Namaste! Aaj ka news roundup, Newswala style!

MARKETS

Markets: After five straight days of losses, the markets rode a rollercoaster of volatility before closing flat, with Nifty settling at 23,045.25. A weak start had investors worried, but a late rebound in heavyweight stocks helped trim the damage.

TOP STORIES

TotalEnergies Seals Another Big LNG Deal 💡

What Happened?

French energy giant TotalEnergies inked a 10-year deal to supply Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) with 400,000 tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) annually, starting in 2026. 

This deal, announced at India Energy Week, marks TotalEnergies’ second major LNG handshake with an Indian company in just one year. 

The gas will be shipped straight to India’s west coast and will power up everything from factories to households—and yes, even those CNG auto-rickshaws buzzing around town.

The Bigger Picture

India is going all-in on natural gas, aiming for it to make up 15% of the country’s energy mix by 2030 (because clean air is, you know, important). 

GSPC already supplies gas to 2.3 million households and over 20,000 businesses, and this deal supercharges its ability to keep up with demand. 

• TotalEnergies already manages 40 million tonnes of LNG globally.

What it means for us?

With this deal, GSPC locks in a steady LNG supply for the next decade, keeping India’s energy game strong. 

TotalEnergies, on the other hand, continues its world domination in the LNG business.

As India moves towards a greener future, this partnership ensures that gas supply remains stable, predictable, and hopefully—kind to your wallet.  

PAISON KA KHEL

Lam Research Drops $1.2 Billion Chip Bomb in India 💣

US-based chip toolmaker Lam Research is betting big on India, pledging over ₹100 billion ($1.2 billion) to Karnataka.

This move aligns with India’s ambitious $10 billion semiconductor push, aiming to build a $63 billion market by 2026. 

The MoU with Karnataka’s industrial board marks a key milestone, with India trying to become the next Taiwan of chipmaking.

Amazon Opens First Beauty & Health Store in Italy 💄

Amazon is stepping out of the screen and into Milan’s city centre with its first-ever beauty and health store—Amazon Parafarmacia & Beauty. 

Stocked with skincare giants like La Roche-Posay and Vichy, the store also features “Derma-bars,” where customers can get free digital skin analyses (because your pores deserve a second opinion).

TOP STORIES

SBI Says ‘Chill’ on Personal Loan Defaults 🧊

What Happened?

India’s largest bank, State Bank of India (SBI), is confident that the recent surge in small-ticket personal loan defaults will ease, thanks to stricter credit reporting rules. 

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) now requires lenders to update credit information every two weeks instead of once a month.

This means banks can track borrowers’ leverage more closely and avoid over-lending. 

• SBI, with a whopping ₹40.67 trillion ($469 billion) loan book—over a third of which is in personal loans—says it’s not sweating over bad loans, unlike some private banks.

Why It Matters?

Personal loans have been booming, but so have defaults.

With India’s household debt touching 43% of GDP, regulators worry some borrowers are taking loans to invest in stocks—a recipe for disaster if markets tank. 

Private banks and NBFCs have been hit by rising defaults, but SBI says its book is solid, with bad loans at just 2.07% of assets in Q3 FY25. 

Anyway, India’s economy is expected to grow at its slowest pace in four years, making cautious lending more critical than ever.

The Plan

At the same time, SBI is shifting focus.

With inflation squeezing the middle class, the bank is going after the “mass affluent”—those with a banking relationship of ₹3 million or more. 

The bank has hired 2,000 relationship managers and is rolling out premium banking services with perks to attract high-value depositors. 

GLOBAL NAZARA

Zeta Secures $50M, Banks on a $2B Future 💰

Zeta just got richer with a $50 million funding round, shooting its valuation up to $2 billion.

The fintech firm first hit unicorn status in 2021 with a $250 million raise at a $1.15 billion valuation, backed by SoftBank.

This time, Optum, a UnitedHealth Group subsidiary, is the one writing the check. But don’t expect a spending spree—Zeta plans to keep most of it as a rainy-day fund.  

Meanwhile, it’s in talks with 22 top Indian banks, hoping to make them long-term customers.

UK & US Ditch AI Ethics Pledge 🤨

The UK and US have given the cold shoulder to an international AI declaration at a Paris summit, refusing to sign a pledge that promotes an “open, inclusive, and ethical” AI future. 

Their reason? National security concerns and a preference for a “pro-growth” AI approach.

US Vice President JD Vance warned that over-regulation could “kill” AI’s potential, while France’s Macron argued that rules were essential for progress.

TOP STORIES

India’s Online Beauty Revolution is Here 🧴

What happened

India’s beauty industry is glowing with opportunity, riding the wave of e-commerce growth and changing consumer habits.

With online sales skyrocketing, both global and homegrown brands are racing to capture market share. 

Major players like Nykaa, Amazon, and Reliance’s Tira are reshaping how Indians shop for beauty, pushing the industry toward a projected $34 billion valuation by 2028.

The Digital Makeover

Gone are the days when beauty shopping meant a trip to the mall.

India has become the world’s fastest-growing online beauty market, with e-commerce and quick-commerce sales surging 39% in value from June to November 2024. 

In contrast, brick-and-mortar stores saw just a 3% uptick.  

Platforms like Nykaa, Myntra, Blinkit, and Zepto have capitalized on this shift, offering speed and variety. 

• Nykaa alone saw a 30% increase in beauty orders year-over-year in Q4 2024, with 70% of top-city orders delivered within a day.

Billionaires Bet Big on Beauty

With such a lucrative market, India’s biggest conglomerates are diving in. 

• Reliance launched Tira in 2023, while Tata operates the Tata Cliq Palette. 

• Now, Ananya Birla has announced the launch of Birla Cosmetics, adding more competition.

Scaling, however, remains a challenge.

While startups have flourished, many are now struggling to turn profitable, leading to acquisitions by giants like HUL, which recently bought a majority stake in Minimalist for ₹2,955 crore.

The Future

With India accounting for nearly 5% of the global beauty growth opportunity, the future is bright. 

• E-commerce beauty sales are set to grow at a 25% CAGR, leaving offline retail (14% CAGR) in the dust.  

MIRCH MASALA

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