FINO Paytech acquires Nokia Mobile Payment Services in India

India's leading fintech firm FINO which made mark in year 2018 with almost Rs 2000 crore valuation has recently acquired Nokia's payment services in India. FINO also has banking license in India and plans to an IPO in 2021.

With this acquisition, FINO having achieved significant scale in banking services, would be entering into the vast prepaid mobile payments space. In order to provide a smooth and quality service to its customers and maintain the dynamics of customer centric prepaid business, the new entity Alpha Payment Services India Private Limited (Alpha) (erstwhile Nokia Mobile Payment Services) would be operating as an independent company.

The new entity will wholly focus on prepaid payment services and will offer services such as money transfers, utility bill payments, mobile & DTH recharges etc under the brand Takatak Money. This service would be bank and telecom operator agnostic and would aim to cater to the requirement of both urban and rural customers.

It is estimated that more than 65% of all retail transactions in India are conducted in cash (ASSOCHAM-Deloitte August 2011 Report). This presents a huge opportunity for digital payment systems, the mobile channel being the most promising. There is huge faith being put on leveraging the large mobile penetration to tap this potential, currently estimated at 920 million subscribers in India. The rural market contributes to a considerable 35% of the total mobile subscribers in India.

Nokia Money customers to continue to enjoy mobile money by transferring to Takatak Money accounts in the near future. FINO currently services 50 mn customers across host of banking products and services and is very deep rooted in India covering over 50,000 villages. FINO has extensive experience of developing the right customer proposition and achieving scale in field and central operations, both critical for success in this market.

Studies suggest money transfer and airtime top-ups will account for most of the volume of prepaid mobile payments. Money transfers will account for the largest portion of the transaction value because of the demand for secure and efficient ways of storing and transferring money.

Source - Press Release.

Combat Volatility like a pro with Mahindra Manulife Arbitration Yojana mutual fund

Who would have thought that a majority of Indian PSU banks would be trading below Rs 50? Who would have predicted that Pharma shares would be touching sky high within a few months? There were only a few market gurus who could predict the unprecedented move of RIL in just 50 days. Analysing our sensitive stock market in tough especially in the unprecedented & unseen times like these. But investing must not stop as Ups & Downs are a part of our lives as well as markets.

Market analysts rely on INDIAVIX index during such strange times. Basically its an index which charts the future trajectory of the market cycle. When the lockdown was announced, the INDIAVIX index jumped from 10 to 80 within a fortnight. As they say, only 5% of investors make the most of such occurrences and the rest 95% end up losing their hard earned money. The damage was such that most investors even today think twice before averaging their pre-covid investments. People who traded each minute, each day during the market hour were afraid to check their trading portals.

It’s funny when they say, “When the bulls climb they take the stairs & when the bears fall they jump through the window”. The general perception was so skewed that when the market media cried a No Buy on a certain stocks and funds there were investors who took a leap of faith & made it big!

Are you aware that there is a mutual fund which can make money on both rise and fall of the market cycle? Mahindra Manulife Arbitrage Yojana is an open ended scheme for investment in arbitrage opportunities available in equity, derivatives, debt and invIT markets. Arbitrage Mutual Funds are moderately low risk investment that can generate you an income through arbitrage opportunities in cash and derivative segment. Volatility gives an investor more opportunity in cash & futures/options market. Arbitrage Mutual Funds though they invest in equity are generally considered as safe investment pick and investors making loss in this kind of investment is yet unheard of.

Depending the upon the market conditions, Mahindra Manulife Arbitrage Yojana can hedge the risk by switching between Debt & Equity investment. At times a stock is available at different prices in two exchanges. For instance, stock A is trading at Rs 1000 on NSE & Rs 950 on BSE at the same time, then the spread of Rs 50 between both exchanges acts as your profit.

Another strategy that is often used by fund managers is cash & carry arbitrage. For example, buy stock B at Rs 1000 in spot market and sell the same contract of stock B in futures market at Rs 1020 with a lock-in profit of Rs 20. It is one of the least volatile hybrid schemes that is suitable for investment across market cycles.

What differentiates Mahindra Manulife Arbitration Yojana from other liquid funds is that when you exit the fund, the credit is reflected in your account the very next day. Being an equity based fund hybrid arbitrage mutual fund, the market position gets closed immediately giving investors an instant margin facility. The scheme offers better tax efficiency on returns compared to other short-term debt funds. Also, there’s no exit load after the period of 30 days.

It’s a win-win-win situation wherever the market heads. Mahindra Manulife Arbitration Yojana is best suited for investors who are looking out for Short Term investment parking pool with investment period varied from 1 month to 6 months.

The NFO opens for subscription on August 12 and closes on August 19. The scheme will reopen for continuous sale and repurchase from August 25.

Investors can invest online in the scheme from here.

Mahindra Manulife Arbitration Yojana MF scheme details

Fund House: Mahindra Manulife Mutual Fund

Issue opens: 12 August 2020

Issue close: 19 August 2020

MF category: Hybrid

Type: Open ended

Minimum Investment: Rs 1,000

Exit Load: Nil, after 30 days.

