed that in the previous fiscal year ZEISS Group generated annual revenue totaling almost 12 billion euros, across major sectors such as: Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology, Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, and Consumer Markets. On the importance of R&D spending, he said that his group invests 14 percent of its revenue in research and development.

ZEISS said its Innovation Hub is meant to enhance collaboration between the firm's global research network and the IIT Madras ecosystem, bringing together faculty, researchers, startups and industry to accelerate long-term research and technology translation.

Zeiss opens Innovation Hub at IIT-M Research Park; 1st outside Germany

Nvidia has agreed to acquire Hugging Face for $12.9 billion, in a major move that takes the chip giant deeper into the software and open-source side of artificial intelligence. But the deal did not begin with Nvidia knocking on Hugging Face’s door.&nbsp;Hugging Face CEO Clément Delangue told CNBC that his company approached Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang first. He said the discussions moved quickly and, just weeks later, the companies had agreed on a deal. Delangue said Hugging Face had reached a “turning point” and needed more resources, scale and visibility.&nbsp;<h2>Why Nvidia wants Hugging Face</h2>Hugging Face has become one of the biggest platforms for developers working with open-source AI models. Its platform lets researchers and developers share, discover and work with AI models, datasets and tools. Nvidia has already worked with Hugging Face, including integrating its DGX Cloud infrastructure with the platform to give developers access to AI supercomputing.&nbsp;The acquisition therefore gives Nvidia something that its GPUs alone cannot provide: a much deeper connection with the developers building AI models and applications. Nvidia said Hugging Face will remain an open platform for the wider AI ecosystem. Huang said the companies will work to scale its platform, strengthen its infrastructure and expand access to AI for developers and institutions worldwide.&nbsp;<h2>Nvidia is going far beyond chips</h2>The $12.9 billion deal shows how Nvidia’s ambitions are expanding. The company became the central hardware supplier behind the generative AI boom, but Huang has increasingly positioned Nvidia as a full AI computing platform rather than simply a chipmaker. Nvidia’s latest results show the scale of that business. It reported $96.2 billion in quarterly revenue, with data-centre revenue reaching $89 billion.&nbsp;Buying Hugging Face takes Nvidia further up the AI stack, closer to the models, developers and software that turn computing power into useful AI products.&nbsp;<h2>A major acquisition for Nvidia</h2>The Hugging Face purchase would rank among Nvidia’s largest acquisitions. The company’s strategy has increasingly involved partnerships and investments across the AI ecosystem, including model developers and infrastructure companies. For Hugging Face, meanwhile, Delangue said Nvidia was a “perfect home” for the company and its open-source community. The deal comes at an important moment for open AI models, as developers increasingly look beyond a small group of closed AI labs. Nvidia now wants to be part of that shift not just by supplying the chips, but by owning a major part of the platform where the next generation of AI developers builds.

Nvidia has agreed to acquire Hugging Face for $12.9 billion after Hugging Face CEO Clément Delangue approached Jensen Huang about a deal. The acquisition gives Nvidia a major open-source AI platform and expands its business beyond chips.

Nvidia has agreed to acquire Hugging Face for $12.9 billion, in a major move that takes the chip giant deeper into the software and open-source side of artificial intelligence. But the deal did not begin with Nvidia knocking on Hugging Face’s door. Hugging Face CEO Clément Delangue told CNBC that his company approached Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang first. He said the discussions moved quickly and, just weeks later, the companies had agreed on a deal. Delangue said Hugging Face had reached a “turning point” and needed more resources, scale and visibility. Why Nvidia wants Hugging Face Hugging Face has become one of the biggest platforms for developers working with open-source AI models. Its platform lets researchers and developers share, discover and work with AI models, datasets and tools. Nvidia has already worked with Hugging Face, including integrating its DGX Cloud infrastructure with the platform to give developers access to AI supercomputing. The acquisition therefore gives Nvidia something that its GPUs alone cannot provide: a much deeper connection with the developers building AI models and applications. Nvidia said Hugging Face will remain an open platform for the wider AI ecosystem. Huang said the companies will work to scale its platform, strengthen its infrastructure and expand access to AI for developers and institutions worldwide. Nvidia is going far beyond chips The $12.9 billion deal shows how Nvidia’s ambitions are expanding. The company became the central hardware supplier behind the generative AI boom, but Huang has increasingly positioned Nvidia as a full AI computing platform rather than simply a chipmaker. Nvidia’s latest results show the scale of that business. It reported $96.2 billion in quarterly revenue, with data-centre revenue reaching $89 billion. Buying Hugging Face takes Nvidia further up the AI stack, closer to the models, developers and software that turn computing power into useful AI products. A major acquisition for Nvidia The Hugging Face purchase would rank among Nvidia’s largest acquisitions. The company’s strategy has increasingly involved partnerships and investments across the AI ecosystem, including model developers and infrastructure companies. For Hugging Face, meanwhile, Delangue said Nvidia was a “perfect home” for the company and its open-source community. The deal comes at an important moment for open AI models, as developers increasingly look beyond a small group of closed AI labs. Nvidia now wants to be part of that shift not just by supplying the chips, but by owning a major part of the platform where the next generation of AI developers builds.

