Putting AI in Crocs 🤖

Q1 earnings boom, BlissClub’s fundraise bliss, & Netflix joins hands with the Tourism Ministry.

🗓️ Morning, folks and Happy Mondaayyyyy! ☀️

If you’ve ever fallen for a modern-day Laxmi Chit Fund, you’re not alone. But SEBI is now putting AI on the case.

Its AI-powered Project SUDARSAN has flagged over 20,000 potentially fraudulent social media posts since November 2025. It scans text, images, videos and regional-language content.

The aim? To catch guaranteed-return claims, fake certifications, impersonation and unregistered investment advice.

Why the crackdown?

Because finfluencers are fine gaslighters. SEBI found 62% of investors are influenced by them, while 93% consider them moderately to highly credible.

So, next time ‘paisa double’ pops up in your DMs, maybe scroll on. Your wallet will thank you.

Now, on to Dalal Street. 📈

Last week had a little bit of everything: the new Closing Auction Session (CAS), the RBI holding rates, a flood of Q1 earnings, and geopolitical tensions refusing to leave the group chat.

This week, however, one word steals the spotlight. (Drumroll, please...)

✨ INFLATION ✨

India’s retail inflation (CPI) numbers are due on Wednesday, August 12, followed by wholesale inflation (WPI) on Friday, August 14.

These numbers matter even more after RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra warned last week that headline inflation could rise in the near term before cooling later.

Investors will also track US jobs and inflation data for clues on what the Federal Reserve might do next with interest rates.

And yes, US-Iran tensions remain on the watchlist because apparently this plotline has been renewed for another episode. Iran says it won’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the US meets its demands.

Let’s hit it! 💪🏻

1 Big Thing: Paras Defence earnings come in hot 🔥

Defence tech major Paras Defence reported healthy Q1 numbers, with double-digit growth across revenue, profit and operating performance.

By the numbers:

Revenue: ₹127.9 crore, up 37% YoY (from ₹93.2 crore)
Net profit: ₹21.2 crore, up 43% YoY (from ₹14.9 crore)
EBITDA (operating profit): ₹31.9 crore, up 45% YoY (from ₹22 crore)
EBITDA margin: improved to 24.9% from 23.6%, meaning the company earned more operating profit from every rupee of revenue.

The bigger picture: the strong results come as Paras Defence is expanding beyond its traditional defence business. In July, its subsidiary, Paras Semiconductors, signed an MoU with the Madhya Pradesh government to set up a ₹6,200 crore advanced chip packaging (OSAT) facility.

More than earnings: the company has proposed a final dividend of ₹1 per share, with August 28 set as the record date.

Why dividend is important: for a defence tech company that needs to keep investing heavily in manufacturing and new technologies, paying a dividend signals that the business is generating enough cash to reward shareholders while continuing to fund growth.

Another move: Paras Defence plans to sell its entire 47.5% stake in Krasny Paras Defence Technologies.

While we are on earnings 💰,

India’s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI), reported a better-than-expected June quarter.

By the numbers:

Consolidated net profit: ₹24,113 crore, up 13.7% YoY
Core income (NII): ₹46,992 crore, up 15% YoY

Core income (NII) is basically the money a bank earns from interest on loans minus the interest it pays to depositors and other lenders.

Loans: Grew 18.6% YoY

So, what’s driving this growth? Strong demand for loans and steady deposit growth.

SBI’s total business crossed ₹110 lakh crore in Q1 FY27. Deposits rose 9.7% YoY to ₹60.1 lakh crore, while loans crossed ₹50 lakh crore, with domestic lending growing 18.2%.

More on earnings,

Titan started FY27 strong, with profit and revenue rising sharply in Q1. Its jewellery business led growth, helped by healthy consumer demand.

By the numbers:

Net profit: ₹1,777 crore, up 63% YoY
Total income: ₹20,753 crore, up 40%
Jewellery revenue: ₹18,253 crore, up 43%

But there’s a catch: ₹407 crore of the profit growth came from customs duty gains on gold. Even without this one-off boost, profit before tax grew 37%.

2. Why has an IT company joined hands with Crocs? 👟

Infosys signed a 10-year deal with footwear giant Crocs to use AI and technology to make its global business faster, simpler and cheaper to run.

What’s cookin’: it will bring together data and systems that currently operate separately, automate more day-to-day work using AI and give Crocs faster access to information for making business decisions.

Infosys executive Karmesh Vaswani says retail is at a turning point where AI ideas can now be put to work much faster.

Zoom out: an IT company working with a footwear brand might sound unusual, but it isn’t.

In 2024, PUMA India partnered with Accenture to redesign its supply chain using digital technology and analytics, helping it deliver orders faster and reduce costs.

More recently, Khadim partnered with AI-focused retail technology company Fynd to bring operations across 260 stores onto one platform.

Looks like Crocs is finally getting some sole-ful intelligence.

3. Raking in the Moolah 💰

Bengaluru-based athleisure startup BlissClub raised ₹160 crore in a funding round led by Singularity AMC, with existing investors Elevation Capital and Eight Roads Ventures also participating.

Founder Minu Margaret and her husband, Meesho co-founder Vidit Aatrey, also invested personal capital in the round.

What’s brewing: founded in 2020, BlissClub started by designing activewear specifically for Indian women, aiming to fill a gap in apparel tailored to Indian body types, weather conditions, and budgets.

The company says its revenue has grown by more than 60% YoY in each of the past two years.

The bigger picture: India’s athleisure market is becoming a fast-growing category at the intersection of fitness, wellness, sports, and everyday wear.

The numbers:

Valued at $13.9 billion in 2025
Expected to reach $22.4 billion by 2034
Projected to grow at an annual rate of 5.28% between 2026 and 2034

What went up ⬆️

⚙️ Varroc Engg jumped 10% after reporting decent Q1 earnings, while Britannia and GK Energy gained up to 5%.

💊 Aurobindo Pharma gained over 4% after Q1 profit grew 25% and the company approved the merger of three subsidiaries.

📺 PG Electroplast surged 4% on bullish management commentary post-Q1 results.

🚆 BEML ended 4% higher after its net loss narrowed and operating performance improved.

🏍️ Hero MotoCorp rose over 3% as the company raised medium-term margin guidance.

🏦 Tata Investment, Tata Chemicals gained up to 4% after the RBI retained Tata Sons among the 16 Upper Layer NBFCs.

What went down ⬇️

💳 Bajaj Finance slumped 6% after RBI released draft norms proposing a ban on revolving credit facilities by NBFCs.

✈️ Ixigo slipped 13% after Q1 margins came in below expectations.

📈 Godrej Consumer, Blue Star and Jyoti CNC fell up to 9% after reporting Q1 results.

What else are we snackin’ 🍿

🚆 Rail AI partnership: Texmaco Rail signed an MoU with Škoda Digital to explore AI-powered railway digitalisation solutions, strengthening its push into advanced rail technologies.

🎬 Screen tourism: Netflix and India’s Tourism Ministry launched “As Seen on Netflix” on the Incredible India website, showcasing real Indian destinations featured in Netflix films and series.

💰 Funding alert: dosa chain Benne raised ₹35 crore in a pre-Series A round led by Ranjan Pai’s Claypond Capital.

📊 Slide deal: OpenAI acquired AI presentation startup NextSlide, whose team will now work on ChatGPT. The startup converts prompts, notes and documents into editable presentations.

That’s a wrap! Don’t let the Monday blues get to you.

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Disclaimer: This newsletter is for informational and research purposes only. Nothing here should be considered financial, investment, legal, or professional advice.