A turning point for Indian MSMEs; Rewriting the rules of work and life

Hello,

As 2025 nears its end, investors locked in gains near record highs on Friday, with thin year-end participation and persistent foreign selling keeping risk appetite in check. The Nifty 50 index fell 0.38% to 26,042.3, while the BSE Sensex index shed 0.43% to 85,041.45.

Wall Street indexes opened nearly flat in light post-Christmas trading, while investors bet that more interest rate cuts and strong corporate earnings would propel markets to fresh highs in 2026. Stocks have climbed recently after months of intermittent selloff, as AI-related companies faced pressure amid concerns over soaring valuations and high capital expenditures denting profits.

ICYMI: The year data centres went from backend to centre stage.

Meanwhile, Asian stocks rose to their highest in six weeks, and a blistering rally in precious metals showed no signs of tempering as investors sought to close out the year on a high, while a softer yen kept intervention risk in the fray.

As a Christmas gift, Google unveiled a feature for Gmail users who are still stuck with their embarrassing email addresses from high school.

Account holders can now replace their existing @gmail.com address with a new one while retaining all data and services, according to an update to Google’s account help page.

A silver lining after all.

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• A turning point for Indian MSMEs
• Rewriting the rules of work and life
• Women who made 2025 unforgettable

Here’s your trivia for today: What event prompted the first New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square?

In-depth

A turning point for Indian MSMEs

As India deepens trade negotiations with the US and rolls out ambitious export promotion initiatives, MSME founders and business experts share how upcoming policy reforms and evolving bilateral relations could unlock unprecedented growth opportunities in 2026.

Outlook:

• Cheruku Srikanth of Digital CFO says, "I am particularly excited about the real impact the ULI can have on MSMEs and priority sector lending." He explains, "ULI has the potential to do for credit what UPI did for payments, standardise workflows, reduce friction, and dramatically shorten turnaround times."
• Potential tariff realignments between India and the US could improve price competitiveness. However, sector experts emphasise a broader strategic value. 
• When asked what policy signals would give MSME founders confidence to invest in capacity expansion or quality upgrades for international markets, the responses converge on a single theme: predictability.

In-depth

Rewriting the rules of work and life

Aarti Sharma, a 24-year-old corporate lawyer living in Bengaluru, was always conscious of what she ate, but she found herself with very little time to plan or prep meals. On the recommendation of a friend, Aarti began using an AI-powered nutrition app that asked her a few basic questions about work hours, food preferences, budget, and access to a kitchen, and suggested daily meals she could realistically manage.

Women are discovering that AI is also becoming personal: a thinking partner, a sounding board, and sometimes, a lifeline. “It didn’t tell me what I should eat. It told me what I could eat, according to my daily schedule,” she says. 

Helping hand:

• Aanandika Sood, a writing mentor, says, “Earlier, my head would juggle thinking, structuring, remembering, refining, and second-guessing. Now, I have delegated the parts that don’t need my best judgment to AI. My relationship with time has changed from pressure to pace.”
• For Nidhi Sabbarwal, Founder, Kalyanamm Holy Waste Recycling, AI helps in easy decision-making and dealing with the problem of cognitive overload by organising information and summarising insights.
• For Swastika, new motherhood transformed her relationship with AI entirely. “A lot of prep I did before having a child was using AI,” she explains. She has even built small personal tools for herself, including a sleeping, feeding, and wet diaper tracking system. Beyond parenting, she relies on AI for shopping decisions and travel planning.

Women Leaders

Women who made 2025 unforgettable

From grassroots activism to global leadership, 2025 belonged to women who broke barriers and set new benchmarks. Leaders like Chetna Gala Sinha and Safeena Husain transformed communities, while athletes such as Preeti Pawar, Nikhat Zareen, and Suruchi Phogat brought glory on global stages. 

Business trailblazers, including Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Leena Nair, and Bhawna Agarwal, exemplified visionary leadership, and creative voices like Payal Kapadia and Priyanka Chopra Jonas strengthened India’s cultural influence worldwide. Meet 25 women leaders who have reshaped industries, sports, education, and culture.

News & updates

• Rules: Chinese companies developing reusable commercial rockets will have access to a fast lane for IPOs on the tech-heavy STAR market that exempts them from some financial requirements, the Shanghai Stock Exchange said. Beijing is seeking to address a gap in its space capabilities compared to the US.
• Rough start: Oracle shares have plummeted 30% so far this quarter. With four trading days remaining, the stock is on pace for its sharpest decline since 2001 and the dot-com bust. Investors have grown sceptical about Oracle’s ability to open more server farms for OpenAI, which agreed in September to spend over $300 billion with Oracle.
• M&A: IT services provider Coforge will acquire US-based AI firm Encora from private equity groups Advent International and Warburg Pincus at an enterprise value of $2.35 billion. The acquisition will give Coforge a stronger foothold in the AI-led services segment, and the business is likely to deliver $2 billion in revenue for the fiscal year to March 2027.

What event prompted the first New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square?

Answer: The tradition began on December 31, 1907, after fireworks were banned in New York City due to safety concerns.

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