Nvidia has agreed to acquire Hugging Face for $12.9 billion after Hugging Face CEO Clément Delangue approached Jensen Huang about a deal. The acquisition gives Nvidia a major open-source AI platform and expands its business beyond chips.

Jensen Huang’s Nvidia makes a huge open-source AI bet with Hugging Face deal

There was a time when people used to treat money with caution, with the idea of saving first, spending carefully and avoiding unnecessary debt. But that approach has now reshaped after the advent of AI, which makes managing money feel less like a chore and more like a game in the form of "financial entertainment". Currently, everything is quick, as we can shop on EMI, utilise credit, invest, buy insurance or receive financial advice on the phone. Therefore, buying anything within budget doesn't require thinking twice, as money decisions based on investment awareness help utilise savings conveniently, without considering priorities, security, temptation, and consequences. At the moment, India is moving from basic financial literacy to narrative-driven financial entertainment after the entry of AI has reshaped how young people interact with money in terms of investment and budgeting. Even a new generation of AI-powered market-intelligence tools also helps make technical analysis more accessible to India’s multilingual retail-investor base. These types of platforms allow users to ask questions about stocks, technical indicators and market trends in multiple Indian languages and receive explanations linked to market charts. To understand India’s financial markets with a stock chart has always been challenging. This includes candlesticks, moving averages, oscillators and technical indicators, which were often accompanied by unfamiliar English terminology, leaving many users dependent on simplified tips rather than understanding how a conclusion was reached. To provide this facility and make the audience more entertained while knowing or learning about investing, an AI market-intelligence platform, Kwala Intel, has been launched in India with a focus on markets, allowing users to ask questions about technical indicators of stocks and market trends in multiple Indian languages as well as receive detailed market charts. To turn financial awareness into financial entertainment, casual video games are also engaged for consumers in a financial education experience that helps increase financial knowledge and confidence in financial actions and real-world behaviour change.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/from-rote-learning-to-chat-native-learning-how-ai-is-changing-way-students-prepare-for-competitive-exams-1788091762847">From rote learning to chat-native learning: How AI is changing way students prepare for competitive exam</a>s<h3>AI can sharpen financial decisions</h3>Financial experts have also indicated that financial conversations today are often either too technical or too focused on returns, missing the person behind the decision. Traditionally, a savings-driven economy where caution ruled- save first, spend carefully, avoid debt- but India now finds itself in a world of instant EMIs, one-tap credit, and financial opinions delivered within minutes on a phone screen. They have also noted that after the entry of artificial intelligence in this sector, it can sharpen financial decision-making without replacing it entirely. 1. Why do you believe India needs a dedicated financial entertainment property at this point in its economic journey?&nbsp;MahekTomer, Creator, India’s Future Investors: I feel India’s relationship with money has moved much faster than the way we talk about money. Financial conversations are everywhere today, but they are often either too technical or too focused on what to buy, where to invest or how much someone can earn. What interests me more is the person behind the decision. How do we behave when money is limited, time is running out, and there is pressure to choose? That question became an important starting point for India’s Future Investors. I believe money deserves a place in mainstream entertainment because it is already part of everyone’s life.&nbsp;2. India has traditionally been a savings-driven economy. What has changed in the way Indians think about money that makes financial entertainment relevant today?&nbsp;MahekTomer: I grew up seeing money treated with a certain caution: save first, spend carefully and avoid unnecessary debt. That instinct still exists, but the world around it has completely changed. Today, everything is immediate. You can shop on EMI, access credit, invest, buy insurance or hear someone’s financial opinion within minutes on your phone. So people are making far more money decisions, much faster than before. For me, that is the real change. Access to financial products has become incredibly easy; developing the judgement to use that access responsibly still takes time. That gap is where better financial conversations are needed.&nbsp;3. Can entertainment play a meaningful role in improving financial awareness and changing how people approach money?&nbsp;MahekTomer: Absolutely, because sometimes experiencing a question is more powerful than being taught the answer. Suppose you have ₹50,000 saved and something you really want suddenly becomes available at half price, but buying it would mean using half your savings. What would you do? There isn’t enough information yet to declare one answer right or wrong—and that’s the point. You start thinking about priorities, security, temptation and consequences. This is what excites me about financial entertainment and what we are exploring through India’s Future Investors. Don’t just explain money to people. Give them a situation and let them discover how they think about it.&nbsp;4. As AI becomes increasingly capable of analysing data and making recommendations, what role do human judgement and emotional intelligence continue to play in financial decision-making?&nbsp;MahekTomer: AI can calculate faster than us, process enormous amounts of information and probably identify patterns we would miss. But money decisions are not made by numbers alone; they are made by people who have to live with the consequences. An answer can make perfect mathematical sense and still not be right for someone’s life. Family responsibilities, fear, ambition, security and the ability to sleep peacefully after taking a risk cannot always be reduced to a calculation. I see AI as an extraordinary tool for better information. But information can support judgement; it cannot take responsibility for the decision. That part remains human.&nbsp;5. Can AI make people better investors, or does over-reliance on technology create new risks?&nbsp;MahekTomer: I think AI can help us ask better questions and understand information faster. The risk begins when we stop asking questions altogether. A confident answer on a screen can easily feel like the correct answer, particularly to someone who does not yet understand the assumptions or risks behind it. That worries me more than AI itself. We shouldn’t outsource our judgement simply because technology makes it convenient. In fact, I think financial literacy in the AI age needs one additional skill: knowing when to question the machine. Use AI to become better informed, certainly—but don’t allow convenience to replace curiosity, judgement or responsibility. Similarly, Dr Ashish Chandra, CEO &amp; Founder - GFF AI, stated that AI can dramatically improve financial decision-making by processing vast amounts of data, identifying patterns and testing scenarios at a speed no individual can match. However, he added that finance is not purely a mathematical problem. He noted that human judgement remains critical as investment decisions are shaped by uncertainty, changing context, personal objectives and, importantly, emotion. "AI may tell an investor what the data suggests; emotional intelligence helps determine whether that recommendation is appropriate for the individual. During periods of market euphoria or panic, understanding fear, greed, risk tolerance and behavioural biases can be as important as analysing fundamentals. Used well, AI can certainly make people better investors. It can democratise sophisticated research, improve financial literacy, personalise insights and help investors challenge their own assumptions. The danger is treating AI as an oracle rather than a decision-support system. Models can inherit biases, misinterpret unusual market conditions or generate recommendations with unjustified confidence. The strongest model for the future is therefore not AI replacing human judgement, but AI augmenting it: machines providing analytical intelligence, while humans retain accountability, context, ethics and the final investment decision," he said. &nbsp;

