Events & Highlights

The recent failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) has created instability in the Indian startup talent market because these companies had deposited around $1 billion with SVB. Despite having $209 billion in assets at the end of 2022, regulators shut down SVB on March 10 due to a run on the bank. Despite this, HR and staffing organizations in India are confident that the talent market will be unaffected by the SVB problem.

UBS (UBSG.S) is set to enter talks with Michael Klein to terminate a deal that would have seen the Wall Street dealmaker take control of much of Credit Suisse’s (CSGN.S) investment bank. UBS on Sunday agreed to buy rival Swiss bank Credit Suisse for 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.23 billion) in stock and agreed to assume up to 5 billion francs ($5.4 billion) in losses, in a shotgun merger engineered by Swiss authorities to avoid more market-shaking turmoil in global banking.

According to Hindenburg Research’s report on Block Inc., the company has wildly overstated its genuine user counts and has understated its customer acquisition costs. Former employees estimated that 40%-75% of the accounts they reviewed were fake or involved in fraud.

In response to Hindenburg Research’s report accusing Block Inc. of ignoring extensive fraud, Block has vowed to work with the Securities and Exchange Commission and explore legal action against Hindenburg Research for their factually inaccurate and misleading report.

Hindenburg Research recently published a report accusing Block Inc., formerly known as Square Inc., of ignoring extensive fraud. According to their 2-year investigation, Block has systematically taken advantage of the demographics it claims to be helping by facilitating a fraud against consumers and the government, avoiding regulation and misleading investors with inflated metrics.

The analysis predicts that in 2022, China and the European Union (EU) would each lower emissions by.9%, while India’s emissions will rise by 6% and those in the United States will rise by 1.5%. An increase of 1.7% was predicted for the remaining countries.

According to official data, as of November 22, 2019, the CCS facility had stored 300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. By 2050, the Japanese government predicts that the country would have stored between 120 and 240 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually in underground facilities. Survey results reveal that 16 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide could be stored in Japan’s offshore territory.

Ishikari City, Japan, has established a 100-hectare Renewable Energy Zone in the Ishikari Bay New Port Area, the industrial hub of the Sapporo region, which is home to more than 760 companies and a working population of more than 20,000, with the goals of regional decarbonization and industrial concentration. This district is the first of its kind in all of Japan to run solely on renewable energy.

CEO Andy Jassy announced in a note to employees on Monday that Amazon plans to cut another 9,000 jobs in the coming weeks. Together with the 18,000 positions that were announced to be eliminated in January, this would be the company’s second-greatest round of layoffs.

The petrochemical facility in Mundra, Gujarat, that Adani Group is planning requires investment. Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL), the group’s flagship company, formed its wholly-owned subsidiary Mundra Petrochem Ltd in 2021 with a capital investment of Rs 34,900 crore to build a greenfield coal-to-PVC plant on land owned by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) in the Kutch district of Gujarat.

UBS Group AG, which has been consolidating the Swiss banking industry through the acquisition of Swiss Bank Corp. for the previous quarter century, has swallowed Credit Suisse Group AG. Credit Suisse investors benefit from the protections afforded to senior bondholders.

World Bank defines foreign claims as the sum of cross-border claims and local claims from foreign offices denominated in all currencies. Foreign claims against the United States total $4,345 billion ($4,296.3 billion including guarantor claims) and $4,345 billion ($4,296.3 billion). The UK, meanwhile, has the second-highest level for these kinds of claims. In addition, it was noted that India has a very disciplined banking and financial sector because its ratio of foreign claims to domestic claims is the lowest of any country.

Banks in India must always keep their capital-to-risk assets ratio (CRAR) at or above 9% in accordance with regulations set by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Indian banks’ CRAR and CET1 ratios were 16% and 13% as of September 30th, according to the most recent RBI data that was provided in December.

Because of the importance of the banking sector to the Swiss economy, the constitution guarantees privacy for customers and deposits. In an Ordinance issued on March 19, 2023, the government of that country officially announced the merger of Credit Suisse and UBS, which came as no surprise to everyone. Despite the country’s notorious reputation for secrecy and lack of openness, the merger between the two banks was finalized without the approval of the shareholders of either organization.

According to Reuters’ analysis, Indian financial institutions are in a stronger position to weather economic storms than they were a few years ago when big bad loans and inadequate capital plagued them.

