In its Global Economic Outlook 2020, Fitch said the number of people affected by coronavirus will keep rising in the coming weeks but that the outbreak will remain contained. However, there are downside risks to this scenario.

​​Without any protocol for resolving conflicting views between regulators on the same issue, stakeholders such as the parties involved in disputes, as well as consumers, at large suffer. Moreover, the regulatory burden for entities involved to supply information, litigate at multiple fora, etc, adding to the cost and (un)ease of doing business.

India cannot — and need not — let its economy be sacrificed at the altar of COVID-19 mitigation.

Barclays specified the cost of the three-week nationwide lockdown to be alone at USD 90 billion, which is over and above the lockdowns announced by various states like Maharashtra earlier. They also said that the RBI is most likely to go for a 0.65 per cent rate cut in the April review and will slash interest rates further by 1 per cent during the course of the year.

The chamber said that in keeping up with most economies of the world to institute stimulus measures with 10 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the Indian economy would need a transfusion of over $200 billion with an ability to go up to $300 billion, over the next 12-18 months.

It’s the lack of clarity that makes one wonder if the note was a knee-jerk reaction, or a well-thought-out strategy.

This is expected to boost manufacturing and supply of essential goods and services without violating the home ministry’s guidelines on working with reduced staff to maintain social distancing to curb the spread of Covid-19. Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat have already announced the change.

The government (GoI) has so far been very supportive and empathetic towards businesses and was quick to respond through delayed application of few amendments introduced in Finance Act 2020 (FA 2020) along with relief measures on various tax and other statutory compliances announced subsequently.

​​​The intention is to bring all B2B, B2C, consumer-facing, consumer-based content platforms, apps-based commerce and IoT device-based services under the policy, potentially engulfing products like the Amazon Echo, which is powered by artificial intelligence-driven virtual assistant Alexa, and MG Hector, the Internet-enabled vehicle from Morris Garages in the regulatory realm of e-commerce.

Paradoxically and fatally, just when risk of a downturn is at its highest, optimism also ends up peaking! So be careful with your forecasts; and even more careful with the forecasts of others.

Technology does not come cheap and more often than not; it does call for substantial investment.

MSMEs need easy credit facilities to fulfil the financial requirements of their business. The DCE's Credit Guarantee Scheme provides easy, collateral free credit facilities to MSMEs.

ESOPs allow grantees to have a stake in the company which directly results in greater loyalty.

Equipping the business with cutting-edge technology is essential to ensure you stay competitive in today’s industrial environment.

Many research studies have shown that large numbers of projects do not achieve their assigned business goals and the failure rate is significantly higher for SMBs.

Transferability of shares in a privately held company is governed by the Articles of Association, which is a document that lays down the rules and regulations.

Making products meet international standards requires ISO Certifications, but getting it is an expensive affair. To get around this, the government provides reimbursement to SMEs seeking ISO 9000/ISO 14001Certification.

A personal loan is dependant on the credit profile of the individual borrower, if you already have other loans active, you may or may not be able to get a personal loan.

Preparation is the key to winning. Having adequate information, ability to influence, and the resources can work as the power to turn the negotiation in one's favor.

Conserving cash is the basic tenet of financial management.

Relevant business structure attracts a certain tax liability and it is important to consider the tax implications before finalizing the formation.

Competing with private companies for limited resources could cap the room for RBI to cut interest rates. Even if it does, market rates won’t ease due to higher government debt. Also, with inflation being predicted to ease by the second half of 2020 towards the target of 4%, prospects for sharp rate cuts diminish.

A googly that founders often face from investors is the market they address is too crowded. Now competition is a given, very much like death or taxes, and it’s often better to have competition that validates that the market exists than otherwise.

Organizations are struggling to implement an immediate crisis response mechanism while exploring long term sustainability solutions to build resilience against future black swan events.

