Category: Business

July 17: SailPoint, Inc., a leader in enterprise identity security, today announced the winners of its India Partner Awards 2026, celebrating organizations that have demonstrated excellence in identity security transformation across the country.

The awards were presented during SailPoint’s inaugural India Partner Connect, held across Bangalore, Mumbai, and Delhi. The multi-city format brought together leading enterprises, advisory firms, distributors, and system integrators to celebrate shared milestones, strengthen collaboration, and reinforce SailPoint’s dedication to supporting a rapidly growing partner network in India.

The India Partner Connect set the stage for a critical discussion on the future of adaptive identity security, which has evolved far beyond the human workforce. The immediate priority for Indian enterprises is governing the autonomous AI agents that access sensitive data and core applications. SailPoint is meeting this challenge with its platform that manages the entire lifecycle of both human and non-human identities under a unified control plane. To ensure this powerful technology can be adapted and integrated into every unique customer environment, SailPoint is fostering a new era of partner co-innovation.

Initiatives like SailPoint’s Unified Platform Access empower partners to build on top of the core platform, delivering the highly customized and contextualized solutions that modern enterprises demand. This momentum is further accelerated by SailPoint’s recent acquisition of Entro Security, which integrates deep non-human discovery and real-time protection into its Agentic Fabric. By linking machine and agent credentials back to human owners for automated governance, SailPoint solidifies its market leadership across all identity types—human, machine, and agent.

Celebrating Excellence Across India’s Partner Ecosystem

The SailPoint India Partner Awards honor organizations that have played a pivotal role in helping enterprises secure identities while advancing modernization initiatives and delivering measurable value for customers.

The winners for 2026 include:

Advisory Partner Awards

• North India Advisory Partner: KPMG

• West India Advisory Partner: PwC

• South India Advisory Partner: Deloitte

Growth Partner Awards

• North India Growth Partner: SISL

• West India Growth Partner: ProTechmanize

• South India Growth Partner: CyberPwn

Impact Partner Awards

• North India Impact Partner: Tech Jockey

• West India Impact Partner: Cotelligent

• South India Impact Partner: ValuePoint

Delivery Services Partner Awards

• North India Delivery Services Partner: Eshiam

• West India Delivery Services Partner: ENH iSecure

• South India Delivery Services Partner: CyberSolve

Emerging Global System Integrator

• India Emerging Global System Integrator: HCL Technologies Ltd

India Distributor of the Year

• India Distributor of the Year: Netpoleon

Chern-Yue Boey, Senior Vice President and General Manager, APJ, SailPoint said:

“Our unwavering commitment to India is reflected in the incredible momentum of our local partner network, who are instrumental in helping Indian enterprises navigate a rapidly evolving threat landscape. The security perimeter has dissolved. As machine workloads, autonomous AI agents, and other non-human identities multiply, traditional boundaries no longer hold. Through our breakthrough SailPoint Agentic Fabric and our broader vision for adaptive identity, the foundation of enterprise security and trust, SailPoint empowers our partners to deliver unified governance across every human and non-human identity. India is a strategic growth market for us, and through the SailPoint Partner Awards, we are proud to celebrate our local partners driving innovation, growth, and cyber resilience for Indian enterprises.”

SailPoint remains focused on investing in a robust, collaborative partner ecosystem in India. Through close engagement with distributors, advisory firms, system integrators, and technology partners, SailPoint is helping organizations across India streamline identity governance, accelerate innovation, and strengthen security resilience in a digital-first world.

Best,

Shatakkshi Pandey

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For years, India’s Tier-2 cities were seen as affordable alternatives to expensive metropolitan markets. Today, that perception is rapidly changing. These cities are no longer attracting homebuyers simply because homes cost less they are emerging as economic centres in their own right, backed by better infrastructure, industrial investments and expanding employment opportunities.

From Lucknow and Nagpur to Coimbatore, Surat and Vapi, a new wave of urban growth is reshaping India’s residential landscape. Improved connectivity, stronger social infrastructure and a better quality of life are encouraging both developers and homebuyers to look beyond the traditional metro markets.

