Newsletter
Grannies get the spotlight, London welcomes a desi guest, and job search gets a rethink.
🗓️ Morning, folks and Happyyy Fridayyyy! ☀️
Senior citizens are having their moment in the internet zeitgeist. This could be best highlighted by two parallel trends, both led by grandmas.
First, enter nonna-maxxing, where Gen Z travellers skip tourist traps for pasta lessons with actual Italian grandmas.
GetYourGuide says searches for grandmother-led classes are up 50%+ since 2023, while three in four Gen Z travellers surveyed would book a “grandma-inspired” experience.
But while Gen Z is paying to get closer to grandmas, it’s also clashing with them over AI. Three-quarters of Gen Z used AI in 2025, versus about one in five Boomers, according to Deloitte.
So while an AI-generated family portrait may look like harmless fun to grandma, younger relatives see faces, personal data and consent at stake.
Turns out, the generation gap now is dictated by AI.
Moving on, a terrible Thursday for the markets. 😐
The Sensex and Nifty recorded their biggest single-day fall since June 11, 2026. The Nifty 50 fell nearly 400 points, while the Sensex shed close to 1,200 points.
The Nifty Bank fell more than 1,000 points as financial stocks came under pressure following IRDAI’s draft proposals on insurance distribution norms.
Meanwhile, the US Dollar Index climbed above 101, its highest level in two months. A stronger dollar typically puts pressure on the rupee and weighs on metal stocks as well, with some falling as much as 3%.
💡 Spotlight: Xi in Uncle Sam’s land 🇨🇳🇺🇲
Xi Jinping is in Washington, and the welcome is anything but low-key.
Donald Trump greeted the Chinese president with a military flyover, a 100-foot red carpet and a formal ceremony, signalling just how important the US-China relationship remains. Over three days, the two leaders are expected to discuss trade, the Iran war, Taiwan and, increasingly, AI.
But behind all this is a bigger agenda: both countries want to keep their rivalry from turning into another trade war.
China has been building its own AI chips and supply chains to reduce its dependence on the US, while Washington is trying to limit China’s access to advanced technology.
So the big AI question is: will the two countries keep racing ahead, or agree on some limits? What happens next could shape who leads the next era of technology.
AI is becoming one of the biggest battlegrounds in that competition, and what happens between Washington and Beijing could shape who leads the next era of technology.
Let’s hit it! 💪🏻
1 Big Thing: Insurance’s commission party might be over 👀
Insurance stocks had a rough Thursday. PB Fintech, Turtlemint, HDFC Life, SBI Life, ICICI Prudential and others fell sharply after insurance regulator IRDAI proposed major changes to how insurance is sold in India.
The biggest worry: the amount of money companies can spend and distributors can earn from selling you insurance could come down. But before we get into that, let’s first understand how insurance selling works.
Say you buy a health insurance policy for ₹20,000.
The entire ₹20,000 doesn’t simply stay with the insurance company. If you bought the policy through an agent, bank, broker or an online platform, the insurer may pay that seller a commission for bringing in the customer.
That commission is an important source of revenue for distributors. And IRDAI now wants tighter limits on how much they can earn.
What IRDAI is proposing: the regulator wants to put clearer limits on how much commission can be paid, depending on what insurance is being sold and how it is sold.
Insurance sold alongside loans could face much lower limits. And products sold through an “open” system, where a bank or broker can sell policies from multiple insurers, could also attract lower commissions.
There’s more. IRDAI is also proposing tighter limits on something called Expenses of Management, or EoM.
It basically refers to how much an insurer can spend on running and selling its insurance business, including commissions and other operating expenses.
- For life insurers, IRDAI wants the company-level limit to move to 15% of premium income within two years and 12.5% within five years.
- For general insurers, the proposed limit would gradually fall from 30% to 20% over five years.
So companies may have to become leaner and more careful about what they spend to acquire customers.
2. Airtel Money eyes a London listing 💸
Airtel Money, the mobile money arm of Airtel Africa, is gearing up for a major London IPO.
Why it matters: according to Bloomberg, the offering could be the UK’s largest IPO since 2021. Airtel Money is reportedly looking to raise at least $800 million, lower than the $1.5 billion to $2 billion it had previously hoped for.
The listing could also mark a rare overseas debut for an Indian-grown business. It could become the first such company to list on an overseas stock exchange since Yatra listed on Nasdaq in 2016.
The company provides digital financial services across Africa through a mobile-led platform, allowing customers to make payments, transfer money and access other financial products.
Zoom out: the potential listing comes at a time when London’s capital markets have been struggling.
Undervaluations, delayed IPOs and foreign takeovers have weighed on the UK stock market for years, while companies have increasingly looked elsewhere to raise capital.
London IPOs have raised less than $700 million so far this year. An $800 million Airtel Money IPO would push that figure above the $1 billion mark, giving the market a much-needed boost.
3. Who needs a job portal? 🫢
Naukri attracts the most job seekers, with 93% using it to look for work and 77% saying they found a job through it.
Smaller portals such as Shine.com, Apna and Foundit show an interesting pattern: the share saying they found jobs through these platforms is slightly higher than the share using them to look for work.
On social media, LinkedIn leads, but Instagram isn’t far behind. While 82% said they found a job through LinkedIn, 72% said the same for Instagram.
4. Stocks that kept us interested 🚀
What went up ⬆️
🔄 Hero Motors jumped 20% after 2.4 crore shares, or 5.3% of the company, changed hands in a block deal worth ₹281 crore.
📡 Avantel surged more than 6% after it received a ₹177 crore satellite communication order from Zetwerk.
🏗️ HG Infra gained 4% after receiving a completion certificate for its ₹1,393 crore project in Delhi.
What went down ⬇️
📉 IFCI and New India Assurance fell up to 4% after NSE's muted stock market debut. Both have direct or indirect exposure to NSE shares.
⚡ Suzlon Energy slipped more than 3% in response to multiple large trades worth ₹134 crore.
What else are we snackin’ 🍿
🏗️ Bengal investment: Adani Group plans to invest $10.4 billion in West Bengal to develop roads, bridges and ropeways across the state.
🤖 AI funding: Enterprise AI startup Ema raised $77 million in Series B funding led by Creaegis, taking its total funding to $140 million.
📈 IPO filing: Koolking Industries filed for an IPO with a ₹300 crore fresh issue, alongside an OFS of up to 30.5 lakh shares by promoters.
🚗 Used cars: Landmark Cars partnered with OLX India to combine its 140+ physical touchpoints with OLX’s online platform for a phygital used-car buying and selling experience.
📦 Fresh orders: Kalpataru Projects secured ₹2,025 crore in new orders, taking its FY27 order wins so far to ₹13,219 crore.
💰 Share acquisition: Zuari Industries acquired 1.28 crore shares of Texmaco Infrastructure for ₹147.96 crore to consolidate its investment portfolio.
And that’s a wrap. Pour yourself an extra one this weekend. 🥂
We’ll be back like clockwork on Monday!
Hit that 💚 if you liked this issue.
Disclaimer: This newsletter is for informational and research purposes only. Nothing here should be considered financial, investment, legal, or professional advice.