Plans: Growth, Dividend

Benchmark: Nifty 50 Arbitrage Index TRI

Riskometer: Moderately Low

Fund Managers: Srinivasan Ramamurthy & Rahul Pal

Disclaimer: Investment subject to market risk. Please consult your financial advisor before investing.

Amid lockdown, Maharashtra reports fall in April GST revenue by just 1%.

Maharashtra, the worst affected state with 8,000 plus deaths may pose a gloomy picture but things ain't that bad when we see the data points of April 2020. While it may be true that retail shop owner and specialty businesses like wedding, sports have taken an 80% fall in business, the latest GST figures shared by FM Sitharaman on her official twitter handle has surprised me. Maharashtra, India's financial capital has reported a fall of just 1% in GST Revenue when compared with April 2019.

In April 2020, Maharashtra had collections of Rs 15,143 crore which came down to Rs 14,987 crore in April 2020 because of stringent national lockdown. A fall of just 1% may be the result of our robust financial system which pays GST state share in Maharashtra. State Bank of India in its filing at BSE said that 90% of clients are paying loan EMI is time. This feat wouldn't have been possible without our 'Honest Janata'.

Nationally, the gross GST revenue collected in the month of June 2020 is Rs. 90,917crore of which CGST is Rs. 18,980crore, SGST is Rs. 23,970crore, IGST is Rs. 40,302crore (including Rs. 15,709crore collected on import of goods) and Cess is Rs.7,665 crore (including Rs. 607crore collected on import of goods).

The government has settled Rs. 13,325crore to CGST and Rs. 11,117crore to SGST from IGST as regular settlement. The total revenue earned by Central Government and the State Governments after regular settlement in the month of June 2020 is Rs. 32,305 crore for CGST and Rs. 35,087 crore for the SGST.

The revenues for the month are 91% of the GST revenues in the same month last year. During the month, the revenues from import of goods were 71%and the revenues from the domestic transactions (including import of services) were 97% of the revenues from these sources during the same month last year. During the month of June, returns of February, March, and April 2020 have also been filed in addition to some returns of May 2020 since the Government has allowed a relaxed time schedule for the filing of GST returns. Some returns of May 2020, which would have otherwise got filed in June 2020, will get filed during first few days of July 2020.

The revenues during the financial year has been impacted due to COVID-19, firstly due to the economic impact of the pandemic and secondly due to the relaxations given by the Government in filing of returns and payment of taxes due to the pandemic. However, figures of past three months show recovery in GST revenues. The GST collections for the month of April was Rs. 32,294 crore which was 28% of the revenue collected during the same month last year and the GST collections for the month of May was Rs. 62,009 crore which was 62%of the revenue collected during the same month last year. The GST collections for the first quarter of the year is 59%of the revenue collected during the same quarter last year. However, a large number of taxpayers still have time to file their return for the month of May 2020.

As India unlock, lets hope that our GST collections rise back to Rs 1,00,000 crore.

Source - PIB.

Nirma Group's Nuvoco Vistas acquires 100% stake of Emami Cement for Rs 5500 crores.

Nuvoco Vistas Corporation Limited, India’s leading building materials company and part of the Nirma Group, announced that it has entered into a share purchase agreement with Emami Group for the acquisition of 100% shareholding of Emami Cement Limited (ECL) for an enterprise value of INR 5500 crores. 

The proposed transaction is subject to approval by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and is expected to be consummated in next 3-4 months.

Emami Cement is one of the fastest-growing Companies in the cement sector and has established its presence with a strong network in a very short span of time. ECL operates one integrated cement plant in Risdah, Chhattisgarh; and 3 grinding units in Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha with a total installed capacity of 8.3 million tonnes per annum; and with mining leases in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.

 

With the merger of the Nirmax business in Rajasthan and completion of this acquisition; Nuvoco will become one of the leading cement players in the country and specifically in the East. This will bring its total cement capacity in Eastern, Northern and Western India to 23.5 million tonnes (which includes the ongoing capacity expansion project in its Jojobera plant) and over 60 ready-mix plants. The Company has a substantial presence in slag cement in the East while reinforcing a strong portfolio of PPC and OPC products. The combined operations will span 3 facilities in Chhattisgarh, 2 each in Rajasthan and West Bengal, and 1 each in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Haryana. Nuvoco’s cement sales will spread across 12 states: Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, NCR region, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas acted as the legal advisor, Deloitte Touche Tohamatsu India

LLP acted as the financial diligence advisor and Arpwood Capital acted as the financial

advisor.

Source: Press Release

Note: The owner of TheIndianCapitalist.com is a shareholder of Emami at the time of publishing of the article.

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) to invest up to $600 million through NIIF.

National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) of India and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has announced an agreement for CPPIB to invest up to US$600 million through the NIIF Master Fund. The agreement includes a commitment of US$150 million in the NIIF Master Fund and co-investment rights of up to US$450 million in future opportunities to invest alongside the NIIF Master Fund.

