Namaste! Aaj ka news roundup, Newswala style!

MARKETS

Markets: On Friday, the Indian stock market closed flat, with the Sensex up 0.32% and the Nifty rising just 0.05% as large-cap stocks led gains while small-caps underperformed. This week, markets may see volatility driven by the US Fed policy decision, Loc tensions, and crude oil price swings.

TOP STORIES

Indians Bank on Gold as Credit Slows 

What Happened

When life gives you lemons, pledge your gold. That seems to be India’s FY25 motto. Gold loans more than doubled this year, skyrocketing by 103% to ₹2.1 lakh crore from just ₹1 lakh crore last year. 

All this happened even as overall bank credit decided to take a nap, growing only 11%, down from last year’s peppy 20%. The Reserve Bank of India’s data shows gold loans emerged as the fastest-growing loan category. 

Why It Matters

While industrial lending crawled at 6.2% and personal loans grew modestly, gold loans sprinted ahead. Their share in total bank credit nearly doubled—from 0.6% to 1.1%. 

Higher gold prices sweetened the deal, letting people borrow more against the same jewellery. Meanwhile, personal loans made up the largest chunk at 32.6%, followed by housing at 16.5%. 

Conclusion

In a year where bank lending lost steam, Indians turned to a trusty old friend—gold. Whether it’s weddings, business needs, or surprise EMI monsters, the yellow metal has stepped in like a shiny superhero. 

With tighter NBFC norms and changing borrower behaviour, banks may continue polishing their gold loan playbook in FY26. After all, in uncertain times, gold isn’t just worn but leveraged.

TOP STORIES

Zomato Abandons 10-Minute Delivery 

What Happened

Zomato has officially hit the brakes on its ultra-fast food delivery service, Quick, and its budget meal spin-off, Everyday.

In its Q4 FY25 earnings call, the company admitted that chasing 10-minute deliveries came at the cost of poor customer experience and operational chaos. Instead of a demand boom, Zomato got lukewarm results. 

Why It Matters

Zomato’s exit from ultra-fast delivery reflects a growing reality: speed kills profits. Without end-to-end supply chain control, ensuring a pizza in 10 minutes turns into a logistical nightmare. 

Plus, competition is hotter than a tandoori oven. Rivals are tossing out discounts, free delivery, and expanding like anything. That pressure has squeezed margins and blocked any dream of raising delivery fees.  

So instead of racing the clock, Zomato plans to trim its 30-minute average to a more realistic 20–25 minutes. Think of it as fast, but not frantic.

Final Words

Zomato’s latest pivot is a nod to patience. The food delivery giant is now setting its sights on Tier 2 and 3 cities—the same ones it exited in 2023. With Quick and Everyday off the plate, Zomato hopes to cook up profits with smarter logistics, not risky gimmicks. 

Swiggy, on the other hand, is racing ahead with its 15-minute delivery model, Bolt, now live in over 500 cities.  

TOP STORIES

Electronics: The Next Big Boom 💥

What Happened

Indian electronics and appliance makers are going on a spending spree with an eye-popping ₹13,000 crore ($1.56 billion) in planned investments over the next two years. That's more than double what they spent in the previous two fiscal years combined. 

• Industry heavyweights like LG are building their first new factory in two decades, while Samsung and Haier are expanding existing facilities.

• Even homegrown brands like Godrej and Havells are opening their wallets wide, with Havells alone committing ₹2,000 crore for new R&D centres and factories.

Why It Matters

This investment tsunami signals a major shift in India's electronics ecosystem.

While smartphone manufacturing exploded from just two factories in 2014 to over 300 today (producing goods worth ₹4.22 lakh crore annually), other electronics categories have lagged behind. 

Now, companies are betting big on creating a robust component supply chain within India, particularly for printed circuit boards (PCBs) and compressors. The timing is intriguing, too, as consumer demand has been sluggish for nearly ten quarters straight!

Zoom Out

The electronics manufacturing boom represents India's next phase of industrial growth.

Companies are making calculated bets that government incentives and shifting tariff structures will make domestic production increasingly attractive for both local sales and exports. 

While premium products have shown some resilience, manufacturers aren't waiting for consumer demand to recover before building capacity. 

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PAISON KA KHEL

Samsung’s $520 Million Tax Tussle 🥷

Samsung is pulling out the big legal guns after being slapped with a $520 million tax bill in India for allegedly misclassifying imported mobile tower parts sold to Reliance Jio from 2018 to 2021. In a 281-page “are-you-serious” appeal, Samsung claimed tax officials were fully aware of the practice.  

The drama thickens: seven Samsung employees have also been fined $81 million, bringing the total bill to a wallet-shrinking $601 million. With profits at $955 million last year, the fines are more than just a dent. 

Quantum Love Blooms in Amaravati ♥️

TCS and IBM have decided to go full sci-fi, joining forces to build India’s largest quantum computing hub in Amaravati’s upcoming Quantum Valley Tech Park. The star of the show is a 156-qubit IBM Quantum System Two—basically, a calculator on steroids.

This partnership is part of India’s National Quantum Mission (yes, we have one), and aims to help scientists, students, and probably confused engineers tackle the country’s trickiest tech challenges. 

DID YOU KNOW

Blockbuster’s Missed Opportunity: In 2000, Blockbuster turned down the chance to buy Netflix for $50 million. Today, Netflix is worth over $100 billion.

GLOBAL NAZARA

India Says “No Entry” to Pakistani Imports  ⚔️

In response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, India has slammed the brakes on all imports from Pakistan(even if they come gift-wrapped). The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) announced the ban, citing national security. Direct and indirect imports are both off the table.

As diplomatic gloves come off, India has also suspended the Indus Water Treaty, booted out military attachés, and shut the Attari-Wagah trade route. 

Alexa, Play “Money, Money, Money” 💵

Jeff Bezos is back at it—planning to sell up to 25 million Amazon shares. At Friday’s price, that’s $4.8 billion!. Why? Maybe tariffs, maybe recession jitters, or maybe his rocket ship needs new tires.

Bezos, 61 and worth $211.7 billion (yes, with a B), filed the plan under a 10b5-1 scheme on March 4. He used the same setup to sell $8.5 billion worth last year, too, because selling Amazon stock is his cardio.

*Amazon shares have dropped 22% since Feb 4.

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