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Fractal Analytics on Friday said it has raised Rs 1,249 crore from anchor investors ahead of its proposed initial public offering (IPO), after allotting 1,38,69,499 equity shares to 52 anchor investors at the upper end of the price band of Rs 900 per share.The IPO will open for public subscription on Monday, February 9, and close on Wednesday, February 11. The price band has been fixed at Rs 857 to Rs 900 per equity share of face value Rs 1 each, with a minimum bid lot of 16 equity shares.Out of the total anchor allocation, 52,77,680 equity shares (38.05%) were allotted to 11 domestic mutual funds through a total of 22 schemes, indicating strong participation from domestic institutions.The anchor book witnessed demand from several leading mutual funds including SBI Mutual Fund, ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund, Motilal Oswal Mutual Fund, UTI Mutual Fund, Trust Mutual Fund, Bandhan Mutual Fund, Invesco Mutual Fund, Baroda BNP Paribas Mutual Fund, and Sundaram Mutual Fund, among others.Insurance companies that participated in the anchor round included Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), HDFC Life Insurance, SBI Life Insurance, Bharti AXA Life Insurance, and Edelweiss Life Insurance.The issue also drew strong interest from global investors, including marquee long-only and institutional names such as Morgan Stanley Investment Funds and Goldman Sachs Bank Europe, along with Ashoka WhiteOak Emerging Markets Funds, Jupiter Global Fund, Societe Generale – ODI, Flumen Investment Trust, Optimix Wholesale Global Emerging Markets Share Trust, Neo Prime Fund, and Neo Secondaries Fund, among others.Fractal Analytics describes itself as India’s first pure-play artificial intelligence company and a global provider of AI-powered analytics and decision science solutions to Fortune 500 companies, enabling enterprises to unlock business value through advanced data science, artificial intelligence and deep domain expertise.The IPO comprises a fresh issue of equity shares aggregating up to Rs 1,023 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) aggregating up to Rs 1,810 crore. The OFS is being undertaken by existing shareholders including Quinag Bidco Ltd, TPG Fett Holdings Pte., Satya Kumari Remala, Rao Venkateswara Remala, and GLM Family Trust. The issue also includes an employee reservation portion of up to Rs 600 million.Kotak Mahindra Capital Company, Morgan Stanley India Company, Axis Capital, and Goldman Sachs (India) Securities are the book running lead managers to the offer.

India’s next generation announced itself in emphatic fashion as a fearless, record-shattering knock from 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi powered the side to a commanding 100-run victory over England and a record-extending sixth ICC Under-19 World Cup title on Friday.Batting first on the biggest stage of youth cricket, India produced a statement total of 411 for 9, a score built around Sooryavanshi’s breathtaking 175 off just 80 balls. Playing with a freedom that belied his age, the teenage prodigy dismantled the English attack with clean striking and relentless tempo, reaching the fastest 150 ever recorded in Under-19 cricket in only 71 deliveries. His innings, studded with 15 sixes and 15 fours, is now the highest individual score in an ICC tournament final and instantly enters the folklore of India’s rich junior-cricket history.The title triumph strengthens India’s extraordinary legacy in the competition, adding to earlier championships in 2000, 2008, 2012, 2018 and 2022, and once again underlining the country’s depth of emerging talent.England’s pursuit briefly carried promise, with the required rate remaining within reach through the early stages. But India’s bowlers ensured the chase never truly gathered control, striking at regular intervals to chip away at momentum. Caleb Falconer’s aggressive 115 from 66 balls and Ben Dawkins’ 66 provided resistance, yet the mounting target proved too steep as England were eventually bowled out for 311 in 40.2 overs.While Sooryavanshi’s extraordinary innings defined the final, the victory resonated far beyond the boundary ropes. In Virar, Maharashtra, scenes of celebration broke out near the residence of India Under-19 captain Ayush Mhatre, where neighbours and supporters gathered with drums, cheers and fireworks to welcome a triumph that symbolised both local pride and national promise.— ANI (@ANI) Brief scoresIndia 411/9 in 50 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 175, Ayush Mhatre 53; James Minto 3/63, Sebastian Morgan 2/74).England 311 all out in 40.2 overs (Caleb Falconer 115, Ben Dawkins 66; RS Ambrish 3/56, Deepesh Devendran 2/64).

