Mumbai, Sep 7: Indian benchmark equity indices ended lower on Monday, weighed down by sharp declines in IT, metal, PSU bank and media stocks amid escalating geopolitical tensions, volatility in oil prices and growing concerns over monetary tightening.

The Sensex fell 382.62 points, or 0.5 per cent, to close at 76,132.81, while the Nifty declined 118.55 points, or 0.5 per cent, to 23,779.15.

Commenting on Nifty technical outlook, experts said that on the upside, the 23,800 zone, which had previously acted as an important support during earlier declines, is now likely to serve as the immediate resistance level.

“However, the 24,000 mark remains the key psychological hurdle. Unless the index decisively reclaims and sustains above this level, selling pressure at higher levels is likely to persist, keeping the overall technical structure weak,” a market expert noted.

“On the downside, 23,750–23,700 zone remains the immediate support, based on today’s intraday low. A decisive closing below this level could intensify selling pressure and expose the index to the 23,600 region,” an analyst mentioned.

Selling pressure was particularly visible in several heavyweight stocks, with Infosys, SBI Life Insurance Company and HDFC Life Insurance Company emerging as the top losers on the Nifty index.

The broader market also remained subdued, although the decline was relatively contained. The Nifty MidCap index fell 0.46 per cent, while the Nifty SmallCap index managed to edge up 0.02 per cent.

Among sectoral indices, IT and metal stocks came under significant pressure, while PSU banks, realty and media shares also underperformed the broader market. The weakness in these sectors reflected a cautious investor mood amid concerns over the impact of geopolitical developments, fluctuations in crude oil prices and the possibility of tighter monetary conditions.

On the other hand, pharma and healthcare stocks bucked the broader trend and outperformed, providing some support to the market.

Experts said that the market remained sensitive to global developments as investors assessed the potential economic and inflationary impact of geopolitical tensions and higher oil price volatility.

New Delhi, Sep 7: India maintained a stable contribution to Germany’s inbound tourism with Indian visitor nights up 0.1 per cent year‑on‑year and the country’s ten leading city destinations accounting for about 61 per cent of all Indian overnight stays, a statement said on Monday.

Germany recorded 36.4 million international overnight stays in the first half of 2026, “while India maintains stable growth and strong long-term potential,” a statement from the German National Tourist Office said.

Germany’s international overnight stays saw year-on-year growth of 0.5 per cent, and June overnight stays rose 1.6 per cent compared with June 2025.

“India remains an important and highly promising source market for Destination Germany. The stable performance during the first five months of 2026 demonstrates the resilience of Indian travel demand despite geopolitical uncertainty and changing economic conditions,” said Romit Theophilus, Director – Marketing & Sales Office, India, GNTO.

Indian travellers are increasingly seeking safe, well-connected destinations that offer authentic cultural experiences, premium hospitality and excellent value, Theophilus said.

Germany is strongly positioned to meet these expectations, with its diverse cities, heritage, natural landscapes and efficient public transport network, he added.

“The Indian audience for Germany is also young and experience-driven, with an average traveller age of 38 years. Around 95 per cent of Indian travellers to Germany are below the age of 55, highlighting the market’s significant long-term potential,” Theophilus said.

He also expressed optimism about continued demand during the second half of 2026.

Hotel occupancy also increased by 1.2 percentage points to 65.5 per cent during the same period.

Germany offers a compelling combination of vibrant cities, historic attractions, nature, premium experiences and convenient onward connections across Europe for Indian travellers, the German National Tourist Office said.

Mumbai, Sep 7: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the seventh edition of the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2026 in Mumbai on Tuesday, marking the commencement of one of the world’s largest annual fintech gatherings that brings together policymakers, regulators, financial institutions, technology companies, investors and academia.

The four-day event, scheduled from September 8 to 11, will focus on emerging technologies and their role in advancing inclusive finance. Since its inception in 2020, GFF has evolved into a global platform for discussions on the future of finance and digital innovation, according to a Press Information Bureau statement.

The theme of GFF 2026 is “Potential to Impact: Agentic AI, Tokenisation, Quantum – Trusted, Connected, Global Systems for Inclusive Finance”.

GFF 2026 has been designed as a convergence point for policy, regulation, technology, capital and industry on a common platform. It seeks to build on India’s leadership in digital payments and financial inclusion and move from potential to impact. The discussions will focus on how Agentic AI, programmable finance, quantum technologies and other critical and emerging technologies can create trusted, inclusive and measurable outcomes for citizens, enterprises and economies globally, a government statement said on Monday.

Earlier, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently positioned Mumbai not just as the financial capital of India, but as the country’s Fintech Capital. He emphasised that Mumbai historically under-leveraged its standing as India’s financial hub. By marrying traditional banking and capital markets with cutting-edge digital infrastructure, the city is evolving into an integrated fintech ecosystem.

Addressing perceptions around tech hubs like Bengaluru or Hyderabad, CM Fadnavis highlighted that Maharashtra leads the country in absolute numbers of startups, venture funding, and total unicorns, driven heavily by fintech enterprises. He further stated that Maharashtra currently houses over 60 per cent of India’s total data centre capacity (exceeding 1 GW operational capacity).

The state’s power-surplus status and dedicated cloud infrastructure provide the technical backbone required for low-latency financial transactions and digital payment processing. ​

The state government implemented dedicated fintech policies offering plug-and-play parks, single-window clearances, and rapid land allotments (often within 24-36 hours) to lower the cost and friction of doing business.

Through broader initiatives — including AI Innovation Parks, cyber-security centres, and digital public infrastructure — the administration is aligning the fintech domain with emerging technologies to secure financial networks and scale solutions globally, said the industry department sources.