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Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday told a visiting trade delegation that the government will extend comprehensive support to exporters to sustain growth momentum, a day after an extra 50% US tariff on most Indian goods took effect.At the same time, Sitharaman underscored “the importance of protecting workers’ livelihoods, calling upon industry leaders to reassure employees of job continuity even amidst global headwinds,” according to a statement by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO).The minister told the FIEO delegation that the government is committed to addressing the exporting community’s concerns and exploring all possible steps to safeguard its interest, according to the statement by the apex exporters’ body. The additional tariff is estimated to impact about 55% of India’s goods exports to the US.Protecting Trade InterestsBoth the countries have kept the communications channel open to resolve the ongoing tariff discord. The US accounted for a fifth of India’s merchandise exports last fiscal. The delegation that met Sitharaman was headed by FIEO president SC Ralhan and comprised its other senior representatives, along with Pankaj Chadha, chairman of the engineering goods exporters' body EEPC India.“The finance minister’s commitment that the government will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with exporters demonstrates the priority being accorded to safeguarding India’s trade interests and employment,” Ralhan said. “FIEO reaffirmed its resolve to work closely with the government to overcome current challenges, diversify export markets and further strengthen India’s position in global trade,” it said in the statement.

Mumbai: IndiGo cofounder Rakesh Gangwal's family trust on Thursday sold a 1.3% stake in the airline's parent, InterGlobe Aviation, for ₹2,933.4 crore in bulk deals on NSE. The Chinkerpoo Family Trust sold the shares in two tranches of 2.52 million shares each at an average price of ₹5,814.71-5,825.72 per share.The trust has Shobha Gangwal and JP Morgan Trust Company as its trustees.The Gangwal family was earlier anticipated to sell a 3.1% stake for nearly ₹7,020 crore.Details of the buyers weren't immediately available.As of June 30, Rakesh Gangwal held a 4.73% stake in InterGlobe, while the Chinkerpoo Family Trust held another 3.08%. The total promoter shareholding was at 43.54%.Gangwal and his family had sold shares also in May, worth ₹11,564 crore, comprising a 5.72% stake.The stake sale is part of a phased exit strategy by Gangwal and his family from the company, the operator of India's largest airline that he cofounded with Rahul Bhatia in 2006. Three years ago, the family held nearly 37%.Gangwal stepped down from IndiGo's board in February 2022 and announced plans to gradually reduce his stake. Since then, the family has been steadily paring its shareholding.Shares of IndiGo ended 5.2% lower at ₹5,727 on NSE Thursday. The stock has gained 24.8% in 2025 so far, outperforming its benchmark Nifty Next 50 index, which is down 3.4%.

Mumbai: Listed asset management companies have been on a tear in this year's trading, riding on record inflows and growing expectations of a more relaxed regulatory environment. But analysts warn that gains may moderate as industry competition rises and valuations may be stretched.Shares of Nippon Life India AMC have surged 56%, while HDFC AMC has gained 54%, UTI AMC 38%, and Aditya Birla AMC 36% in the past six months compared with an 11.3% rise in the Nifty Financial Services Index.Investor appetite for these AMCs has been driven by resilient flows into their equity schemes despite sharp swings in the stock market. In July, equity mutual funds collected ₹42,702 crore - the highest ever in a month - led by appetite for midcap, smallcap, and sectoral fund offerings. SIP contributions hit a record ₹28,464 crore.123573408"The record-high inflows into AMCs are making them structural winners," said Prashanth Tapse, senior vice president - Research at Mehta Equities. As AUM grows, AMCs gain directly through fee income, which has driven a sharp rerating in the sector."The industry's average assets under management (AUM) stood at ₹76.74 lakh crore, while fund folios climbed to 24.57 crore by July-end, up from 10 crore in May 2021. The rapid growth in the 47-member-strong domestic mutual fund industry in the past five years is also drawing new entrants and intensifying competition. Jio BlackRock, Angel One Mutual, Unifi Capital and Pantomath Capital Advisors are among the firms that have launched their mutual fund business, while more are in the pipeline. ICICI Prudential AMC and Canara Robeco are looking to list, which could reduce the scarcity premium for existing AMC stocks."While AMC stocks used to trade at 20-25 times earnings, the recent rally has pushed some valuations to 35-40 times, with investors willing to pay a premium as the market increasingly treats them as long-term growth stories, similar to insurance companies," said Tapse.The pace of the rally in the AMC shares could slowdown in the face of the premium valuations. "Whatever the best could have happened has happened for these companies," said Siddarth Bhamre, head - Institutional Research, Asit C. Mehta. "The tide is going to shift. Newer and larger high potential players are entering the equity market, making it more competitive and markets are now looking more expensive than ever." AMC stocks could face near-term pressure, with prices expected to correct by 5% to 7%, he said.

