BusinessLine Podcasts

In this week’s BL Portfolio Podcast, Parvatha Vardhini C, Editor of bl.portfolio and Hari Vishwanath, Deputy Head of Portfolio, take a look at the significant market events of 2023 and share valuable insights for investors. 1. The Banking Crisis: The podcast identifies the banking crisis as the most significant event of the year. The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank triggered a domino effect, threa...

Menstrual leave policy has become a major topic of discussion these days. Many claim it is a game changer to bring inclusivity to workplaces, but some others argue that it is a policy that can create more discrimination while hiring women. Chai Sutta Bar is an organisation that has provided 12 paid leaves to its female employees as a part of their menstrual leave policy. In this podcast, businessl...

India has been experiencing recurring cyclones over the past few years. Recently, Cyclone Michaung shook the lives of citizens of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. At this juncture, businessline’s Anjana PV talks to Vinson Kurian, consultant, businessline, to understand the formation of cyclones and the reasons behind them.  Vinson breaks down the formation of cyclones in simple terms, emphasising th...

The World Health OrganiZation has classified the SARS-CoV-2 sub-variant JN.1 as a separate variant of interest (VOI) from its parent lineage BA.2.86, due to its rapidly increasing spread. This new variant was recently found in Kerala. In this episode of businessline’s News Explained, Anjana PV and Jyothi Datta discuss the emergence of the JN.1 variant, the potential implications of this new varian...

The Indian government is bring a significant changes to the post offices after a 125 years since the enactment of the India Post Office Act in 1898. In this podcast, Shishir Sinha and V Nivedita discuss the nuances of recently Post Office Bill, 2023. The government’s rationale behind bring in a bill to regulate post offices is that nature of the kind of businsesses these office do have evolved sig...

Most of us aren't alien to the concept of artificial intelligence. It is seeping into our work and our surroundings.  Hari Viswanath, Deputy Editor, bl portfolio joins Nabodita Ganguly to talk about how one can tap the opportunity that AI offers, whether an investor should look out for AI-related stocks, and more.   AI's fast-paced development is prominent, particularly at the enterprise level. Vi...

Reliance Retail and Naturals Salon & Spa recently terminated their acquisition agreement citing disparities in the valuation of Naturals Salon & Spa.   CK Kumaravel, co-founder and CEO of Naturals Salon & Spa, speaks to businessline about why their recent deal with Reliance didn’t work out, the trends in the beauty industry post-pandemic, and the company’s expansion plan.   Regarding the potential...

Going ‘green’, becoming ‘sustainable’, and having a ‘zero carbon footprint’ are corporate buzz words these days. However, for many big corporations, these words are used as a marketing gimmick instead of a pledge for sustainability. This is called greenwashing. Regulators the world over are taking notice. In India, the Advertising Standards Council of India has come out with draft guidelines for e...

In this Current Account podcast, Hamsini Karthik engages in a compelling conversation with Mr. Shalabh Saxena, the Managing Director and CEO of Spandana Sphoorty Financial Limited. Once the second-largest microfinance company, Spandana Sphoorty faced challenges but is now on a growth trajectory. Saxena shares insights into the company's journey, decoding long-term plans, and revealing a vision for...

This podcast sheds light on the innovative financial instruments known as zero coupons and zero principal instruments, particularly in the context of social stock exchanges. These instruments serve as a unique bridge between social enterprises or charitable organisations and potential donors. Unlike traditional bonds or equities, zero coupon zero principal instrument don't yield interest, nor do t...

In this podcast, Madhusudanan R, co-founder of M2P Fintech, discusses his company's recent acquisition of Goals101, an analytics platform working closely with banks. Madhusudanan talks in depth about the acquisition, the thin line between data privacy and data sharing, and moonlighting. Regarding the acquisition deal, Madhusudanan mentions that it involves a cash-plus-stock arrangement with an add...