Recent industry research reflects this shift. Residential demand across leading Tier-2 cities has grown at a 14% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the last five years, while Lucknow, Nagpur and Coimbatore have recorded nearly 20% growth, making them among the country’s fastest-growing housing markets. The momentum is being fuelled by infrastructure projects such as expressways, new airports, metro networks and industrial corridors that are bringing businesses, jobs and housing demand to regional India.

Infrastructure Is Creating New Growth Corridors

Unlike previous real estate cycles, affordability is no longer the biggest draw for homebuyers. Increasingly, buyers are choosing cities where career opportunities, connectivity and lifestyle are improving together.

“India’s next real estate success story will not be written by its metropolitan cities alone—it will be shaped by the rise of Tier-2 urban centres,” says Ashish Narain Agarwal, Founder & Managing Director, PropertyPistol.

The shift, he believes, is structural rather than cyclical. As industrial corridors, airports and services-sector expansion reshape regional economies, Tier-2 cities are evolving into self-sustaining urban ecosystems that offer employment, stronger civic infrastructure and a better quality of life.

Homebuyers Are Looking Beyond Affordability

The changing economic landscape is also influencing what people want to buy. While over 75% of new residential supply continues to comprise 2 and 3 BHK homes, demand for larger residences and premium developments is steadily gaining momentum as households seek lifestyle-oriented communities with better amenities.

This trend is visible across the residential market. According to a report, homes priced above ₹1 crore accounted for 71% of housing sales across the top seven cities during Q1 2026, up from 59% in the same period last year. While metros continue to dominate premium housing, the appetite for larger homes is gradually extending to emerging cities as incomes rise and urban infrastructure improves.

Industrial Cities Are Becoming Residential Destinations

The transformation is particularly evident in manufacturing-led markets, where residential demand is increasingly following economic expansion.

“The growth of Tier-2 cities is no longer being driven solely by affordability; it is increasingly being shaped by infrastructure-led development and the expansion of services-sector employment,” says Virender Kumar, Vice President – Marketing, Arete Group.

He points to Vapi as an example of this evolution. Located along the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) and well connected to both Mumbai and Surat, the city has long been recognised for its manufacturing ecosystem. Today, improving connectivity, expanding social infrastructure and rising employment opportunities are making it equally attractive for homebuyers. As disposable incomes increase, Kumar says demand is steadily shifting towards integrated townships, larger homes and premium lifestyle developments, helping Vapi evolve beyond its industrial identity into an emerging residential destination.

Developers are already responding to this shift. According to an Industry report, leading real estate companies are expanding into Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities as urbanisation accelerates and infrastructure improves, with premium housing and integrated communities expected to witness sustained demand over the coming years. Meanwhile, it estimates that Tier-2 cities have added 5.9 million sq. ft. of Grade-A retail space since 2020, reflecting rising consumer spending and growing confidence among domestic and global brands.

A New Chapter for India’s Housing Market

The rise of Tier-2 cities is no longer just a real estate trend it reflects a broader shift in India’s urban growth story. As infrastructure projects unlock new economic corridors and businesses expand beyond metropolitan regions, these cities are creating the conditions for sustained residential demand.

For homebuyers, the appeal lies in a combination of employment opportunities, improving liveability and relatively lower costs. For developers, they represent markets where growth is still unfolding. And for the industry, they signal that India’s next real estate boom is likely to be driven not by a handful of metros, but by a wider network of ambitious, well-connected regional cities.

July 17: Global technology brand OnePlus has recorded a strong performance following the recently concluded Amazon Prime Day 2026 sale. According to Amazon.in data, the newly launched OnePlus N6 emerged as the top-selling smartphone model* on Amazon.in across all segments, reflecting strong consumer demand during the sale period.

In addition to this milestone, OnePlus achieved the following:

• OnePlus was the top-selling smartphone brand* on Amazon.in across all segments
• OnePlus was the top-selling smartphone brand on Amazon.in.*

Together, these results underline OnePlus’ continued momentum in the Indian smartphone market.

 India, July 17: For thousands of Indian students, packing bags to go to their preferred study abroad destination and university is the ultimate dream come true. It comprises months of hard work, late-night test prep, and the excitement of building a global future. However, as first-time borrowers, students often experience anxiety when navigating the complexities of an education loan.

