New Delhi, Oct 9: PhonePe and the Digital Publisher Content Grievances Council (DPCGC), a self-regulatory body under the aegis of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The partnership aims to facilitate seamless SRO certification for all merchants, champion regulatory compliance, and drive merchant education for all merchant partners onboarding on PhonePe’s Payment Gateway.

Under applicable Indian regulations, over-the-top (OTT) or Publishers of Online Curated Content (OCCPs) are legally required to be members of a recognised self-regulatory organisation (SRO) for grievance redressal.

Pioneering a compliance-first approach, PhonePe enforces this regulatory requirement as a mandatory prerequisite during its merchant onboarding process.

DPCGC is a Level II SRO formed under the IT Rules, 2021, which is registered with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Through the MoU, PhonePe and DPCGC aim to drive merchant education and awareness.

Recognising the limited awareness among OTT/OCCPs regarding SRO compliance, the joint initiative will educate both existing and prospective merchants on regulatory requirements and seamlessly facilitate their SRO certification through DPCGC.

The partnership further strengthens PhonePe’s position as a trusted, robust, and compliant payment partner tailored for the rapidly growing OTT ecosystem.

Dr. Subho Ray, President of IAMAI, said, “DPCGC, established under the IT Rules, is committed to efficiently addressing concerns and grievances related to OTT platforms through self-regulation.

This collaboration between DPCGC and PhonePe will foster greater alignment and adherence to the Code of Ethics, expanding the reach of self-regulation and strengthening its benefits for both the industry and its users.”

Deep Agrawal, Head of Payments at PhonePe, added, “At PhonePe, compliance and trust are at the core of everything we build. The OTT segment has exploded in terms of coverage and penetration over the last couple of years.

Agrawal further stated that our MoU with DPCGC will allow us to educate the OTT platforms to seamlessly drive higher awareness about customer grievance redressal, reinforcing PhonePe as the most trusted & compliant growth partner for India’s booming OTT ecosystem.”

New Delhi, Oct 8: India’s decision to ratify Phase 1 of the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies is a pragmatic step to curb illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing while preserving its policy space on issues that directly affect small-scale and artisanal fishers, an official statement said on Thursday.

The statement from the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying said India deposited its Instrument of Acceptance on July 20, 2026, and that the ratified phase targets IUU fishing, overfished stocks and unregulated high‑seas fishing.

“It does not cover the more difficult questions of overcapacity and overfishing, including subsidies for fuel, gear, ice, vessel construction and modernisation,”

“Those issues belong to Phase 2, where India continues to seek fair and differentiated treatment for developing countries,” the statement said citing views of Dr. M. Krishnan, former Principal Scientist & Head, ICAR – CIFE and Dr. P. Krishnan, Director, BOBP-IGO.

India supports measures aimed at the most harmful fishing practices but insists conservation rules must not reduce the development space of coastal communities that depend on marine fisheries for livelihoods.

“For India, the challenge is not whether to support conservation, but how to ensure that conservation does not come at the cost of equity,” the statement, calling the country’s position principled and practical.

India made clear that its ratification of Phase 1 does not weaken its demand for a longer transition period and more flexible treatment in Phase 2. The call for a 25-year transition period for developing countries within their exclusive economic zones remains part of the broader negotiating position.

India also insists that subsidy disciplines should be assessed using a per-fisher benchmark, rather than through comparisons that overlook vast differences in scale, capacity and state support.

Across the Bay of Bengal region, fisheries are a source of food security, employment and social stability for millions of small-scale fishers rather than merely an economic activity.

Hence, any multilateral discipline on subsidies must recognise the realities of artisanal and coastal fisheries in developing countries, where support is often aimed at livelihood protection rather than industrial expansion.

New Delhi, Oct 8: Domestic equity benchmarks opened largely flat on Thursday with Nifty opening around 22,600 mark as gains in IT and pharma stocks were offset by weakness across financial, FMCG and auto stocks.

Nifty opened at 22,599.05, down 4 points or 0.02 per cent.

Similarly, Sensex started at 72,668, up 29.30 points or 0.04 per cent.

Sector-wise, Nifty IT, Nifty MidSmall Healthcare, Nifty Pharma were top gainers with advancing up to 0.59 per cent.

Meanwhile, metal, consumer durables and chemicals also traded marginally higher.

On the other hand, Nifty Financial Services ex-Bank, Nifty FMCG slipped up to 0.38 per cent.

Market experts said the RBI’s calibrated tightening stance could put pressure on equity valuations as higher interest rates make fixed-income investments relatively more attractive.

They also expect investor preference to shift marginally towards relatively interest-inelastic sectors such as pharmaceuticals.

Experts noted that growth stocks have continued to attract investor interest despite high valuations, while value stocks have remained subdued.

“Sustained selling by foreign investors in large-cap stocks, coupled with the US 10-year Treasury yield staying above 5.3 per cent, could keep large-cap stocks under pressure,” they added.

“Yesterday’s multiple attacks at 22574 calls for an extended period of consolidation, before setting a direction. Though considerably weakened, the 23100-220 view is still in play, with downside marker at 22439,” according to them.

Experts added that a sustained reversal in the market trend would require foreign investors to turn buyers, while value stocks could offer opportunities over the longer term.

In addition, foreign institutional investors remained net sellers on Wednesday and offloaded equities worth more than Rs 6,121 crore.

While domestic institutional investors provided some support and purchased equities of around Rs 4,596 crore.

Moreover, market sentiment remained cautious amid concerns over elevated US Treasury yields and oil prices, while Asian markets traded on a cautious note following a softer session on Wall Street.