India is moving from basic financial literacy to narrative-driven financial entertainment after the entry of AI has reshaped how young people interact with money in terms of investment and budgeting.

There was a time when people used to treat money with caution, with the idea of saving first, spending carefully and avoiding unnecessary debt. But that approach has now reshaped after the advent of AI, which makes managing money feel less like a chore and more like a game in the form of "financial entertainment". Currently, everything is quick, as we can shop on EMI, utilise credit, invest, buy insurance or receive financial advice on the phone. Therefore, buying anything within budget doesn't require thinking twice, as money decisions based on investment awareness help utilise savings conveniently, without considering priorities, security, temptation, and consequences. At the moment, India is moving from basic financial literacy to narrative-driven financial entertainment after the entry of AI has reshaped how young people interact with money in terms of investment and budgeting. Even a new generation of AI-powered market-intelligence tools also helps make technical analysis more accessible to India’s multilingual retail-investor base. These types of platforms allow users to ask questions about stocks, technical indicators and market trends in multiple Indian languages and receive explanations linked to market charts. To understand India’s financial markets with a stock chart has always been challenging. This includes candlesticks, moving averages, oscillators and technical indicators, which were often accompanied by unfamiliar English terminology, leaving many users dependent on simplified tips rather than understanding how a conclusion was reached. To provide this facility and make the audience more entertained while knowing or learning about investing, an AI market-intelligence platform, Kwala Intel, has been launched in India with a focus on markets, allowing users to ask questions about technical indicators of stocks and market trends in multiple Indian languages as well as receive detailed market charts. To turn financial awareness into financial entertainment, casual video games are also engaged for consumers in a financial education experience that helps increase financial knowledge and confidence in financial actions and real-world behaviour change. Also read: From rote learning to chat-native learning: How AI is changing way students prepare for competitive exams AI can sharpen financial decisions Financial experts have also indicated that financial conversations today are often either too technical or too focused on returns, missing the person behind the decision. Traditionally, a savings-driven economy where caution ruled- save first, spend carefully, avoid debt- but India now finds itself in a world of instant EMIs, one-tap credit, and financial opinions delivered within minutes on a phone screen. They have also noted that after the entry of artificial intelligence in this sector, it can sharpen financial decision-making without replacing it entirely. 1. Why do you believe India needs a dedicated financial entertainment property at this point in its economic journey? MahekTomer, Creator, India’s Future Investors: I feel India’s relationship with money has moved much faster than the way we talk about money. Financial conversations are everywhere today, but they are often either too technical or too focused on what to buy, where to invest or how much someone can earn. What interests me more is the person behind the decision. How do we behave when money is limited, time is running out, and there is pressure to choose? That question became an important starting point for India’s Future Investors. I believe money deserves a place in mainstream entertainment because it is already part of everyone’s life. 2. India has traditionally been a savings-driven economy. What has changed in the way Indians think about money that makes financial entertainment relevant today? MahekTomer: I grew up seeing money treated with a certain caution: save first, spend carefully and avoid unnecessary debt. That instinct still exists, but the world around it has completely changed. Today, everything is immediate. You can shop on EMI, access credit, invest, buy insurance or hear someone’s financial opinion within minutes on your phone. So people are making far more money decisions, much faster than before. For me, that is the real change. Access to financial products has become incredibly easy; developing the judgement to use that access responsibly still takes time. That gap is where better financial conversations are needed. 3. Can entertainment play a meaningful role in improving financial awareness and changing how people approach money? MahekTomer: Absolutely, because sometimes experiencing a question is more powerful than being taught the answer. Suppose you have ₹50,000 saved and something you really want suddenly becomes available at half price, but buying it would mean using half your savings. What would you do? There isn’t enough information yet to declare one answer right or wrong—and that’s the point. You start thinking about priorities, security, temptation and consequences. This is what excites me about financial entertainment and what we are exploring through India’s Future Investors. Don’t just explain money to people. Give them a situation and let them discover how they think about it. 4. As AI becomes increasingly capable of analysing data and making recommendations, what role do human judgement and emotional intelligence continue to play in financial decision-making? MahekTomer: AI can calculate faster than us, process enormous amounts of information and probably identify patterns we would miss. But money decisions are not made by numbers alone; they are made by people who have to live with the consequences. An answer can make perfect mathematical sense and still not be right for someone’s life. Family responsibilities, fear, ambition, security and the ability to sleep peacefully after taking a risk cannot always be reduced to a calculation. I see AI as an extraordinary tool for better information. But information can support judgement; it cannot take responsibility for the decision. That part remains human. 5. Can AI make people better investors, or does over-reliance on technology create new risks? MahekTomer: I think AI can help us ask better questions and understand information faster. The risk begins when we stop asking questions altogether. A confident answer on a screen can easily feel like the correct answer, particularly to someone who does not yet understand the assumptions or risks behind it. That worries me more than AI itself. We shouldn’t outsource our judgement simply because technology makes it convenient. In fact, I think financial literacy in the AI age needs one additional skill: knowing when to question the machine. Use AI to become better informed, certainly—but don’t allow convenience to replace curiosity, judgement or responsibility. Similarly, Dr Ashish Chandra, CEO & Founder - GFF AI, stated that AI can dramatically improve financial decision-making by processing vast amounts of data, identifying patterns and testing scenarios at a speed no individual can match. However, he added that finance is not purely a mathematical problem. He noted that human judgement remains critical as investment decisions are shaped by uncertainty, changing context, personal objectives and, importantly, emotion. "AI may tell an investor what the data suggests; emotional intelligence helps determine whether that recommendation is appropriate for the individual. During periods of market euphoria or panic, understanding fear, greed, risk tolerance and behavioural biases can be as important as analysing fundamentals. Used well, AI can certainly make people better investors. It can democratise sophisticated research, improve financial literacy, personalise insights and help investors challenge their own assumptions. The danger is treating AI as an oracle rather than a decision-support system. Models can inherit biases, misinterpret unusual market conditions or generate recommendations with unjustified confidence. The strongest model for the future is therefore not AI replacing human judgement, but AI augmenting it: machines providing analytical intelligence, while humans retain accountability, context, ethics and the final investment decision," he said.

India is moving from basic financial literacy to narrative-driven financial entertainment after the entry of AI has reshaped how young people interact with money in terms of investment and budgeting.

From financial awareness to financial entertainment: How India's money mindset is changing in the age of AI