With CPPIB’s investment, NIIF Master Fund now has US$2.1 billion in commitments and has achieved its initially targeted fund size. In addition, NIIF Master Fund investors have co-investment rights of US$3 billion, which will enable the NIIF Master Fund to invest at the scale required for India’s large infrastructure requirements. The NIIF Master Fund invests equity capital in core infrastructure sectors in India, with a focus on transportation, energy and urban infrastructure. 

CPPIB joins Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, AustralianSuper, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, Temasek, Axis Bank, HDFC Group, ICICI Bank and Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance as investors in the NIIF Master Fund, alongside Government of India.  

CPPIB will also become a shareholder in National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited, NIIF’s investment management company. 

Sujoy Bose, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of NIIF, said: “We are delighted to welcome CPPIB as an investor in the NIIF Master Fund and as a shareholder in our investment management company. CPPIB is a prominent and established investor in India, and their investment demonstrates the alignment of the NIIF Master Fund’s investment strategy with what large international investors seek in the infrastructure sector in India. With this fourth close of the NIIF Master Fund, we are pleased that the fund has achieved its initial target size of US$2.1 billion with domestic and international investors of the highest reputation and quality. We thank all our investors, and the Government of India, particularly the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of External Affairs, for their strong support.” 

Scott Lawrence, Managing Director, Head of Infrastructure, CPPIB, said: “The opportunity to invest in, and alongside, NIIF complements our existing direct investment strategy in Indian infrastructure. Through this investment in the NIIF Master Fund, we are also able to deploy capital in additional projects and sectors across the country, providing further long-term opportunities for CPPIB to invest in Infrastructure in India.”

Source - Press Release.

Qatar Investment Authority to invest Rs 3200 crores in Adani Electricity Mumbai Ltd.

Qatar Investment Authority picks up a 25.1% stake in Adani Electricity Mumbai Ltd (AEML). AEML is a major electricity distributor in the Western suburbs of Mumbai.

Adani Transmission Limited ("ATL"), Adani Electricity Mumbai Limited ("AEML") and a subsidiary of Qatar Investment Authority ("QIA") have signed definitive agreements for the sale of a 25.1% stake in AEML to QIA and for a shareholder subordinated debt investment by QIA in AEML. The total QIA investment in AEML will be approximately INR 3,200 Crore (equivalent to approximately $450 million).

AEML is the licensee for an integrated power distribution, transmission and generation business that currently serves more than 3 million consumers across a license area of approximately 400 square kilometers in the city of Mumbai, the world's seventh-largest city by the size of population. AEML's market share of Mumbai is approximately 87% by license area, 67% by consumers served and 55% by electricity supplied.

As part of the Transaction, ATL and QIA have agreed on definitive plans to ensure that over 30% of the electricity supplied by AEML is sourced from solar and wind power plants by the year 2023. In addition, ATL and QIA have agreed on a number of other green initiatives to combat climate change and facilitate the transition to a sustainable, low carbon economy.

The Transaction demonstrates the increasingly strong relations between India and Qatar and the commitment of both countries to further develop their close ties in the years ahead.

Adani Group Chairman, Mr. Gautam Adani, commented: "We are delighted to embark on this partnership with the Qatar Investment Authority. Together, we will continue to work towards improving the reliability of supply and consumer satisfaction for over 3 million AEML consumers served in Mumbai. We believe this transaction is a significant step in the journey of the Adani Group, marking the start of a long term partnership with QIA".

QIA Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mansoor Al-Mahmoud, commented: "We believe that Adani Electricity Mumbai Limited is the best-in-class electricity utility in India and has tremendous potential for growth. We look forward to a long term partnership with the Adani Group, with whom we share an inter-generational perspective on investments and a common vision for the sustainable growth and continued success of AEML".

Mr. Al-Mahmoud added: "This investment demonstrates our confidence in India, with whom Qatar shares deep-rooted ties and excellent relations".

The Transaction is the latest in a series of investments undertaken by QIA in world-class infrastructure assets with trusted partners globally. The Transaction is expected to complete in early 2020 subject to receipt of regulatory approvals and satisfaction of customary conditions precedent.

SKN Advisors Limited acted as financial advisor and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas acted as legal advisor to ATL and AEML on the Transaction.

J.P. Morgan acted as financial advisor and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and AZB & Partners acted as legal advisors to QIA on the Transaction.

Source: Press Release.

Aditya Birla Finance becomes first company to list Commercial Papers on National Stock Exchange.

Aditya Birla Finance Limited, the lending subsidiary of Aditya Birla Capital Limited became the first company to list its Commercial Papers on NSE. National Stock Exchange, India’s leading stock exchange has started listing Commercial papers (CPs) which will help issuers make appropriate disclosures at the time of listing and on a continuous basis and will lead to deepening of the debt markets.

Listing of CPs is expected to lead to efficient transmission of information regarding corporate borrowings and liquidity positions to market participants. It will also contribute effectively towards development of the commercial paper market and is expected to have a positive effect on the Debt Capital market in India.

