Business
Piramal pays consideration for acquisition and merger of DHFL
Piramal Enterprises Limited on Wednesday announced that it has completed payment for the acquisition of Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd (DHFL), marking the first successful resolution under the IBC route in the financial services sector.
The National Company Law Tribunal, Mumbai Bench (NCLT), had earlier accorded its approval to the resolution plan of Piramal Group in relation to the CIRP (Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process) of DHFL.
In value terms, the transaction is among the largest resolutions till date, setting the precedent for future resolutions in the sector.
Speaking on the occasion, Ajay Piramal, Chairman, Piramal Group said, “We are very pleased to announce the consideration payment made towards the completion of this exciting acquisition. This accelerates our plans to become a leading digitally oriented, diversified financial services conglomerate that focuses on serving the financial needs of the unserved and underserved customers of our country.”
“An important characteristic of any advanced economy is a robust insolvency code. The landmark bankruptcy reforms have made it possible to solve complex resolutions like this in a more complete and timely way.”
Anand Piramal, Executive Director, Piramal Group said, “The combined entity will have 301 branches, 2,338 employees and over 1 million lifetime customers. We will be a dominant player in the fast-growing affordable housing segment. Over the last two years we have successfully built our next-gen technology platform, advanced analytics engine and AI/ML capabilities. This acquisition allows us to implement these technologies across a much larger base of customers. The new merged entity is poised to be at the forefront of the digital-first retail lending market in India.”
In January 2021, 94 per cent of the Creditors of DHFL voted in favour of Piramal’s resolution plan. Approvals were also obtained from the RBI, CCI and NCLT for the completion of this transaction. As a part of the process, Piramal Capital and Housing Finance Ltd (PCHFL) will merge with DHFL. The merged entity will be 100 per cent owned by Piramal Enterprises Limited.
The creditors of DHFL (including FD holders) would recover an aggregate amount of Rs 38,000 crore from the resolution process of DHFL. This amount comprises of Rs 34,250 crore to be paid by PCHFL as a combination of cash and Non-Convertible Debentures and an amount of Rs 3,800 crore, which is the entitlement of creditors (as per the resolution plan), from the cash balance available with DHFL.
There were 70,000 creditors of DHFL and most of them are recovering nearly 46 per cent of their pending dues through the successful completion of resolution process.
The total consideration paid by the Piramal Group of Rs 34,250 crore at the completion of the acquisition, includes an upfront cash component of Rs 14,700 crore and issuance of debt instruments of Rs 19,550 crore (10-year NCDs at 6.75 per cent per annum on a half-yearly basis).
The merged entity combines Piramal’s financial strength with DHFL’s geographic footprint and distribution network of 301 branches and 2,338 employees catering to 1 million lifetime customers across 24 states – making it one of the leading housing finance companies in the country.
It creates an India-wide platform focused on the affordable segment (with average loan ticket size of nearly Rs 17 lakh) to address the diverse financing needs of the under-served and unserved ‘Bharat’ market – that represents Indian budget conscious customers at the periphery of metros and in Tier I, II and III cities.
Over the last two years, Piramal Enterprises strengthened its balance sheet to take advantage of such large opportunities by raising Rs 18,000 crore of equity. It reduced net debt-to-equity and shifted towards long-term borrowings, thereby creating a headroom for significant growth in the merged entity. The acquisition is a major step under the execution of a strategic roadmap to transform our financial services business.
This transaction will not only grow the retail loan book to 5 times, but also lead to a significant diversification of the overall loan book. This paves the way for achieving nearly 50:50 retail wholesale mix in the near-term. The company will leverage the “phygital” lending platform driven by Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), including the new mobile app.
In addition, the transaction will lead to a reduction in weighted average borrowing cost by nearly 130 basis points and should further improves the Asset Liability Management (ALM) profile of our Financial Services business.
India’s household credit to GDP at 12 per cent is lowest among sizable economies of the world, indicating a huge untapped market potential for the housing finance business in India. With major push from the Government of India towards affordable housing, the share of credit active customers in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities/towns is significantly increasing over the last few years.
The acquisition will now provide an India-wide infrastructure with a large branch network as well as a sizable customer base that will leverage the technology-driven multi-product retail lending digital platform. It enables the company to significantly grow and diversify the retail loan book through product innovation, customised offering and superior customer experience. The share of retail financing is likely to improve to 50 per cent in near-term and 67 per cent in mid-to-long term. The growth in the retail loan book will facilitate capital efficiency in the financial services business.
The company will offer services such as used cars and two-wheeler loans; education loans for vocational and online courses; small builder finance to meet construction finance requirement; unsecured business loans; personal loans and loan against securities.
Business
Commercial LPG cylinder prices reduced across metros from November 1

