Category business

Bangalore, Dec 24:- As India enters one of the largest intergenerational wealth transfers in its history, fewer than 50% of Indian business-owning families have a formally documented succession plan in place, according to insights from Entrust Family Office, a multi-family office advising several of India’s leading business families.

“Most families recognise the importance of succession planning, and many are now beginning to translate that intent into formal structures,” said Rajmohan Krishnan, Principal Founder and Managing Director of Entrust Family Office. “The real challenge lies in starting these conversations early and giving families and heirs the right structure. As India’s wealth transitions across generations, long-term success will be shaped not just by how wealth is created but by how thoughtfully it is governed and transferred.”

Despite rapid wealth creation over the past decade, succession and estate planning have not kept pace. Entrust Family Office observes that even among families with formal succession plans, clearly defined timelines for leadership transition remain uncommon. Leadership changes in India are still largely reactive, often triggered by age-related incapacity or unforeseen events rather than planned, phased handovers.

Delays are driven by emotional reluctance to relinquish control, uncertainty around the next generation’s readiness, and lack of clarity on leadership choices. In the absence of structured planning, families face risks such as ownership fragmentation, governance disputes, and erosion of enterprise value, with profitable businesses sometimes diluted or sold due to unresolved internal transitions.

At the same time, Indian business families are undergoing a structural shift, increasingly separating ownership from management. Families are choosing to remain long-term custodians of capital while professional management teams run day-to-day operations. The next generation, meanwhile, is focused on diversification, transformation, and building new ventures alongside legacy businesses, with nearly 80–90% seeking exposure beyond the core enterprise.

Once families adopt structured investment frameworks, diversification becomes central to long-term wealth preservation, with alternative assets playing a critical role. Gold continues to hold significance as a legacy asset, valued for continuity across generations rather than short-term liquidity.

Philanthropy is also becoming more intentional, with families increasingly earmarking 5–15 percent of their overall estate towards charitable causes as part of legacy planning. Participation of women in succession and governance processes is rising, with families prioritising capability and willingness over tradition.

Entrust Family Office notes that formal governance structures and estate planning tools such as wills and trusts are now integral to documented succession plans. A notable contrast is emerging with startup founders, who tend to engage in succession and estate planning earlier, particularly ahead of private equity investments or public listings.

By Mr. Darshan Dudhoria, CEO, Indian Silk House Agencies

Mumbai, Dec 24: “World Saree Day is a moment to honour a garment that carries India’s history, culture, and womanhood in every fold. The saree is not just timeless, it is living heritage shaped by regions, communities, and generations of artisans. At Indian Silk House Agencies, we see women rediscovering the power of meaningful fashion every day. They are choosing handwoven, heirloom-worthy silks that tell stories and endure beyond trends.

From Banarasi and Kanjivaram to Baluchari, Tussar, Uppada, Kantha, Tissue, and contemporary drapes, we bring together India’s finest regional weaves on one national platform. Built on partnerships with over 15,000 artisans across 62 weaving clusters, our focus is on making authentic handlooms accessible across metros and emerging cities alike, while ensuring dignity and continuity for the hands that weave them.

Every time a woman wears a saree, she becomes part of a much larger story involving weavers, villages, and traditions carried forward across generations. For us, every saree is a bridge between craft and the modern Indian woman, celebrating not just the drape but the people, the provenance, and the legacy behind it. World Saree Day reminds us that choosing a handloom saree is choosing to keep these traditions alive. That choice matters more than we often realize.”

Dec 24: Yatra Online Limited (“Yatra”), one of India’s leading online travel companies, has partnered with MR. DIY, a popular home improvement and lifestyle retail brand, to launch a co-branded in-store campaign titled “Shop Karo, Yatra Karo.” Designed to add an extra layer of excitement to the ongoing festive & holiday season, the campaign transforms everyday shopping moments into opportunities to win memorable travel experiences.

Running from December 2025 to January 2026, the two-month campaign will be activated across 350+ MR. DIY stores nationwide, rewarding shoppers with Yatra travel vouchers and holiday packages during one of India’s busiest shopping and travel periods.