The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has reportedly offered American investors access to the country's vast mineral wealth as it seeks closer ties with Washington. The Taliban has also reportedly urged the US to lift sanctions and release billions of dollars in frozen Afghan assets as part of efforts to improve economic and diplomatic relations.As per the Financial Times report, the overture comes five years after the Taliban returned to power following the withdrawal of US-led Nato forces from Afghanistan and the collapse of the Western-backed Afghan government. US President Donald Trump had previously described the withdrawal and the subsequent collapse of the Afghan government as "the most embarrassing thing in the history of our country".Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/schizophrenia-hallucinations-delusions-iran-slams-trump-advises-him-to-consult-psychologists-after-us-prez-calls-hormuz-us-terrotory-1787926399000">‘Schizophrenia, hallucinations, delusions’: Iran slams Trump, advises him to consult psychologists after US prez calls Hormuz ‘US terrotory’</a>According to the Financial Times, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said Afghanistan was "absolutely" open to US investment in sectors including mining, infrastructure, agriculture and trade. "Relations between Afghanistan and the United States should not be assessed through the lens of the past 20 years of war, but rather on the basis of future co-operation," the FT quoted Muttaqi as saying during an interview at his office in Kabul.<h2>Taliban's $1 trillion mineral wealth</h2>Afghanistan is estimated to have at least $1 trillion worth of mineral resources, according to geological surveys conducted by the US and the former Western-backed Afghan government.The country's mineral deposits include copper, iron ore, niobium, cobalt, gold and lithium. Much of this wealth remains undeveloped after decades of conflict.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/weapons-equipment-technical-and-tactical-iran-says-it-has-new-surprises-ready-if-another-war-breaks-out-1787911559031">‘Weapons, equipment, technical and tactical’: Iran says it has new ‘surprises’ ready if another war breaks out</a>Since taking control of Afghanistan, the Taliban has sought to attract foreign investment and develop its natural resources. The group has announced more than $7 billion in mining investments since 2021 involving countries including China and Iran, the FT reported.

The Taliban government is offering US investors access to Afghanistan’s $1 trillion mineral reserves, urging Washington to lift sanctions, unfreeze assets, and establish new economic ties.

The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has reportedly offered American investors access to the country's vast mineral wealth as it seeks closer ties with Washington. The Taliban has also reportedly urged the US to lift sanctions and release billions of dollars in frozen Afghan assets as part of efforts to improve economic and diplomatic relations. As per the Financial Times report, the overture comes five years after the Taliban returned to power following the withdrawal of US-led Nato forces from Afghanistan and the collapse of the Western-backed Afghan government. US President Donald Trump had previously described the withdrawal and the subsequent collapse of the Afghan government as "the most embarrassing thing in the history of our country". Also read: ‘Schizophrenia, hallucinations, delusions’: Iran slams Trump, advises him to consult psychologists after US prez calls Hormuz ‘US terrotory’ According to the Financial Times, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said Afghanistan was "absolutely" open to US investment in sectors including mining, infrastructure, agriculture and trade. "Relations between Afghanistan and the United States should not be assessed through the lens of the past 20 years of war, but rather on the basis of future co-operation," the FT quoted Muttaqi as saying during an interview at his office in Kabul. Taliban's $1 trillion mineral wealth Afghanistan is estimated to have at least $1 trillion worth of mineral resources, according to geological surveys conducted by the US and the former Western-backed Afghan government. The country's mineral deposits include copper, iron ore, niobium, cobalt, gold and lithium. Much of this wealth remains undeveloped after decades of conflict. Also read: ‘Weapons, equipment, technical and tactical’: Iran says it has new ‘surprises’ ready if another war breaks out Since taking control of Afghanistan, the Taliban has sought to attract foreign investment and develop its natural resources. The group has announced more than $7 billion in mining investments since 2021 involving countries including China and Iran, the FT reported.

The Taliban government is offering US investors access to Afghanistan’s $1 trillion mineral reserves, urging Washington to lift sanctions, unfreeze assets, and establish new economic ties.

Taliban woos US investors with $1 trillion mineral wealth, seeks sanctions relief: Report