Markets regulator Sebi on Thursday clarified that the cybersecurity and cyber resilience framework (CSCRF) applies only to systems used exclusively for its regulated activities. Shared infrastructure will also be audited if not already covered by the RBI or another regulator. Further, if regulated entities (REs) comply with RBI (or other regulator) cybersecurity rules that are equivalent to Sebi's, such compliance will be accepted by the markets watchdog. In its circular, Sebi also elaborated on the definition of critical systems, stating that it includes all systems that affect core operations, store or transmit regulatory data, client-facing applications, internet-facing systems, and other systems on the same network.REs have been asked to adopt zero-trust principles such as network segmentation, high availability, and avoiding single points of failure with approval from their IT Committees.The regulator said that guidelines relating to mobile applications are recommendatory, not mandatory, while for cyber crisis response, entities must act as per their Cyber Crisis Management Plan instead of issuing press releases. The regulator further clarified that deploying tools like threat simulations, vulnerability management, and decoy systems is encouraged but not compulsory. Entities are also required to assess third-party/vendor risks in consultation with their IT Committees.On audit-related matters, Sebi said, "While receiving and handling cyber audit reports submitted by their members, stock exchanges and depositories shall ensure that adequate safeguards are in place to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of such reports".In terms of disaster recovery, REs must be capable of resuming critical operations within two hours (RTO), maintain a 15-minute Recovery Point Objective (RPO), and plan for scenarios where timelines are not met, Sebi said. The regulator has also revised the thresholds and categorisation of regulated entities under the CSCRF. For Portfolio Managers, those with Assets Under Management (AUM) of Rs 10,000 crore and above will be categorised as Qualified REs, while those managing between Rs 3,000 crore and Rs 10,000 crore will fall under the Mid-size RE category. Portfolio managers with AUM of Rs 3,000 crore or below will be treated as Small-size REs, and those below the minimum threshold may be classified as Self-certification REs with simplified compliance requirements. For Merchant Bankers (MBs), all active MB-- those undertaking merchant banking activities during the relevant period--will be classified as Small-size REs for compliance purposes, while inactive MBs will be exempt from CSCRF provisions.

French multinational bank Societe Generale on Thursday bought over 31 lakh shares worth Rs 79 crore in RBL Bank via bulk deals. The shares were bought at a price of Rs 250.57 apiece which was a 2% discount over the Tuesday closing price.Shares of RBL Bank today ended at Rs 253 on the NSE, declining by Rs 2.40 or 0.94% amid weak market sentiments. Indian headline indices ended with sharp cuts on Thursday as US tariffs and monthly expiry weighed on the markets. The sell-off was seen across the board while more prominent in banks, IT and FMCG stocks. While Nifty fell 211.15 points or 0.85% to close at 24,500.90, the 30-stock S&P BSE Sensex finished at 80,080.57, declining by 705.97 points or 0.87%. RBL Bank witnessed a couple of bulk deals today. In one, Societe Generale bought over 32.78 lakh shares while in the other, it sold over 1.29 lakh shares at a price of Rs 251.19 per share. On the net basis, it remained a buyer.RBL shares have delivered returns of 12% in the past 12 months outperforming Nifty and Sensex, which have slid nearly 2%, each. The stock has been in top form this year, rallying 60% on the year-to-date basis.RBL Bank shares are currently trading above their 200-day simple moving average of Rs 1,867.4 while slipping below the 50-day SMA of Rs 1,986.1 according to Trendlyne data. The stock has traded with high volatility with 1-year beta of 1.2.The private sector lender had reported a standalone net profit of Rs 200.33 crore for the first quarter ended June 2025, a 46% year-over-year decline compared to a profit of Rs 371.52 crore in corresponding quarter of last year, as weaker interest income and rising expenses weighed on its performance.RBL Bank said its Net Interest Income (NII) fell 13% YoY to Rs 1,481 crore from Rs 1,700 crore a year ago, and declined 5% sequentially compared to Rs 1,563 crore in the March 2025 quarter. The bank’s net interest margin (NIM) for Q1 FY26 stood at 4.50%.Operating profit declined 18% YoY to Rs 703 crore, with the bank attributing the contraction to a reduction in unsecured lending and the impact of the recent repo rate cut. Meanwhile, operating expenses rose 12% YoY to Rs 1,847 crore, compared to Rs 1,646 crore in Q1 FY25.Also Read: Bulk deals buzz: Eternal nets Rs 3,220 crore buying, Swiggy sees sell action by BNP, Societe Generale(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of Economic Times)