Latest news with #FD
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Get the Best Fixed Deposit Interest Rates: Tips and Tricks
Fixed deposits (FDs) have remained one of the most trusted investment tools for Indian savers across generations. Known for their simplicity, safety, and guaranteed returns, FDs offer peace of mind to investors looking for capital protection and predictable income. But not all fixed deposits offer the same returns. If you're planning to invest, knowing how to get the best FD interest rates can significantly boost your savings over time. In this guide, we'll walk you through practical tips and strategies to maximise returns—and introduce you to Bajaj Finance Fixed Deposits, which offer up to 6.95% p.a. for non-senior citizens and up to 7.30% p.a. for senior citizens. A fixed deposit is a financial instrument where you invest a lump sum for a fixed tenure at a pre-agreed interest rate. The bank or financial institution pays you interest either periodically or at maturity. With low risk and stable returns, fixed deposits are ideal for conservative investors and those saving for short- to medium-term goals. Several factors influence the rate of interest you receive on your FD: Bajaj Finance offers some of the most attractive FD rates in India—up to 7.30% p.a. for senior citizens. Open a Bajaj Finance FD and enjoy assured growth on your savings. Do not settle for the first FD offer you come across. Compare rates across: Longer-tenure FDs usually offer better rates. If you won't need the money soon, lock in for a few years to maximise returns. Bajaj Finance FDs are available for tenures between 12 and 60 months, with flexible payout options. Cumulative FDs let your interest earn interest. Ideal if you don't need periodic payouts. Instead of putting all your savings in one FD, divide them across multiple FDs with different maturities. If you're 60+, take advantage of higher interest rates specially designed for retirees. Online booking can unlock additional interest or special offers. Bajaj Finance makes it easy to: Book Your Bajaj Finance FD Online for attractive rates and a hassle-free experience. If interest rates are rising, lock in higher rates with longer a falling cycle, go for short-term FDs and wait to reinvest later. Keep an eye on RBI updates and financial news. Some institutions offer better rates on renewals. Avoid lapses and earn uninterrupted interest by enabling auto-renewal. Always review the prevailing rate before renewing. While maximising returns, don't ignore these important considerations: With smart planning and a few strategic choices, you can make your fixed deposit work harder for you. Compare rates, pick the right tenure, consider laddering, and book online for extra benefits. In today's unpredictable economic environment, a reliable fixed deposit—like the one from Bajaj Finance offering up to 7.30% p.a.—can bring stability and predictable returns to your portfolio. Start your FD with Bajaj Finance today and secure high returns with guaranteed peace of mind. Book Now. Note to readers: This article is part of HT's paid consumer connect initiative and is independently created by the brand. HT assumes no editorial responsibility for the content, including its accuracy, completeness, or any errors or omissions. Readers are advised to verify all information independently. Want to get your story featured as above? click here!
Global News
4 days ago
- Business
- Global News
Kraft, General Mills set to remove artificial dyes from U.S. products
Two major food producers say that they will be pulling artificial dyes from their U.S. products starting in 2027. The shift comes nearly two months after U.S. health officials said that they would urge foodmakers to phase out petroleum-based artificial colours. Kraft Heinz said Tuesday that it will be removing artificial dyes from its U.S. products beginning in 2027 and will no longer roll out new products with the dyes. Hours later, General Mills announced that it plans to remove artificial dyes from all of its U.S. cereals and all foods served in K-12 schools by the summer of 2026. It is also looking to eliminate the dyes from its full U.S. retail portfolio by the end of 2027. Kraft Heinz said Tuesday that almost 90% of its U.S. products already don't contain food, drug & cosmetic colours, but that the products that do still use the dyes will have them removed by the end of 2027. FD&C colours are synthetic additives that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in food, drugs and cosmetics. Story continues below advertisement Kraft Heinz said that many of its U.S. products that still use the FD&C colours are in its beverage and desserts categories, including certain products sold under brands including Crystal Light, Kool Aid, Jell-O and Jet Puffed. The company said that it will instead use natural colours for the products. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'The vast majority of our products use natural or no colours, and we've been on a journey to reduce our use of FD&C colours across the remainder of our portfolio,' Pedro Navio, North America President at Kraft Heinz, said in a statement. Kraft Heinz stripped artificial colours, flavors and preservatives from its macaroni and cheese in 2016 and said it has never used artificial dyes in its ketchup. 3:02 Health Matters: U.S. to phase out many synthetic food dyes The company plans to work with licensees of its brands to encourage them to remove the dyes. Story continues below advertisement General Mills said that the changes it is making only impacts a small portion of its K-12 school business as almost all of its school items are already made without artificial dyes. In addition, 85% of the company's U.S. foods that are sold retail are already made without dyes. 