Aditya Birla Finance Limited (ABFL) listed its Commercial Paper on NSE with value date of 28th November 2019 and maturity date on February 7, 2020. ABFL is a well-diversified non-banking finance company (NBFC) with a long-term credit rating of AAA (Stable) from both ICRA as well as India Ratings.

Marking the occasion, Ms. Ishita Vora, Head Listing, NSE Ishita Vora, Head Listing, NSE Ishita Vora, Head Listing, NSE said, “NSE is committed to the development of the Commercial Paper market in India and has been at the forefront to enable the smoother transition of CPs as listed securities. We are hopeful that this will enhance transparency and enable efficient information dissemination to investors leading to deepening of investments in money market instruments.”

Mr. Rakesh Singh, MD & CEO Aditya Birla Finance Limited said, “SEBI’s announcement cited to list Commercial Papers is a welcome move for the industry as it will encourage further transparency and better corporate governance practices. We are glad to announce that ABFL is taking a thought leadership position in the market by being the first company to list its Commercial Paper in order to reinstate faith in the system. Trust in the system can only be restored with complete transparency. Through this pioneering move, we aim to set standards for Commercial Paper issuance which will bring in liquidity, transparency and thereby create trust in the minds of investors. We always strive to set a benchmark in whatever we do.”

Source - Press Release.

ADNOC, Adani, BASF and Borealis sign MoU for Chemical Complex in Mundra, Gujarat.

ADNOC, Adani, BASF and Borealis vow to invest $4 billion for Propane DeHydrogenation Unit at Mundra, Gujarat.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Adani Group, BASF SE and Borealis AG have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to engage in a joint feasibility study to further evaluate a collaboration for the establishment of a chemical complex in Mundra, Gujarat, India. This is the next step of BASF’s and Adani’s investment plans as announced in January 2019. With the inclusion of ADNOC and Borealis as potential partners, the parties are examining various structuring options for the chemical complex that will leverage the technical, financial and operational strengths of each company. The total investment is estimated to be up to $4 billion.

The collaboration includes evaluating a joint world-scale propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant to produce propylene-based on propane feedstock to be supplied by ADNOC. Propylene will be partially used as feedstock for a polypropylene (PP) complex, owned by ADNOC and Borealis, based on proprietary state-of-the-art Borealis Borstar technology.

The PP complex will be the first overseas production joint investment by ADNOC and Borealis as part of a strategic framework with their current joint venture Borouge. Furthermore, propylene will be the key raw material for the previously announced acrylics value chain complex comprising glacial acrylic acid (GAA), Oxo-C4 (butanols and 2-ethyl hexanol), butyl acrylate (BA) and potentially other downstream products as part of a joint venture of BASF and Adani in which BASF holds a majority.

The chemical complex in Mundra is intended to be entirely supplied from renewable energy resources. The partners are evaluating co-investment in wind and solar park with the plans at an advanced stage of development. If realized, this would be the world’s first CO2-neutral petrochemical site to be fully powered by renewable energy, fully in line with the partners’ commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency.

Commenting on the MoU signing, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and ADNOC Group CEO, said: “This exciting collaboration is in line with ADNOC’s strategy to foster mutually beneficial partnerships. As a value-adding partner, ADNOC will play a crucial role as the propane feedstock supplier to this project. As the fastest growing global energy market, India is crucial to  our international growth ambitions in the downstream sector. As such, this project allows ADNOC  and its partners to capture the promising growth in the Indian polyolefins market.”

Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group, stated: “We are very pleased to collaborate with our international partners to establish a Chemical Manufacturing Complex at Mundra Port. We stand committed to the ‘Make in India’ initiative and serve the larger purpose of aligning growth opportunities with creation of goodness for the nation.”

“BASF remains committed to investing in India’s growth. We will play a key role in driving this joint collaboration which is also pioneering in terms of sustainability.  We look forward to working together with our partners in establishing a chemical cluster in Mundra and to supplying the Indian market with high-quality downstream products,” said Dr. Martin Brudermueller, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE.

Alfred Stern, CEO of Borealis, added: “This partnership is a unique opportunity to strengthen our PP presence in India with proprietary Borealis Borstar PP technology and to create value and tangible benefits through innovation for customers across multiple industries.”

The partners aim to finalize the joint feasibility study by the end of Q1 2020. Production is intended to commence in 2024. Adani has allied infrastructure like sea port, airport and highway connectivity near the proposed unit. The designated site is planned at Mundra port in Gujarat, India, and the products are predominantly for the Indian market, serving a wide range of local industries, including construction, automotive and coatings.

France's Total acquires 37.4% stake in Adani Gas to supply and market Natural Gas in India.

With this announcement of Total’s Acquisition of 37.4% Stake in Adani Gas, Adani and Total join to create one of India’s largest Downstream Energy Partnerships.

As part of its strategy to develop new gas markets, Total, the world's second-largest LNG player, expands its partnership with the Adani Group; the largest energy and infrastructure conglomerate in India, to contribute to the development of the Indian natural gas market.

