After roads, tailwinds favour private sector investment in airports

Recently, Zurich Airports International AG won the bid to develop and operate the Jewar airport near Delhi for 40 years. The Swiss firm’s bid to share revenue of ₹400.97 per passenger with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) beat competition by a wide margin. But keen participation by leading business firms such as Adani Enterprises Ltd, Delhi International Airports (GMR Group) and international firm Anchorage Infrastructure Investments Ltd shows the rising private sector interest in airports. Naveen Kumar Saini/Mint This follows the recent deal by Tata group with Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC…

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Saw more merit in holding Raymond brand in the new lifestyle co, says CMD Gautam Singhania

A month after announcing demerger plans, Raymond has decided to modify its brand royalty policy and do away with any inter-company brand royalty contracts. “Originally the plan was that the new company, the lifestyle company would pay a royalty to the old company for the use of the brand name. However, we got feedback from investors and from various well-wishers that if we let the new company own the Raymond brand for its product categories, in perpetuity it would be more better for the new company,” said Gautam Singhania, CMD,…

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There Are Black Friday Type Deals On Small Business Saturday: $17.8 Billion Spent In 2018

In the midst of Black Friday and Cyber Monday planning and shopping, there are two additional “shopping” days you may want to know about. Small Business Saturday and Giving Tuesday. Each one came about, partly as a counter-movement to the big box retailer pushes to get people to spend. Note: I explore where to find Saturday specials here and “GivingTuesday” in a separate post that I will publish this weekend. NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 25: Lin-Manuel Miranda lights the Empire State Building blue in … [+] GETTY IMAGES If…

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Exclusive: Sachin Bansal on his investment strategy, his special interest in finance and the sectors he is bullish about

Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal, who has turned a devout investor after his exit from the ecommerce company, has turned his attention to the financial services sector. Bansal recently became CEO of Chaitanya Rural Intermediation Development Services, an NBFC focused on providing microfinance to lower economic groups in rural areas after he acquired a 90 percent stake for more than $100 million. Bansal, 37, told CNBC-TV18 in an interview that he is looking at a “long-term stint” at Chaitanya India Finance.  “Chaitanya is a 10-year-old company with a target of lower-income…

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EXCLUSIVE: LIC’s equity investment in FY20 likely to reach above Rs 70,000 cr, an all-time high

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) is likely to end FY20 with an all-time high equity investment (gross) of around up to 72,000 crore, an all-time high, sources said. In FY19, LIC invested around Rs 68,620 crore into the equity market. “We have already crossed Rs 33,000 crore and the second half of the year is expected to be robust considering the new business premiums have also seen a high growth,” said an official. While the year-on-year (YoY) growth will be 3.5 percent, LIC’s equity investments hold significance because it is…

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Sinclair leads $10.3M investment in rideshare advertising startup Octopus

Octopus Interactive, a startup bringing an interactive TV and ad experience into Uber and Lyft rides, has raised a $10.3 million funding round led by Sinclair Digital Group. Backseat TVs mixing show snippets and commercials have become a common part of the taxi experience in New York City and elsewhere. Octopus is offering something of a more interactive version of this concept to rideshare drivers, who can use it to keep their passengers entertained and also earn extra money. Octopus says it provides drivers with tablets that combine games (which…

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