'Across the long arc of our history, General Mills has moved quickly to meet evolving consumer needs, and reformulating our product portfolio to remove certified colours is yet another example,' Chairman and CEO Jeff Harmening said in a statement. In April Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary said at a news conference that the agency would take steps to eliminate the synthetic dyes by the end of 2026, largely by relying on voluntary efforts from the food industry. Health advocates have long called for the removal of artificial dyes from foods, citing mixed studies indicating they can cause neurobehavioral problems, including hyperactivity and attention issues, in some children. The FDA has maintained that the approved dyes are safe and that 'the totality of scientific evidence shows that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing colour additives.' The FDA currently allows 36 food colour additives, including eight synthetic dyes. In January, the agency announced that the dye known as Red 3 — used in candies, cakes and some medications — would be banned in food by 2027 because it caused cancer in laboratory rats. Story continues below advertisement Artificial dyes are used widely in U.S. foods. In Canada and in Europe — where synthetic colours are required to carry warning labels — manufacturers mostly use natural substitutes. Several states, including California and West Virginia, have passed laws restricting the use of artificial colours in foods. Many U.S. food companies are already reformulating their foods, according to Sensient Colors, one of the world's largest producers of food dyes and flavorings. In place of synthetic dyes, foodmakers can use natural hues made from beets, algae and crushed insects and pigments from purple sweet potatoes, radishes and red cabbage.
Indian Express
13-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Incomplete, factually incorrect replies submitted to panels causing embarrassment to govt: Haryana finance dept
The Haryana government's finance department has directed all top bureaucrats and heads of departments to furnish correct and timely replies and 'implement/ settle' issues raised by the Haryana Vidhan Sabha's Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Committee on Public Undertakings (COPU) and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). The department also raised concerns on the 'incomplete, factually incorrect replies' submitted to the committees that cause 'unnecessary embarrassment to the government'. In the instructions issued last week, the department mentioned that it has come to its notice that 'according to the 91 PAC report, there are 1,653 recommendations awaiting final implementation or settlement'. Similarly, the '71st COPU of Vidhan Sabha's report indicates that there are 265 recommendations awaiting final implementation/ settlement'. The department mentioned that the committees have taken a serious view of the delay resulting in huge pendency, which need settlement at the earliest. 'Non-compliance of these instructions not only pile up the arrears of the recommendations/paras of PAC/COPU Reports but also hampers the work of PAC/COPU causing unnecessary embarrassment to the government,' the finance department mentioned. Reiterating its previous instructions, the FD wrote that 'an officer of the rank of under-secretary or above was to be appointed nodal officer by each department to ensure furnishing of action taken notes on the paras of CAG reports and action taken reports on PAC/COPU recommendations and replies in respect of matters relating to audit within the prescribed time limit. If nodal officer has not yet been appointed, the same may now be appointed and the information in respect of their names, posts/designation, telephone numbers etc. be intimated to Vidhan Sabha, principal accountant general (audit) and Finance Department within 7 days of receipt of this letter. In case of transfer of nodal officer, his charge be handed over to other officer and the information thereof be also conveyed to the concerned authorities. The nodal officers will be held responsible to get the replies sent within prescribed time limit in respect of all audit matters. In case of default action would be initiated against them.' The FD also wrote that 'it is a matter of regret that the departments are not adhering to the recommendations of Shakdhar Committee already accepted by the Haryana government and forwarded to all administrative secretaries, which emphasise that the replies of all the paras must be sent from the level of the administrative departments within a period of three months regarding action taken by the concerned department towards settlement of audit objections/ paras in the prescribed Proforma'. Issuing detailed instructions to the concerned officers, the FD mentioned, 'Replies of all the draft paras are required to be sent to the Principal Accountant General (Audit), Haryana within a stipulated period of six weeks by the Administrative Department itself and not by any subordinate office. Evidence/examination by the Committees should not be got postponed in any circumstance. The Administrative Secretaries are requested to attend the meetings as and when desired by the PAC/COPU/Estimates Committees.' Talking about the cases of misappropriation, defalcation etc, the FD said, 'Cases of misappropriation, defalcation etc. brought to the notice of the departments by principal accountant general must be investigated and decided quickly. 'The material being sent to the PAC/COPU/Estimates Committee should be neat, clear and legible without any grammatical/spelling mistakes. Hindi and English version both should be sent. The material should be sent in time and not on the 11th hour,' the FD's instructions mentioned adding that the replies should be submitted in the prescribed proformas only and added that 'the quarterly progress reports should be sent by July 15, October 15, January 15th and April 15th without any delay to the PAC/ COPU'.
