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Ahead of the Union Budget 2026, leaders from the life insurance sector have outlined a set of fiscal and regulatory measures aimed at improving retirement readiness, expanding insurance penetration and sustaining long-term economic growth. VenkyIyer, Co-Chairperson of the Insurance Awareness Committee (IAC-Life), said taxation has a disproportionately harsh impact on pension earners. He proposed aligning pension taxation with other fixed-interest instruments by taxing only the interest or gains, a move he said would enhance post-retirement income while mobilising long-term savings through life insurance solutions. Iyer also called for a standard deduction for pensioners who do not commute their corpus to ensure…

Maithan Steel, a leading name in the Indian steel industry, celebrated 25 years of operations with its dealers’ meet Jashn-E-Maithan 2026, highlighting its growth journey and future expansion plans. Founded in 2001 with a 60,000-tonne sponge iron unit, the company expanded into TMT bar manufacturing in 2012 and has since grown into a 5,00,000-tonne integrated steel plant with operations across 25 states and Union Territories. The company currently works with over 250 institutional buyers and a network of more than 2,500 channel partners, serving over 25 lakh home builders and consumers. Maithan Steel has also generated direct and indirect employment…

Samsung is set to introduce a new layer of privacy protection for its Galaxy smartphones, aimed at preventing “shoulder surfing” and keeping personal information safe in public spaces. The company said the upcoming feature has been developed over more than five years of engineering, testing and user research, as concerns around mobile privacy continue to grow. According to Samsung, smartphones have become deeply personal, storing messages, passwords and daily routines, yet they are often used in crowded places such as buses, elevators and queues. The new privacy layer is designed to shield sensitive on-screen content, allowing users to check messages…

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey for 2025–26 in Parliament, formally marking the beginning of the build-up to the Union Budget, which will be presented on Sunday, February 1. Notably, this year’s Budget announcement is scheduled for a weekend. The Economic Survey 2026 drew attention to the much-debated India–US trade agreement, noting that while negotiations have advanced, certain tariff-related impacts are already visible. At the same time, the Survey observed a gradual shift in India’s export strategy, with exporters reducing their dependence on the US market. Data from April to November of FY26 show increased focus on destinations…

Edtech firm Great Learning has called for a rationalisation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on digital learning services and improved access to affordable education loans, saying these measures are essential to significantly accelerate upskilling across India. Under the current GST framework, core educational services offered by formal institutions are exempt from tax. However, many online courses, coaching programmes and standalone digital learning offerings continue to attract an 18 per cent GST. According to the company, this increases costs for both learners and education providers and can slow adoption, particularly in price-sensitive, skills-focused learning segments that fall outside formal curricula.…

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the way data is collected, analysed and used, the risks linked to data privacy and cyber security are growing rapidly, according to a senior executive at Aon. Sharing her perspective ahead of Data Privacy Day, Apurva Gopinath, Cyber Leader and Vice President, Financial Services & Professional Group, India at Aon, said the cost and impact of data breaches have reached alarming levels. Citing publicly available sources, she noted that in 2025 the global average cost of a data breach was estimated to be between $4.4 million and $4.9 million, while global cybercrime losses are…