Tech giant Google on Saturday dedicated a special doodle to honour visionary females in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) on the occasion of International Women's Day 2025.

International Women’s Day is marked annually on March 8 to raise awareness of the issues impacting women all over the world.

The theme this year is “For all women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment”. March 8 was first recognised by the United Nations in 1975 to highlight how important women’s contributions have been all around the world.

The doodle celebrates the contributions of countless women in space exploration, ancient discoveries, and lab research, as well as how they shaped the world throughout history.

At least 225 crore Aadhaar authentication transactions and 43 crore e-KYC transactions were carried out in February, marking 14 per cent yearly growth, the government said on Friday.

The e-KYC service has been instrumental in providing a seamless and secure experience for customers in both banking and non-banking financial services. It has also contributed to improving the ease of doing business across various industries.

According to the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY), by the end of February 2025, the total number of Aadhaar authentication transactions had surpassed 14,555 crore, while the total e-KYC transactions exceeded 2,311 crore.

Face authentication using Aadhaar is also gaining popularity. In February alone, 12.54 crore Aadhaar face authentication transactions were carried out, marking an all-time monthly high since the introduction of this feature in October 2021.

The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has been ranked third among the world's strongest insurance brands, achieving a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 88 out of 100, according to the Brand Finance Insurance 100 2025 report.

Poland-based PZU secured the top spot with a BSI score of 94.4, followed by China Life Insurance, which ranked second with a BSI score of 93.5.

In terms of overall brand value, the LIC holds the 12th position among the most valuable insurance brands globally, while SBI Life ranks 76th, making them the only two Indian insurers in the top 100.

According to the Brand Finance report, the top 100 insurance brands have grown 9 per cent in brand value in 2025, driven by improved underwriting results, higher investment income, rising interest rates, and increased profitability. Market capitalisation for top insurance brands rose as demand for insurance products increased across sectors. Economic recovery and positive market sentiment have strengthened investor confidence, while strategic mergers, acquisitions, and technological advancements have accelerated industry growth.

India's long-term outlook remains strong and the investment cycle is projected to be on a medium-term uptrend supported by government investment in infrastructure and manufacturing, pickup in private investments, and a recovery in the real estate cycle, a new HSBC report said on Friday.

The HSBC Mutual Fund’s ‘Market Outlook Report 2025’ expects higher private investments in renewable energy and related supply chains, localisation of higher-end technology components, and India becoming a more meaningful part of global supply chains to support faster growth.

"Post the recent correction, Nifty valuations are now in-line with its 5/10-year average. We remain constructive on Indian equities supported by the more robust medium-term growth outlook," the report mentioned.

IndiGo Airlines has emerged as the world's second fastest-growing airline in terms of seat capacity, which increased by 10.1 per cent year-on-year to over 134.9 million seats in 2024.

India's largest airline has been ranked next only to Qatar Airways, which clocked a 10.4 per cent growth in seat capacity over the previous year, according to the latest data from the Official Airline Guide (OAG).

IndiGo has also been ranked as the fastest-growing airline in the world in terms of flight frequency growth at 9.7 per cent year-on-year in 2024. The airline recorded a flight frequency of 749,156 for the year, the figures show.

OAG has also recorded that IndiGo holds one of the world's largest aircraft orders, with over 900 aircraft on order and has the largest recipient of 58 new Airbus aircraft during 2024. However, it also states that the airline does have a large proportion (approximately 80 aircraft) inactive with MRO-related supply chain issues.

The Indian benchmark indices opened marginally low on Friday amid weak global cues, as selling was seen in the IT, PSU Bank and pharma sectors in the early trade.

At around 9.30 am, Sensex was trading 106.98 points or 0.14 per cent down at 74,233.11 while the Nifty declined 16.25 points or 0.07 per cent at 22,528.45.

Nifty Bank was down 127.10 points or 0.26 per cent at 48,500.60. The Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 49,398.40 after gaining 50.30 points or 0.10 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index was at 15,499.30 after rising 98.95 points or 0.64 per cent.

According to market watchers, after a negative opening, Nifty can find support at 22,500, followed by 22,400 and 22,300. On the higher side, 22,600 can be an immediate resistance, followed by 22,700 and 22,800.

With more women from Tier-II and Tier-III Indian cities joining the workforce, their median salary has increased by 34 per cent over the past three years, a new report said on Thursday.

According to job and professional networking platform Apna.co, the number of women job seekers from smaller cities has increased four times between 2021 and 2024.

Job applications from these regions have also tripled, reaching 12.8 million in 2024. This trend highlights a growing shift in employment patterns beyond major metro cities.

Several factors have contributed to this rise, including more job opportunities, better digital accessibility, and changing hiring strategies by employers.

These developments have encouraged more women from non-metro areas to explore different career paths and participate in the workforce.

India's real gross domestic product (GDP) growth would be steady at 6.5 per cent in fiscal 2026, despite uncertainties stemming from geopolitical turns and trade-related issues led by US tariff actions, a Crisil report said on Thursday.

The forecast is based on two assumptions. These include another spell of normal monsoon and commodity prices continuing to remain soft.

Cooling food inflation, the tax benefits announced in the Union Budget 2025-2026, and lower borrowing costs are expected to drive discretionary consumption, the report mentioned.

Growth is now returning to pre-pandemic rates as fiscal impulse normalises and the high-base effect wears off.

The RBI’s move to inject Rs 1.9 lakh crore has come as a big positive for banks, which is reflected in the rise in the stock prices of both private and public sector banks, as well as Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) on Thursday.

The Nifty PSU Bank index rose 1.46 per cent, or 86.3 points to hit an intraday high of 5,976.75, while the Nifty Bank index increased 0.72 per cent, adding 349.15 points to hit an intraday high of 48,839.10. Similarly, the Nifty Private Bank index recorded a gain of up to 0.67 per cent in morning trade.

As part of the measures to infuse more liquidity in the banking system, the RBI has announced that it will conduct open market operation (OMO) purchases of government securities worth Rs 1 lakh crore in two tranches of Rs 50,000 crore each. The first auction will be held on March 12 and the second by March 18.

Social security coverage in India has doubled from 24.4 per cent to 48.8 per cent, said Union Minister for Labour and Employment and Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya.

Addressing the post-budget webinar on the theme ‘Investing in People’, Mandaviya outlined the government’s mission to skill and empower India’s youth, ensuring that talent in the country makes a global impact.

Citing the ILO World Social Security Report 2024-26, he said "India’s social security coverage doubling from 24.4 per cent to 48.8 per cent”.

The expansion of the e-Shram Portal, covering over 30.67 crore unorganised workers, and the inclusion of gig workers under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), reinforce the government’s commitment to workforce welfare, the Union Minister said.