Economic Times
06-06-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Big savings for home loan borrowers as EMIs to fall significantly after RBI cuts repo rate by 50 bps
RBI MPC meeting Updates: RBI cuts repo rates by 50 bps to 5.5%, CRR by 100 bps The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is continuing the trend of delivering good news to home loan borrowers, especially in 2025. The RBI has decided to cut the repo rate by 50 basis points (bps). The latest cut in the repo rate means that the interest rate on home loans will decrease, which means that EMIs or the tenure of the home loan will also come down. The central bank has also cut the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by 100 basis points to 3% from 4% earlier. With the CRR and repo rate cut, banks will be more comfortable in cutting home loan interest rates. The RBI has changed the monetary policy stance from accommodative to neutral in today's monetary policy meeting. This means that with a 100 bps repo rate cut so far, the future rate cut is less certain and will largely depend on inflation and growth is worth noting that the RBI has reduced the repo rate by a total of 50 basis points in February and April 2025. With the current 50-basis-point cut, the repo rate has fallen by 100 basis points overall in the first half of 2025. Also read | What should FD investors do now as interest rates to fall further with RBI cutting repo rate again by 50 bpsAman Trehan, Executive Director, Trehan Iris, said, 'The RBI's 50 basis point reduction in the repo rate to 5.5% is a significant boost for the real estate sector. Lower borrowing costs will make home loans more affordable, enhancing buyer sentiment, particularly in the affordable and mid-income segments. Additionally, the 100 basis point cut in the Cash Reserve Ratio improves liquidity, enabling banks to pass on the benefits to consumers more effectively.' Deepak Kumar Jain, Founder and CEO of CredManager, says, "With the RBI announcing a third rate cut this calendar year—bringing the total repo rate reduction to 100 basis points (bps)—we're seeing a gradual but positive shift for borrowers. Although each cut, including the recent 50 bps reduction, may seem modest in isolation, cumulatively, they help ease the overall cost of borrowing. For instance, on a Rs 50 lakh home loan over 20 years, the EMI drops by around Rs 3,164. For loans of Rs 1 crore and Rs 1.5 crore, the monthly savings are approximately Rs 6,329 and Rs 9,493, respectively. While these savings aren't massive, they do improve affordability, especially in a high-cost housing market." Also read | Rs 7.71 lakh savings on Rs 50 lakh home loan: Check how much you will save after RBI's 50 bps repo rate cutA home loan borrower has an outstanding loan of Rs 50 lakh at an 8.5% interest rate and 20-year tenure. With a 100 bps rate cut so far, the total interest savings will be Rs 7.47 lakh in the entire tenure. This will happen because total interest payments will decrease from Rs 54.14 lakh to Rs 46.67 lakh over a 20-year tenure. Now, if you decide to keep the same tenure, then your EMI will fall down from Rs 43,391 to Rs 40,280 - savings of Rs 3,111 per you keep the same EMI of Rs 43391, the tenure of your home loan will reduce substantially from 20 years to 17 years - a drop by almost three years. This will end up with huge interest savings of Rs 15.44 reasons have prompted the RBI to consider a third rate cut. According to the Bajaj Broking report, "Headline CPI inflation remains consistently below the RBI's medium-term target of 4%."According to the government's data, the CPI Inflation in March 2025 was 3.34%. This further decreased to 3.16% in April 2025. According to the SBI Research Report, "CPI Inflation may come down to 2.9% in Q1 FY26 as food inflation is expected to be within the target in June quarter. Above normal monsoon prediction by IMD, strong arrival of crops and decline in crude oil prices revising down our CPI