The Indian natural gas market represents a substantial growth perspective. It is currently only 7% of the energy consumption but has grown over the last 3 years by more than 5% per annum, supported by an active policy of the Indian Government that aims to diversify its energy mix and develop domestic use of gas in cities and as fuel for vehicles. India has set the ambitious target of increasing the share of natural gas in its energy mix to 15% by 2030.

The partnership between Adani (50%) and Total (50%) includes several assets across the gas value chain notably two imports and regasification LNG terminals: Dhamra in East India and potentially Mundra in the West, as well as Adani Gas Limited, one of the 4 main distributors of city gas in India of which Adani holds 74.8% and of which Total will acquire 37.4%.

Adani Gas shall also pursue fuel retail business in India and target to setup 1,500 fuel stations offering top of the line products in the coming years.

Adani Gas Limited aims to expand its distribution of gas in the next 10 years through its 38 concessions covering 7.5% of the Indian population and market natural gas to industrial, commercial and domestic customers, targeting 6 million homes as well as through 1,500 CNG retail outlets across 71 districts, 68 towns across 15 states in India.

Speaking on the occasion, Adani Group Chairman, Mr. Gautam Adani, said, “Adani is delighted to deepen its strategic partnership with Total, a global energy major, to one of the largest downstream gas partnerships in India. Total’s investment in Adani Gas reinforces India’s natural gas and demand potential. The partnership will derive significant synergies between Adani’s capabilities of developing world-class assets and Total’s global best practices as well as leveraging business synergies across LNG, Fuel Retail and City Gas distribution. We look forward to working together towards delivering India’s vision for clean and green energy”

As part of this partnership, Total will bring its LNG and retail expertise and will supply LNG to Adani Gas Limited. Total and Adani will also establish a joint venture to market LNG in India and Bangladesh.

“Energy needs in India are immense and the Indian energy mix is key to the climate change challenge. Firmly investing to develop the use of natural gas in India is in line with Total’s ambition to become the responsible energy major. The natural gas market in India will have strong growth and is an attractive outlet for the world's second-largest LNG player that Total has become. Adani will bring its knowledge of the local market and its expertise in the infrastructure and energy sectors. This partnership with Adani is the cornerstone to our development strategy in this country.”, said Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of Total.

Disclaimer: Shareholder of Adani Gas.

Indiabulls Shubh trading app offers ‘Truly Unlimited Plans’ for new-age investors.

India’s economy and its bustling stock market have witnessed a phenomenal rise in the last decade. Such has been the success that many few would believe that BSE Sensex was trading below 10,000 points just 9 years back. With reforms at the fore-front agenda, World Bank predicts that India’s economy is set to reach $5 trillion by 2025. Most leading brokerage houses have a bullish outlook on Sensex and Nifty especially after the recent historic announcements on corporate tax by FM Sitharaman. We all will unanimously agree that stock market investments, be it equity or commodity, are one of the only few investment avenues which have the potential to beat ever-rising inflation.

The times they are a changin’! From floor-based trading to branch-based services and now trading on-the-go with smartphones. A data released by National Stock Exchange states mobile trading share has more than tripled to 10.7% as on August 2019 from 3.3% in April 2016. Catching the bandwagon, Indiabulls has launched Shubh – a mobile trading platform with subscription based plans for seamless trading experience. Indiabulls Ventures Limited is one of the earliest capital market company providing securities and derivative broking services.

Karo Shubh Se Shuruat!

Shubh trading app is the newest offering from Indiabulls Ventures Limited. The discount broking platform is India’s first truly unlimited trading platform with 'Subscription based' monthly pricing options. Shubh gives the customers a choice of monthly plans that suit their broking needs starting at ₹ 1000 where they can enjoy the benefit of 0*% brokerage on both Intraday and Delivery. No need to panic on the asterisk (*) symbol, as Shubh charges maximum ₹ 0.01 brokerage per order as per SEBI rules.

Indiabulls Shubh is basically the ‘Netflix of Trading’. Once the investor is on-board and subscribed, the platform offers a transparent trading experience like never before at fixed rates. Many may not know this, but the volume of ‘Buy Today and Sell Today Tomorrow’ trades is such that several investors end up paying brokerage value amounting in thousands in just single trading day. By renewing subscription plan every month, investors can protect their capital from hefty brokerages and trade as much they want.

On plans onwards ₹ 2000 per month, Shubh trading app offers an attractive margin trading facility from ₹ 1 lakh to ₹ 50 lakh at 0% interest rate. Indiabulls Shubh is perfectly placed for new-age investors who trade in equity (NSE & BSE), futures & options (NSE F&O) and currency segments. The intraday exposure offered by Shubh is upto 4x in F&O, 5x in equity, and 4x for margin trading. As an introductory offer, the company has announced free trading for the first 30 days with no subscription charges for new customers. The one time account opening charges of Shubh is just ₹ 500 inclusive GST. Existing 7.1 lakh Indiabulls clients can also enjoy the benefits of the new plan by upgrading their current one.

Trading Made Easy

Indiabulls Shubh trading app is available on both Android and iOS platform. For the ease of trading, investors can execute trades at a lightning fast speed on app, web and on desktop. If in a hurry, no worry! Users can even place trading orders on the phone at no additional charges. The Shubh app is built on the philosophy of speed, stability and simplicity.

