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Corporate News - May 2025
ECONOMY
India, EU conclude another round of FTA talks; deal likely in two phases 
India and the European Union have successfully concluded the 11th round of negotiations for their proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on May 16, 2025. Recognizing the complexities of the global trade environment, both parties have agreed to a two-phase approach to finalize the deal. The initial phase will address core trade issues such as market access for goods, services, and investments, while more intricate matters like intellectual property rights and regulatory standards will be tackled subsequently. This strategic move aims to expedite the agreement process, with a shared commitment to conclude the FTA by the end of the year.
Fintech tools to transform medium enterprises into growth engines: NITI Aayog 
NITI Aayog's recent report, "Designing a Policy for Medium Enterprises," underscores the transformative potential of medium-sized enterprises within India's MSME sector. Despite representing just 0.3% of MSMEs, these firms contribute 40% to the sector's exports. The report recommends fintech-enabled initiatives, including turnover-linked working capital schemes, a ???? 5 crore credit card facility, and expedited fund disbursals through retail banks. It also proposes converting existing tech centers into SME 4.0 Competence Centres and integrating AI-driven tools into the Udyam platform to enhance compliance and resource navigation. These measures aim to position medium enterprises as pivotal drivers of innovation, employment, and export growth in India's economy.
ICRA projects Q4 growth at 6.9%, FY'25 GDP expansion at 6.3% 
Credit rating agency ICRA projects India's GDP growth at 6.9% for the fourth quarter of FY25, resulting in a fullyear expansion of 6.3%, slightly below the National Statistics Office's (NSO) estimate of 6.5%. The anticipated slowdown is attributed to uneven private consumption and investment trends, with the latter partly affected by tariff-related uncertainties. While service exports demonstrated robust growth, merchandise exports contracted during the same period. ICRA's Chief Economist, Aditi Nayar, noted that achieving the NSO's projected 6.5% growth would require a Q4 growth of 7.6%, which appears unlikely without significant revisions to earlier quarters.
INDIA PARTNERSHIPS
Redington, Zoho join hands to help Indian firms boost digital transformation
Technology solutions provider Redington Limited has entered into a strategic partnership with Zoho Corporation to enhance digital transformation efforts among Indian enterprises. This collaboration aims to leverage Redington's extensive distribution network to offer Zoho's suite of cloud-based solutions including Zoho Workplace, Bigin by Zoho CRM, and Zoho ZeptoMail to a broader customer base across the country. By combining Redington's reach with Zoho's robust software offerings, the partnership seeks to empower businesses of all sizes to achieve operational excellence, improve customer engagement, and unlock new growth opportunities.
MERGERS AND ACQUISITION
Charter to Acquire Cox Communications in $34.5 Billion Cable Merger Deal 
Charter Communications has announced a $34.5 billion deal merger agreement to acquire Cox Communications to create the largest cable and broadband provider in the United States. Under the terms of the agreement, Charter will absorb Cox's commercial fiber, managed IT, and cloud businesses, while Cox Enterprises will contribute its residential cable operations to Charter Holdings, a subsidiary of Charter. Cox Enterprises will own approximately 23% of the merged company's outstanding shares, and the deal includes about $12.6 billion in assumed debt. Post-merger, the combined entity will operate under the Cox Communications name, retaining Charter's headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, and establishing a significant operational presence in Atlanta, Georgia. Charter CEO Chris Winfrey will take over as President and CEO, with Cox CEO Alex Taylor serving as Chairman.
Maharashtra approves merging Konkan Railway with Indian Railways
The Maharashtra government has given its consent for the merger of the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) with Indian Railways, becoming the last shareholder state to approve the integration. The merger is contingent upon two conditions: the retention of the "Konkan Railway" name post merger and the reimbursement of C396.54 crore to Maharashtra, representing its initial investment in KRCL . This strategic move aims to address KRCL's financial constraints and enhance operational efficiency by leveraging Indian Railways' extensive resources. The integration is expected to facilitate infrastructure development, improve passenger services, and bolster economic growth along the 741-kilometer coastal route connecting Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, and Kerala.
Tech Mahindra partners with KOGO AI to expand enterprise AI Solutions 
Tech Mahindra has announced a strategic partnership with Kogo AI to bolster its enterprise AI offerings. This collaboration aims to integrate Kogo AI's advanced artificial intelligence capabilities into Tech Mahindra's service portfolio, enhancing automation and efficiency for clients across various industries. By leveraging Kogo AI's expertise, Tech Mahindra seeks to deliver more intelligent and adaptive solutions, aligning with its commitment to driving digital transformation and innovation in the enterprise sector.
TECHNOLOGY
Microsoft wants AI 'agents' to collaborate together and remember things 
At its Build 2025 conference in Seattle, Microsoft unveiled its vision for an "agentic web," where AI agents from various developers can collaborate seamlessly and retain contextual memory of user interactions. Chief Technology Officer Kevin Scott emphasized the adoption of the open-source Model Context Protocol (MCP), introduced by Anthropic, to standardize communication among AI systems. To address the challenge of AI memory retention without incurring high computational costs, Microsoft is exploring "structured retrieval augmentation," a method enabling agents to extract and remember concise information from user interactions, thereby enhancing efficiency and personalization in AI-driven tasks.
Indian VC funds leverage AI to evaluate deals, boost workflows 
Indian venture capital firms are increasingly integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into their operations to enhance efficiency and accelerate deal evaluation processes. By leveraging generative AI platforms like ChatGPT and Claude, tasks traditionally handled by junior analysts—such as deep research, preliminary analysis, and portfolio management—are now being automated. This technological shift has significantly reduced the time required for due diligence, compressing week-long processes into just a day or two. While AI tools are augmenting the capabilities of investment teams, industry experts emphasize that human judgment remains crucial in the venture capital decisionmaking process.
Semicon 2.0: India eyes 5% slice of global semiconductor chip pie by 2030 
The Indian government has launched "Semicon 2.0," an ambitious initiative under the India Semiconductor Mission, aiming to capture 5% of the global semiconductor chip production by 2030. With a commitment of $10 billion in incentives, the strategy focuses on bolstering semiconductor fabrication (fab), Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT), and Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging (ATMP) sectors. Significant investments include over C1.55 trillion across six upcoming plants, notably C91,000 crore allocated to Tata's fab facility. A senior official from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) emphasized the long journey ahead, highlighting the government's dedication to establishing India as a key player in the global semiconductor landscape.
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Institute of Directors (IOD) is an apex national association of Corporate Directors under the India's 'Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860'. Currently it is associated with over 31,000 senior executives from Govt, PSU and Private organizations of India and abroad.
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