A new generation of AI-powered market-intelligence tools is attempting to make technical analysis more accessible to India’s multilingual retail-investor base. Kwala Intel, an AI market-intelligence platform focused on Indian markets, allows users to ask questions about stocks, technical indicators and market trends in multiple Indian languages and receive explanations linked to market charts. For millions of retail participants entering India’s financial markets, understanding a stock chart can be almost as challenging as understanding the market itself. Candlesticks, moving averages, oscillators and technical indicators are often accompanied by unfamiliar English terminology, leaving many users dependent on simplified tips rather than understanding how a conclusion was reached.<h2> The Need for Better Retail-Market Education</h2> The development comes against a backdrop of rapidly changing retail participation in Indian markets. SEBI studies have repeatedly highlighted the difficulties faced by individual traders in the futures and options segment, including high rates of losses among retail participants. The numbers have reinforced a broader debate around financial education and the risks of participating in increasingly complex financial products without sufficient understanding. For multilingual users, that gap has an additional dimension. Access to information is not necessarily the same as access to information in a language and format that feels intuitive. That challenge becomes more significant in a country where investors consume financial content in multiple languages. While stock exchanges and much of the financial ecosystem operate primarily in English, many retail users prefer to learn, research and discuss markets in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and other Indian languages. Artificial intelligence is now beginning to address both sides of this problem — the complexity of market data and the language barrier.<h2>Making Technical Analysis Easier to Understand</h2>Technical analysis uses a relatively defined set of concepts to study price movements, momentum and market behaviour. Indicators such as the Relative Strength Index (RSI), Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD), Bollinger Bands and Fibonacci retracements are widely used by market participants. The difficulty for newer users is often not the concept itself, but understanding what the indicator is showing and how it relates to the price chart. For example, an RSI reading may indicate that recent price movements have become unusually strong in one direction. MACD can be used to study changes in momentum, while Bollinger Bands help users examine price movement and volatility around a moving average. Support and resistance levels can provide context around areas where buying or selling activity has historically appeared. AI-powered interfaces are changing that interaction by allowing users to ask questions directly rather than having to search for every individual concept.<h2>Asking the Chart in Your Own Language</h2>Kwala Intel is an example of this emerging approach. The AI-powered market-intelligence platform is designed around a conversational interface through which users can explore stocks, market data and technical-analysis concepts across multiple Indian languages. Instead of navigating several research screens, users can ask questions in a more natural format. A user could ask what the important support and resistance levels are for a stock, whether momentum appears to be strengthening or weakening, or what a particular technical indicator is showing. &nbsp;The platform combines the conversational response with visual market information, allowing users to connect an explanation with the underlying chart rather than receiving only a textbook definition. For example, a user asking about RSI does not necessarily need to remember the indicator’s formula first. The interaction can begin with a simple question and move toward an explanation of what the indicator is showing on the relevant chart. This approach could be particularly relevant for users who are more comfortable communicating in Indian languages.&nbsp;&nbsp;Kwala Intel supports interactions across languages including Hindi, English, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil and Telugu. The founder says its objective is not to eliminate the need for financial knowledge, but to make that knowledge easier to access and understand. &nbsp;<h2>Beyond Indicators: A Broader Market-Research Companion</h2> The use case also extends beyond individual technical indicators. Users can explore company information, understand quarterly results, learn about options and ask broader questions about how different parts of the financial market work. This creates a different model of financial research. Instead of treating market information as a collection of separate screens, reports and terminology, a conversational AI interface allows users to move from one question to the next. That can be useful outside market hours as well. Investors often review charts after the trading session, try to understand a failed setup, examine company results or prepare questions for the following day. A conversational research platform can provide a continuous environment for that learning process.<h2>A More Conversational Future for Financial Research</h2>The emergence of platforms such as Kwala Intel reflects a wider shift in how consumers interact with information. Search engines once required users to know the right keywords. Conversational AI allows users to describe what they want to understand in ordinary language. Applied to financial markets, that shift could make technical concepts more approachable for a wider section of India’s retail-investor population. Website: KwalaIntel.com&nbsp;