With an enormous amount of data and continuous transactions, traders often complain of mobile app downtimes. This is unique to sentimental capital markets like India. Be it budget, government policy, US fed, or China- US trade war, the downtime of trading apps is a major issue where traders may potentially lose their hard-earned money. Unlike some newbies in the business, Indiabulls leverages its market experience of the past 20 years to offer seamless trading experience even during major events.

“Shubh’s subscription plans have been designed keeping in mind the needs of today’s new-age traders. We have built a clean, vanilla type of product where customers can trade through app, web, and even through calls with ease. We invite traders to experience our all new Shubh platform” - Divyesh Shah, CEO, Indiabulls Ventures Limited.

The Indiabulls Shubh app and web platforms offer an entirely online process for opening a Demat Account. Open the app, fill out the e-KYC details with e-signature Et Voila! Traders can further subscribe to monthly plans as per their needs.

Download the Indiabulls Shubh app from Play Store and Apple App Store and try it yourself!

Bank of Baroda board approves to raise Basel III complaint Tier 1 bonds upto Rs 1650 crores.

Bank of Baroda (BoB) board - Capital Raising Committee of the bank has approved Issuance of Basel III Compliant Additional Tier I Bonds for aggregate total issue size not exceeding Rs1,650cr, with a base issue size of Rs500cr and a Green Shoe Option to retain over-subscription up to Rs1,150cr.

Further, the Bank of Baroda board said that issuance of Basel III Compliant Tier II Capital Bonds Compliant with Basel III Capital regulations of the Reserve Bank of India for aggregate total issue size not exceeding R500cr, with a base issue size of Rs250cr and a Green Shoe Option to retain oversubscription up to Rs250cr.

According to the Mint report, the bank plans additional exposure of Rs10,675cr to NBFCs in the second quarter of FY20. The bank is also looking to purchase NBFC assets worth Rs5,600cr, co-originate loans of Rs1,000cr, provide loans of Rs3,575cr for on-lending to the Agri sector and has set aside Rs500cr for “high-ticket balance sheet takeover".

After the announcement, the shares of Bank of Baroda traded on NSE index was more than 3% up at Rs 98.

Source: Bombay Stock Exchange.

Tamal Bandyopadhyay’s HDFC Bank 2.0 book narrates the Puri legacy.

Indian banking industry is not in the pink of health now but that’s largely the story of the government-owned banks. If we look at the private sector, barring a few odd banks which are not the best examples of corporate governance, over the last three decades, the industry has witnessed phenomenal growth with consumerism. The privitisation push in 1991 was a defining moment for the financial sector in India. What we have achieved today would not have been possible without India’s private sector banks like HDFC Bank. It is a child of economic liberalisation.

In the 1990’s, talking about banks as dinosaurs, Bill Gates of Microsoft famously said, “We need banking, but we don’t need banks anymore”. Three decades later, a bank is still relevant and will continue to do so if it’s willing to reinvent itself to be in sync with the changing milieu where it operates – by embracing digitalisation.

From a nimble start-up in 1995 to India’s most valuable banking brand, HDFC Bank has a made  gigantic strides into the world of digital banking under the leadership of Mr Aditya Puri. In a sector marred by controversies, Mr Puri has not just been the longest serving chairman of any bank globally but the face of a world class bank in India. Tamal Bandyopadhyay’s latest book “HDFC Bank 2.0: From Dawn to Digital” narrates this unique story of the  transformation of India’s most valued lender from a life cycle bank to a lifestyle bank. 

For starters, let me remind you that this book is not a sponsored project. It chronicles the HDFC Bank story warts and all. While highlighting the bank’s unique features, Tamal also criticises the unforgivable mistakes done by HDFC Bank during this journey through his unparalleled  writing skills. 

One of the key reasons why Indian banks were largely unaffected  during the Global Financial Crisis of 2009 was the fact that they were truly connected with their roots. During that  period, Mr Puri had guided HDFC Bank to add branches and ATM network in tier three cities and rural areas. The expansion drive created the credit card, auto and home loan boom. The book describes how  a bank reaching out to person for a loan – and not  the other way round - creates a new sense of trust in the aspirational class of India.

The era of Digital Disruption

Mr Puri believes that digitalisation and disruption are intertwined. Whenever there’s change, people tend to panic but if handled correctly, it can open up new beginnings. HDFC Bank saw this transformation ahead of others. During his Silicon Valley trip in 2014, Mr Puri saw how the fintech companies – the new kids on the  tech block – were venturing into fund transfers, mobile banking and shopping. They could build products that could give instant loan with slick user interface on their phones. Home grown fintech innovations like the United Payments Interface (UPI) were set to transform the way we Indians bank.

“Why don’t we disrupt ourselves instead of waiting to be disrupted by fintech companies? Why can’t we give a loan in 10 seconds? Why can’t we invent something to transfer money in just a click? HDFC Bank aspires to become a financial marketplace. It wants to be India’s Alibaba or Netflix when it comes to banking”. - Mr Aditya Puri, Chairman & Managing Director, HDFC Bank.