It’s been a month since the Bing chatbot was launched, and users have reported erratic behavior, causing discomfort. But, wait, there’s good news! Microsoft has taken action and introduced a new feature that allows users to adjust the bot’s personality tone. In response to unpleasant comments, Microsoft has implemented new rules that have been gradually relaxed over the past week, giving us hope that the bot will become a more pleasant experience for users.

Microsoft’s 100 million user record makes sense in the context of its fight with Google, which has more than 1 billion daily active users. Google is also responsible for 90% of the website traffic generated

It only took a few weeks for Microsoft’s Bing search engine to reach 100 million DAUs, following the introduction of the company’s artificial intelligence–powered Bing Chat. The number of individuals using Bing has increased annually, and the new Bing Chat function appears to be assisting Microsoft in expanding Bing’s user base to include people who have never used Bing before.

Microsoft has revealed that its Microsoft 365 subscription will soon include a new feature called “Copilot” that would bring an artificial intelligence layer to the company’s word processing, presentation, email, and team collaboration programs like Viva. Each app’s features will be slightly different, but they typically contain things like meeting reminders, document draughts that incorporate information scanning from other documents, spreadsheet analysis, email draughts, and transcript scanning to summarize meetings.

Losses on investments in failed supply chain finance group Greensill and hedge fund Archegos, whose founder Bill Hwang and three others have been charged with racketeering and fraud by US authorities following the fund’s collapse, drove the bank’s loss of 1.65 billion Swiss francs in 2020 to a loss of 2.7 billion in 2020.

Eleven of the largest banks in the United States, including Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo, invested $30 billion in First Republic Bank. The financial institutions- namely Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo have agreed to give $5 billion each while BNY Mellon, PNC Bank, State Street, Truist, and U.S. Bank, have each pledged $1 billion. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have agreed to give away $2.5 billion.

A very few hours before the announcement from the European Central Bank, the banking behemoth Credit Suisse received a $54 billion bailout from Switzerland’s national bank. Credit Suisse has lost two CEOs in the past three years due to the company’s history of missteps and scandals.

In a shotgun merger arranged by Swiss authorities to avoid additional market-shaking instability in global banking, UBS agreed to buy rival Swiss bank Credit Suisse for 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.23 billion) in stock and agreed to bear up to 5 billion francs ($5.4 billion) in losses. As part of the agreement, the Swiss central bank would provide UBS and Credit Suisse with 100 billion Swiss francs in liquidity assistance, or around $108 billion.

For bottom-fishing long-term positional investors, the recent decline in quality equities may present a favorable buying opportunity. Recent analysts have claimed that the decline in Indian stock prices is largely due to emotional factors rather than underlying economic factors. As Indian banks are in good financial shape thanks to the oversight of the Reserve Bank of India, experts have advocated bottom fishing and purchasing quality auto, electricity and banking stocks (RBI).

The Financial Stability Board, an organization that keeps tabs on the world economy, has recognized Credit Suisse as a leading financial institution. This means that authorities fear its collapse might have far-reaching effects on the economy, similar to those caused by the 2008 Lehman Brothers bankruptcy. In the past 15 years.

According to a new analysis, approximately 200 banks in the United States could suffer the same fate as Silicon Valley Bank under certain market conditions (SVB). According to recent research by the Social Science Research Network, if half of all bank depositors suddenly withdrew their money, 186 American banks would likely fail.

According to OpenAI, GPT-4 is superior to its forerunners in three crucial areas: creativity, visual comprehension, and context handling. Proponents of GPT-4 claim that it vastly improves upon its predecessor in terms of user cooperation and the development of new ideas. It might be an imitation of the user’s writing style, a parody of their music, a screenplay, or a technical manual.

China’s central bank cut the amount of cash, which banks must keep in reserve in an effort to stimulate the economy as it gradually recovers from pandemic restrictions and a property market slump. The People’s Bank of China reduced the RRR for almost all banks by 0.25 percentage points, effective from March 27. The PBOC last cut the RRR in December by the same percentage.

Samsung Electronics said it will invest around 300 trillion won ($230 billion) by 2042 to create the world’s largest chipmaking base in South Korea. The project is part of a 550 trillion won private-sector investment plan revealed by the government. South Korea is reportedly seeking to improve supply-chain stability to become a major player in the non-memory chip field.

