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Chennai, Tamil Nadu  June 16: Chennai’s residential real estate market is witnessing a significant transformation, with women increasingly emerging as independent homebuyers and investors. The trend, backed by recent market data, reflects growing financial independence, evolving investment preferences, and a stronger inclination toward long-term asset creation among women professionals.

According to data released at the recently concluded CREDAI FAIRPRO 2026 property exhibition, women accounted for 33 percent of the 460 confirmed property bookings recorded during the three-day event, representing one in every three purchases and contributing to the overall sales value of ₹451 crore.

Industry experts believe this shift marks an important milestone in the evolution of Chennai’s housing market. Beyond end-use requirements, women are increasingly viewing real estate as a strategic investment that offers financial security, capital appreciation, and ownership stability.

Commenting on the trend, Bala Ramajayam, Managing Director, G Square Housing, said, “The growing participation of women buyers reflects increasing financial confidence and awareness about long-term wealth creation through real estate. Buyers today are evaluating properties not just as homes but as valuable assets that can appreciate over time. We are witnessing strong interest in plotted developments across growth corridors such as OMR, GST Road, and ECR, where infrastructure expansion and connectivity improvements continue to enhance investment potential.”

The preference for ownership over renting has also gained momentum among women buyers. Real estate offers greater financial control and long-term security, making it an attractive alternative to recurring rental expenses.

Market data from FAIRPRO 2026 further revealed that apartments remained the preferred housing category, contributing more than ₹251 crore in sales through 190 unit bookings. Among apartment configurations, 2 BHK homes emerged as the most sought-after option, accounting for 48 percent of bookings, while 3 BHK homes contributed the highest revenue within the apartment segment.

Location preferences also highlighted the growing importance of connectivity and infrastructure. Chennai’s southern suburbs accounted for nearly half of all apartment bookings at 49 percent, followed by west central, west suburban, and south central regions.

As more women take independent financial decisions and prioritize asset ownership, industry stakeholders expect their influence on housing demand, project design, and investment patterns to continue growing in the coming years. The trend signals a more mature, financially aware, and confident buyer segment that is playing an increasingly important role in shaping Chennai’s real estate landscape.

Mumbai, June 16: The 19th edition of HGH India opens on June 30 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, and runs through July 3. Across three halls, the show will bring together 700 brands and manufacturers from over 30 countries, drawing trade visitors from more than 750 cities and towns across India. With the first release for HGH India 2026 having introduced the show‘s scale and market context, this release focuses on what is on the floor. 

Three Halls. Every Category in India‘s Home Trade.

The 2026 edition is spread across three halls. Hall 6 covers Home Textiles, Decorative Furnishings, Bed and Bath, Table and Kitchen Linen, Rugs and Carpets, Mattress, Technical Textiles and more. Hall 3 brings Home Décor, tabletop, wall and floor décor, handicrafts, home fragrances, artificial flowers, decorative lighting and gifts.  Hall 4 hosts Houseware and Gifts, including the Smart Kitchen Pavilion.

Mr. Arun Roongta, Managing Director, HGH India, said, “Over 18 editions, we have watched the Indian home market go through cycles of aspiration, disruption, and reinvention. What is different now is the scale and the geography of the shift. The consumer driving growth today is not only in metros but also in 700 cities and towns across the country, upgrading their homes with the same intent and the same discernment as any metro buyer. HGH India 2026 is built around that reality. The products on this floor, the conversations in our knowledge sessions, and the connections made across our pavilions are all designed for the industry that is serving this India.”

Brands on the Floor

The exhibitor mix reflects both established industry depth and newer entrants bringing new  product directions.

The exhibitor mix combines established leaders with newer, design-led brands across all major home categories. In home textiles, Maspar, Bianca, Pomme and Grhamoy represent the shift toward better design, improved comfort technologies and stronger branding in bedding, bath and soft furnishings. In houseware and kitchenware, Borosil, Cello World, Hawkins, Vinod, Tramontina and Bergner anchor a landscape where Indian and global brands compete on performance, materials and everyday usability. In home décor, IRIS and NaturallYours show how home fragrance and sustainable handcrafted décor are now central to how Indian consumers personalise their living spaces.

Indian Heritage Pavilion

Backed by the Ministry of Textiles, the Ministry of MSME, EPCH, HEPC, the National Jute Board and more , the Indian Heritage Pavilion brings together national award-winning artisans, handloom weavers and handicraft producers. Live demonstrations and curated displays connect heritage crafts with retail and distribution channels, turning long-standing skills into real business opportunities.