HDFC Bank first tied up with Chillr, an app which sends money over the phone using a UPI technology. A BharatQR code-based payments service named PayZapp is popular in many stores. The bank has also used AI for many applications like chatbots and social media interactions. Indigenously developed IRA robots have been deployed at several branches to solve customer queries. 

While adopting this technological shift, there were times when the bank failed on the customer front. For instance, the HDFC bank app crash in November 2018 became a hot topic in the media and  the bank was subjected to national outrage and ridicule. The book – “HDFC Bank 2.0: From Dawn to Digital” – clinically  chronicles the journey over the years.

About the book

Tamal Bandyopadhyay’s HDFC Bank 2.0: From Dawn to Digital is published by Jaico Publishing House. The book was launched by Rajnish Kumar, Chairman, State Bank of India at Nehru Centre, Mumbai. Aditya Puri, Managing Director, HDFC Bank Ltd  and many  luminaries in the financial services industry were present there. Tamal Bandyopadhyay is an author, columnist and keen watcher of banking and finance. His Banker’s Trust column, which now appears every Monday in Business Standard, is the most popular column on banking and finance with over half a million followers on the Linkedin platform.

“Tamal combines his financial knowledge, eye for detail, and an excellent storytelling style to create a vivid portrait of India’s most valued bank and its path to future” - Nandan Nilekani, Co-foundar & Chairman, Infosys & founding chairman of UIDAI, has written in his forward to the book.

HDFC Bank 2.0: From Dawn to Digital (ISBN: 978-93-88423-35-9) are now available at Crossword, Amazon, Flipkart and other leading book stores.

Shapoorji Pallonji's renewable energy arm Sterling and Wilson Solar Ltd ranked World's Largest Solar EPC Service Provider: IHS Markit.

Sterling and Wilson Solar Limited, a Shapoorji Pallonji group company, has been ranked as the world's largest Solar EPC service provider by IHS Markit in its recently announced Solar EPC and O&M Provider Tracker Q1 2019 report. The ranking is basis the annual installations of utility-scale PV systems of more than five MWp in the year 2018. As the largest global Solar EPC solutions provider, Sterling and Wilson Solar had a global market share of 4.6% in the year 2018 - a number more than double that of the 2nd largest company globally - according to IHS Markit. The company was also ranked as the largest Solar EPC solutions provider in India with a market share of 16.6%, 3 times the size of its closest competitor.

Declining costs, advancing technology trends and favorable regulatory environments across the world are some of the factors driving the growth of solar energy globally. Sterling and Wilson Solar has built more than 6 GWp of solar plants across the globe and the recognition as the world's largest solar EPC provider is a significant milestone in its trajectory.

With a strength of 1179 employees across the world including 138 in design and engineering, Sterling and Wilson Solar has been executing projects globally. Today, it has over 6062.83 MWp of solar EPC projects as part of its portfolio in different stages of implementation (commissioned and contracted). This impressive global portfolio also includes a 1,177 MWp single location Solar PV plant in Abu Dhabi - one of the world' s largest such Solar PV plants.

Sterling and Wilson Solar is present in 26 countries today, with operations in India, South East Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the Americas, and Australia. The company has been strategically focusing on markets that have conducive solar power policies and investing resources in geographies that have long-term solar opportunities in utility-scale solar power projects and rooftop solar projects.

In the year 2018, according to IHS Markit, the company was also the largest solar EPC solutions provider in Africa and the Middle East with a market share of 36.6% and 40.4% respectively. Today, Sterling and Wilson Solar is expanding its global presence through strategic acquisitions in its target markets. The company recently acquired a 76% equity interest in GCO Electricals Pty Limited, an electrical contracting company based in Australia with expertise in the execution of solar power projects in the region. 

The company provides EPC services primarily for utility-scale solar power projects with a focus on project design and engineering and manage all aspects of project execution from conceptualizing to commissioning. As the global solar market is likely to grow substantially in the years to come, Sterling and Wilson Solar has positioned itself well to be at the forefront of this tremendous opportunity.

Source: Press Release/PTI.

BSE launches 'BSE stAR MF' Android app for its mutual fund platform

BSE StAR MF, India's largest Mutual Funds Distributor platform, launched its mobile app - ‘BSE StAR MF’ at BSE International Convention Hall, Mumbai. The newly-launched app would look at enabling more participation from Mutual Fund Distributors (MFDs) by helping them process transactions on the go! The app would further ease the process of purchase and redemption of mutual fund units on behalf of their clients.

BSE StAR MF Mobile app supports real-time client registration and paperless transactions, creates and uploads mandate for SIPs, generates the basket of multiple of orders, tracks and allows the distributor to analyse his business at his fingertips.

In April 2019, the platform processed 42.6 lakh transactions. In FY2018-19, BSE StAR MF crossed 3.5 crore transactions witnessing 111% growth as compared to 1.70 crore transactions in FY2017-18.

