Author: Aruna Kaim

The Walt Disney Company has announced that starting in 2027, it will no longer offer medical insurance coverage to employees’ spouses who have access to health insurance through their own employers. What About Other Dependents? Children & Other Dependents: Coverage remains unaffected. Children and other eligible dependents will continue to be eligible for health insurance under Disney’s employer-sponsored medical plans. Dental & Vision Care: The new restriction applies strictly to medical coverage. Spouses with external employer health insurance will remain eligible for coverage under Disney’s dental and vision plans. Unemployed or Uninsured Spouses: Spouses who are unemployed or whose employers…

Navigating AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) claims in India requires verifying specific criteria before treatment begins. Under IRDAI mandates, insurers must cover AYUSH treatments at par with allopathic (modern medicine) care using the policy’s full base sum insured without separate sub-limits, provided key conditions are met. Key Factors for AYUSH Claim Approval 1. Hospital Accreditation & Registration Claims are only approved if treatment occurs at a central/state government hospital or an NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers) / QCI (Quality Council of India) accredited facility. Local, non-accredited clinics, wellness retreats, or resorts are…

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s push to lower elevated borrowing costs through expanded Treasury bond buybacks has offered only temporary relief, with long-term Treasury yields resuming their upward climb. Key Takeaways & Market Context The Buyback Intervention The U.S. Treasury surprised financial markets by announcing plans to at least double its debt repurchase program—increasing long-dated bond buybacks from $2 billion to $4 billion per operation. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later indicated the administration could further expand repurchase efforts to contain long-term yields. Yield Volatility & High Borrowing Costs The initial announcement triggered a brief rally in bonds, pulling yields down…

Although US stock indices closed higher on Friday, they ended the week lower overall as volatile Treasury bond yields and rising Middle East tensions dampened investor sentiment. Market Summary & Index Performance Dow Jones Industrial Average: Rose 520.93 points (+0.99%) to 53,280.14 (posted its second consecutive weekly loss). S&P 500: Advanced 32.94 points (+0.43%) to 7,674.10 (snapped a 3-week winning streak). Nasdaq Composite: Gained 112.20 points (+0.43%) to 26,179.37 (snapped a 3-week winning streak). Key Market Drivers Treasury Yield Volatility & Government Interventions Stocks seesawed during the week following shifts in government bond yields. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced…

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has levied monetary penalties on two non-banking financial companies (NBFCs)—Shri Ram Finance Corporation Private Limited and Progfin Private Limited—for violating statutory governance directives and Know Your Customer (KYC) norms. The penalties follow statutory inspections conducted by the central bank with reference to the financial positions of both companies as of March 31, 2025. Breakdown of Regulatory Violations & Penalties Entity Penalty Amount Key Lapses & Grounds for Action Shri Ram Finance Corporation Pvt. Ltd. ₹8.10 Lakh • Management Governance: Appointed a director without prior written permission from the RBI, resulting in a change of…

Shriram Wealth Limited is expanding beyond its core High-Net-Worth Individual (HNI) segment to target mass-affluent investors over the next 12–18 months, MD & CEO Vikas Satija announced on Friday. The firm, which currently caters to clients with investable assets between ₹2 crore and ₹25 crore, aims to democratize wealth management solutions for investors holding ₹10 lakh to ₹2 crore in financial assets. Core Expansion Strategy Leveraging 4,400 Group Branches: Shriram Wealth will tap into the Shriram Group’s nationwide network of nearly 4,400 branches to penetrate Tier-II and Tier-III cities across India. 5-Year Growth Blueprint: The company plans to open 50…

India’s Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) are set to maintain a steady earnings trajectory in the near to medium term, supported by sustained credit demand across most sectors, according to a report by brokerage firm 360 ONE Capital. Despite global geopolitical uncertainty and climate factors like El Niño, management teams across major NBFCs have retained their FY27 growth guidance, citing healthy disbursement pipelines and stable early delinquency metrics. Q1 FY27 Performance Snapshot Excluding power financiers, NBFCs under 360 ONE Capital’s coverage recorded strong year-on-year (YoY) growth in the first quarter of FY27: Profit After Tax (PAT): Up 36.9% YoY Operating Profit:…

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has issued a fresh appeal to all registered establishments and employers to take advantage of the ongoing Employees’ Enrolment Campaign (EEC) 2026. The campaign offers a one-time regularization window to register eligible employees who remained outside the statutory EPF ambit between April 1, 2009, and March 31, 2026. The initiative—notified by the Ministry of Labour and Employment on June 29, 2026—commenced on July 1 and will remain operational until October 31, 2026. Key Provisions & Reliefs Under EEC 2026 Waiver of Employee’s Share: If the employer had not previously deducted the employee’s share of…

Speaking at the ET World Leaders Forum, Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla criticized the common baseline used to describe India’s economic potential, stating that labeling the nation as merely a “China+1” alternative is “intellectually lazy.” Instead, Birla urged global business leaders and policymakers to adopt a “World+1” model, arguing that India has established its own track record, scale, and strategic positioning to serve as an independent primary growth engine for the global economy. Key Takeaways from the Address Beyond “China+1”: Birla emphasized that while “China+1” acts as a convenient shorthand for supply chain diversification, it drastically underestimates India’s…

Welspun Corp Limited has secured the largest single order in its history—a mega contract valued at approximately $1.8 billion (~₹17,200 crore)—to supply line pipes from its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. The company announced the landmark win in a regulatory disclosure on Thursday, triggering an immediate market reaction. Following the news, Welspun Corp’s shares surged over 12–15% during intraday trading, touching a record high of ₹2,319.80 on Indian exchanges. Multi-Year Visibility and Order Book Surge The newly awarded contract expands Welspun Corp’s total consolidated global order book to an unprecedented $4.4 billion (~₹42,100 crore). Because the project…