Smart Kitchen Pavilion

The Smart Kitchen Pavilion in Hall 4 is built around the practical changes shaping the modern kitchen. Innovation, convenience, healthier cooking, sustainability, energy efficiency and design all belong in this space because they define what today’s buyers expect from kitchen products.

The story here is about lifestyle change. As urban consumers look for products that make cooking faster, easier, more organised and more enjoyable, smart kitchens are becoming an expectation rather than a novelty. Renowned chefs would be also be preparing and sharing their best recipes.

Sustainability Pavilion

The Sustainability Pavilion brings together brands building collections around conscious material use, responsible sourcing and reduced environmental footprint. Cotton, bamboo, cane, wood, terracotta, recycled fibres and biodegradable composites are at the centre, with participants such as Sapana Polyweave, Oodaii by Amaravathi Textiles, Birla Cellulose and Sainik illustrating different approaches to sustainable product development.

International Participation

HGH India 2026 hosts one of its strongest international line-ups, with brands from Europe, Asia, the Americas and beyond. Italy is represented through the Italian Trade Embassy and brands such as Luigi Bormioli, Borgonovo and RCR, while France comes in via Duralex, Crystal d’Arques, Luminarc and cleaning specialist LACO. Turkey’s Pasabahce and Nude, Belgium’s BergHOFF, Austria’s Bergner, Brazil’s Tramontina, South Korea’s LocknLock and Glasslock, Ukraine’s JSC Slovyanski Shpalery, Thailand’s Kripp, and a wide UK and US portfolio through Seeba Industries together give Indian buyers a realistic view of global standards in cookware, glassware, dinnerware, storage and décor. 

HGH India Interactive

HGH India Interactive is the show’s knowledge platform, offering expert-led panels and presentations that sit alongside the product floor. Sessions will focus on changing consumer preferences in technical textiles, home categories, retail and digital transformation, e-commerce and merchandising strategies, product design and trend forecasting, and sustainability. The programme is designed for brands, retailers, distributors, designers and analysts who want market intelligence as well as sourcing opportunities.

H-Circle Product Innovation Awards – Fifth Edition

The H-Circle Product Innovation Awards, which has become a valuable marker of product newness and relevance for the Indian market, recognises new thinking in design, functionality, materials and product development across all exhibitor categories. Now in its fifth year, the awards this edition introduce three new special recognition categories: Contemporary, Futuristic and Sustainable. All nominated products are on display in a dedicated zone within the show, making it the show‘s most concentrated point of product discovery. Winners are announced at an awards evening.

PreSense 2026-27: Trend Forecast

Through the PreSense Trends Pavilion, HGH India 2026 presents its Trends Forecast for 2026–27, built on the insight that as the world grows more virtual, the impulse to touch, feel and sense becomes stronger. Four themes anchor the forecast: Manchala Mind, capturing the expressive energy of younger consumers; Sun Woven, focusing on warmth, craft and material richness; Kala Sangam, where cultural heritage meets contemporary aesthetics; and Colour Wave, draws inspiration from urban living and modern architecture offering a broad playground for colours The pavilion turns these ideas into usable colour palettes, material references and display cues for brands and retailers.

19th HGH India | June 30 to July 3, 2026 | Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai

Trade visitors can pre-register at visitors.hghindia.com. Pre-registration before June 20 saves Rs. 1,000 on the entry fee. Entry is open to trade professionals across manufacturing, retail, distribution, architecture and interior design.

 

BENGALURU, India, June 16: Sarvam, India’s full-stack sovereign AI company, announced that it has raised $234 million in the first close of its $300 million Series B at a post-money valuation of $1.5 billion. HCLTech and Bessemer Venture Partners invested in the round, with continued support from existing investors Khosla Ventures and Peak XV Partners.

Sarvam builds across the AI stack: training and inference infrastructure, frontier model research, and a go-to-market motion spanning enterprises, developers, and government. The investment will fund Sarvam’s continued research on training its next frontier model for agentic, coding, and cybersecurity use-cases, as well as access to compute at scale to expand its forward-deployed motion across key verticals.

“We are clear that research-led innovation to create AI that works at India’s scale is a very large opportunity. That means models that understand our voices, read our documents, and serve intelligence at a cost every enterprise and government can afford. Building on this template, we are innovating on a full-stack offering for enterprises to own and operate their own sovereign AI,” said Pratyush Kumar, Co-Founder of Sarvam.