As a student-centric organisation, Avanse Financial Services has consistently worked to eliminate this friction, pioneering tech-led hyper-personalised financing solutions. Today, this education-focused NBFC takes its commitment a step further with the launch of Avanse EdSure & Avanse EdSure+ – first-of-its-kind offers designed to democratise education financing through unparalleled transparency and flexibility.

Built on the foundation of “Customer Leadership”, Avanse EdSure & Avanse EdSure+ introduce an industry-first “look-up” period, allowing students to revisit or reverse their loan decisions if their circumstances change. By proactively absorbing the real-world financial risks of study-abroad planning, Avanse is currently the only financier in India offering this level of consumer protection, giving students and parents the absolute confidence to plan their academic futures without fear of the unknown.

Recognising that an evolving macroeconomic landscape is further intensifying the pressures on education planning, Avanse has simultaneously rolled out Avanse EdSure+, a premium limited-period extension that supplements the baseline 30-day look-up period with an extra 30 days, ensuring students have up to 60 days of financial agility as they map out their journeys.  

Commenting on this launch, Mr. Amit Gainda, Managing Director & CEO, Avanse Financial Services, said, “We know how much emotional and financial investment goes into planning an education abroad. The students deserve a financing partner that stands by them throughout their academic journey. True to our commitment, ‘Avanse has got you covered’, we launched this industry-first offer to give customers complete control over their education financing. We want students to focus entirely on the excitement of their upcoming academic journey, knowing they are backed by the ultimate financial flexibility. As they take a giant leap forward, we are right here to ensure their investment is completely protected with us in case things don’t go as planned.”

Avanse EdSure is available for overseas higher education loans for the US, Canada, Germany and Australia. For students seeking enhanced coverage for these markets, upgrading to Avanse EdSure+ is just as simple – they can inform an Avanse representative, who will guide them through the process. To learn more about these offers, students and parents can visit www.avanse.com/apply-now-edsure. These limited-period offers are available until 30 September 2026.

Chennai: Lifestyle destination Amethyst has announced the return of two of its most anticipated annual shopping events—the Purple Turtles Annual All in Purple Sale and Beruru’s Annual Root to Roof Sale. Running from July 16 to 19, 2026, the four-day event offers shoppers a flat 30% discount across products from both brands.

Hosted at The Purple Turtles at Amethyst on Whites Road, Royapettah, the sale brings together an extensive collection of premium home and lifestyle products, including furniture, lighting, artwork, home décor, tableware, handcrafted accessories, and garden décor.

Visitors can explore curated collections designed to elevate living spaces while taking advantage of special seasonal offers. Prices for products start at Rs. 599, making the event an attractive opportunity for homeowners, interior design enthusiasts, and those looking for distinctive gifting options.

The sale will be open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. throughout the event.

Event Details

• Event: Purple Turtles Annual All in Purple Sale & Beruru’s Annual Root to Roof Sale
• Dates: July 16–19, 2026
• Time: 11:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
• Venue: The Purple Turtles at Amethyst, Whites Road, Royapettah, Chennai
• Offer: Flat 30% OFF across both brands
• Starting Price: Rs. 599 onwards

The annual sale is expected to attract design-conscious shoppers seeking handcrafted furniture, contemporary home décor, artisanal tableware, decorative lighting, and unique garden accessories at discounted prices.

ZURICH, Switzerland, July 16 – SCRYPT, the operating system for digital assets, has appointed Vivek Maurya as Head of Engineering, strengthening its technology leadership team to support banks, payment providers, fintechs, and corporate treasury teams navigating the digital asset economy.

In his new role, Maurya will lead SCRYPT’s engineering function and oversee the continued development of the infrastructure underpinning its digital asset custody, crypto services, and stablecoin payment solutions. His remit includes advancing platform performance, reliability, and resilience as clients increasingly integrate digital assets into core financial operations.

“As digital assets become increasingly embedded into financial services, technology infrastructure must meet the highest standards of engineering excellence,” said Norman Wooding, Founder and CEO, SCRYPT. “Vivek’s experience building mission-critical platforms will be instrumental as we continue to strengthen the infrastructure that supports our clients and their digital asset strategies.”