estimate to 3.5% in FY 26 with downward bias."Another reason for the RBI's repo rate cut is the expectation of muted credit growth in FY26. As per the SBI research report, the commercial banks' credit growth slowed to 9.8% as on May 16, 2025, compared to 19.5% in the last year. During April and May, credit declined by Rs 15,676 crore, while deposits grew by Rs 3.06 lakh crore. A decent credit growth is required for economy to maintain its growth and a lower interest rate helps in boosting the credit economy is also not growing at the rate to match its true potential. "GDP growth appears to be softening, worsened by external shocks such as trade disruptions from recent U.S. policy moves," said Bajaj Broking in its report. With inflation being firmly in grip, focus of the central bank shifts towards economic growth and a lower rate regime helps in boosting the latest repo rate cut, home loan EMIs are expected to decrease further. Following the 50-bps repo rate cut by the RBI in February and April 2025, many banks have recently reduced their repo-linked EBLRs by a similar magnitude. However, many borrowers are still with old interest rate regimes like MCLR, base rate and BPLR, so, the quantum and speed of benefit of interest rate reduction will vary for Agarwal, CEO, Paisabazaar, says, "The 50-basis-point rep rate cut should lead to reduction in home loan interest rates, both for new and existing home loan borrowers. However, the quantum and time of the rate cut transmission would depend on factors like type of interest rate benchmarks used by the lenders, their rate reset related policies regarding, rate reset dates set for the borrowers, etc. The transmission would be quickest and absolute in case of existing home loans linked to the repo rate. The exact date of rate cut transmission to the existing borrowers would depend on the rate reset dates set by their respective lenders. Till then, they will continue to repay their loans as per their existing interest rates. As the cost of funds of the lenders play a major role in determining their internal benchmark rates, there would be a longer lag in the transmission of repo rate cuts to home loans linked to MCLR- or other internal benchmarks." Home loan linked to EBLR: As a majority of floating rate interest rate of home loans taken from banks is linked to an External Benchmark Lending Rate which is repo rate in most cases, then with the latest repo rate cut, your home loan interest rate will come down further in the coming months. "The majority of new home loans in India today are linked directly to the RBI's repo rate, under the Repo Linked Lending Rate (RLLR) framework introduced in 2019. As a result, changes in the repo rate are typically transmitted quickly to borrowers through lower interest rates and reduced EMIs," says Yashish Dahiya, Chairman & Group CEO of PB Fintech. Once the lender decides to go for reduction of interest rate, it will give you the option to either reduce your EMI by keeping same home loan tenure or keep the EMI unchanged and get reduced home loan tenure. According to experts and as per our calculations above, reducing your home loan tenure offers more benefits in the long term. Home loans linked to MCLR, base rate or BPLR: 35.9% of loans are linked to MCLR as per the SBI research report. MCLR has a longer reset period than EBLR. In a falling interest rate scenario, it is beneficial to have an interest rate regime which is faster in passing the benefit of interest rate reduction. If your home loan is still linked to the MCLR or any other loan regime, then you should switch to the EBLR-based regime to get quicker benefit of interest rate reduction and save on interest costs. The SBI research report anticipates that the RBI will cut the repo rate by 100 basis points in FY 2025-26. The central bank has already reduced the repo rate by 25 basis points in April 2025. With the current cut of 50 bps, there is still scope for 25 bps reduction in the coming months.