As part of the campaign, customers shopping for INR 750 or more at 115 select Mr. DIY stores across Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Thane, Pune and Ahmedabad stand a chance to win Yatra travel vouchers with savings of up to INR 10,000 on domestic and international flights and hotels. Additionally, shoppers spending INR 1,000 or more at 350+ Mr. DIY stores across India can participate in a lucky draw to win attractive domestic and international holiday package vouchers.

The prizes include:

• 1st Prize: INR 1,00,000 worth International in-land holiday package
• 2nd Prize: Two winners of each INR 75,000 worth of International in-land holiday packages
• 3rd Prize: Three winners of each INR 30,000 worth of Domestic in-land holiday packages

Commenting on the partnership, Bharatt Malik, Senior Vice-President (flights & hotels), Yatra Online Limited, said: “The Christmas-New Year festive season is a time when consumers are actively shopping and planning travel, making it the perfect moment to bring these two experiences together. Through ‘Shop Karo, Yatra Karo,’ we are delighted to partner with MR. DIY to reward shoppers with meaningful travel opportunities. This campaign reflects our continued focus on innovative partnerships that enhance customer engagement and extend Yatra’s presence beyond digital platforms into high-impact physical touchpoints.”

Commenting on the collaboration, a Senior Spokesperson, MR.DIY India, said: “At MR.DIY, we constantly look for innovative ways to enhance the in-store experience for our customers and add more value to their everyday shopping. Partnering with Yatra for the ‘Shop Karo, Yatra Karo’ campaign allows us to reward our customers beyond products, by giving them a chance to turn routine purchases into memorable travel experiences. This festive and holiday season, we are excited to bring together affordability, fun and aspiration through this unique retail-travel collaboration.”

December and January mark a period of heightened consumer enthusiasm for both shopping and travel. By bringing together two consumer-facing brands from the travel and retail ecosystems, the campaign aims to make the festive and New Year season even more rewarding by seamlessly blending routine purchases with aspirational travel opportunities.

Through “Shop Karo, Yatra Karo,” Yatra and MR. DIY celebrate the joy of the holiday season, where everyday shopping can spark travel dreams and small moments can lead to unforgettable journeys.

New Delhi,  Dec 24: BASIC Home Loan, India’s fastest-growing mortgage-focused fintech platform, has partnered with udChalo Housing to offer tailored home loan solutions for serving and retired defence personnel and their families.

The partnership aims to simplify home ownership for defence and CAPF families by combining BASIC’s access to 150 lenders with udChalo’s deep understanding of defence housing needs. Together, the two companies will enable defence buyers to discover verified, defence-friendly residential projects and secure competitive home loans through a single, streamlined process.

Under this collaboration, BASIC Home Loan will facilitate financing for RERA-registered ready-to-move and near-possession residential projects, primarily in the INR 20 lakh and above price range. This includes 1.5, 2, and compact 3 BHK homes, plotted developments, and row houses. The focus is on affordable and mid-income housing, with projects selected to align with defence household income profiles and end-use requirements.

The partnership will initially launch in Chandigarh and Pune, with plans to expand to key defence hubs across India. Over the next three years, BASIC Home Loan expects loan disbursals of up to INR 1,000 crore through this initiative.

This collaboration comes amid strong momentum in the affordable housing segment, which was valued at approximately USD 3.17 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to USD 9.46 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of nearly 19.8%, with North India being the largest market.

“Defence personnel represent a strong borrower segment with stable incomes and disciplined credit behaviour, yet their housing finance needs are often underserved. The partnership with udChalo allows us to deliver customised loan options that account for defence-specific income structures, postings, and long-term planning,” said Atul Monga, CEO & Co-Founder, BASIC Home Loan.

Rahul Singh Sirohi, Business Head  Builder Business, BASIC Home Loan, added,

“Through this partnership, we are enabling access to competitive financing tailored to the lifestyle, budget, and long-term needs of defence families. By aligning builders, lenders, and platforms like udChalo, we are creating a more reliable and transparent home-buying ecosystem.”

udChalo brings to the partnership a large captive base of serving armed forces personnel, veterans, defence civilians, and their families. The platform curates projects located near strategic and defence-preferred locations, ensuring clear titles, bank-acceptable documentation, and realistic pricing aligned with defence household incomes.