Data entry clerk, customer service rep, proofreader, paralegal, bookkeeper, translator, copywriter, market research analyst, social media manager, appointment scheduler, telemarketer, virtual assistant, transcriptionist, tutor, technical support analyst, email marketer, content marketer, recruiter are just some of the jobs that can be done by GPT-4.

India has one of the fastest rollouts in the world of 5G and by 2023-end, India will be ahead of most countries, said Ericsson CEO Borje Ekholm. Talking about India as a business destination, Ekholm said that India has strong pool of good software engineers. “That’s going to drive the next level of growth in India,” he further stated.

For years, Sweden has been warned that its dysfunctional housing market, plagued by under-supply and kept aloft by low rates and generous tax benefits was a risk to the wider economy. Now those risks are becoming reality. Households with big mortgages are reining in spending as interest rates rise and house-builders are pulling the plug on investment, tipping Sweden into recession. The country is set to be the only EU economy experiencing outright recession this year.

Eastern Libyan forces said that they have found about 2.5 tons of uranium declared missing by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The 10 missing drums containing the natural uranium were recovered near the border with Chad, Libya’s self-declared Eastern Army which controls the eastern parts of the country.

Microsoft unveiled the Al-powered ‘Copilot’ system for its Microsoft 365 suite which consists of apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams. Copilot will help users create presentations based on prompts, summarize key points discussed in a meeting, and draft emails, among other things. Microsoft said it’s currently testing Copilot with some customers but will expand it to more soon.

Volkswagen plans to invest in mines to bring down the cost of battery cells, meet half of its own demand and sell to third-party customers. The strategy aligns with a wider trend of carmakers seeking greater control over parts of the supply chain traditionally left to third parties, from energy generation to raw material sourcing, as they compete for scarce resources, they urgently need to meet electrification targets.

Every year, nations across the globe produce about 350 million metric tons of plastic waste equivalent to over 10 million fully loaded garbage trucks. Most of this plastic waste is either incinerated or sent to landfills whereas only a fraction of this waste is recycled and only 2% is traded internationally. Exporting spare waste helps to manage a part of the plastic emissions more cheaply and reduces pressure on local recycling facilities and landfills. Repurposing recycled plastics into goods is a far cheaper option for industries that rely on buying newly manufactured expensive plastics.

In 2023, the state of the global economy is expected to be no better than it is now. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, supply chain disruptions, the precipitous rise in prices and tighter monetary policy around the world have all contributed to an unprecedented level of uncertainty. And certain economies including the US may be vulnerable to a mild recession or stagflation.

The gaming industry is set for expansion as cloud gaming, augmented reality and the metaverse become increasingly popular. These technologies will appeal to a broad range of demographics as they offer immersive and accessible experiences that can be enjoyed on various devices. Cloud gaming allows gamers to play high-end games on any device with an internet connection, while augmented reality enhances the real world with digital elements. The metaverse is a virtual world that brings together elements of gaming, social media and e-commerce.

As we approach 2023, global macroeconomic and geopolitical variables are emerging as the primary forces molding the semiconductor sector. The market worth of the top 10 global chip companies has dropped by 34% from US$2.9 trillion in November 2021 to US$1.9 trillion in November 2022 due to rising interest rates, high inflation, decreasing consumer confidence and tech-led stock market retreats.

In the coming years, sustainable infrastructure expansion will be essential to support the growing population and address the challenges posed by climate change. Balancing urbanization and climate change will require prioritizing public transport, and green spaces. New approaches to infrastructure development i.e., circular economy principles and public-private partnerships will be crucial for creating sustainable and resilient infrastructure for the future.

Research from ACI Worldwide for 2019 found that consumers in India have a lot of faith in online payment methods. It was observed in the study that 83% of Indian consumers would rather pay their bills digitally (online or via a mobile app) and that 64% of Indians actually do so. While only 32% of Indian clients have faith in traditional banks for digital transactions, 67% have faith in digital wallets, as shown by the report. Based on these numbers, it’s clear that digital payment systems have gained widespread acceptance among Indian consumers.

Climate change has significant impacts on agriculture. Reduced crop yield due to the adverse effects of increasing temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events such as droughts and floods can lead to food scarcity and a food security crisis. The negative effects of climate change on agriculture highlight the need for sustainable and resilient agricultural practices to ensure food security for future generations.