Kwala Intel is using AI to make stock-market research and technical analysis easier in Indian languages. The platform lets users ask questions about stocks, charts and indicators in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and other languages, helping simplify market insights for retail investors.

A new generation of AI-powered market-intelligence tools is attempting to make technical analysis more accessible to India’s multilingual retail-investor base. Kwala Intel, an AI market-intelligence platform focused on Indian markets, allows users to ask questions about stocks, technical indicators and market trends in multiple Indian languages and receive explanations linked to market charts. For millions of retail participants entering India’s financial markets, understanding a stock chart can be almost as challenging as understanding the market itself. Candlesticks, moving averages, oscillators and technical indicators are often accompanied by unfamiliar English terminology, leaving many users dependent on simplified tips rather than understanding how a conclusion was reached. The Need for Better Retail-Market Education The development comes against a backdrop of rapidly changing retail participation in Indian markets. SEBI studies have repeatedly highlighted the difficulties faced by individual traders in the futures and options segment, including high rates of losses among retail participants. The numbers have reinforced a broader debate around financial education and the risks of participating in increasingly complex financial products without sufficient understanding. For multilingual users, that gap has an additional dimension. Access to information is not necessarily the same as access to information in a language and format that feels intuitive. That challenge becomes more significant in a country where investors consume financial content in multiple languages. While stock exchanges and much of the financial ecosystem operate primarily in English, many retail users prefer to learn, research and discuss markets in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and other Indian languages. Artificial intelligence is now beginning to address both sides of this problem — the complexity of market data and the language barrier. Making Technical Analysis Easier to Understand Technical analysis uses a relatively defined set of concepts to study price movements, momentum and market behaviour. Indicators such as the Relative Strength Index (RSI), Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD), Bollinger Bands and Fibonacci retracements are widely used by market participants. The difficulty for newer users is often not the concept itself, but understanding what the indicator is showing and how it relates to the price chart. For example, an RSI reading may indicate that recent price movements have become unusually strong in one direction. MACD can be used to study changes in momentum, while Bollinger Bands help users examine price movement and volatility around a moving average. Support and resistance levels can provide context around areas where buying or selling activity has historically appeared. AI-powered interfaces are changing that interaction by allowing users to ask questions directly rather than having to search for every individual concept. Asking the Chart in Your Own Language Kwala Intel is an example of this emerging approach. The AI-powered market-intelligence platform is designed around a conversational interface through which users can explore stocks, market data and technical-analysis concepts across multiple Indian languages. Instead of navigating several research screens, users can ask questions in a more natural format. A user could ask what the important support and resistance levels are for a stock, whether momentum appears to be strengthening or weakening, or what a particular technical indicator is showing. The platform combines the conversational response with visual market information, allowing users to connect an explanation with the underlying chart rather than receiving only a textbook definition. For example, a user asking about RSI does not necessarily need to remember the indicator’s formula first. The interaction can begin with a simple question and move toward an explanation of what the indicator is showing on the relevant chart. This approach could be particularly relevant for users who are more comfortable communicating in Indian languages. Kwala Intel supports interactions across languages including Hindi, English, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil and Telugu. The founder says its objective is not to eliminate the need for financial knowledge, but to make that knowledge easier to access and understand. Beyond Indicators: A Broader Market-Research Companion The use case also extends beyond individual technical indicators. Users can explore company information, understand quarterly results, learn about options and ask broader questions about how different parts of the financial market work. This creates a different model of financial research. Instead of treating market information as a collection of separate screens, reports and terminology, a conversational AI interface allows users to move from one question to the next. That can be useful outside market hours as well. Investors often review charts after the trading session, try to understand a failed setup, examine company results or prepare questions for the following day. A conversational research platform can provide a continuous environment for that learning process. A More Conversational Future for Financial Research The emergence of platforms such as Kwala Intel reflects a wider shift in how consumers interact with information. Search engines once required users to know the right keywords. Conversational AI allows users to describe what they want to understand in ordinary language. Applied to financial markets, that shift could make technical concepts more approachable for a wider section of India’s retail-investor population. Website: KwalaIntel.com