HCLTech will invest $150M as the lead strategic investor in this round. By combining its deep enterprise transformation expertise, trusted global client relationships, data and other software IP, and engineering depth, HCLTech would accelerate Sarvam’s goal of building a powerful, end-to-end sovereign AI ecosystem for India and beyond.

C Vijayakumar, CEO & Managing Director of HCLTech said, “Our investment in Sarvam marks a significant step toward building India’s trusted and globally competitive AI ecosystem. By bringing together Sarvam’s research in AI models with HCLTech’s global presence, we are creating a differentiated full-stack AI platform for enterprises and governments, strengthening our ability to deliver secure, scalable, and responsible AI solutions.”

Sarvam’s research has shipped at pace. In the last few months, it has released foundational models, all trained from scratch in India. Sarvam 105B matches or outperforms larger reasoning models on knowledge, reasoning, and agentic benchmarks, while Sarvam 30B is optimised for the edge, running on consumer hardware. Sarvam Vision, built for handwriting and Indian-language records, is being used to digitise over 35 million pages from insurance forms to legacy land records. Sarvam’s speech models work in India’s complex settings, transcribing over half a million hours of audio each month.

Sarvam’s products are rapidly scaling, focused on the verticals where the stakes are highest: banking, insurance, gov tech, and defence. Sarvam’s conversational platform now handles over 2 million interactions a day, with usage doubling in the last two months. Sarvam’s agentic platform is scaling rapidly. A leading fintech powers its 350,000-strong sales force with a sales enablement platform that is delivering demonstrable gains. Sarvam’s models are also being adopted by developers served on its inference platform in India which processes 10 million API calls daily, with usage tripling in the last three months.

Sarvam’s deployments are also creating impact at population scale. With multilingual voice agents, Sarvam’s platform collected high-quality data from 17 million farmers providing deep insights to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare. For one of India’s leading insurance providers, a nationwide voice campaign supported low cost policy renewals for 45 million policyholders.

“Our ambition is to diffuse this technology widely in India, creating significant value across sectors for citizens, small businesses, enterprises, and state and central governments. We are positioned to both help them adopt and innovate on AI. The partnership with HCLTech provides a unique example of an Indian corporate helping build foundational strength in AI,” said Vivek Raghavan, Co-Founder of Sarvam.

“Sarvam is building and deploying India’s sovereign AI platform – serving 1.4 billion citizens, mission-critical sectors, and large enterprises. Pratyush and Vivek have brought together the rare combination of research depth, engineering talent, and institutional trust to meet India’s voice and agentic needs, and we are proud to partner with them,” said Pankaj Mitra, Partner, Bessemer Venture Partners.

The MENA Fintech Association and Swiss Fintech Association Forge Strategic Alliance to Accelerate Global Fintech Integration, Cross-Border Innovation, and Ecosystem Empowerment

 

15th June 2026 – Abu Dhabi, UAE – The MENA Fintech Association (MFTA) and the Swiss Fintech Association (SFTA) today announced a landmark strategic partnership designed to advance a new era of cross-border collaboration, ecosystem integration, and innovation-led financial transformation across global markets.

This alliance reflects a shared conviction that the future of financial services will be defined by interconnected ecosystems, seamless knowledge exchange, and the collective empowerment of institutions, innovators, and talent across geographies.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was formally signed with the Swiss Fintech Association, represented by its President, Phillip Weights, marking a significant milestone in strengthening institutional ties between the two ecosystems. The engagement was held under the presence and facilitation of H.E. Arthur Mattli, Ambassador – Embassy of Switzerland to the United Arab Emirates & Kingdom of Bahrain, whose support underscored the strategic importance of deepening bilateral cooperation in financial innovation and reinforcing cross-border ecosystem linkages.

At the heart of this partnership lies a bold commitment to cross-border collaboration, enabling structured engagement between fintech ecosystems in the MENA region and Switzerland. Both associations aim to eliminate silos that limit innovation, fostering a unified platform for dialogue between startups, regulators, investors, financial institutions, and technology leaders.

A central objective of the partnership is to develop cross-border frameworks, understand the global outlook and landscape, and further the future of finance across both ecosystems and beyond. Empowerment of the next generation of fintech talent, with a strong emphasis on nurturing emerging founders, developers, and innovators, is also a vital pillar of this partnership. Through joint programs and curated ecosystem access, MFTA and SFTA will work to cultivate a globally competitive pipeline of fintech leadership capable of shaping the future of financial infrastructure.