Unlike the PPIs that are available now, the new instrument can only be used for making retail payments. You cannot use it to transfer funds to other PPIs, make credit card payments and so on.

The year 2019 saw the launch of many smartphones. However, there were some of these which were game-changers and paved the way for the next generation of smartphones. ET Wealth rounds up the top six among these.

The way you buy gold changed from January 15 as hallmarking has now become mandatory. There are four components that you should look for on the hallmarked gold jewellery to ensure the purity of gold. Here is a look at each of them in detail.

There will be up to 70% on from small businesses that includes up to 50% off artisan handloom and handicrafts. Up to 75% on 'interesting finds' from startups, 40% off on women-made products, up to 80% off on fashion, accessories and home products.

The offering of ‘Cardless Cash Withdrawal’ from iMobile enables customers to withdraw cash securely and conveniently for everyday usage and purchases, all from the convenience of their mobile phone. Here is a look at how you can use this facility.

2019 saw some major innovations in the smartphone segment. After a happening year as far as smartphone launches were concerned, 2020 is expected to witness a lot more competition in innovation as well as on the design front. ET Wealth lists 5 such trends.

If you are using a Windows computer with a standard hard drive, sooner or later the computer will become sluggish. One way out is to tweak Windows to perform better with your existing hardware.

You can take your mobile photography to the next level if you have the right accessories. ET Wealth tells you about five must-have add-ons to get creative with mobile photography. Some of them can be purchased from prices starting as low as Rs 199.

If you are a heavy smartphone user and are looking for a smartphone that offers higher battery power but are running a tight budget for such a spend, then here are six options that will solve your problem. These fall in the below Rs 12,ooo price range.

Now all domestic airlines, including government-owned Air India, have announced a waiver on re-booking charges in case a customer does not want to travel on the designated date. Wadia group-owned private carrier GoAir, which was earlier offering free cancellation, has said it will now allow people to only reschedule their flights for no charge.

If you are someone who has been asked to work remotely and are looking for a laptop at a reasonable price, here are six of the best ones under Rs 40,000.

Your computer, smartphones might be holding videos, photos and audio in various folders, and you would not even know that it's there. Hence, ET Wealth tells you the following methods on how to clean up your devices for more efficiency.

Once the situation returns to normalcy and services resume, the customers can either opt to go to the store and pick up their jewellery or get it delivered to their doorstep, Tanishq said in a statement.

Customers can purchase the precious metal from two grams upwards following which a gold ownership certificate would be sent to them on the day of Akshaya Tritiya based on the customer recommended platforms.

Mobile phone manufacturers are focusing on increasing the screen size of devices. However, if you are someone who prefer a more compact phone, ET Wealth rounds up some of the best options.

People have a lot of misconceptions about what has been promised. Keep these things in mind when you make financial decisions basis the announcements in the relief package.

You would have given your bank account numbers and IFSC codes for various financial transactions. Unless these accounts are seamlessly merged into the financial system of the anchor bank, you would be required to change the details of your bank account.

ICICI Bank, along with issuing details on availing the moratorium on loans and credit card dues, also issued a set of FAQs on moratorium for equated monthly instalments (EMIs) taken on debit cards.

To use UPI, you must have a bank account with a member bank, i.e., your bank should allow you to use the UPI facility.

If you have a credit card from Kotak Mahindra Bank, here are some of the details of its three-month moratorium facility.

Banks have been alerting their customers of cyber frauds that can happen while availing EMI moratorium.

As per the circular, EPF members can now correct the date of birth up to plus or minus three years instead of one year earlier. This would make the linking of Universal Account Number (UAN) with Aadhaar easier.

As the country is staying at home to fight against the coronavirus, investors are adapting themselves to the online way of working with their finances.

The recent cut in the interest rate on savings accounts by leading banks has led to higher negative real returns on the accounts balances.

It must be recalled that the finance ministry had revised rules and introduced separate forms for each small savings scheme via a notification in December 2019.