Financial Sector

Bitcoin investment in India has gained traction amid rising digital adoption and growing investor awareness. While regulatory clarity continues to evolve, individuals can legally buy and hold Bitcoin through compliant exchanges. This guide outlines the process—from account creation and verification to secure storage and taxation considerations. 

French financial major BNP Paribas has acquired a significant stake in Adani Green Energy through an open market transaction valued at approximately Rs 55.78 crore. The deal involved the purchase of 6.9 lakh shares from Morgan Stanley at an average price of Rs 808.3 per share. The transaction reflects continued institutional interest in India’s renewable energy sector, particularly in companies positioned to benefit from the country’s clean energy transition. Market response remained positive, with the stock registering gains following the deal.

India has reinforced its financial regulatory framework with the appointment of Kompella Venkata Ramana Murty as a whole-time member of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for a three-year term. The move completes the regulator’s full complement of leadership, enhancing its institutional capacity at a time of growing market complexity and investor participation. Murty, a seasoned Indian Defence Accounts Service officer, brings extensive experience in public finance and governance.

One 97 Communications, the operator of Paytm, is expected to consolidate its leadership in India’s merchant payments ecosystem, according to recent brokerage assessments. With a rapidly expanding base of 45 million merchants, the platform is leveraging integrated offerings such as payments, lending, and subscription-based devices to accelerate growth. Analysts project a strong revenue trajectory with a 22 percent CAGR between FY26 and FY28, alongside improving profitability metrics.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has levied a monetary penalty of Rs 31.8 lakh on Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) for failing to comply with regulatory guidelines concerning inoperative accounts and unclaimed deposits. The action follows a statutory inspection based on the bank’s financial position as of March 31, 2025. 

Online casinos in the United Kingdom and Ireland are undergoing a structural transformation as real-time payment technologies reshape the user experience. Faster banking networks, digital wallets, and open banking solutions are significantly reducing withdrawal times—from days to mere minutes in some cases. This evolution is not only enhancing customer satisfaction but also intensifying competition among operators. 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reaffirmed on Friday that India will maintain its fiscal discipline for FY26 despite introducing the second batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants, amounting to Rs 2.81 lakh crore across 61 grants. Addressing the Lok Sabha, she assured members that these additional allocations remain within the government’s fiscal deficit target of 4.4 per cent of GDP for 2025–26, while setting a lower target of 4.3 per cent for FY27.

India’s banking sector has written off loans worth Rs. 9.75 lakh crore over the past 11 financial years, reflecting a prolonged effort to clean up stressed balance sheets. The write-offs peaked in FY20 at Rs. 1.59 lakh crore before gradually declining to Rs. 47,568 crore in FY25. Financial authorities emphasize that loan write-offs do not absolve borrowers of their repayment obligations; banks continue recovery efforts through legal and asset reconstruction mechanisms. 

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has announced a framework allowing mutual funds to undertake intraday borrowings, effective April 1, 2026. The regulatory move is designed to address timing mismatches between fund inflows and outflows, particularly in liquid and overnight schemes, where redemption payouts often precede the receipt of maturity proceeds from instruments like TREPS and reverse repos.