Shivam Arren, CEO, udChalo, said,

“Housing is one of the most important yet complex decisions for defence families. By partnering with BASIC Home Loan, we are extending our support beyond property discovery to financing, ensuring our users get access to multiple lenders, competitive rates, and guidance at every stage of their home-buying journey.”

Over the next 3–5 years, BASIC Home Loan and udChalo aim to formalise and scale defence-focused housing finance across major cantonments and Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, creating a structured ecosystem for first-time buyers, serving personnel, and retirees alike.

BASIC Home Loan operates a phygital home loan model with a proprietary lender-matching technology stack and access to 150 lending partners. The company has serviced over 3.5 lakh customers and achieved cumulative approvals of around INR 45,000 crore across 650 districts nationwide.

Dec 24:-MagickHome, a modular home interiors brand, reflects on the year by sharing key milestones, achievements, and recognitions earned in 2025. The brand closed the year on a strong note, recording 100% year-on-year revenue growth and further strengthening its position in India’s home interiors market through design-led innovation, scaled operations, and growing customer trust.

During the year, MagickHome delivered modular interior solutions across 500 homes nationwide, significantly expanding its footprint beyond its core markets of Bangalore, Chennai, and Coimbatore.  Customer trust remained a strong growth driver, reflected in a Net Promoter Score in the high 70s and a robust 25% of new business coming through customer referrals.

The company continued to invest in its in-house AI and 3D design platform, which plays a pivotal role in simplifying the customer journey by enabling faster visualisation, real-time iterations, improved cost transparency, and smoother collaboration.

The year also brought meaningful industry recognition like Silver Trophy at the Shark Awards 2025 by ET BrandEquity for its Make Room For Pride campaign, while Chairman Indy Pathmanathan was honoured with the ET Edge India Impactful CEO Award in the Startup Leader category.

Reflecting on the year, Ganesen Viswanathan, Vice President, MagickHome, said: “2025 was about building with intent – strengthening systems, sharpening execution, and ensuring that quality could be repeated consistently across homes and cities. As we move into the next phase, our focus remains on thoughtful growth and raising standards across every touchpoint.”

Looking ahead, MagickHome is targeting another 100% growth in 2026, with plans for an e-commerce launch and further expansion of its physical footprint across India.

The past year has also reaffirmed the permanence of hybrid working and flexible space adoption. Flex and managed office formats continue to represent a rising share of annual leasing, while both domestic and global occupiers are demanding assets that can adapt quickly to evolving workforce patterns, technology requirements, and cost pressures. As a result, capital investment is increasingly flowing into performance-based specifications such as acoustic comfort, indoor environmental quality, and durable, resilient material systems.

Looking ahead to 2026, we expect this focus to deepen as regulatory frameworks and incentive structures begin to actively support low-carbon construction and retrofit-led modernisation. Modular and sustainable building systems, ranging from raised access flooring and advanced acoustic solutions to structural ceiling systems, will play a critical role in enabling flexibility, faster reconfiguration, and long-term environmental performance.

Ultimately, the next growth cycle in India’s commercial office market will be defined by how intelligently buildings are designed as integrated systems. Assets that combine modularity, sustainability, and performance beneath the surface will be best positioned to attract occupiers, command rental premiums, and protect long-term value.”

By Mr. Cyrus Mody – Founder and CEO of Viceroy Properties

In 2025, Mumbai’s Real Estate Sector has had a favourable outcome due to the continued demand from end users, better infrastructure being developed, and the creation of an enhanced regulatory framework that provides long-term stability and peace of mind. Buyers have been increasingly moving toward purchasing homes that are constructed with an emphasis on quality, sustainability, community-oriented designs, and better amenities. The stability of interest rates and the benefits of GST have created a more positive environment for buyers when it comes time to purchase homes and to complete development projects. As we move into 2026, we expect the continued high demand for luxury homes, increased focus on redevelopment will continue,  increased smart transportation corridors, and new technology-driven construction techniques to develop a more resilient and forward-looking Real Estate Industry.