Maurya brings more than two decades of engineering leadership experience spanning financial services, cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and blockchain technologies. His career has focused on building and scaling mission-critical distributed systems, cloud-native platforms, and data infrastructure. Most recently, he held engineering leadership roles at Netflix and Coinbase, where he contributed to highly scalable platforms supporting millions of users and critical financial services.

“What drew me to SCRYPT is the opportunity to build the technology infrastructure that enables the next generation of digital asset services,” said Vivek Maurya, Head of Engineering, SCRYPT. “The team has already developed a strong platform, and I’m excited to bring my experience in scalable systems, resilient architecture, and engineering execution to help advance the technology clients need to operate with confidence.”

The appointment underscores SCRYPT’s commitment to building world-class engineering capabilities as it continues to evolve the technology powering digital asset trading, custody, and payments.

Delivering the inaugural address, Mr. Tribhuvan Darbari, Chairman, BIMSTEC Business Council Secretariat, Republic of India; Chairman, India-Eurasia Business Council, said, “India and Poland have built a dynamic and trusted economic partnership, with bilateral trade reaching an all-time high of over USD 5.6 billion. As strategic partners, both countries are expanding collaboration beyond traditional sectors into electric mobility, advanced manufacturing, defence, digital technologies, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and innovation. Poland‘s manufacturing strengths complement India‘s scale and the ‘Make in India‘ vision, creating significant opportunities for deeper industrial partnerships. The elevation of our bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership in 2024 has further accelerated this momentum, and the MoU signed today will serve as a catalyst for stronger business-to-business engagement, investment, knowledge exchange and long-term economic cooperation between our two countries”

 

In his keynote address, Mr. Michał Baranowski, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Technology, Republic of Poland, said, “Poland and India are at a defining moment in their bilateral relationship. Building on the Strategic Partnership established in 2024 and the growing momentum towards deeper India-EU economic engagement, we see tremendous opportunities to expand cooperation across advanced manufacturing, defence, space, digital technologies, border security, cybersecurity and innovation. As one of Europe’s fastest-growing economies, Poland is looking to build stronger partnerships with India‘s vibrant business ecosystem, particularly among SMEs. The MoU signed today reflects our shared commitment to creating new avenues for trade, investment and technology collaboration, and we look forward to further strengthening these ties through sustained business engagement and high-level exchanges in the months ahead.”

 

Speaking at the roundtable, Mrs. Krinal Shah Suri, Director of Global Affairs & Business, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Katowice, Poland, and Member of the Board, United Nations Association Poland, said, “As an Indian living and working in Poland, strengthening the India–Poland partnership is deeply personal to me. The strategic momentum created by the leadership of both our countries presents an unprecedented opportunity to deepen economic cooperation. Poland has emerged as a key gateway to the European Union, while India‘s entrepreneurial spirit, manufacturing capabilities and innovation ecosystem make it an ideal partner for long-term collaboration. Through our Chamber‘s extensive global network and decades of experience in supporting businesses, we are committed to connecting enterprises, institutions and entrepreneurs from both countries, creating new opportunities for trade, investment, innovation and SME partnerships. Today’s MoU marks another important step towards building a stronger and more enduring India–Poland business corridor.”

OFFICIAL STATEMENT  of  DR. AJAI CHOWDHRY, Founder HCL & EPIC Foundation 

EPIC Foundation Hails the New Semicon 2.0

“This is the first time a complete ecosystem approach has been adopted”

16th July, 2026

“This is exactly what we at EPIC Foundation have envisioned for India’s semiconductor journey- a complete ecosystem approach to semiconductors and I am delighted to see it take shape today. This is the first time a complete ecosystem approach has been adopted, covering all six pillars of the value chain – from chip design and fabrication to assembly, testing and packaging, R&D, Talent, indigenous technologies and materialsand I would like to compliment Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for their sustained vision on this decisive milestoneannouncement. Equally welcome is the new Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme (MPMS), approved at an outlay of ₹62,500 crore over five years. Good to see continuity in supporting phone manufacturing.Specially the concept of supporting local sourcing and design and R&D for promoting Indian brands.