Belfast Telegraph
06-06-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
FD Technologies: the story of a Newry tech giant
The journey of FD Technologies, from a bedroom in Conlon's family home to become one of Northern Ireland's biggest technology companies – via an old converted corn warehouse next to the canal in Newry – is remarkable. The software specialist business – which provided products and consulting services to large global financial, technology and energy institutions – evolved from that bedroom to the stock markets of London and Amsterdam. Now another chapter in FD's 30-year journey has been written. In May, 2025, the company, which is headed by Seamus Keating, accepted a takeover bid from a private equity investor from Boston which valued the business at £550m. Donna Troy, chairwoman of FD, said the board unanimously thought the deal, based on an offer for £24.50 per share, 'delivers appropriate value to shareholders'. Over the last 30 years, FD (one of a handful of listed companies from Northern Ireland), grew from its Newry home across the Americas, Europe and Asia. And it has come a long way to get here. Brian Conlon was born in 1966 in Newry. He studied accountancy in Queen's University while playing gaelic football for his native Down. In 1987 he sustained a knee injury during a match for Queen's, forcing early retirement from the sport. He then turned his attention to the capital markets sector where he trained with a major accountancy firm. 'I spent the first year counting concrete and pick-up trucks and wanted something more challenging,' he told the Sunday Independent in an interview in 2008. Like many of his generation, Conlon migrated to London where he joined the risk management team in Morgan Stanley. From there he worked as a capital markets consultant in SunGard, a global derivatives software house. Rather than settle in England, he opted to return home and bring his experience with him. There was a gap in the market, he realised, for software consultancy. 'Most of the software firms were focused on selling the licences and not on services. There was an opening to help banks write financial models and help them with quantitative analysis,' Conlon said in 2008. He established First Derivatives in 1996 in the spare bedroom of his mother's home in Newry, using a £5,000 loan from the Newry Credit Union to help him get started. Years of organic growth followed. In the autumn of 1998, a few months after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, Brian Conlon took his fledgling team on a trade mission to California's Silicon Valley alongside a handful of other local software companies, including Kainos. California was receptive. The following year Kx Systems, a software company from Paolo Alto which specialsed in financial modelling and data analyses, sold its marketing rights to FD and the two businesses would prove a perfect couple over the following decades. By 2002, First Derivatives had just 26 employees and a £2m turnover, but Conlon decided to float his business on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in the London Stock Exchange (LSE), initially offering four million shares at a price of 50p per share. 'FD at the start was small of scale but the vision attracted investors,' Ryan Preston, the company's chief financial officer, told Ulster Business in 2022. 'You have to follow up and deliver the vision. When we first floated on the LSE we attracted an investor base that was primarily driven by revenue growth and dividends. We delivered on that very successfully over many years.' Annual reports over the next decade reported consistent profit growth. The company steadily increased its stake in Kx Systems and added more strings to its bow, including the acquisition in 2008 of Market Resource Partners (MRP), a Philadelphia-based business which employed data analytics for software and technology firms. By now Conlon's operations spanned the globe – from Singapore to Sydney, Vienna to Vancouver, London to Los Angeles. The company even purchased residential for its staff. 'We have up to 60 people working in London and 25 in New York so we decided that rather than pay rents we would buy apartments,' Conlon said in 2008. 'It worked because we only bought in nice places like Mayfair and Kensington in London and around Chelsea or the Village in New York.' The world was its stage but Newry remained home for First Derivatives. 'Brian spotted global opportunity where no one else did,' said Justin McNulty, an SDLP MLA who worked at the business. 'But on top of that he combined pride in his home town of Newry with his knowledge that the people of the North have the education and drive to excel.' The business leader was keen to spread some of his knowledge and in 2012 established The First Derivatives Trading Room, NI's first financial trading facility, at Queen's. In June 2019, First Derivatives announced it had taken entire ownership of Kx Systems for $53.8m (£39.9m) in cash. This was an important milestone, Conlon said at the time: 'Since we acquired a controlling stake in Kx in October 2014 we have invested heavily to deliver the performance advantages of our combined solutions, branded as Kx technology, to a range of end-markets.' Sadly, this was his final deal. The following month, July 2019, Brian Conlon died in Newry not long after being diagnosed with cancer. But his baby First Derivatives – which changed its name in 2021 to FD Technologies (to incorporate its three operations, First Derivative, Kx and MRP) – had grown wings of its own. The company was by now a technology powerhouse, providing software and services to major banks and servicing marketing technology and the automotive industry. In 2020 the company 'recognised there was a huge opportunity in Kx, our software business, and we came back to market with an accelerated growth strategy,' said Ryan Preston. FD ultimately decided to restructure the business to focus on Kx, which uses an approach to data analysis that helps companies predict and respond to market conditions in real time. In early 2024, it merged MRP, its marketing technology division, with Contentgine, a US firm. FD retained 49% of this merged entity. Late in 2024 it sold its consulting wing First Derivative to EPAM Systems, a US software company for a reported £205m. Since then, the company has focused on growing subscription sales of Kx products. Following its sale to TA Associates, an investment firm with reported assets under management of over $60bn, will FD have to part ways with Newry? Not necessarily. TA Associates said it intends to keep headquarters in Newry. Some jobs could be subject to 'reorganisation, reduction or redeployment but the deal will 'create greater employment opportunities for existing and future employees over the long term'. FD has come a long way to get here – and it looks as though the journey is not over yet.
