Recent 6 months news in Business

Japan-based SoftBank Group has divested a 3.25% stake in Lenskart Solutions through its affiliate SoftBank Vision Fund II (SVF II) Lightbulb (Cayman) Ltd. The transaction was executed through the sale of 5.65 crore shares.

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) has secured a 10-year marine services contract worth $70 million (₹666 crore) for the first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export project in Argentina.

The contract was awarded through competitive bidding to a consortium of Adani Harbour International FZCO and the Argentina-based Meridian Group. The services will be executed by Meridian Transportes Marítimos SA, a joint venture formed with a 51:49 equity split between the partners.

Hindustan Unilever Ltd has inaugurated the Unilever Fragrance Hub (UFH) at the IIT Bombay. This is the third such global facility for the company, after the ones in the UK and the USA.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has signed a multi-million dollar deal with Sweden-based SKF to deploy a next-generation Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform.

The partnership aims to leverage AI across Information Technology (IT) systems and business operations to enhance customer experience and support long-term growth. As part of the agreement, the former will provide end-to-end managed services, including applications, infrastructure, data management, end-user services, security, and connectivity for SKF operations globally.

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has notified the ‘Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility Policy) Amendment Rules, 2026’.

Under this, companies are permitted to channel up to 10% of their annual mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expenditure into Zero Coupon Zero Principal (ZCZP) instruments listed on Social Stock Exchanges (SSEs). Companies must direct the remaining 90% of their CSR spending toward traditional community implementation routes.

The NPO issuing the ZCZPs is responsible for project execution and evaluation, and must complete the funded public welfare project within 3 succeeding financial years from the date of issue.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has become the first Global Systems Integrator (GSI) to partner with the France-based Mistral AI, an AI startup.

The collaboration aims to deliver advanced enterprise generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) solutions for clients worldwide. The former will use ‘Mistral Forge’ to develop custom enterprise AI models, allowing clients to integrate their specific data and context for better decision-making.

Zee Entertainment Enterprises has partnered with the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to broadcast 39 global football events in the Indian market.

The 8-year agreement includes coverage of major tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup 2026, FIFA World Cup 2030, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027, along with docu-series content.

Bajaj General Insurance Ltd (BGIL) has launched a next-generation health indemnity insurance plan named ‘My Health Care Plan Edge+’ (MHCP EDGE+), offering comprehensive coverage ranging from ₹5 lakh to ₹5 crore.

The MHCP EDGE+ is available for individuals from 3 months of age, featuring a policy tenure of up to 5 years, lifetime renewability, and flexible waiting period options.

The Government of India (GoI) has approved Roorkee-based Skymap Pharmaceuticals Private Ltd as the strategic buyer for the 100% disinvestment of Indian Medicines Pharmaceutical Corporation Ltd (IMPCL).

Established in July 1978, IMPCL is a profitable Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) that manufactures and distributes standardised Ayurvedic and Unani medicines.

Prudential plc, a UK-based insurer and asset manager, has announced plans to acquire a 75% stake in Bharti Life Insurance Company Ltd for an initial value of ₹3,500 crore ($389 million).

Under the transaction, the company will buy a 60% stake from Bharti Life Ventures Pvt Ltd and the remaining 15% stake from funds managed by 360 ONE Asset Management.

Google and Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager, have announced a joint venture (JV) to establish an AI cloud infrastructure company. Blackstone has committed an initial equity investment of $5 billion for the venture. Benjamin Sloss has been appointed as the CEO of the newly formed company.

The USA-based Liberty Mutual Insurance Company (LMIC) has increased its stake in Liberty General Insurance (LGI) from 55.4% to 74%. LGI is a joint venture (JV) between the Liberty Mutual Group (LMG) and Enam Securities, with the latter holding the remaining 26% stake.

This expansion strengthens the presence of the company in the insurance sector of India, facilitated by the approval of 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the industry by the Government of India (GoI).

Adani Power has signed agreements to acquire a 24% stake in Jaiprakash Power Ventures Ltd (JPVL) and thermal assets from Jaiprakash Associates for ₹4,193.59 crore. The acquisition is part of a resolution plan approved by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and upheld by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).

NLC India Ltd (NLCIL) has signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) with the France-based Electricite de France (EDF) to explore the development of nuclear power projects in India.

The collaboration focuses on the use of European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) and Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technologies. The EPR is a third-generation Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) developed by Framatome and EDF, featuring advanced safety and efficiency. It is to be noted that NLCIL aims to achieve a total power generation capacity of 20 GW by 2030.

L&T Energy Hydrocarbon Onshore, a division of Larsen & Toubro (L&T), has secured a contract valued between ₹2,500 crore and ₹5,000 crore from Bharat Coal Gasification and Chemicals Ltd (BCGCL) to develop a coal-to-ammonium nitrate project in Odisha.

BCGCL is a Joint Venture (JV) between Coal India Ltd (CIL) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL). The project is designed to produce 2,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate per day, aiming to reduce import dependence and conserve foreign exchange.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for the Google Cloud India AI Hub in Tarluvada, Visakhapatnam. Valued at $15 billion (₹1.35 lakh crore), it is the largest single Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) project in India.

The facility will be managed by Raiden Infotech India Pvt Ltd (a subsidiary of Google) in collaboration with AdaniConneX (a Joint Venture (JV) between Adani Enterprises and EdgeConneX) and Nxtra by Airtel. The project will be completed over 5 years with a capacity of 1 gigawatt (GW), making it one of the largest AI focused data centers in India.

Sigma Advanced Systems Ltd (SIGD), an Indian aerospace and defence company, has signed a 7-year agreement with the United Kingdom (UK)-based Rolls-Royce for the manufacture and supply of high-precision, safety-critical components.

The contract is valued at ₹3,800 crore (nearly £300 million). The components will be utilized in the global aerospace programmes of Rolls-Royce.

Sahajanand Medical Technologies Ltd (SMT) has secured the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 50001:2018 Energy Management System certification. It becomes the first domestic cardiovascular manufacturing unit in India to adopt a structured international energy management system.

The certification applies to the manufacturing facilities of the company located in Surat (Gujarat) and Hyderabad (Telangana). It is to be noted that ISO 50001 is an international framework that defines requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and enhancing an Energy Management System (EnMS).

Himadri Speciality Chemical Ltd (HSCL), the largest producer of speciality carbon black in India, has commissioned the first anode material production facility of the country at Mahistikry in the Hooghly district of West Bengal.

The facility has an initial operational capacity of 200 Metric Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA). This marks the entry of HSCL into the lithium-ion battery value chain to strengthen the domestic energy storage sector.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC), operating under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), has approved the formation of a Joint Venture (JV) with its subsidiaries, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) and ONGC Petro additions Ltd (OPaL).

The JV will focus on integrated petrochemicals marketing and trading. The shareholding structure of the JV consists of ONGC at 50% (₹25 crore), MRPL at 25% (₹12.5 crore), and OPaL at 25%. The proposal is subject to approval from the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) under the Ministry of Finance (MoF).