The Morning Brief

Blackstone wants to double its India investments to $100 billion in five years. What does Jonathan Gray see that nervous investors are missing? In this episode of ET Conversations, executive editor Sruthijith KK speaks to Blackstone’s president and COO about India’s growth prospects, the market pullback and the sectors attracting his capital. Gray explains why he remains optimistic about AI infrastructure, how Indian IT services firms can become AI deployment partners, and why a rising middle class creates opportunities across healthcare, travel, housing and finance. They also discuss rising interest rates, currency depreciation, private credit concerns and the discipline behind investing conviction.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Airfares are rising just as the festive travel season approaches. ATF prices have jumped sharply in recent months, while a weaker rupee is adding to airlines’ fuel costs. At the same time, fewer flights and slower aircraft deliveries are tightening capacity even as demand picks up. In this episode, Host Anirban Chowdhury speaks to ET's Forum Gandhi, about what is driving the surge in airfares, how airlines are balancing higher costs with weaker domestic traffic, and why Mumbai flyers could face an additional hit as capacity shifts to Navi Mumbai Airport. The conversation also looks at what passengers should watch over the next six months.Listen InYou can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and LinkedinCheck out other interesting episodes like - Cognizant’s Surya Gummadi on How AI Can Deliver Returns, The Future of Insurance in India | Sarbvir Singh of PB Fintech, Groww’s ₹6,600 Cr Leap - Fintech’s Big Market Test Begins , OML CEO on the Creator Economy’s Next Wave & much more.Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Flydubai incident has raised a difficult question for aviation security: what happens when the threat comes from within the aircraft? As investigators work to establish the facts, the incident is already forcing a rethink of how airlines identify and mitigate insider threats.Host Anirban Chowdhury speaks to aviation security experts Arik Arad and Shannon Wandmaker about the vulnerabilities exposed by the incident, why one-time background checks may not be enough in an age of rapid online radicalisation, and whether continuous vetting and stronger security cultures can close the gap. He also explains why aviation security is ultimately about layers of mitigation—not the promise of preventing every possible attack. Listen In You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and Linkedin Check out other interesting episodes like - Cognizant’s Surya Gummadi on How AI Can Deliver Returns, The Future of Insurance in India | Sarbvir Singh of PB Fintech, Groww’s ₹6,600 Cr Leap - Fintech’s Big Market Test Begins , OML CEO on the Creator Economy’s Next Wave & much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Xi Jinping has sat across the table from both Narendra Modi and Donald Trump within two weeks. For years, a more assertive China pushed India closer to Washington. But what happens if the US and China learn to manage their rivalry? On this episode of Morning Brief Decode, Pranab Dhal Samanta, National Editor (Politics) at The Economic Times explains to Anirban Chowdhury whether the reset is really happening in Washington, what the summit's optics signal, and how India should balance China, the US and BRICS. He also flags what to watch in the next six months: the India-EU relationship, Eurasian trade access, and possible exemptions in the US trade deal.You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and LinkedinCheck out other interesting episodes like - Cognizant’s Surya Gummadi on How AI Can Deliver Returns, The Future of Insurance in India | Sarbvir Singh of PB Fintech, Groww’s ₹6,600 Cr Leap - Fintech’s Big Market Test Begins , OML CEO on the Creator Economy’s Next Wave & much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The investigation into the death of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode is examining competing allegations and evidence. But beyond the immediate case lies a broader question: what are India’s premier institutions really preparing students for? On The Morning Brief, host Anirban Chowdhury speaks to BITS Pilani Group Vice Chancellor V Ramgopal Rao, former JNU professor Rajeev Kumar and ET’s Rashmi Rajput about the intense pressure surrounding IIT admissions, the limitations of using exam performance as a measure of intellectual ability, and the challenges students face once they enter these highly competitive institutions. The discussion also looks at AI and education: when should students be allowed to use AI, what should examinations test, and does the JEE system need to evolve as machines become increasingly capable of solving the very tests students compete to clear?Listen InYou can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and LinkedinCheck out other interesting episodes like - Cognizant’s Surya Gummadi on How AI Can Deliver Returns, The Future of Insurance in India | Sarbvir Singh of PB Fintech, Groww’s ₹6,600 Cr Leap - Fintech’s Big Market Test Begins , OML CEO on the Creator Economy’s Next Wave & much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India’s IPO market has hit the accelerator. After just 27 mainboard IPOs in the first half of 2026, July-September alone is seeing 61 issues worth roughly ₹88,000 crore. And the pipeline is staggering: 148 companies with SEBI approvals worth ₹2.8 lakh crore are waiting to tap the market.  