What stands out most in today’s announcement is the strong emphasis on design and R&D, particularly chip design, which is the foundation on which a resilient and self-reliant semiconductor ecosystem must be built. And also, there is a very clear direction from the government to incentivize design and R&D for Indian brands. which have been left behind for years and overtaken by Chinese competitors. This is a decisive step towards correcting that imbalance.

The Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme (MPMS) will provide much-needed continuity to the units that have already invested in the country. However, what is the most interesting part is that there will be special incentives for domestic sourcing which will lead to much higher value addition. 

The government has also demonstrated its long-term commitment to the sector by dramatically increasing the Semicon outlay from ₹75,000 crore to ₹1.25 lakh crore. This scale of investment reflects a serious and sustained commitment to building a globally competitive semiconductor industry in India.

The country has already made significant progress under ISM 1.0, with a large number of units established over the last three years. ISM 2.0 builds on this strong foundation and momentum and sets the stage for the next phase of growth.”

Abu Dhabi, UAE – 16 July 2026: In collaboration with the Integrated Transport Centre (Abu Dhabi Mobility), an affiliate of the Department of Municipalities and Transport, Abu Dhabi Maritime, part of AD Ports Group, has announced the opening of submissions to the 2026 Abu Dhabi Maritime Awards, set to culminate in a prestigious ceremony during the Abu Dhabi International Boat Show, scheduled to take place from 19–22 November 2026.

Founded in 2023, the Abu Dhabi Maritime Awards aim to bring recognition to the vibrant marina industry across the Middle East, North Africa, and Türkiye (MENAT region), and to set new benchmarks for excellence in marina management and operations across 12 award categories. Submissions for the fourth edition are open to all licensed marina owners and operators across the MENAT region. 

Dr. Abdulla Hamad AlGhfeli, Acting Director General of the Integrated Transport Centre, said: “The Abu Dhabi Maritime Awards support the Integrated Transport Centre’s vision to deliver world-class, sustainable infrastructure that enables mobility and drives economic growth. The fourth edition reflects our continued confidence in the strength, competitiveness, and future potential of the regional marina industry, while reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s standing as a leading global maritime hub. Through this awards programme, we aim to foster the innovation and collaboration that will motivate progress across the industry.” 

Captain Saif Al Mheiri, Abu Dhabi Maritime CEO and Group Chief Sustainability and Risk Officer at AD Ports Group, said: “The Abu Dhabi Maritime Awards continue to serve as a powerful platform for recognising excellence and driving progress across the marina ecosystem in the MENAT region. By celebrating organisations, projects, and individuals, the awards highlight the collective efforts shaping a more resilient, innovative, and sustainable maritime sector. At AD Ports Group and Abu Dhabi Maritime, we remain committed to enabling this growth and strengthening Abu Dhabi’s position at the forefront of global maritime development.” 

The fourth annual edition of the Abu Dhabi Maritime Awards consists of organisation, project, and individual-based categories – a holistic approach that recognises the institutions, initiatives, and people shaping the regional industry. 

Five core organisation-based categories recognise achievements in “Customer Experience,” “Employer Excellence,” “Health & Safety,” “Innovation,” and “Sustainability.” 

The top “Outstanding Marina Award” is presented to the marina that demonstrates excellence across all five organisation-based categories.

Marinas that apply to the Outstanding Marina Award are automatically entered into the five core organisation-based categories. The winner of this top accolade will not be eligible to win other organisation-based categories to ensure equitable opportunity for all participating marinas.

Three project-based categories reward targeted initiatives. The “Sustainability Project,” “Innovation Project,” and “Wellbeing Project” Awards celebrate successful standalone projects rather than overall organisational performance.

The three individual-based categories – the “Outstanding Leader Award,” “Outstanding Service Hero Award,” and “Rising Star Award” – honour the people who inspire their colleagues, customers, and communities through remarkable performance and meaningful contributions.

Finally, the 2026 programme will include the returning “Most Popular Marina” recognition, determined by public vote via a secure online portal opening in October.

Marinas and individuals are invited to apply now by creating a profile on the Abu Dhabi Maritime Awards website. More information on the awards programme, criteria, and application and assessment processes is also available on the website and through its applicant portal.