The collaboration will further prioritize knowledge sharing and intellectual capital exchange, establishing formal mechanisms for sharing insights on regulatory frameworks, emerging technologies, market dynamics, and best practices. This will include thought leadership forums, research collaborations, and high-level roundtables aimed at elevating industry-wide understanding and accelerating informed innovation. Both organizations will also engage in co-development of ecosystem-building initiatives, designed to unlock scalable impact across both regions. These initiatives will support fintech startups in accessing new markets, facilitate investor connectivity across borders, and enable institutional partnerships that drive real-world adoption of financial technologies.

In addition, the partnership underscores a strategic global outlook, positioning both associations as key enablers of international fintech alignment. By bridging two of the world’s most dynamic financial ecosystems, the collaboration is expected to create new pathways for capital flow, regulatory dialogue, and innovation diffusion at a global scale.

The alliance is further anchored in a long-term strategic vision focused on building resilient, inclusive, and future-ready financial ecosystems. This includes fostering regulatory innovation, supporting digital transformation agendas, and reinforcing trust-based frameworks that enable sustainable fintech growth.

Leadership from both MFTA and SFTA emphasized that this partnership is not symbolic, but foundational, representing a decisive step toward shaping a more interconnected, collaborative, and innovation-driven global financial landscape.

Philip J. Weights, SFTA President comments that: “This strategic MOU between the Swiss FinTech Association (SFTA) in Zurich and the MENA Fintech Association (MFTA) in Dubai creates a powerful cross-border corridor for wealth, innovation, and digital finance. It establishes a bridge between two of the world’s most prominent financial technology hubs.”

“This alliance is a defining step toward deepening cross-border collaboration and co-creating the future of financial innovation between our two ecosystems. It reflects a shared ambition to enable sustainable growth and global connectivity in fintech.” — Nameer Khan, Chairman, MENA Fintech Association

Together, the MENA Fintech Association and the Swiss Fintech Association are setting a new global benchmark for ecosystem partnership, one defined by cross-border synergy, talent empowerment, and the shared ambition to co-create the future of finance.

Gurugram | June 15: As Indian consumers increasingly shift towards expert-backed, personalised and community-driven skincare experiences, Fixderma Cosmetic Laboratories (FCL), a dermatologist-recommended skincare brand known for its science-backed formulations, hosted an exclusive Loyal Customer Meet as part of its ‘And I Still Look the Same with FCL’ campaign to build deeper consumer relationships and better understand evolving skincare needs.

The initiative was conceptualised to create a meaningful platform for direct dialogue between the brand and its consumers, recognising the growing demand for education-led skincare and informed decision-making. By bringing together loyal customers in an intimate setting, the brand sought to gather first-hand feedback, understand consumer preferences and strengthen its community through authentic interactions.

A key highlight of the event was an interactive session by renowned dermatologist Dr. Sachin Dhawan, who addressed attendees’ skin concerns and shared expert insights on ingredient efficacy, personalised skincare routines and the importance of preventive skincare practices. The session enabled guests to engage directly with a skincare expert and gain a deeper understanding of building effective, long-term skincare habits.

Speaking on the initiative, Shaily Mehrotra, CEO and Co-Founder, Fixderma & FCL, said, “Today’s consumers are more informed, conscious and actively involved in their skincare journeys than ever before. They are seeking credible information, expert guidance and brands that genuinely listen to their needs. Through this initiative, we wanted to create a platform for open conversations that not only help us understand our consumers better but also empower them to make informed skincare decisions. At Fixderma, we believe that building a community rooted in trust and education is just as important as developing effective, science-backed solutions.” ]

The campaign celebrates consistency in skincare and reinforces the idea that healthy skin is built over time through expert guidance, informed choices and science-backed solutions. As the beauty and skincare industry continues to evolve, community-led experiences are emerging as a key driver of long-term consumer relationships, with brands increasingly investing in meaningful, two-way engagement beyond product offerings. Through this initiative, Fixderma continues to reinforce its commitment towards consumer education, expert-led skincare awareness and fostering a community built on trust, transparency and informed skincare practices. 

June 15: Hyatt Regency Dehradun Resort and Spa has announced the appointment of Suman Kumar as its new Director of Engineering, effective May 7, 2026. Bringing over fourteen years of experience across hospitality engineering, pre-opening projects, and large-scale operational management, Mr. Suman joins the resort’s leadership team at a pivotal time as it continues to elevate guest experiences in the heart of Uttarakhand.

While guests are drawn to the resort for its panoramic mountain views, expansive spaces, and sense of escape, it is the unseen precision behind the scenes that allows every experience to unfold effortlessly. In his new role, Suman will lead the resort’s engineering function, overseeing maintenance, safety, infrastructure, and operational efficiency across the property, ensuring that every aspect of the guest journey is supported by systems that are dependable, sustainable, and future-ready.

