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According to NielsenIQ, urban FMCG volume growth declines to 2.8% from 11% a year earlier. 

Now, FMCG companies in India are addressing the urban slowdown with innovative strategies.

Top players like Hindustan Unilever, Britannia, ITC, and Colgate-Palmolive are introducing "access packs", i.e. small-size packs.

For instance:

• Hindustan Unilever launched Surf Excel Liquid packs for ₹10, down from ₹110

• Colgate reduced the price of premium toothpaste variants to ₹80 from ₹170

The goal is to reignite demand in urban markets.

Will this help revive urban FMCG demand, or is it indicating shrinkflation?

Reliance Retail has written off its $200 million (₹1,650 crore) investment in Dunzo.

• CEO Kabeer Biswas has joined Flipkart to lead its quick commerce business Minutes.

• Dunzo's valuation dropped from ₹6,065.75 crore ($770 million) in 2022 to a possible ₹257.73 crore ($25–30 million) now.

• Losses soared to ₹1,800 crore in FY23 despite 4x revenue growth to ₹226 crore.

• Failed investments and acquisitions, including PhonePe and Flipkart deals, worsened its troubles.

• Dunzo faces ₹500 crore debt and ongoing NCLT cases.

Find out how competitors like Zepto outpaced it.

TCS's net profit reached ₹12,380 crore!

• Stock Surge: TCS shares rose 4.7% to ₹4,227.70 on 10 Jan after a 12% Y-o-Y net profit rise.

• Revenue: Grew 5.6% Y-o-Y to ₹ 63,973 crore but missed expectations (₹64,750 crore).

• Deals: Secured ₹87,647 crore ($10.2 billion) in new contracts.

• Market Growth: Strong in Latin America (+7%) and Europe (+4.1%), while North America dipped 2.3%.

• Dividend: Interim dividend of ₹10/share and special dividend of ₹66/share announced.

But why did TSC's revenue drop?

Reliance Jio is gearing up for a potential IPO by late 2025. 👇

It’s accelerating 5G monetisation through Jio AirFiber to attract investors.

• Jio aims to add 10 lakh AirFiber users within 30 days

• AirFiber's ARPU (₹650-₹700) is 3 times more than mobile ARPU (₹195) in Q2FY25.

• By 2024 September-end, Jio had 28 Lahks AirFiber connections.

• An additional 19 lakh home broadband users may have joined in Q3.

Will Jio’s 5G leap pave the way for its IPO success? 🤔

Read all about Jio and Reliance for a fine-tuned opinion on their projects!.

TCS is expected to report a 0.4% sequential revenue decline in Q3 FY24, reaching ~₹64,960.4 crore ($7,642.4 million).

The Q3 results will be announced today (Thursday) evening.

• Factors like holidays, temporary work breaks (furloughs), and currency fluctuations contribute to this drop.

• Despite this, net profit is likely to grow by 5.8%, touching ₹12,599.8 crore.

What exactly is driving TCS’ profits? Find out with today’s results!

Want to know more about TCS? Check out these must-read articles!

Microsoft will invest ~₹25,500 crore ($3 billion) in India over the next two years.

The announcement comes after CEO Satya Nadella’s meeting with PM Modi.

• The focus is on building cloud and AI infrastructure, including new data centres.

• This move aims to support India’s booming AI startups and research ecosystem.

Microsoft also plans to train 1 crore (10 million) people in AI skills by 2030.

Will India rise as the global AI leader? Keep getting the latest biz. Insights with Insider Bullets!

Bharti Airtel is set to outpace Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea (Vi) in Q3 revenue growth.

The surge comes from the impact of July 2024 tariff hikes and rising mobile broadband users.

• Airtel and Jio are likely to gain subscribers

• While Vodafone Idea could face further losses

ICICI Securities expects Airtel’s ARPU to grow by 5% in Q3FY25, reaching ₹245, while Jio’s and Vi’s ARPU are estimated to rise by 3.8% and 3% to ₹203 and ₹161, respectively.

Could this mark Airtel's rise to dominance in the Indian telecom market?

Adani Group has partnered with Thailand's Indorama Resources to enter the petrochemical sector.

Their joint venture, Valor Petrochemicals Ltd. (VPL), will focus on establishing refinery, petrochemical, and chemical operations. 

• Things will start with setting up a 3.2 million tonne Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) project in Maharashtra, estimated to cost ~₹25,500 crore ($3 billion).
• This collaboration marks Adani's strategic entry into India's petrochemical industry.

Did you know Adani was accused of fraud? Know all about it! 
And if you want more Adani news, we’ve got you covered! 👈

Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal is in talks to sell his ~₹850 crore ($100 million) stake in Ola, invested in 2019.

The deal could value Ola at around ₹34,000 crore ($4 billion), offering Bansal a premium return on his investment. 

• This decision aligns with his focus on expanding Navi, his fintech venture.
• Navi, however, faces hurdles in securing regulatory approval for external funding.

Earlier, Bansal sold his stake in Ather Energy to Zerodha’s Nikhil Kamath.

Interestingly, this move comes at a time when Ola is in the news for its recent layoffs and IPO.
 

Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) have recently increased their bearish positions in Indian index futures.

The long-to-short ratio has reached 17.2%, indicating a high level of bearish sentiment.

• A ratio between 12-18% signifies a high bearish sentiment among FPIs.

• It dropped to 13.5% on 1 January but rebounded as foreign investors reduced their bearish positions during the market recovery.

Analysts see this as a potential bullish signal, suggesting that the market may be oversold and could rebound.

But don’t overlook the other parameters, FII and DII, to check the full market picture.

Tata Sons has directed its group companies, such as Tata Digital, Tata Electronics, and Air India, to independently manage their debts.

• Tata Sons recently surrendered its RBI registration after repaying over ₹20,000 crore debt to remain unlisted.

• Future capital allocation will be through equity investments and internal accruals.

• Funding for new businesses will primarily come from TCS’ dividends and support.

Tata Sons will no longer act as the holding entity! The leading listed company will take that responsibility in each sector.

In 2024, India's National Stock Exchange (NSE) led Asia with 268 IPOs, surpassing major exchanges in Japan, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.

• NSE facilitated the highest equity capital raised through IPOs worldwide (beating the US), totalling over ₹1.6 lakh crore.

• Hyundai Motor India's ₹27,870.16 crore IPO was the largest in India and the second-largest in the world.

This surge in IPO activity reflects growing investor confidence in India's capital markets and the economy's resilience.

Everything you need to know about the recent IPOs—Just a click away! 👈

Zepto is planning to file for an IPO by March or April 2025!

• The quick-commerce startup has received approval from Singapore to relocate its holding entity to India.

• The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) will review its reverse merger application on 17 January 2025 to facilitate this move.

• A board meeting is scheduled for January 19, 2025, to discuss the IPO's size, appoint bankers, and consider resolutions related to the domicile shift.

If successful, Zepto could become the first independent quick-commerce firm to go public in India.

Hindustan Unilever (HUL) is in discussions to acquire a majority or complete stake in D2C beauty brand Minimalist, valuing the company at ~₹3,000 crore.

Founded by brothers Rahul and Mohit Yadav, Minimalist has gained a significant position in the Indian beauty and skincare market.

Moreover, HUL has previously acquired multiple brands, such as Ponds, Rin, Lux, Lakme, TRESemmé, etc. 

It’ll be interesting to see how this potential acquisition will turn out.

• The government banned Nimesulide, a painkiller harmful to vultures, under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940.

• Research shows the drug causes kidney failure and death in vultures. 

• Experts compare its effects to diclofenac, another drug banned for killing the species.

• Despite the ban, reports say Nimesulide is still sold in some rural areas, raising enforcement concerns.

• Safer options like meloxicam offer hope for protecting endangered scavengers. 

What does this mean for big pharma companies like Cipla and Mankind Pharma?

Blinkit, owned by Zomato, has launched a 10-minute ambulance service in Gurugram. 

• It has started with 5 ambulances equipped with essential life-saving equipment.

• Staffed by a paramedic and an assistant, users can request this affordable service through the Blinkit app. 

CEO Albinder Dhindsa announced plans to expand this initiative to all major cities within the next 2 years. 

Netizens are praising the initiative for its potential to minimise emergency medical response times, with some calling it a "much-needed step”.

Want more such spicy biz. news? Stay on top with Insider Bullets!

Malaysia's new law requires a license for social media and messaging platforms with over 80 lakh users starting 1 January 2025. 

• TikTok (28.68 lakh users) has got its license

• WeChat's (12 lakh users) license has also been approved

• Telegram is almost ready to get its license

• X (formerly Twitter) hasn't applied, claiming less than 80 lakh users

• YouTube (24.1 lakh users) hasn't applied because it's unsure how it's classified

• Facebook (22.35 lakh users) has begun the licensing process

This new rule has raised questions about how it will affect these platforms in Malaysia.

Know more about another popular social media app (Instagram) and its new paid subscription feature.

Social media companies are facing tough challenges as governments push for stricter rules. 

• The European Union now has a law that forces companies to remove harmful content, with fines up to 6% of the company's revenue.

• The US Supreme Court is deciding on cases that could change online free speech laws by 2025.

• India and Brazil are also making new laws to control how platforms handle posts.

These changes show how hard it is to protect free speech while following rules.

Know more about how even free media can be bought!

On 31 December 2024, quick-commerce and food-delivery platforms like Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart experienced record-breaking order volumes, surpassing previous festive season peaks. 📈

Bengaluru led in order numbers, with cloud kitchens such as Curefoods and Rebel Foods also seeing notable growth. 

To manage the demand, companies hired additional temporary workers. 

• Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa, too, delivered some of the orders by himself. 🚚

• He further announced a new large-order fleet in Delhi and Gurugram for bulk items and party supplies.

Read more about the future prospects of quick-service restaurants in India.

Senior executives from quick commerce companies like Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, and BigBasket recently met with Indian government officials to discuss their operational models. 🧐

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) inquired about their dark stores to ensure compliance with India's Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) regulations.

Concerns were also raised about delivery safety and their impact on traditional kirana stores.

Want to know about how India’s Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry is changing consumer habits? Read this! 👈