New Delhi, Nov 1: State-run oil marketing companies have reduced commercial LPG cylinder prices across metros, offering a slight relief to businesses, starting from Saturday.
The move will provide marginal relief to thousands of small and medium-sized businesses.
According to the latest revision announced by state-run oil marketing companies (OMCs), the 19-kg commercial LPG cylinder will now cost Rs 1,590.50 in Delhi, reflecting a Rs 5 cut from the previous rate of Rs 1,595.50.
With the highest drop of Rs 6.50 per cylinder among the metros, the charge in Kolkata will now be Rs 1,694 per cylinder. Chennai will now charge Rs 1,750 (down Rs 4.50), while Mumbai now charges Rs 1,542 (down Rs 5).
For businesses that depend significantly on LPG for their everyday operations, like restaurants, hotels, and catering services, the most recent revision provides a small reprieve following a hike of Rs 15.50 that was put into effect late in September.
However, domestic LPG prices have not changed and are the same in every city.
Earlier in September, OMCs had reduced the price of commercial LPG gas cylinders by Rs 51.50. Following the revision, a 19-kg commercial LPG cylinder in Delhi was available at Rs 1,580.
Earlier, OMCs had reduced the price of a 19 kg commercial LPG gas cylinder by Rs 33.50. Before that, prices had been reduced by Rs 58.50 on July 1.
Earlier in June, oil firms had announced a Rs 24 cut for commercial cylinders, setting the rate at Rs 1,723.50. In April, the price stood at Rs 1,762. February saw a small Rs 7 reduction, but March reversed this slightly with a Rs 6 increase.
Meanwhile, the Centre had announced to provide 2.5 million free LPG connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) during the festival season.
Business
Nifty, Sensex end 4-week winning streak amid profit booking

Mumbai, Nov 1: Indian equity benchmarks ended their four-week winning streak, closing marginally lower this week amid profit-booking and mixed global cues.
Benchmark indices Nifty and Sensex dipped 0.65 and 0.55 per cent during the week to close at 25,722 and 83,938, respectively.
Market optimism was bolstered during the first three sessions by positive domestic economic data and China’s approval for few Indian companies to import rare earth magnets.
However, sentiment turned cautious after the US Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to the 3.75 per cent–4 per cent range.
“India’s industrial output rose 4 per cent YoY in September 2025, supported by strong manufacturing activity. The US Federal Reserve hinted that the 25-bps cut might be the final one in 2025, which dampened hopes of further near-term easing,” said Ajit Mishra- SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd.
Further, steady corporate earnings and continued FII inflows through October helped cushion the downside, he added.
Metals, energy and realty stocks were the major contributors to the rally, while auto, pharma and IT stocks experienced profit-taking.
“While PSU banks surged on reports of a potential hike in foreign investment limits, metal counters gleamed on renewed optimism after China’s pledge to rein in steel overcapacity and signs of progress in US-China trade talks,” added Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited.
Analysts said that capital market stocks lost momentum as SEBI’s proposed overhaul of TER structures weighed on sentiment.
Support for the Nifty is currently located close to the 25,600 zone and the 25,400 zone, while resistance is seen around 26,100, analysts said.
In the upcoming holiday-shortened week, investors are looking for cues from the final readings of the HSBC Manufacturing PMI and HSBC Services and Composite PMI data.
Investors are also keen on the India-US trade deal and trends in developed markets, while on the earnings front, several index heavyweights are set to announce their quarterly results.
Business
India aims 300 million tonnes of crude steel production capacity by 2030

New Delhi, Oct 31: India aims to achieve 300 million tonnes of crude steel production capacity by 2030, Union Minister of State for Steel, Bhupathiraju Srinivas Varma, said on Friday.
In a meeting with Sara Modig, State Secretary to Minister for Energy, Business and Industry, Sweden, here, in presence of Swedish Ambassador to India Jan Thesleff and other officials, the minister highlighted India’s growing steel sector, driven by visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Notably, India’s domestic steel demand is growing at an impressive 11-13 per cent, fuelled by large-scale infrastructure projects, while global demand faces a slowdown, according to Steel Ministry.
The discussions were held to explore collaboration opportunities in the field of research and development in Green Steel production and other advanced technologies to reduce carbon emissions.
Varma reaffirmed the invitation extended to Sweden to participate in Bharat Steel 2026, an International Conference-cum-Exhibition dedicated to the steel industry, scheduled to be held on April 16–17, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
Meanwhile, the growth rate of India’s eight core industries was recorded at 3 per cent in September this year compared to the same month of the previous year, with the steel and cement sectors recording strong growth during the month, data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry showed.
Steel production surged by a robust 14.1 per cent in September compared to the same month of the previous year on the back of increased demand from big-ticket infrastructure projects being carried out by the government. The cumulative growth of steel during April to Sept of 2025-26 increased by 11 per cent over the corresponding period of the previous year.
The government imposed a 12 per cent temporary safeguard duty on certain steel imports in April 2025 to protect the domestic market. These measures follow previous actions and are part of ongoing efforts to safeguard the industry while promoting self-reliance under initiatives like ‘Make in India’.
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