The demand for electricity in India increased by almost 8 percent in 2022, reaching more than 149.7 terawatt-hours (TWh). This was roughly double the rate of growth seen throughout the Asia Pacific region. Industries and businesses in India account for more than half of the country’s total yearly electricity usage.

Despite the potential growth of this industry, Women face unique challenges in the Web 3.0 realm. Lack of diversity in the sector and gender discrimination in funding are just two of the many obstacles women encounter that can make it harder for them to succeed in the decentralized web. It was noted that women make up only women 12.7% of the Web3 workforce, suggesting the need for greater diversity within the industry.

Metaverse is a platform where players can interact with each other and the game environment in real time. As technology continues to advance, it is bound that the gaming industry would also simultaneously grow. The global VR market is apparently increasing due to the expansion of the metaverse.

After the Indian government launched its Digital India program, back in 2015, with the objective of achieving a “faceless, paperless, and cashless” status. This led to a surge in the use of digital payments for every citizen which were affordable, convenient and secure.According to a recent study by PhonePe and Boston Consulting Group, the digital payments market in India is projected to grow more than triple from $3 trillion to $10 trillion by 2026.

A “Metaverse” is a computer-generated alternative reality. Virtual reality (VR) social spaces allow users to communicate with one another, discover new interests, and try out novel activities all in the same spot. When it comes to metaverse technology, India is swiftly becoming a world leader. One of the fastest-growing markets, the value of India’s virtual and augmented reality market is expected to reach $1.38 billion by 2025.

The Gulf is showing an increasing inclination towards sustainability. This is growing due to governments and companies investing in numerous renewables and sustainability programs.The 2040 Vision for Renewable Energy in Oman aims to increase consumption to 20 percent by 2030 and 35 percent – 39 percent by 2040; the Saudi Industrial Development Fund (SIDF) is funding renewable energy projects in the kingdom; and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative is a national drive to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

The industrial sector is one of the largest emitters worldwide, responsible for 20% of all carbon emissions and 54% of all energy used, as reported by the World Economic Forum.

Soon, collaboration with AI will be the standard rather than the exception. While AI may make some occupations obsolete, there are many systems that would be useless without human intervention. According to Gartner, by 2030, 80% of employees will routinely utilize clever AI technologies which are at 10% currently.

OpenAI’s GPT-3 uses 175 billion parameters, or variables, that the AI system has learned through its training and retraining. Its predecessor used just 1.5 billion. However, OpenAI’s GPT-4 has alleged that it will be far more powerful and capable than GPT-3. It has been claimed that its parameter count has been upped to the region of 100 trillion.

Just focusing on chat GPT-3, took nearly 1.3GWh or about as much electricity as 120 US homes would consume in a year. Training this AI-generated 502 tons of carbon emissions or about as much as 110 US cars emit in a year. Google released its analytics on how much consumption is their AI segment leading to. It showed that Each year, Google’s AI consumes around 2.3TWh—enough energy to power a city the size of Atlanta for an entire year.

One AI model’s training can require as much energy as a hundred developed-world homes use in a year. The rapid growth of the AI business, however, has left researchers wondering how big of a role the technology actually plays in the world’s overall electricity usage and carbon emissions.

Global market researcher International Data Corporation (IDC) India projected that the value of public cloud services in India will reach $2.8 billion by the first half of 2022. Earnings from all SaaS (software as a service), PaaS (platform as a service), and IaaS (infrastructure as a service) suppliers are included (SaaS). Market value is predicted to increase by 23.1% annually over the following three years, reaching $13 billion by 2026.

Based on a survey by domestic information technology (IT) services firm Infosys’ Digital Radar 2023 report mentioned that around 23% of individuals, in comparison to 20%, preferred cloud services over Business intelligence platforms, artificial intelligence, and machine learning and automation.

Adani shares increased after Florida- and Australia-based boutique investment firm GQG Partners Inc. purchased Rs 15,446 crore worth of shares in four Adani Group firms, including Adani Enterprises Ltd. The loan repayment strategy of using cash balances and generating funds from business operations to repay its short-term debt and avoid any further damage to the group’s image. 

In tries to reel from the losses and allegations posed by Hindenburg research, a US short seller, Adani aims to sell a stake of 4-5%, worth $450 million, in Ambuja cement. This process is carried out by Adani in order to restore investors’ confidence in the conglomerate.