Suman’s career reflects a steady progression built on technical expertise and hands-on leadership. A graduate of Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar, with a degree in Technology and a diploma in Electrical Engineering, he began his professional journey in project engineering before transitioning into hospitality. Over the years, he has contributed to some of North India’s notable hotel developments, including pre-opening assignments at The Lalit Chandigarh, Hyatt Regency Chandigarh, and most recently, Hyatt Centric Chandigarh, where he served as Chief Engineer.

Suman’s ability to combine operational discipline with a practical understanding of how engineering shapes the guest experience has distinguished him throughout his career. From implementing energy-efficient solutions and preventive maintenance programmes to ensuring rigorous safety and compliance standards, his work has consistently focused on creating environments that are both high-performing and guest-centric.

Known among colleagues as a people-first leader, Suman believes that meaningful growth comes from embracing challenges and stepping beyond familiar ground. His leadership style is rooted in collaboration, patience, and accountability, qualities that have helped him build high-performing teams throughout his career.

As Hyatt Regency Dehradun Resort and Spa continues to strengthen its position as one of the region’s leading luxury destinations, Suman’s appointment reinforces the resort’s commitment to operational excellence, sustainability, and long-term value creation.

Mumbai, June 15, 2026: Euro Pratik Sales Limited, a leading seller and marketer of decorative wall panels and interior surface solutions, today announced the launch of STONITE, an innovative range of Liquid Metal Finish Panels designed to redefine contemporary interior aesthetics. Combining the elegance of metallic textures with the practicality of ready-to-install decorative surfaces, STONITE offers architects, interior designers, developers, and homeowners a premium solution for creating visually striking spaces.

Inspired by global design trends and manufactured in Korea, STONITE panels deliver the luxurious appearance of metal-finished surfaces while offering superior ease of installation, durability, and design flexibility. The collection has been curated to meet the growing demand for sophisticated interior materials that seamlessly blend aesthetics, functionality, and performance.

A key differentiator of STONITE is its ability to combine matching wall panels, louvers, and laminates within a single coordinated design language. This integrated approach enables architects and designers to create seamless, visually cohesive interiors while simplifying material selection and execution across projects.

Elevating Modern Interior Design

The STONITE range has been developed to bring a touch of luxury and sophistication to interior environments across residential, commercial, retail, hospitality, and institutional projects. The liquid metal finish creates a unique reflective effect that adds depth, texture, and character to spaces, enabling designers to create statement walls, feature surfaces, partitions, furniture facades, and decorative applications.

With intricate surface detailing and a wide range of contemporary textures and finishes, STONITE empowers designers to achieve premium aesthetics while simplifying execution and reducing installation complexities.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Pratik Singhvi, Chairman & Managing Director, Euro Pratik Sales Limited, said:

“At Euro Pratik, we continuously strive to bring innovative global surface solutions to the Indian market that combine design excellence, functionality, and long-term value. STONITE reflects our commitment to offering premium interior solutions that address the evolving needs of architects, designers, developers, and discerning consumers.

The demand for distinctive interior surfaces is growing rapidly as customers seek unique design experiences without compromising on quality, durability, and ease of installation. STONITE offers a unique combination of matching laminates, louvers, and wall panels that helps create cohesive interior environments while simplifying execution. The integrated system enables less wastage on overlapping and improves material utilization across projects. Manufactured in ISO-certified facilities and containing highly recyclable material, the collection also supports Go Green initiatives, making it a versatile choice for modern residential, commercial, and hospitality spaces.”

Designed for Performance and Sustainability

Beyond aesthetics, STONITE has been engineered to deliver long-term performance across diverse applications. The panels are water resistant, termite resistant, and borer resistant, making them suitable for high-use environments where durability and low maintenance are essential.

In addition, the ready-to-use format enables quicker installation and minimizes material wastage during application, which helps improve project efficiency while reducing overall resource consumption.

Strengthening Euro Pratik’s Decorative Surfaces Portfolio

The launch of STONITE further strengthens Euro Pratik’s position as a comprehensive provider of decorative wall panels and interior surface solutions. The addition complements the company’s extensive portfolio of decorative panels, laminates, veneers, boards, and allied interior products, enabling customers to access a wider range of globally inspired design solutions under a single trusted brand.

As demand for premium interiors continues to rise across India, Euro Pratik remains focused on introducing innovative, sustainable, and design-led products that help architects, designers, developers, and homeowners create spaces that are both functional and visually distinctive.