India

Intelligence for Better Decision Making

IIFL Fintech Fund Closes $55 Million Round as Investor Interest Surges in India’s Fintech Sector

Jan. 22, 2026 | Financial System

India’s fintech sector is attracting substantial capital, with investors showing particular interest in generative AI applications within financial services.

**IIFL Fintech Fund, backed by the IIFL Group, has closed its second fundraising round at Rs 500 crore (approximately $55 million), focusing on early- to growth-stage fintech startups.**
The fund secured commitments primarily from domestic family offices and high-net-worth individuals and intends to deploy capital across 20–25 portfolio companies. It will reserve 20–25 percent of its corpus for follow-on investments in the top performers from its inaugural fund. After a first close at Rs 200 crore, the vehicle has already invested in five companies—GrayQuest, Fundamento, Knight Fintech—and acquired secondary shares in Leegality.

Founded in 2021, IIFL Fintech completed its first fund at Rs 200 crore in 2022, building an initial portfolio that includes Leegality, FinBox, DataSutram, Insurance Samadhan, and TrustCheckr, which was later acquired by Truecaller.

**Fintech in India is growing rapidly as digital adoption rises, financial inclusion expands, and innovation accelerates across payments, lending, and wealth management.**
Investor interest remains robust at all stages, supported by dedicated funds such as Quona Capital and Cedar-IBSi Capital. More broadly, private equity and venture capital firms in India raised $10.97 billion by December 17, 2025, up nearly 52 percent from $7.19 billion in 2024.

Delhi-NCR Eases Air Quality Restrictions Amid Persistent Enforcement Shortfalls

Jan. 22, 2026 | Environment

Delhi and its neighbouring states have adjusted policy and infrastructure measures to address persistent air quality challenges in the Delhi-NCR region.

**On January 20, 2026, the Commission for Air Quality Management revoked Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan for Delhi-NCR after the region’s Air Quality Index improved slightly to 378 (“Very Poor”) and was expected to remain stable.**
Although Stage IV measures, triggered when AQI exceeds 450, were lifted, the commission confirmed that measures under Stages I (AQI 201–300), II (301–400) and III (401–450) remain mandatory to prevent further deterioration, particularly given challenging winter meteorological conditions.

**However, a review of reports from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and the State Pollution Control Boards of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh exposed widespread enforcement failures.**
Authorities fell short on 7 percent to 99.6 percent of critical pollution control measures. Inspections at construction and demolition sites were especially deficient, with Delhi reporting an 87 percent shortfall and Haryana districts in NCR registering 99.6 percent. Mechanical road sweeping and other road dust control measures also saw inadequate implementation in both Delhi and Haryana.

**Moreover, compliance did not improve during the period when Stage IV was in force.**
On December 24, when air quality reached “Severe” or “Severe+,” some NCR states recorded 100 percent inspection shortfalls. Public grievance redressal mechanisms similarly underperformed: 68 percent to 81 percent of complaints across Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh remained unresolved. The commission warned that such enforcement lapses seriously undermine efforts to improve air quality and reiterated that GRAP provisions are legally binding at all times.

**Under the continuing Stage III restrictions, authorities require schools up to grade 5 to shift to hybrid or online learning where feasible, impose strict controls on dust-producing construction and demolition activities (including earthwork, piling, open-trench utility laying, brickwork, painting and roadworks), and regulate movement of dust-generating materials and traffic on unpaved roads.**
They have also limited use of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles—except for persons with disabilities—and maintained the ban on non-essential BS-IV or older diesel medium goods vehicles in Delhi. State authorities may allow 50 percent on-site staffing in offices while the remainder work remotely.

Monitored Intelligence for India - Jan. 23, 2026

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Erudite Risk takes an all risks approach to intelligence reporting. We categorize key intelligence into one of 40 different risk intelligence categories.

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EU to proceed with security and defence partnership with India: Kallas

Hindu Business Line | English | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | Geopolitical Conflict and Disputes

The European Union has agreed with India to proceed with the signing of a new security and defence partnership. This development was confirmed by EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas on January 21, 2026.

The agreement marks a significant step in strengthening the strategic ties between the EU and India in the fields of security and defence. Further details regarding the scope and implementation of this partnership were not disclosed.

India-US trade talks: Trump shares update, praises PM Modi — ‘We are going to…’

Livemint | English | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | UndeterminedTrade Issues and Numbers

US President Donald Trump expressed optimism about the prospects of the India–US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), stating that the two countries are “going to have a good deal.” He praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a close friend and respected leader while acknowledging ongoing tough negotiations, particularly over tariffs and geopolitical issues related to Russian oil imports. Trump highlighted India’s recent reduction of oil purchases from Russia in response to US pressure but noted that tariffs remain a point of contention.

The proposed BTA aims to more than double bilateral trade between India and the US, targeting USD 500 billion by 2030 from the current USD 191 billion. Talks first began during Modi’s Washington visit in February 2025, with multiple negotiation rounds since. Despite tensions, India’s Ministry of External Affairs affirmed that talks have not stalled, emphasizing ongoing commitment from both sides to reach a balanced and mutually beneficial trade agreement.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal rejected claims that Modi did not engage sufficiently with Trump, confirming frequent communications between the two leaders in 2025. This followed comments by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who suggested Modi was reluctant to engage directly with Trump, which he said contributed to higher tariffs and delays in the trade deal.

Competition Quarterly Milestones – Orders and Judicial Decisions (October-December 2025)

Trilegal | English | AcademicThink | Jan. 23, 2026 | UndeterminedLegal Exposure

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) directed three liquor vendor associations in Maharashtra to cease cartelisation activities including price fixing, control over market entry, and collectively setting retail terms. Despite finding evidence of cartel conduct, CCI refrained from monetary penalties due to mitigating factors such as first-time offence and limited financial capacity.

CCI dismissed a complaint against Google Play Store by Liberty Infospace, ruling that Google’s conduct in terminating developer accounts was justifiable to protect platform integrity and did not constitute abuse of dominance. The decision underscored the need to assess dominant position abuse in market context rather than in isolation.

In a significant enforcement action, the CCI imposed the maximum penalty based on the global turnover of six companies involved in bid rigging in solid waste management tenders for Pune Municipal Corporation. This marked the first use of the 2024 Penalty Guidelines allowing penalty calculation on global turnover when relevant turnover is infeasible. The CCI rejected mitigating factors due to the severity of the collusive conduct.

The National Competition Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) largely upheld CCI’s finding that Meta and WhatsApp abused dominance by imposing unfair data-sharing terms in WhatsApp’s 2021 policy update. It upheld a penalty of INR 213.14 crore (~USD 23.6 million) but set aside a five-year ban on data sharing for advertising purposes, allowing other user consent remedies instead. Meta and WhatsApp have appealed to the Supreme Court.

NCLAT ruled that the CCI lacks jurisdiction over patent-related disputes, affirming its dismissal of a complaint against Vifor International regarding licensing and pricing of a patented pharmaceutical ingredient. The CCI has challenged this decision in the Supreme Court.

The Kerala High Court affirmed the CCI’s jurisdiction to adjudicate abuse of dominance claims in regulated sectors such as broadcasting. The court held that the Competition Act and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act operate concurrently, with CCI’s jurisdiction applicable for competition issues distinct from sectoral regulatory matters.

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