The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) on Friday said its governing board has approved plans to undertake an initial public offering (IPO) through an offer for sale (OFS) by existing shareholders.NSE said the IPO will involve the listing of its equity shares on one or more recognised Indian stock exchanges, subject to applicable regulatory approvals, prevailing market conditions and other relevant factors.The development comes soon after NSE recently received a no-objection from market regulator Sebi to proceed with its IPO, ending a decade-long wait for approval for its public issue.As part of the listing preparations, the board also approved the reconstitution of its IPO Committee, which will carry out activities specifically delegated by the governing board for facilitating the IPO process.The reconstituted committee will be chaired by Tablesh Pandey and will include public interest directors Srinivas Injeti, Prof Mamata Biswal, Abhilasha Kumari, and Prof Sivakumar, along with NSE Managing Director and CEO Ashish Chauhan.The committee is expected to serve as the central authority for the listing process, including defining listing procedures and establishing criteria for appointing merchant bankers and legal advisors required to draft the Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP).The proposed IPO is expected to be among the largest in India’s capital markets, given NSE’s scale and dominance in the domestic equity derivatives market. NSE has around 1.77 lakh shareholders and is valued at over Rs 5 lakh crore in the grey market, according to various analysts.The listing is widely being watched as a landmark event for India’s capital markets ecosystem, given NSE’s role as the country’s largest stock exchange by volumes and its central position in the financial market infrastructure.

Amid sharp volatilities in gold prices, the Reserve Bank said it is very comfortable and not concerned with the outstandings against the precious metal in the financial system. The central bank has done a review of a set of portfolios, including gold loans, and reached the conclusion, Governor Sanjay Malhotra told reporters after the bi-monthly monetary policy announcement. "...on the gold loans, we are very comfortable," Malhotra said, adding that there is no cause for concern on the asset class. The overall gold loan outstanding across the financial system nearly doubled in the two years to November 2025, as the spike in prices of gold made lenders more comfortable. However, a sharp fall in the prices of the commodity over the past few days has led to concerns as borrowers can default on their obligations. Malhotra said the loan-to-value ratios in the gold lending segment, which denote the quantum of money that can be given to borrowers against the security, are much lower than the prescribed norms across the industry. He said as against the allowed limit of up to 85 per cent, financiers have been keeping the LTV ratio at a much smaller level in practice, which has helped allay the concerns in the book. Governor Malhotra also said that a review of lending to micro, small and medium enterprises and personal loans has also been done along with gold loans. "All categories, they show good asset quality, low slippages, and no cause for any concern," he said.

Leading exchange NSE reported a 37% year-on-year (YoY) slump in its consolidated net profit at Rs 2,408 crore in the third quarter, while total income fell 9% YoY to Rs 4,395 crore.On a sequential basis, profit after tax rose 15%, while total income grew 6%Operating EBITDA for the third quarter declined 16% YoY to Rs 2,851 crore, while declined to 73%. This was the first results by the company after it received Sebi's NOC for an IPO.The overall revenue growth during the quarter was hit by lower transaction charges, which fell 12% YoY to Rs 3,033 crore. Revenue from transactions, however, rose 9% quarter-on-quarter, led by a sequential increase in volumes across equity cash market and derivatives segments. Revenue from data feed and terminal services jumped 17% YoY to Rs 121 crore, while revenue from listing services grew 11% YoY to Rs 111 crore.NSE recently received a no-objection from regulator Sebi to launch its IPO, marking an end to decade long wait for its offer approval from the regulator. The issue, which is likely to completely an OFS according to various reports, is likely to be launched in the next 7-8 months.With regards to the IPO, the board is expected to form a specialised committee to serve as the central authority for the listing. This committee will be tasked with defining listing procedures and establishing the criteria for appointing the merchant bankers and legal advisors required to draft the Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP), PTI reported earlier.The proposed IPO is expected to be among the largest in India's capital markets. NSE, which has about 1.77 lakh shareholders, is valued at over Rs 5 lakh crore in the grey market, according to various analysts.NSE MD and CEO Ashish Chauhan had earlier described the approval as a positive signal."With Sebi approval, we embark on a new chapter of value creation for all our stakeholders. This approval also reinforces confidence in NSE being an integral part of the Indian economy and a beacon of Indian capital markets," Srinivas Injeti, Chairperson, NSE had said earlier.