Lok Sabha on Wednesday faced a major security breach as two youths jumped from the visitor gallery to the hall, created a smokescreen, and shouted slogans. It is a coincidence that 22 years ago, on December 13, there was a terrorist attack on Parliament. In this podcast, Nivedita interviews Sinha, a witness to the incident, who describes the breach during the parliamentary session's zero hour. Two...

Commencing with a recognition of the far-reaching implications of climate change on Tamil Nadu's economic landscape, the podcast conversation featuring Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Department of Environment, Climate Change, and Forests, Government of Tamil Nadu, delves into the intricacies of the challenges faced by the state. Sahu underscores the urgency for a comprehen...

Chennai-based Modulus Housing which started after the Chennai floods in 2015, identifies a need for quick, portable housing solutions. The company specializes in micro-construction projects (less than 3000 square feet) using rapid modular technology. These units are built in factories, ensuring controlled quality and can be easily assembled and disassembled for reuse. Recently, it secured a signif...

The long-awaited election results are finally here, revealing significant shifts in political landscapes. The BJP is set to dominate the Hindi heartland, making a strong comeback in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh while retaining Madhya Pradesh. Meanwhile, the Congress seems to be victorious in Telangana. To decode and understand these results, businessline’s V Nivedita is joined by Poornima Joshi, Chi...

The return of Hardik Pandya to Mumbai Indians and Sam Altman to Open AI has put the spotlight on returning leaders. Was it an error of judgement to let them go in the first place? Kamal Karanth, co-founder of Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm discusses this with Raghavendra Vaidya, MD &CEO of Daimler Truck Innovation Centre India. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/sh...

Anand Sri Ganesh, the CEO of IIMB's start-up incubator NSRCEL talks about its journey and the start-ups that have come out of it. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/business-line/message

November 12 was a dreadful day. A tunnel collapse occurred in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, resulting in the entrapment of 41 workers.  The rescue operation, lasting 17 days, involved various government departments, ministries, and private companies, showcasing a massive, coordinated effort.  The initial attempt using an auger drilling machine faced challenges due to damaged equipment an...

Making an advertisement is an expensive process, but the cost is worth it if the company can be sure that the advertisement will make an impact. The question is how can the company be sure of it? Traditionally, companies will undertake research in the form of surveys to know how consumers react to the product. Now, these firms are exploring newer ways, including using neuroscience, to find out wha...

In this podcast, businessline’s Haripriya Sureban is joined by Arjun Rao, General Partner, Speciale Incept Advisors LLP; Sangeeta Gupta, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Nasscom; and Geethanjali Radhakrishnan, Founder and Managing Director, Adiuvo Diagnostics, where they talk about the evolving landscape of deep tech start-ups in India.  The conversation highlights the nascent sta...

Come elections every political party is talking about what they will give if elected. And if you have a close look at most of these manifestos, you can see several commonalities. Often, most parties make promises of moderating fuel prices – particularly cooking fuel (domestic LPG). A similar trend has been seen in the ongoing assembly elections, where parties have promised gas cylinders at a subsi...

Jio Financial Services is soon to become a Core Investment Company (CIC) from a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC). The move comes in response to a directive from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which mandated the conversion from a NBFC structure to that of a holding company. In this podcast hosted by Anjana PV, Senior Assistant Editor Hamsini Karthik, shares her insights into the concept of a...

In this businessline podcast, V Nivedita talks to Anilkumar SG, founder and CEO, Samunnati Financial Intermediation & Services Private Limited, about the impact of climate change on farmers in India and the efforts made by companies to mitigate these challenges. The podcast begins by addressing the effects of climate change on Indian farmers. Anilkumar talks about how climate change is not a dista...

In this episode of the Current Account podcast, Hamsini Karthik talks to Mahesh Balasubramanian, Managing Director, Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance to know about the recent trends in the life insurance industry. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/business-line/message

In this podcast, businessline’s Prabhudatta Mishra talks to Dr. Gyanendra Singh, the director of the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, about the intricacies of agriculture and its impact on India’s economy. The podcast kicks off with Mishra’s inquiry about the Institute’s preparations to meet the demands of farmers, especially considering the early seed collection. Singh proud...