Kwala Intel is using AI to make stock-market research and technical analysis easier in Indian languages. The platform lets users ask questions about stocks, charts and indicators in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and other languages, helping simplify market insights for retail investors.

This Indian AI is making stock charts easier to understand in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and other Indian languages

Eggs, long considered one of India's most affordable sources of protein, are becoming increasingly expensive. Prices have risen by around 35–40% over the past year, with farm-level prices at about Rs 7 per egg and retail prices varying significantly across markets. Recent reports have also highlighted much higher prices on some online delivery platforms. The increase comes at a crucial time for the poultry industry. Egg demand generally strengthens during the winter months, raising concerns that prices could face further upward pressure if feed costs remain high. At the centre of the issue is maize, one of the most important ingredients used in poultry feed.<h2>Why maize matters for egg prices</h2>Maize is a major source of energy in poultry diets. As more maize is diverted towards ethanol production under India's Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme, poultry producers are facing increased competition for the crop. In simple terms, maize that could have gone into poultry feed is increasingly being used by ethanol producers. That does not mean ethanol production is solely responsible for the egg-price increase. However, the additional demand has tightened the balance between supply and competing uses of maize, contributing to higher feed costs. Recent industry reports have specifically linked rising maize prices with increasing poultry-feed costs.<h2>How much maize is going towards ethanol?</h2>Government data illustrates how dramatically the use of maize for ethanol has expanded. According to a 2025 Lok Sabha reply by Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya, 125.75 lakh metric tonnes of maize were utilised for ethanol production during Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2024–25. Maize-based distilleries had been allocated around 477.8 crore litres of ethanol during the same supply year.&nbsp;The increase has been particularly sharp. Maize use for ethanol rose from around 8.3 lakh tonnes to 125.75 lakh tonnes in two years, representing an increase of more than 15 times. An allocation of roughly 125.78 lakh tonnes has also been cited for ESY 2025–26, although actual utilisation can differ from the allocation. This expansion has changed the dynamics of India's ethanol market, with maize emerging as a major feedstock as grain-based ethanol production expands.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/indian-pm-modi-tells-sco-dismantle-terrorism-s-entire-ecosystem-1788243680906">Indian PM Modi tells SCO: Dismantle terrorism’s ‘entire ecosystem’</a><h2>How does expensive maize translate into expensive eggs?</h2>The chain is relatively straightforward: Higher ethanol demand → greater maize demand → higher maize prices → higher poultry-feed costs → higher egg-production costs → pressure on egg prices. Maize is not the only factor involved, but it is an important one. When feed becomes more expensive, poultry farmers have to absorb some of the increase or pass it through the supply chain. If production costs rise while consumer demand remains strong, retail egg prices can move higher. This is why the current egg-price increase has attracted attention beyond the poultry industry.<h2>Winter demand could put further pressure on prices</h2>Seasonality is another important factor. Egg consumption generally increases during the colder months as household demand strengthens and hotels, restaurants and other institutional buyers require more supplies. If maize and other feed costs remain elevated when winter demand increases, poultry farmers could face additional cost pressure. That creates the possibility that egg prices may remain elevated or rise further during the coming months. Recent industry reports have also warned of increased pressure as winter approaches.<h3>What does the egg-price surge mean for consumers?</h3>For consumers, the immediate impact is straightforward: one of India's most accessible sources of high-quality protein is becoming more expensive. The concern is particularly significant for households that rely on eggs as an affordable alternative to more expensive protein sources. If maize prices remain high and winter demand strengthens, egg prices could remain under pressure. At the same time, India's growing maize production could eventually help ease the supply-demand imbalance if output expands quickly enough to meet demand from ethanol, poultry, starch and other industries.&nbsp;The central issue is therefore not simply that India is producing too little maize. India is producing more maize, but it is also finding more uses for every tonne of it. That competition between food, feed and fuel is at the heart of the latest egg-price shock.