Benchmark indices Nifty and Sensex pared early morning losses to end the day higher on Friday, February 6 as the Indian rupee logged its best week in over 3 years. The Reserve Bank of India left its policy repo rates unchanged at 5.25%. The decision to keep interest rates on hold was also taken "unanimously." The MPC also left the policy stance as "neutral."The BSE Sensex rose 266 points or 0.32% to close the week at 83,580 while the Nifty 50 gained 51 points or 0.20% to end the day at 25,693. In his address, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said the central bank's inflation outlook remains comfortable, with CPI inflation for FY26 projected at 2.1%, according to Monetary Policy Committee. The central bank expects price pressures to stay broadly contained, reflecting stable domestic conditions and manageable demand trends.In today's session, cigarette makers including ITC, Godfrey Phillips and VST Industries surged up to 13% after reports indicated companies had raised prices following the recent tax hike, passing on higher costs to consumers. The rally was also supported by value buying at lower levels after a sharp correction triggered by the cigarette taxation overhaul announced on December 31, which came into effect from February.The broader market, represented by the Nifty Midcap and Smallcap 100 indices, ended 0.2% and 0.3% lower, respectively.Expert viewsIndian equity markets traded with a cautious, range-bound bias today as investors digested the central bank’s decision to keep interest rates unchanged, reinforcing its preference for stability amid improving global trade visibility following recent U.S. tariff adjustments. Sentiment, however, drew support from regulatory clarity after the RBI indicated that banks would be permitted to lend to REITs, enhancing long-term funding visibility for the real estate and credit ecosystem. On the domestic front, support also came from a slight recovery in the Indian rupee, aided by moderated corporate dollar demand, which helped ease near-term currency concerns, Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money said.Global MarketsGlobal markets retreated on Friday as a Wall Street selloff spilled across regions, with volatility hitting precious metals and cryptocurrencies while AI-related concerns weighed on equities. The MSCI All-Country World Index recovered from intraday lows to trade near flat, but it still remained on track for its worst weekly performance since mid-November, down about 1.6%.European markets also opened lower as a busy earnings week drew to a close. The pan-European Stoxx 600 slipped 0.37% in early trade, with most major indices and sectors in negative territory. Share price movements this week were largely driven by corporate updates from major names including LVMH, Novo Nordisk, Shell and several large banking groups, while Friday’s earnings calendar appeared relatively light.In Asia, equities weakened, with MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan falling 0.7% and heading for a second consecutive day of losses. Japanese markets bucked the trend, with the Nikkei 225 rising 0.8% ahead of the upcoming election, offering some support amid broader regional caution.Crude impactU.S. crude futures extended losses on Friday and were headed for their first weekly decline in several weeks, as easing concerns over Middle-east supply disruptions shifted investor focus to the outcome of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks scheduled in Oman later in the day. Brent crude futures fell 50 cents, or 0.74%, to $67.05 per barrel at 0102 GMT after settling 2.75% lower in the previous session.Meanwhile, U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude slipped 52 cents, or 0.82%, to $62.77 per barrel, following a 2.84% drop on Thursday. The continued decline reflects cautious market sentiment as traders assess potential developments from the negotiations and their impact on global oil supply.Rupee vs DollarThe Indian rupee closed 0.33% lower at 90.6550 per U.S. dollar, compared with the previous close of 90.3550.The Indian rupee advanced 1.4% for the week, marking its strongest weekly gain since January 2023.(With inputs from agencies)