India

Fintech Brief — July 18, 2026 RBI Bars Banks from Selling Stressed Assets Back to Defaulters The Reserve Bank of India issued final prudential norms on Specified Non-Financial Assets (SNFAs) on July 16, barring banks, small finance banks, and NBFCs from selling immovable property acquired during loan recovery back to the defaulting borrower or any related party. 1 The directions — issued as amendments to the Resolution of Stressed Assets framework for commercial banks, SFBs, and NBFCs — are effective from October 1, 2026. Lenders must now: ...

Stock Watch — July 17, 2026 Market Day Summary | Not investment advice Summary as of 08:15 IST, July 17, 2026. Last trading session: July 16 (Thursday). 📊 INDICES Index Close (Jul 16) Change % Change Nifty 50 24,072.75 -5.75 -0.02% ➡️ Nifty Bank 57,582.25 -175.60 -0.30% ↘️ FinNifty 26,556.70 -136.65 -0.51% ↘️ Nifty IT 28,722.60 +190.35 +0.67% ↗️ GIFT Nifty (Jul 17 pre-market): 24,043.50 (-51.50, -0.21%) → Flat-to-negative start expected. ...

Fintech Brief — July 17, 2026 RBI Releases Draft Data Governance Framework for Banks and NBFCs The Reserve Bank of India published its draft Guidance on Regulatory Expectations for Data Governance on July 15, seeking public comments by August 17, 2026. The framework mandates banks, NBFCs, and all regulated entities to implement lifecycle-based data governance—from collection through disposal. Key requirements include tagging customer data at the point of collection (recording ownership, purpose, sensitivity, retention period, and consent status), maintaining data metadata and lineage as it moves across systems, and constituting a board-level data governance committee. The guidance also directly addresses the DPDP Act compliance gap: when a customer withdraws consent and requests erasure, lenders must locate and delete every copy across all systems. ...

Stock Watch — July 16, 2026 Market Day Summary | Not investment advice Summary as of 08:15 IST, July 16, 2026 📊 INDICES Index Prev Close Change % Change Nifty 50 24,078.50 +26.45 +0.11% Nifty Bank 57,757.85 +295.55 +0.51% FinNifty 26,831.05 +348.60 +1.32% Nifty IT 28,724.75 -147.75 -0.51% Sensex 77,185.43 +130.49 +0.17% GIFT Nifty 24,080.00 +38.00 +0.16% India VIX 13.27 -0.48 -3.49% Pre-market signal: GIFT Nifty at 24,080 signals firm/marginally positive open. US markets closed higher (S&P 500 +0.38%, Nasdaq +0.90%) on softer-than-expected PPI and strong bank earnings. Asian markets mixed — Korea +5.5% but China data weak. Elevated crude prices (Strait of Hormuz tensions) cap upside. ...

Fintech Brief — July 16, 2026 1. Emergent Becomes India’s Newest AI Unicorn — $130M at $1.5B Valuation Bengaluru and San Francisco-based AI coding startup Emergent has entered the unicorn club after raising $130 million in a Series C round led by Creaegis, with participation from Ranjan Pai’s Claypond and existing investors. The round values the company at $1.5 billion — a five-fold jump from its $300 million Series B valuation just six months ago. 1 ...

Stock Watch — July 15, 2026 Market Day Summary | Not investment advice Summary as of 08:15 IST, July 15, 2026. Last trading session: July 14 (Tuesday). 📊 INDICES Index Close (Jul 14) Change % Change Day Range Nifty 50 24,052.05 -158.96 -0.66% ↘️ 24,023 – 24,157 Nifty Bank ~57,840 ~-290 ~-0.50% ↘️ est. FinNifty 28,947.60 Decline ~-0.5% ↘️ est. Nifty IT 28,724.75 ~-290 -1.00% ↘️ — GIFT Nifty (Jul 15 pre-market): Slightly in the red → Cautious / range-bound opening expected. Weak global sentiment due to continued US-Iran tensions and elevated crude. ...

Fintech Brief — July 15, 2026 India-UK FTA Goes Live — Big Win for IT Services and Fintech The India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) takes effect today, marking one of India’s most ambitious free trade pacts. The UK will eliminate tariffs on 96.8% of its tariff lines (97.7% by trade value), while India gets duty-free access for nearly 99% of its exports. What matters for fintech: A linked Double Contribution Convention (DCC) means Indian IT firms — TCS, Infosys, Wipro — will no longer pay UK social security contributions for employees deputed from India for up to three years. Indian employees previously lost ~25% of their UK salaries to these contributions. The agreement also promotes collaboration in fintech, AI, and digital trade, positioning London as a hub for India-UK fintech partnerships. ...

Stock Watch — July 14, 2026 Market Day Summary | Not investment advice Summary as of 08:15 IST, July 14, 2026. Last trading session: July 13 (Monday). 📊 INDICES Index Close (Jul 13) Change % Change Day Range Nifty 50 24,211.00 +4.10 +0.02% 24,000 – 24,297 Nifty Bank 58,131.45 +85.55 +0.15% 57,492 – 58,220 FinNifty 27,900 ➡️ Flat ➡️ ~Flat — Nifty IT ~29,015 +1,005 +3.59% — SGX Nifty (Jul 14, ~2:50 AM IST): ~25,210, up ~92 pts (+0.37%) — signalling a flat to marginally higher opening. Early indication is that markets may open above Monday’s close as US-Iran tensions partially stabilize. Key Levels for Nifty 50 (Jul 14): With Nifty weekly expiry today, max pain at 24,200. Options chain pricing an expected move of ±164 pts — range 24,047 to 24,375. Resistance at 24,300 / 24,375. Support at 24,050 / 24,000. Key Levels for Bank Nifty: Resistance at 58,220 / 58,400. Support at 57,600 / 57,492 (Monday’s low). Key Levels for FinNifty: Support at 27,900. Resistance at 28,250 and 28,500. A close above 28,250 confirms continued stabilisation. CPI Inflation (June): Rose to 4.4% vs 3.9% in May — above RBI’s 4% medium-term target for the first time in 16 months. Food and precious metal price increases drove the uptick. This adds pressure on the rate outlook. ...

Fintech Brief — July 14, 2026 Rupee Slips to One-Month Low as Gulf Tensions Reshape FX Risk The Indian rupee weakened to its lowest level in over a month on Monday as renewed US-Iran hostilities and Iran’s claimed closure of the Strait of Hormuz sent Brent crude above $79 per barrel. Oil’s resurgence is a direct hit to India’s current account—the country imports over 80% of its crude requirements. 1 A key options market gauge, the 1-month 25-delta dollar-rupee risk reversal, drifted to 0.3 from near-zero at the start of July, signalling traders are pricing in further depreciation. “The rupee’s sensitivity to headlines will likely remain elevated in the near future and demand a more assertive market presence by the Reserve Bank of India to limit sharp moves,” a state-run bank trader told Reuters. 2 ...

Fintech Brief — July 12, 2026 RBI Reaffirms Crypto Ban Stance; Tax Department Flags $2.1 Billion in Unmonitored Holdings The Reserve Bank of India has doubled down on its push for a cryptocurrency policy “leaning towards prohibition,” according to government documents reviewed by Reuters. In internal discussions, RBI officials told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance that banks and all regulated financial institutions should be completely insulated from cryptocurrencies and privately issued stablecoins to protect financial stability and prevent contagion. ...