By:-Aakash Patel, Managing Director of Atul Projects 

“Mumbai’s increasing connectivity through Infrastructure development continues to shape different Micro Markets. For example, new West and Central Metro Connection enhancements will support higher Housing Buyer Confidence and provide long-term value Creation, as will the new Coastal Road Linkages and Improved Arterial Networks. Each of these Corridors, i.e., Metro lines, Coastal Road Linkages, and Improved Arterial Networks, is experiencing an increase in Housing Buyer Confidence and a long-term increase in Value Creation as a result of this work. Historically, Redevelopment has unlocked opportunities for Modern Living in today’s most established Neighbourhoods. In 2026, due to the efficiencies created by GST, this momentum will only continue. We are committed to developing Structurally Sound and future-ready developments in terms of design and constituent construction materials that align with the growth potential of each evolving Micro Market.”

Chennai, Dec 24: India Yamaha Motor (IYM) Pvt. Ltd. is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Hajime Aota as the new Chairman of Yamaha Motor India Group effective from 1st January 2026.

Mr. Aota brings with him extensive experience in corporate strategy, corporate planning, and new venture business development within the automotive sector. He has held several senior leadership roles across key global markets, including Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Prior to his appointment in India, Mr. Aota served as Executive Officer, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., and Chief General Manager – Corporate Strategy Center (CSO) at the company’s global headquarters in Japan, where he led corporate strategy, sustainability initiatives, and digital strategy, with a strong focus on driving digital transformation.

He has also served as Chairperson of Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley (YMVSV), Yamaha Motor’s strategic venture capital arm, overseeing early-stage investments in areas such as robotics, transportation, fintech, insurtech, digital health, and data-driven technologies. In addition, Mr. Aota has played a pivotal role in leading new business development and corporate planning functions, contributing significantly to the long-term growth strategy of the global Yamaha Motor Group. He was also instrumental in shaping Yamaha Motor’s 2030 long-term vision, “Art for Human Possibilities,” and continues to champion its successful execution.

Mr. Aota holds a Program for Leadership Development (PLD) from Harvard Business School and is a graduate in Political Science from Keio University, Japan.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Hajime Aota, Chairman, Yamaha Motor India Group of Companies, said,

“I am very excited to begin my journey in India, one of the world’s most dynamic and diverse two-wheeler markets. The rapidly evolving aspirations of Indian consumers, especially the youth, align strongly with Yamaha’s focus on premium products, innovation, and a customer-centric approach. Leading Yamaha in India is a significant responsibility, and my focus is on strengthening the brand by delivering products that seamlessly combine Yamaha’s global engineering excellence with the evolving needs of Indian riders. I look forward to working closely with our teams and partners to drive sustainable growth and reinforce Yamaha’s presence in this important market.”

In 2026, Four Seasons Explorer invites travellers to experience Palau in its purest form through an exclusive liveaboard journey that blends refined luxury with profound cultural immersion. Navigating the UNESCO-listed Rock Islands Southern Lagoon, the vessel journeys through a 500,000-square-kilometre protected marine sanctuary, the vessel offers rare access to one of the world’s last truly untouched destinations.

With just 10 elegantly appointed staterooms and an expansive Explorer Suite, Four Seasons Explorer ensures privacy and personalised attention on every voyage. Guided by marine biologists, dive experts, wellness practitioners and Palauan hosts, guests are introduced to Palau not merely as visitors, but as honoured guests welcomed into a living heritage.

Daily experiences unfold with effortless sophistication: diving vibrant reef walls, snorkelling alongside abundant marine life, cycling between cultural landmarks, and enjoying private beach picnics on uninhabited shores. Beyond the natural splendour lies a deeper cultural resonance. Guests encounter Palau’s matriarchal lineage, explore wartime relics that shaped the nation’s resilience, and engage with local communities whose devotion to tradition remains unwavering.

Upon arrival, travellers sign the Palau Pledge, a commitment crafted by Palauan children to protect the environment, setting a tone of reverence and responsibility. This ethos reflects omengull, the Palauan philosophy of respect, woven into every moment onboard and ashore.

The Oceania Spa elevates the experience with rituals inspired by Palauan healing traditions, performed beneath open skies or in secluded natural settings. Evenings usher in quiet refinement, with starlit horizons and the gentle rhythm of island currents.

In 2026, Four Seasons Explorer promises a transformative passage through Palau where luxury meets legacy, and every journey becomes an unforgettable testament to the power of place.