Apple Inc. is in discussions with key Indian banks and global card networks in preparation to start Apple Pay in the world’s most populous country. The iPhone maker is in talks with ICICI Bank Ltd. , HDFC Bank Ltd. and Axis Bank Ltd. , as it aims to introduce its payment service in India around the middle of 2026, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The timeline remains fluid, but th...
Apple Inc. is in discussions with key Indian banks and global card networks in preparation to start Apple Pay in the world’s most populous country. The iPhone maker is in talks with ICICI Bank Ltd. , HDFC Bank Ltd. and Axis Bank Ltd. , as it aims to introduce its payment service in India around the middle of 2026, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The timeline remains fluid, but the talks indicate an approaching launch. Apple is also discussing the plan with payment networks Mastercard Inc. and Visa Inc. , said the people, who asked not to be named because the deliberations are private. Apple declined to comment, while representatives of the banks and payment networks didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. The planned launch marks another step in Apple’s push to expand in the country of 1.4 billion people with a rapidly expanding middle class. While its market share is still small in a region dominated by less expensive Android devices, Apple’s increased manufacturing and retail presence in India has helped it make inroads. Apple Pay in India is expected to support India’s state-backed Unified Payments Interface, or UPI, alongside card based payments. UPI, which allows Indian customers to instantly transfer money and pay bills, dominates India’s digital payments space. The National Payments Corporation of India, which operates and manages UPI, didn’t respond to request for comment. The Times of India earlier reported the India plans for Apple Pay. Rival Alphabet Inc. ’s Google Pay, Walmart Inc. -controlled PhonePe and Amazon.com Inc. are among the global players already operating digital payments platforms in India alongside homegrown players like Paytm . India’s central bank late last year set new rules that allow biometric authentication, such as fingerprint or facial recognition, for digital payments. Indian authentication mechanisms have previously largely relied on one-time passwords sent via text message. Apple Pay relies on Face I...
Alex Barnes, Greater China Co-CEO at JLL, expects Hong Kong residential prices to rise by around 5% in 2026, thanks to the financial hub’s economic recovery. He also discusses the outlook for the luxury market on Bloomberg’s The China Show. (Source: Bloomberg)
Alex Barnes, Greater China Co-CEO at JLL, expects Hong Kong residential prices to rise by around 5% in 2026, thanks to the financial hub’s economic recovery. He also discusses the outlook for the luxury market on Bloomberg’s The China Show. (Source: Bloomberg)
Earlier in February 2026, Rackspace Technology announced a partnership with Palantir Technologies under which Rackspace will host, deploy, and manage Palantir’s Foundry and Artificial Intelligence Platform for enterprise customers, including on its private cloud and UK sovereign data centers. This collaboration gives Rackspace a higher-profile role in complex AI implementations, potentially increa...
Earlier in February 2026, Rackspace Technology announced a partnership with Palantir Technologies under which Rackspace will host, deploy, and manage Palantir’s Foundry and Artificial Intelligence Platform for enterprise customers, including on its private cloud and UK sovereign data centers. This collaboration gives Rackspace a higher-profile role in complex AI implementations, potentially increasing demand for its managed security, compliance, and cloud services across regulated...
Microsoft (NasdaqGS:MSFT) has appointed Asha Sharma as the new head of Microsoft Gaming, following the retirement of longtime Gaming CEO Phil Spencer. Sharma is setting a fresh direction for Xbox with a focus on integrating AI tools into game development, while stressing human creativity and responsible use of AI. The leadership change is part of a broader effort to refine Microsoft’s gaming platf...
Microsoft (NasdaqGS:MSFT) has appointed Asha Sharma as the new head of Microsoft Gaming, following the retirement of longtime Gaming CEO Phil Spencer. Sharma is setting a fresh direction for Xbox with a focus on integrating AI tools into game development, while stressing human creativity and responsible use of AI. The leadership change is part of a broader effort to refine Microsoft’s gaming platform strategy and the role of AI across its content and services. For investors tracking...
Event overview and recent price context Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) has been drawing renewed attention after a recent slide in its share price, with the stock down about 11% over the past month and 3% over the past 3 months. See our latest analysis for Alibaba Group Holding. That recent 11.1% 1 month share price decline sits against a softer 3 month share price return of 3.4%. The 1 year total sh...
Event overview and recent price context Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) has been drawing renewed attention after a recent slide in its share price, with the stock down about 11% over the past month and 3% over the past 3 months. See our latest analysis for Alibaba Group Holding. That recent 11.1% 1 month share price decline sits against a softer 3 month share price return of 3.4%. The 1 year total shareholder return of 11.3% suggests sentiment has been recovering over a longer stretch even as...
(RTTNews) - Worley Limited (WYGPF.PK), an engineering and professional services company, reported lower net profit after tax for the half year ended December 31, 2025, despite revenue growth.
(RTTNews) - Worley Limited (WYGPF.PK), an engineering and professional services company, reported lower net profit after tax for the half year ended December 31, 2025, despite revenue growth.
Thai Airways International Pcl expects revenue to grow 5% this year as it adds new aircraft and expands in key Asian markets, including India and China. The state-controlled carrier targets 200 billion baht ($6.4 billion) revenue in 2026, up from 190 billion baht a year earlier, according to Chief Executive Officer Chai Eamsiri . It plans to increase its operating fleet to about 100 aircraft this ...
