Mint Primer

Money laundering is one of the key charges made by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against crypto exchange WazirX. The ED isn’t the first agency to level such allegations against a crypto platform, despite blockchain’s inherent property of traceability. Tune in with Mint's Prasid Banerjee to know more.

The RBI has been tightening liquidity conditions to check inflation, which has driven call money rate above the repo rate. Mint's Jagadish Shettigar and Pooja Misra analyses the impact in their report. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

Rising friction between the US and China over Taiwan offers threats as well as opportunities. Mint's Dilasha Seth explores in her report. This episode is being hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised its benchmark interest rate by another 75 basis points to cool scorching inflation. This was its second 75 bps hike in a row, and the fourth increase this year. Mint looks at what this rate hike means and its impact on the Indian economy.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has sharply lowered India’s growth forecast for FY23 to 7.4%, in its World Economic Outlook update titled ‘Gloomy and More Uncertain.’ This Mint Primer is written by Dilsha Seth and hosted by Prasid Banerjee explaining the implications of slower trade growth.

A chess-playing robot that fractured a boy’s finger was apparently irked when the seven-year-old began playing without waiting for the machine to complete its move. While such incidents are rare, they only exacerbate our fear of robots. Mint examines the issue. This edition of Mint Primer is being written by Leslie D'Monte & hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

Last week, federal think tank NITI Aayog released a report on digital banks, offering a template for their licensing in India. It said India already has a technology stack to facilitate digital banks. What purpose will these new banks serve, and are we ready for them? This Mint Primer is written by Gopika Gopakumar and hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

A robust agriculture infrastructure is crucial to reduce post-harvest wastage that remains high in India. The new Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) has got investment proposals worth ₹23,000 crore, accelerating change in this direction. Mint decodes its benefits. This Mint Primer, is written by Jagadish Shettigar and Pooja Misra, and hosted by Prasid Banerjee.

On Tuesday, the cooling mechanisms of data centres used by Google and Oracle in London failed to withstand the heat wave. As climate gets warmer, data centres need to up their game. This Mint Primer is written by Leslie D'Monte, and hosted by Alisha Sachdev!

Tech giants serve content owned by publishers and directly or indirectly monetise the resulting traffic while the publisher gets a little or inadequate share. The government is now examining this. Mint's Prasid Banerjee explains in this episode.

Ola Electric, the poster boy for India’s electric vehicle (EV) dreams, is going to spend $500 million in a research and development (R&D) facility for batteries. The question is whether R&D investments alone can mitigate the EV industry’s problems. Mint's Prasid Banerjee explains in this episode.

The monsoon session of Parliament began on Monday amid opposition protests on issues like inflation. The session has a hectic legislative agenda, but many controversial issues are expected to remain in the spotlight. Mint's Gireesh Chandra Prasad reports what to expect. This episode is being hosted by Mint's Prasid Banerjee.

The Reserve Bank of India last week relaxed norms for companies raising external commercial borrowings (ECBs), as part of a set of measures to stem the slide in the rupee. This Mint Primer is written by Jagadish Shettigar, Pooja Misra, and hosted by Prasid Banerjee, explaining the logic and implications of the move.

The recent ‘Uber Files’ reveal that the company had deployed kill switches, purportedly to destroy sensitive data that could have been legitimately accessed by police and officials. But kill switches are also helpful tools. We explain how. This episode is being hosted by Mint's Prasid Banerjee and is being reported by Leslie D'Monte.

On Tuesday, the James Webb Space Telescope, the biggest telescope in space, sent back its first set of images. The JWST surpassed the iconic Hubble’s abilities, using cutting-edge technologies to give us the farthest, deepest and clearest views of the universe till date. This episode is being hosted by Mint's Prasid Banerjee and is being reported by Shouvik Das.

State governments are confronting various fiscal risks, particularly heavy debt, says the Reserve Bank of India’s latest bulletin. The Centre too recently red-flagged states’ high off-budget borrowings and escalating power dues. Written by Jagadish Shettigar and Pooja Misraand and hosted by Prasid Banerjee, this Mint Primer analyses the implications.

The Reserve Bank of India on Monday introduced a rupee settlement system for international trade, which could help India promote its exports and facilitate trade with countries under sanction. This Mint Primer is written by Dilasha Seth and hosted by Prasid Banerjee, explaining the significance of the central bank's move.

The Sebi has proposed to include trading in mutual fund units under insider trading rules. The proposal, though well-intentioned, has worried many in the industry. In today's primer, Mint's Prasid Banerjee explains exactly why this is happening.

Amid high inflation and market volatility, many investors are turning to gold. Despite the spectacular rise and then fall of cryptocurrency, for a majority, it was gold that was always the answer to inflation. However, in the short term, gold can lag behind. Host Prasid Banerjee explains in this episode. Today's Primer is written by Mint's Neil Borate.

On 30 June, the European Parliament agreed upon a new law to regulate cryptocurrencies. The Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) law is the first comprehensive regulation for cryptos, and some expect it to become a trendsetter for crypto regulation globally. Mint's Prasid Banerjee explains:

On 1 July, the government imposed special additional excise duty of ₹23,250 per tonne on the sale of locally produced crude oil, sending stocks of oil producers tumbling. Here is what prompted the windfall tax, and its likely implications.

The government plans to table the Development of Enterprise and Service Hubs (DESH) Bill in the monsoon session of the Parliament, which will overhaul the special economic zones (SEZ) legislation. Mint's Prasid Banerjee explains its significance. Today's Primer is written by Mint's Dilasha Seth.

The government maintains buffer stocks for commodities such as wheat and rice to supply its welfare schemes, ensure price stability, and guard against exigencies. However, these stocks have been depleting of late. Mint's Prasid Banerjee examines the implications.

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meets for two days from Tuesday as the landmark indirect tax reform completes five years. The meeting is crucial, coming at a time central and state governments are facing stiff fiscal challenges. Mint's Prasid Banerjee examines what the Council is up to:

The data for the country’s current account balance for the fourth quarter of FY 2021-22 shows a decrease in the deficit to 1.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) from 2.6% of GDP in Q3 FY 2021-22. Mint's Prasid Banerjee analyses the situation in this episode.