Egg prices in India have surged nearly 40% as maize diversion for ethanol raises poultry feed costs. Here’s why eggs may get costlier this winter

Eggs, long considered one of India's most affordable sources of protein, are becoming increasingly expensive. Prices have risen by around 35–40% over the past year, with farm-level prices at about Rs 7 per egg and retail prices varying significantly across markets. Recent reports have also highlighted much higher prices on some online delivery platforms. The increase comes at a crucial time for the poultry industry. Egg demand generally strengthens during the winter months, raising concerns that prices could face further upward pressure if feed costs remain high. At the centre of the issue is maize, one of the most important ingredients used in poultry feed. Why maize matters for egg prices Maize is a major source of energy in poultry diets. As more maize is diverted towards ethanol production under India's Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme, poultry producers are facing increased competition for the crop. In simple terms, maize that could have gone into poultry feed is increasingly being used by ethanol producers. That does not mean ethanol production is solely responsible for the egg-price increase. However, the additional demand has tightened the balance between supply and competing uses of maize, contributing to higher feed costs. Recent industry reports have specifically linked rising maize prices with increasing poultry-feed costs. How much maize is going towards ethanol? Government data illustrates how dramatically the use of maize for ethanol has expanded. According to a 2025 Lok Sabha reply by Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya, 125.75 lakh metric tonnes of maize were utilised for ethanol production during Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2024–25. Maize-based distilleries had been allocated around 477.8 crore litres of ethanol during the same supply year. The increase has been particularly sharp. Maize use for ethanol rose from around 8.3 lakh tonnes to 125.75 lakh tonnes in two years, representing an increase of more than 15 times. An allocation of roughly 125.78 lakh tonnes has also been cited for ESY 2025–26, although actual utilisation can differ from the allocation. This expansion has changed the dynamics of India's ethanol market, with maize emerging as a major feedstock as grain-based ethanol production expands. Also Read: Indian PM Modi tells SCO: Dismantle terrorism’s ‘entire ecosystem’ How does expensive maize translate into expensive eggs? The chain is relatively straightforward: Higher ethanol demand → greater maize demand → higher maize prices → higher poultry-feed costs → higher egg-production costs → pressure on egg prices. Maize is not the only factor involved, but it is an important one. When feed becomes more expensive, poultry farmers have to absorb some of the increase or pass it through the supply chain. If production costs rise while consumer demand remains strong, retail egg prices can move higher. This is why the current egg-price increase has attracted attention beyond the poultry industry. Winter demand could put further pressure on prices Seasonality is another important factor. Egg consumption generally increases during the colder months as household demand strengthens and hotels, restaurants and other institutional buyers require more supplies. If maize and other feed costs remain elevated when winter demand increases, poultry farmers could face additional cost pressure. That creates the possibility that egg prices may remain elevated or rise further during the coming months. Recent industry reports have also warned of increased pressure as winter approaches. What does the egg-price surge mean for consumers? For consumers, the immediate impact is straightforward: one of India's most accessible sources of high-quality protein is becoming more expensive. The concern is particularly significant for households that rely on eggs as an affordable alternative to more expensive protein sources. If maize prices remain high and winter demand strengthens, egg prices could remain under pressure. At the same time, India's growing maize production could eventually help ease the supply-demand imbalance if output expands quickly enough to meet demand from ethanol, poultry, starch and other industries. The central issue is therefore not simply that India is producing too little maize. India is producing more maize, but it is also finding more uses for every tonne of it. That competition between food, feed and fuel is at the heart of the latest egg-price shock.

Egg prices have jumped nearly 40% as maize demand from ethanol pushes up poultry feed costs, with winter demand threatening further price rises

Will eggs get more expensive this winter? Ethanol push puts maize supply under pressure