Thai Airways International Pcl expects revenue to grow 5% this year as it adds new aircraft and expands in key Asian markets, including India and China. The state-controlled carrier targets 200 billion baht ($6.4 billion) revenue in 2026, up from 190 billion baht a year earlier, according to Chief Executive Officer Chai Eamsiri . It plans to increase its operating fleet to about 100 aircraft this year from 80 at the end of 2025, with additions spanning both narrow-body and wide-body jets. “We are very fortunate to secure delivery of several aircraft this year to meet the robust travel demand in the region,” he told a press briefing in Bangkok on Thursday. “India and China represent enormous market potential given their vast populations.” The additional capacity will allow Thai Airways to increase frequencies and routes to China and India, two of Asia’s fastest-growing travel markets. Air travel demand across the region continues to rise, supported by a rebound in Chinese outbound tourism, growing middle-class incomes in India and Southeast Asia, and steady economic expansion. Airlines including Singapore Airlines Ltd. and Qantas Airways Ltd. have reported rising passenger volumes and solid revenue as international travel rebounds, helping support stronger earnings results. Qantas Posts Record Profit as Fleet Revamp Axes Thirsty Jets Airbus Set to Win Order for 120 Planes from China, Merz Says Singapore Air Profit Jumps, Predicts Sustained Travel Boom Thai Airways posted a full-year net income of 30.9 billion baht in 2025, reversing a net loss of 26.9 billion baht a year earlier. Revenue rose 1.3% to 190 billion baht, indicating a more gradual recovery compared with some regional peers. The carrier has been rebuilding its network and balance sheet after emerging from a court-supervised debt restructuring initiated during the pandemic. Fleet renewal remains central to its turnaround strategy, though the airline has faced challenges securing aircraft deliveries amid gl...
China logged an overall increase in travel during the just-concluded Chinese New Year break compared with last year’s holiday period, but analysts said spending per capita stayed flat. The country saw 596 million domestic trips over the extended public holiday that ended on Monday, a year-on-year increase of 95 million, Xinhua reported. About 17.8 million cross-border trips were logged over the sa...
China logged an overall increase in travel during the just-concluded Chinese New Year break compared with last year’s holiday period, but analysts said spending per capita stayed flat. The country saw 596 million domestic trips over the extended public holiday that ended on Monday, a year-on-year increase of 95 million, Xinhua reported. About 17.8 million cross-border trips were logged over the same period, it added. Chinese New Year is a crucial period for the travel sector as hundreds of...
(RTTNews) - Engie SA (ENGI.PA, ENGIY), on Thursday, signed an agreement to acquire UK Power Networks for an equity value of 10.5 billion pounds, marking a major step in strengthening its position in regulated electricity networks and expanding its footprint in the UK.
(RTTNews) - Engie SA (ENGI.PA, ENGIY), on Thursday, signed an agreement to acquire UK Power Networks for an equity value of 10.5 billion pounds, marking a major step in strengthening its position in regulated electricity networks and expanding its footprint in the UK.
Manchester United midfielder Jess Park has been in brilliant form since her move in the summer - but can she take that into England's upcoming matches?
Manchester United midfielder Jess Park has been in brilliant form since her move in the summer - but can she take that into England's upcoming matches?
"Software is already eating AI" and will continue to do so, according to HSBC, with the bank shrugging off recent market fears about the sector being displaced by artificial intelligence. Software stocks plunged earlier this month as widespread concerns that AI could make software-as-a-service, or SaaS, business models obsolete, sparked a sell-off and warnings of an impending " SaaSpocalypse ." Bu...
"Software is already eating AI" and will continue to do so, according to HSBC, with the bank shrugging off recent market fears about the sector being displaced by artificial intelligence. Software stocks plunged earlier this month as widespread concerns that AI could make software-as-a-service, or SaaS, business models obsolete, sparked a sell-off and warnings of an impending " SaaSpocalypse ." But in a Tuesday note, analysts at HSBC said they do not expect that software will be usurped by AI, and will instead be a major beneficiary of its development. Consumer AI platform developers — like Google parent firm Alphabet , ChatGPT maker OpenAI and startup Anthropic — have little to no experience creating "enterprise class" software and would be "architecting from scratch in unfamiliar highly complex areas," HSBC's team said. Meanwhile, it was not practical, realistic, or economically sound for companies to use AI to develop their own in-house software systems, they added. Even if vibe-coding — developing code using AI prompts — led to the roll-out of better or free software solutions, HSBC said it would still be extremely difficult for these to displace incumbent vendors that run the day-to-day operations of global companies. "Within a full-blown enterprise application, we think AI is destined to be subordinate to the overall software platform," the bank's note said. "We have identified a party that is best suited to use AI to generate software that is better than existing legacy vendors. And, of course, that is the software vendors themselves." Given recent market moves and sentiment among investors, HSBC said building or expanding positions within the software space — prior to a re-rating — "may be timely." "Sector valuations are at historical lows, even though we believe the sector is poised to expand massively and we see strong demand momentum lasting for the foreseeable future," its research team noted. "As profitable as AI has been for the hardware/semiconductor ...