OPINION, P10 WELL BEING FE LINES ACROSS THE AISLE, P CHIDAMBARAM Besides early diagnosis and detection, increasing pollution and lifestyle factors also contribute to rising cases Page 9 Monthly shipment volumes in 2026 so far 125% of 2025 levels Page 6 CHILDHOOD CANCER A GROWING CONCERN Puffery for advertisers, not achievers Pocket cameras are having a moment LEISURE Follow us on Twitter & Facebook. App available on App Store & Play Store WWW.FINANCIALEXPRESS.COM VOL.NO.XVI SL.NO.26 KALKI KOECHLIN INTERVIEW CHENNAI/KOCHI 14 Pages, `12 P U B L I S H E D F R O M : A H M E D A B A D , Tamilnad Mercantile Bank DEPOSIT SCHEME Tenor: 567 Days *T&C Apply FINANCIAL EXPRESS ON SUNDAY SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2026 MORE RETURNS. MORE REASONS TO SMILE. WITH TMB'S 567 DAYS DEPOSIT SCHEME 7.75%* % www.tmb.bank.in | Toll-free: 180 0425 0426 B E N G A L U R U , C H A N D I G A R H , C H E N N A I , ‘Motherhood’s not all wonderful; there is mourning as well’ Page 7 READ TO LEAD H Y D E R A B A D , K O C H I , K O L K A T A , L U C K N O W , ● Themed F&B, live screenings rake in revenues PM Narendra Modi said the double-engine government in West Bengal has started working at "superfast speed", while releasing the 23rd instalment of PM-Kisan scheme worth `18,880 crore. ■ PAGE 3 VAISHALI DAR New Delhi, June 20 THE BEER IS flowing, an intense match has the TV screen on fire,and the crowds are roaring. This is a typical scene at sports bars, which are emerging as one of hospitality’s biggest winners, attracting sports enthusiasts in hundreds. Mimicking the energy of a stadium with live screenings, plus an array of themed food and beverages, bars are now strongly positioning themselves as sport-focused. At global sports entertainment brand Dave & Buster’s, major cricket and football IRAN SAYS SHUT STRAIT; US CLAIMS TRAFFIC CONTINUES Ping pong on Hormuz even as talks today ■ SPOTLIGHT, P5 Rise of the seniorpreneurs ● Vance, Iran team to negotiate in Switzerland Defying traditional retirement norms, how individuals are leveraging life experience to launch successful businesses in golden years ■ WORDS WORTH, P4 REUTERS Lebanon/Washington, June 20 Leadership sans cliches A reminder that lessons often reside in everyday moments THE US MILITARY on Saturday denied Iran’s claims that it had closedtheStraitofHormuz,saying the critical waterway remained open and that US forces were monitoring the situationtoensurethatcontinued. “IrandoesnotcontroltheStrait of Hormuz,” US Central Command spokesperson Navy Captain Tim Hawkins said.“Traffic continuestoflow,andUSforces are monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case.” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared the Strait of Hormuz shut earlier on Saturday and warned ships not to approach the waterway, casting new doubt on the futureofaceasefireagreement between the US and Iran meant to pave the way for indepth peace talks. ● TESTING ON EXAM EVE Security personnel make arrangements at an exam centre in Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka, on the eve of NEET retest. More than 22.79 lakh aspirants will appear for the exam on Sunday, nearly seven weeks after the original test was cancelled following allegations of paper leak ■ REPORT P2 Continued on Page 2 3Indiantankers transit strait fixtures have delivered crowds well beyond typical trading days. The brand’s Mumbai and Bengaluru locations have attracted over 500 visitors at each outlet during key matches like the 2026 IPL final and UEFA Champions League finals in May this year, despite seating capacities of 200-300. Continued on Page 2 FAN FAVOURITES over 500 visitors at each outlet during key matches despite seating capacities of 200-300 THE JOINT MIGHT of sibling brands Hyundai and Kia is shrinking in India, as revealed by six years of sales data sourced from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). Owned by the Hyundai MotorGroup(HMG),thesetwo South Korean carmakers share global platforms and powertrains, which lower product development costs. They have revenues per outlet a day at Underdoggs Sports Bar & Grill Movetocheckinsurancemisselling REGULATOR LENS ● Commissions over `10 crore ■ Proposals