High-activity micro office markets in India are likely to witness at least 1 million square feet of average annual demand and supply, and collectively drive more than 80 per cent of the office space demand and new supply in the next few years, a report showed on Thursday.

High-activity micro markets across the top seven cities of the country have been witnessing consistently high demand and supply since 2020. Of these, four high-activity micro markets are in Bengaluru, three each in Delhi-NCR and Pune, two each in Chennai and Hyderabad, and one in Mumbai, according to Colliers data.

These micro markets are spread across secondary and peripheral business districts and will continue to drive India office market over the next few years amid city expansions, ongoing infrastructure developments and evolving work models.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Wednesday announced a set of important reforms aimed at making the Indian financial markets more efficient, inclusive, and investor-friendly.

The decisions were taken during the SEBI's board meeting led by its Chairperson Tuhin Kanta Pandey.

One of the biggest changes is that startup founders will now be allowed to keep their employee stock ownership plans (Esops) even after their companies go public.

Silver prices continued their upward rally on Wednesday, touching fresh all-time high on the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), supported by strong industrial demand and favourable market trends.

Silver futures for July expiry hit a new all-time high of Rs 1,09,748 per kilogram on MCX, breaking Tuesday’s record.

The September futures jumped even higher, touching Rs 1,11,000 per kilogram. With these gains, silver is now trading nearly 25 per cent above its all-time low of Rs 88,050 per kg.

Analysts believe the metal will remain firm due to supportive fundamentals, especially with a revival in industrial demand.

They suggest that investors consider silver as a medium-term tactical investment.

Shares of One MobiKwik Systems Limited, the parent company of digital payments platform MobiKwik, fell sharply on Wednesday, dropping over 9 per cent to trade below its IPO issue price, following the expiry of the mandatory six-month lock-in period for pre-IPO shareholders.

The stock slipped 9.34 per cent or Rs 25.15 to close the trading session at Rs 244.25 on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). MobiKwik had made a strong market debut late last year, listing at a 58 per cent premium over its issue price of Rs 279.

However, the stock has since seen a steep fall and has now erased nearly 64 per cent of its value from its post-listing high of Rs 698.

Meanwhile, in the March quarter (Q4) of FY25, MobiKwik’s net loss widened significantly to Rs 56 crore, compared to just Rs 0.6 crore in the same quarter previous fiscal (Q4 FY24).

Tata Motors launched its all-new LPO 1622 bus in Qatar on Wednesday to strengthen its presence in the Middle East market.

Developed specifically for staff transportation, the company’s first Euro VI-compliant bus in the Middle East offers superior performance, enhanced passenger comfort, and low total cost of ownership, according to a company statement.

The Tata LPO 1622 bus is powered by a reliable Cummins ISBe 5.6L Euro VI-compliant engine, delivering 220hp of power and 925Nm of torque. The bus is available in two seating configurations -- 65-seater and 61-seater -- offering flexibility for varied staff transport requirements.

It features a full air dual-circuit braking system with ABS, tubeless radial tyres, and a heavy-duty suspension system to ensure safety, comfort, and road stability. The bus also comes equipped with a range of advanced features, including Electronic Stability Control, Hill Start Assist, Cruise Control, and a Multimode Switch to optimise performance across varied operating conditions.

India’s residential real estate market has rebounded sharply in the post-pandemic period, and from FY 2019 to FY 2025, total residential sales in major cities surged by nearly 77 per cent, a report showed on Wednesday.

Primary transactions, comprising under-construction homes sold by developers, accounted for 57 per cent per cent of the total transactions in FY2025. Secondary transactions, involving the resale of properties, made up the remaining 43 per cent per cent, showing a notable shift from the 38 per cent per cent share recorded in FY 2019, according to the report by Grant Thornton Bharat.

Luxury housing (above INR 1 crore) surged from FY 2019 to FY 2025, driven by higher incomes, lifestyle changes, and targeted developer efforts.

South Korea's top 100 companies contributed more than 1,600 trillion won ($1.16 trillion) to the national economy in 2024, with Samsung Electronics topping the list for the second consecutive year, a market tracker said on Wednesday.

Their combined economic contribution reached 1,615.2 trillion won, up 3.9 percent from 1,554.9 trillion won the previous year, according to CEO Score. Samsung Electronics' contribution rose 7 percent on-year to 157.5 trillion won.

The 100 companies are among the nation's 500 largest firms by revenue, excluding public enterprises and financial institutions, such as banks, insurers and securities firms, reports news agency.

Total sales by the 100 firms rose 6.6 percent on-year to 2,122.4 trillion won, contributing to the overall increase in their economic contribution to Asia's fourth-largest economy.

In a key development for the Indian derivatives market, the National Stock Exchange (NSE) has received approval from capital markets regulator SEBI to shift its weekly derivatives expiry day to Tuesday.

Also, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has also received SEBI's nod to shift its expiry day to Thursday as per its request.

The communication from the capital markets regulator regarding the expiry day changes has been conveyed to both the exchanges.

Google on Tuesday announced a major initiative to make India’s digital space safer by unveiling its new ‘Safety Charter’ during the ‘Safer with Google India Summit’.

The initiative is focused on protecting users from online fraud, boosting cybersecurity for critical infrastructure and ensuring that AI is developed responsibly.

This Safety Charter is built around three key goals -- keeping internet users safe from scams and frauds, strengthening cybersecurity for governments and businesses and building responsible AI systems that protect people.

Google’s 'Digikavach' programme, a key part of the initiative, has already reached over 17.7 crore Indians with AI-powered tools and awareness campaigns against financial scams.

Google’s systems are becoming more powerful with AI -- its Search now identifies 20 times more scam websites, and scam attacks on customer service and government platforms have dropped by 80 per cent and 70 per cent, respectively.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) recorded a 4 per cent real GDP growth in 2024, reaching 1.77 trillion dirhams (about 482 billion US dollars), fueled primarily by robust expansion in non-oil sectors, the Ministry of Economy has announced.

Non-oil activities surged by 5 per cent to 1.34 trillion dirhams, accounting for 75.5 per cent of total GDP. In contrast, the oil sector contributed 434 billion dirhams, reports news agency.

Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE's economy minister, said the latest figures highlight progress toward transitioning to a knowledge-based, sustainable economy. He attributed the performance to modern economic policies centred on innovation, technology, and business environment development.

"The UAE continues to move steadily toward the goals of the 'We the UAE 2031' vision, which aims to raise GDP to 3 trillion dirhams and reinforce the country's position as a global hub for the new economy," he added.