Anirban Chowdhury speaks with ET markets editor Nishanth Vasudevan about what triggered the boom, whether Jio could suck liquidity from other issues, why smaller IPOs are still finding buyers, whether mega listings signal a market top, and whether foreign investors could finally return to India.Listen InYou can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and LinkedinCheck out other interesting episodes like - Cognizant’s Surya Gummadi on How AI Can Deliver Returns, The Future of Insurance in India | Sarbvir Singh of PB Fintech, Groww’s ₹6,600 Cr Leap - Fintech’s Big Market Test Begins , OML CEO on the Creator Economy’s Next Wave & much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meta has agreed to report child sexual abuse material directly to Indian authorities, rather than routing alerts through America's NCMEC. But does reporting stop algorithms amplifying such content in the first place? On the Morning Brief, lawyer Sajan Poovayya explains why Meta had little choice under POCSO and its 2020 Rules, why reporting is neither an admission of guilt nor a privacy breach, and what platforms must do beyond reporting: purge content and build checks into their algorithms. He argues India's law is adequate, but enforcement lacks the urgency shown by NCMEC. The episode opens with a clip from Sajan's July interview.Listen InYou can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and LinkedinCheck out other interesting episodes like - Cognizant’s Surya Gummadi on How AI Can Deliver Returns, The Future of Insurance in India | Sarbvir Singh of PB Fintech, Groww’s ₹6,600 Cr Leap - Fintech’s Big Market Test Begins , OML CEO on the Creator Economy’s Next Wave & much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every morning in Mahim, Vijay Raut sold cutting chai to taxi drivers, construction workers and bank staff, until the BMC's pavement drive took away his stall. Now he serves from a flask. He's not alone: across Mumbai, Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram, street vendors are caught between clean-city drives and a system that never gave them secure space. In this episode, we look at India's Rs 8,000 crore-a-day street food economy, the real hygiene risks, why regulation without infrastructure backfires, and what Singapore's hawker centres might teach us about keeping street food safe and visible. Lijee Philip and Nirmal John report, Anirban Chowdhury narrates for audioSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UPI is no longer entirely free. From October 15, merchant payments above ₹2,000 will attract a 0.4% MDR, while smaller transactions and person-to-person transfers remain exempt. But if merchants cannot surcharge customers directly, where does that cost go? IIT Bombay’s Professor Ashish Das tells The Morning Brief why businesses may quietly fold it into prices, forcing small-ticket shoppers to subsidise larger purchases. He also explains why online platforms are different, whether high-value payments could drift back to cash, and the policy question: should UPI be treated as commercial infrastructure—or as a public good funded by the government?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chhattisgarh has declared an end to armed Maoism in Bastar, but the ground reality is far more complicated than a deadline. Over 1,000 surrendered cadres remain in rehabilitation centres while 1,800 others have already returned to their villages — some welcomed, others met with deep, unhealed anger. In this episode, based on Shantanu Nandan Sharma's on-ground reporting, we travel through Sukma's former conflict zones, from a courtyard once used for Maoist gatherings to a café run by surrendered women fighters, to understand what genuine reintegration looks like in a region reshaped by decades of insurgency, loss, and fragile hope.Anirban Chowdhury narrates for audioSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AI is reshaping how businesses work, but the biggest shift may be how humans and technology work together. At The Economic Times World Leaders Forum, Nigel Vaz, CEO, Publicis Sapient, joins Dia Rekhi to break down the “Iron Man” approach to AI, why enterprises need to reimagine how work gets done, and where agentic AI can create real business value.Listen InYou can follow Dia Rekhi on social media: Linkedin & X Check out other interesting episodes like - Cognizant’s Surya Gummadi on How AI Can Deliver Returns, The Future of Insurance in India | Sarbvir Singh of PB Fintech, Groww’s ₹6,600 Cr Leap - Fintech’s Big Market Test Begins , OML CEO on the Creator Economy’s Next Wave & much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ET opens its World Leaders Forum podcast series with Anu Aiyengar, global chair of investment banking, J.P.Morgan. In conversation with Anirban Chowdhury, she explains why uncertainty is driving—not deterring—big-ticket deals, and why companies are buying scale, stability and resilience. She examines the risks posed by rising yields, inflation and oil, the curious leeway investors are giving AI spending, and how automation is reshaping entry-level investment-banking work. Aiyengar also makes the case for India as an under-owned market and reveals her contrarian bets on old-economy businesses, healthcare and cross-border dealmaking over the next five years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.