part of draft IRDAI (Insurance Intermediaries) must be disclosed (Amendment) NARAYANAN V Chennai, June 20 INAFIRST, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) has proposed enhanced disclosure norms for insurance intermediaries earning commissions above a prescribed threshold. Aiming to curb misselling of insurance policies,the regulatorhas released a consultation paper proposing that insurance intermediaries disclose details of commission income,related-party transactions, profits earned Regulations, 2026 ■ It is the first time Irdai has sought such detailed public disclosures from insurance intermediaries and dividend repatriation. Under the exposure draft, corporate agents, brokers, insurance marketing firms and web aggregators earning more than `10 crore in commission income in a financial year will be required to annu- New Delhi: Three Indianflagged crude oil tankers carrying over 8.6 lakh million tonne of cargo with 94 crew members from the country transited through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday and are en route to India, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal posted on X. The three oil tankers — Desh Vaibhav, Desh Vibhor, and Sanmar Herald — are likely to arrive in India between June 24 and July 1. »INSIDE« TRUMP CALLS XI, MODI GREATEST LEADERS; SPATWITH MELONI DEEPENS PAGE 14 Power Construction materials -272 -256 Healthcare -475 Capital goods Metals & mining -499 -273 FMCG IT -711 -535 Automobiles -955 Oil & gas -1,108 Financial services -1,190 Kia Source: NSDL Hyundai plus Kia 5.7 17.4 FY22 6.1 14.6 FY24 14.6 FY26 13.9 12.6 launched successful midsize SUVs such as Creta and Seltos, and sub-4-metre SUVs like Venue and Sonet. In FY20, which was Kia’s first year in India, HMG com- 23.1 21.8 6.9 15.7 FY23 FY25 20.6 17.5 3.1 21.5 5.8 20.4 5.9 19.8 6.2 18.8 manded a combined market share of 20.6%.This included 17.5% held by Hyundai India and 3.1% by Kia India. In FY21, with Kia having three models under its belt — Sel- fixtures delivering 15% increase, motor sports growing 22% y-o-y `10-15 lakh Hyundai-Kia synergy hits a wall VIKRAM CHAUDHARY New Delhi, June 20 P U N E ■ Football ■ Screenings of IPL, F1, FIFA delivering FPIs top selling during Jun 1-15, 2026 ($ mn) equities worth $6.84 billion (`64,761 crore) during the period. In contrast, they were marginal net buyers in telecom ($39 million) and services ($32 million). Compiled by Kishor Kadam FY21 D E L H I , ■ At Quoin in Delhi, matches generating 30% higher footfalls than regular days ■ Dave & Buster’s attracting FPIs offload the most in financials, oil & gas, auto ● Combined market ON A SLIDE share declining in Market share (%) Hyundai the past three years FY20 N E W Sports bars the new winner in hospitality PMreleases23rd instalmentofKisan schemeinBengal WHAT'S INSIDE During the first 15 days of June, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares across financials, oil & gas, auto, IT, FMCG, and 14 other sectors, as per data sourced from NSDL.They offloaded M U M B A I , tos, Carnival and Sonet — HMG reached a peak of 23.1% (17.4% of Hyundai and 5.7% of Kia). Continued on Page 2 CHENNAI/KOCHI ■ As per the proposals, entities will also have to publish the disclosures on their websites ■ However, draft regulations stop short of addressing intermediary commission structures allydisclosedetailsofcommissions earned, related-party transactions, profits and dividends. These entities will also have to publish the disclosures on theirwebsites. The proposals form part of the draft IRDAI (Insurance Intermediaries) (Amendment) Regulations,2026,which seek to strengthen transparency and accountability while easing compliance requirements. It is also the first time Irdai has sought such detailed public disclosures from insurance intermediaries. However, the draft regulations stop short of addressing intermediary commission structures. In light of the fact that commission payouts have risen faster than premium collections across the insurance industry,itwaswidelyexpected that Irdaiwould come outwith an effort-based commission framework, replacing the currentsystemofbroadlyuniform commissionsacrosscategories of intermediaries. Continued on Page 2