Commenting on the launch of BSE StAR MF app, BSE MD & CEO, Ashishkumar Chauhan said, “BSE StAR MF platform has become a benchmark for the fintech industry in India by e-enabling more than 24,000 direct IFAs and 200,000 indirect IFAs to automate end to end processes in their front and back offices. The launch of the app would further provide the comfort of doing business to our 24,000 members. This app would not only increase their productivity, but would also enable IFAs to take their business anywhere, anytime. BSE StAR MF has seen more than 100% year on year growth every year for the last 10 years consistently. With the launch of the app, we look forward to help IFAs grow their business and retain the No. 1 position in the online MF distribution platform segment. This mobile application will also be provided to individual investors shortly.”

Overall, the superior support system and distribution reach of BSE StAR MF has enabled the platform to grow exponentially with the registered distributors soon to touch 24,000 in India. The launch of the StAR MF app is expected to further increase the number of distributors significantly. In the future, the app aims to support online video KYC to onboard new investors.  The BSE StAR MF app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. Once the app is downloaded, the sign up can be done by providing the member identification number.

Source: Press Release.

Cashkrupt Pakistan receives $6 billion bailout from International Monetary Fund.

Security at China owned Port of Gwadar, Balochistan.

Failed economic policies, sponsorships for Islamic terror, high inflation and active corruption at all stages of government has taken down India's enemy neighbour, Pakistan at its knee. Pak PM Imran Khan has put the onus of degrading economic position on former PM Nawaz Shariff. The much touted economic corridor of prosperity, CPEC, has turned into an economic nightmare for taxpaying Pakistani citizens. For instance, the Chinese owned Gwadar Port in Balochistan rarely has any shipping calls. China has assured continuous economic help for the fulfillment of CPEC, as of now. After personally escorting Saudi King, Pakistan has received moratorium for deferred oil payments for one year. But this was not enough to save Pakistan's depleting economic reserves.

In April 2019, the finance minister of Pakistan requested the 13th bailout since the 80s from International Monetary Fund (IMF). In response to a request by the Pakistani authorities, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission led by Mr. Ernesto Ramirez Rigo visited Islamabad, Pakistan from April 29 to May 11 to discuss IMF support for the authorities’ economic reform program.

The Pakistani authorities and the IMF team have reached a staff-level agreement on economic policies that could be supported by a 39-month Extended Fund Arrangement (EFF) for about US$6 billion. This agreement is subject to IMF management approval and to approval by the Executive Board, subject to the timely implementation of prior actions and confirmation of international partners’ financial commitments. The program aims to support the authorities’ strategy for stronger and more balanced growth by reducing domestic and external imbalances, improving the business environment, strengthening institutions, increasing transparency, and protecting social spending.

At the end of the visit, the IMF representative Mr. Ramirez Rigo made the following statement:

"Pakistan is facing a challenging economic environment, with lackluster growth, elevated inflation, high indebtedness, and a weak external position. This reflects the legacy of uneven and procyclical economic policies in recent years aiming to boost growth, but at the expense of rising vulnerabilities and lingering structural and institutional weaknesses. The authorities recognize the need to address these challenges, as well as to tackle the large informality in the economy, the low spending in human capital, and poverty. In this regard, the government has already initiated a difficult, but necessary, adjustment to stabilize the economy, including thorough support from the State Bank of Pakistan. These efforts need to be strengthened. Decisive policies and reforms, together with significant external financing are necessary to reduce vulnerabilities faster, increase confidence, and put the economy back on a sustainable growth path, with stronger private sector activity and job creation."

"The EFF aims to support the authorities’ ambitious macroeconomic and structural reform agenda during the next three years. This includes improving public finances and reducing public debt through tax policy and administrative reforms to strengthen revenue mobilization and ensure a more equal and transparent distribution of the tax burden. At the same time, a comprehensive plan for cost-recovery in the energy sectors and state-owned enterprises will help eliminate or reduce the quasi-fiscal deficit that drains scarce government resources. These efforts will create fiscal space for a substantial increase in social spending to strengthen social protection as well as in infrastructure and human capital development. The modernization of the public finance management framework will increase transparency and spending efficiency. Provinces are committed to contributing to these efforts by better aligning their fiscal objectives with those of the federal government."

"The forthcoming budget for FY2019/20 is a first critical step in the authorities’ fiscal strategy. The budget will aim for a primary deficit of 0.6 percent of GDP supported by tax policy revenue mobilization measures to eliminate exemptions, curtail special treatments, and improve tax administration."

What Next?

The State Bank of Pakistan has assured the IMF that it will focus on reducing inflation, which disproportionately affects the poor, and safeguarding financial stability. A market-determined exchange rate will help the functioning of the financial sector and contribute to better resource allocation in the economy.

While a $6 billion bailout comes as a breather for tumbling Pakistan. The question arises that till when will this $6 billion help last. Will Pakistan stop the financing of Jihad for the moment at least to avoid the hanging sword of Paris based FATF? Any adventure with the world's fastest growing economy, India could spell doomsday for Pakistan at this very moment.

- Chaitanya Kulkarni

Source: IMF.