Business
Mumbai: Apple’s maiden store in city gets rousing welcome
Mumbai: The yearning of Apple product fans for the tech giant’s retail store in India finally turned into a reality on Tuesday when Mumbai beat Delhi in getting the country’s maiden store. Scores of loyal customers thronged the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) as Apple Inc Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook opened the doors of the much-awaited store, stirring the crowd’s excitement to the next level. The store launch marks 25 years of Apple’s presence in India.
The adulation of fans could be gauged by the fact that several of them came from different states for the event. Not to mention, their impatient wait for the store opening as many reached the venue a day before and camped in the BKC environs to be among the firsts to witness the event.
Three fans waited for more than 12 hours to enter first in the store
A loyalist, who preferred to be called just Purva, waited for 15 hours for Cook to sign a 10-year-old unopened iPod. His two friends – Kartik from Jodhpur and Madhav from Pune – also waited half a day to make sure they were among the first to enter the store. All three had slept on a bench outside the store and used food delivery apps to get their dinner the night before.
The alacrity of customers prompted Cook to tweet that “the energy, creativity, and passion in Mumbai is incredible”. He was further amazed as one of the customers showed up with a vintage Mac which was launched in 1984 at the hands of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs (see page 1). “I brought this (Mac SE) just to show Apple’s journey since 1984. It has been a long journey,” said the fan who is a designer by profession.
The company’s presence in India also thrilled its staff as several employees wearing green-coloured tees cheered as Cook stepped out of the vibrant store. Broadly in coherence with the style pattern at other global outlets, the BKC store is also inspired by the theme of the city’s iconic kaali-peeli taxis.
About the Apple store in Mumbai
The Mumbai store is an architectural marvel with a 26ft high single piece of glass covering 28,000 sq ft of retail space; 4.5lakh individual wood works cover the ceiling and stone walls have been sourced from Rajasthan.
With his trademark grin and Namaste, Cook floored the surging crowd and claimed that it’s one of Apple’s “most energy-efficient” outlets in the world with solar panels allowing it to run solely on renewable power.
The enthusiasm will continue to peak as Apple has announced its second retail store in Delhi. One of the fans present at the BKC said that he has already started planning to attend the ‘historic’ event in the national capital.
Business
NPCI extends ‘UPI One World’ wallet for foreign delegates at India AI Impact Summit 2026

New Delhi, Feb 16: The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on Monday announced that it has extended its ‘UPI One World’ wallet service for international visitors attending the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in the national capital.
The summit is being held from February 16 to 20, and visitors from more than 40 countries will now be able to make seamless and secure UPI payments during their stay in India.
Under this pilot initiative, foreign travellers can make real-time Person-to-Merchant (P2M) payments using UPI without needing an Indian mobile number or a local bank account.
This means that international guests can enjoy India’s culture, shopping, and food experiences while using “Made in India” digital payment technology.
The ‘UPI One World’ wallet is being made available through authorised prepaid payment instrument (PPI) issuers at New Delhi International Airport and at the NPCI Pavilion located in Hall 14 at Bharat Mandapam, the summit venue.
Visitors can download the CheqUPI app by Transcorp from the Play Store or App Store and complete a simple registration process.
They need to enter their basic details, upload their passport and visa, take a selfie through the app, and set their UPI PIN. Once registered, a unique UPI ID is generated for them.
Travellers can load the wallet using an international debit or credit card and start making payments by scanning UPI QR codes across India.
This removes the need to carry cash or deal with foreign exchange hassles. Any unused balance in the wallet can be transferred back to the original payment source, in line with foreign exchange regulations.
Users can load up to Rs 25,000 per transaction, with a maximum of two wallet loads allowed per month, taking the total monthly limit to Rs 50,000.
Speaking on the development, Sohini Rajola, Executive Director – Growth at NPCI, said that UPI is the world’s largest real-time payment system.
Business
Mumbai Infra: BMC Plans ₹220-Crore Flyover Between Mahim & Bandra East To Ease Congestion On WEH

Mumbai: In a bid to ease traffic congestion along a crucial stretch of the Western Express Highway (WEH), the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has revived plans to construct a flyover connecting Mahim and Bandra (East). The civic body has once again invited tenders for the long-pending project after earlier attempts failed to attract bidders.
The proposed flyover will link Machhimar Colony on Senapati Bapat Marg in Mahim to Bandra (East), providing an alternative route for motorists who currently face severe traffic snarls on the western express highway. The congestion typically begins at Mithi Chowk in Bandra (East) and extends up to Dadar, significantly slowing down traffic on the WEH.
The project is estimated to cost approximately Rs. 220.17 crore. The flyover will stretch for over one kilometre and is expected to ease pressure on existing routes between Mahim and Bandra (East), an area that already includes the Chunabhatti–BKC flyover and the old Kalanagar flyover.
This is not the first time the BMC has attempted to push the project forward. The initial tender, floated in 2022, was withdrawn due to technical issues. A second tender issued in July 2023 failed to receive any bids and eventually lapsed. The bridge department has now reissued the tender, expressing hope that contractors will come forward this time.
The project involves crossing areas near Mithi Chowk, which will require clearances from the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) authorities and the Forest Department. The responsibility of securing these permissions will lie with the appointed contractor.
Once completed, the flyover is expected to streamline traffic flow between Mahim and Bandra (East) and provide relief to commuters using one of the city’s busiest arterial corridors.
Business
Bharat Forge’s Q3 profit falls 17 pc, Rs 2 interim dividend announced

Mumbai, Feb 12: Bharat Forge on Thursday reported nearly 17 per cent year-on-year decline in its standalone net profit for the quarter ended December 2026 (Q3 FY26).
On a standalone basis, the company posted a net profit of Rs 288 crore lower than Rs 346 crore reported in the same quarter last financial year (Q3 FY25), according to its stock exchange filing.
Standalone revenue from operations saw a marginal dip of 0.6 per cent to Rs 2,083.7 crore in Q3 FY26.
On a consolidated basis, the performance was stronger. Revenue rose 25 per cent year-on-year to Rs 4,343 crore, compared with Rs 3,476 crore in the year-ago period.
Net profit increased 28.2 per cent to Rs 273 crore from Rs 213 crore in the corresponding quarter last financial year.
The company said the quarterly numbers included a one-time cost of Rs 55.7 crore, which had an impact on margins.
Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew 20 per cent to Rs 750 crore from Rs 624 crore a year ago.
However, EBITDA margin moderated to 17.3 per cent from 18 per cent in the same quarter last financial year.
The Board of Directors also declared an interim dividend of Rs 2 per equity share of face value Rs 2 each, which translates to a 100 per cent payout on the face value.
The dividend will be paid on or before March 12, 2026, and the record date for determining eligible shareholders has been fixed as February 18, 2026.
Commenting on the performance, B. N. Kalyani, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Forge, said the results continued to be impacted by de-stocking in the North American commercial vehicle market.
He added that strong growth in the domestic automotive business and execution of the defence order book helped support the overall performance.
On a sequential basis, standalone revenue rose 7 per cent quarter-on-quarter to Rs 2,084 crore.
EBITDA increased 4.6 per cent to Rs 569 crore, while margins stood at 27.3 per cent. Export revenue declined 3 per cent on a sequential basis, with auto exports falling 13 per cent, even as industrial exports grew 11 per cent.
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