WORDS WORTH WELL BEING Why preventive health checks are on the rise, especially among young professionals, with tier 1 & 2 cities driving adoption Page 9 Abureaucratunlikeababu FE LINES How big tech firms are scrambling to clean up the mess Page 8 FROM ILLNESS TO WELLNESS A ringside view of telecom, trade and government, with a generous dose of humour Page 4 It’s AI vs AI in slop crackdown LIVING Follow us on Twitter & Facebook. App available on App Store & Play Store WWW.FINANCIALEXPRESS.COM VOL XXV NO. 43 GAGGAN’S FOODTHEATRE IN DELHI FINANCIAL EXPRESS ON SUNDAY NEW DELHI SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2026 18 Pages, `12 (Patna `12, Raipur `12, Srinagar `15) P U B L I S H E D F R O M : A H M E D A B A D , B E N G A L U R U , C H A N D I G A R H , ● As hosts or guests, using podcasts for branding, leadership SUGANDHA MUKHERJEE New Delhi, August 22 THE INDIAN CEO is getting a new office — the podcast studio. Founders and corporate heads are increasinglymoving from being interviewed to hosting their own,turning the format into another channel for thought leadership, stakeholder engagement and personal brand building. 100% claims, 100% concerns Why words like ‘natural’, ‘organic’ or ‘healthy’ used by food businesses are coming under scrutiny and what it means for consumers ■ LEISURE, P6 The net of womanhood A sculptor from Kargil brings memories of home, culture and community to the sa Ladakh Biennale FE BUREAU Mumbai, August 22 BANKS HAVE RAISED $65.40 Women make up 17% of F&O traders (% of total traders) FY22 14.6 FY24 13.7 FY25 15.6 FY26 Loss making traders in F&O trading 14.9 FY23 loss-making traders was lower among women than men. In FY26, 84.73% women traders incurred losses, compared with 88.56% male traders. However, the average loss per trader was broadly similar across genders, at `1,16,117 for women compared with `1,15,995 for men. —Compiled by Kishor Kadam 17.1 92 91 Male 92 FY22 Female 92 88 88 86 85 FY23 K O C H I , Nikhil Kamath’s WTF, launched in early 2023, is a popular example.The Zerodha co-founder has built more than 2.3 millionYouTube subscribers and over1,500videos, hosting Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, Biocon executive chairperson Kiran MazumdarShaw, CRED founder Kunal Shah and OYO founder Ritesh Agarwal, among many others. The tone of his show feels like a living-room chat, pivoting from light banter to life philosophiesorabstractmacro trends.Reddit users sayas he is already a billionaire, the non- K O L K A T A , L U C K N O W , TAKING THE HOT SEAT ■ Podcasts are increasingly video-first, with episodes on YouTube and conversations repurposed into Shorts and Reels monetised vibe feels like genuine peer-to-peer learning ratherthanapromotionalhustle."We never started the pod- RBI swap schemes draw $72.85 billion ● $65.4 bn from FCNR(B) ahead of Aug 31 deadline (% of total traders) H Y D E R A B A D , ■ For CEOs such as Snapdeal’s Achint Setia, podcasts offer a direct window into customers, entrepreneurs & the ecosystem ■ Startup CEOs such as Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath and 100x Entrepreneur founder Siddhartha Ahluwalia are part of this growing cohort of CEO-hosts cast with the intent of making money,”said Kamath in one of his shows. Snapdeal CEO Achint FY24 89 85 FY25 M U M B A I , FY26 Source: SEBI study billion as FCNR(B) deposits and the total fund raise through the Reserve Bank of India’s special swap window is $72.85 billion until August 21. The amount raisedthroughoverseasforeign currency borrowings (OFCBs) is $4.86 billion while another $2.59 billion has come in the form of external commercial borrowings (ECBs),the RBI said in its latest update on Saturday. The strong foreign currency non-resident(bank),orFCNR(B), deposit inflows made the RBI shut this swap window in advance by a month, with the new deadline being August 31 insteadoftheearlierannounced September 30. The OFCB and ECB swap windows, however, will run their full course until RAKING IN THE DOLLARS ■ Amount raised through overseas foreign currency borrowings is $4.86 billion $2.59 billion has come from external commercial borrowings In talks with China on biz visa delays, says EAM INDIAISDISCUSSING theissueof ■ OFCB & ECB swap windows viable until December 31 ■ Last fiscal RBI infused `6 lakh crore to improve ` liquidity ■ Swap schemes aim to bolster balance of payments, support wobbly rupee December 31. Since the last count provided bythe RBI until August 13, banks have added $13.1 billion to the FCNR(B) kitty.Thetotalflowsfromallthe three concessional swap facilitieshavealsogoneupby$16billion during this period.The FCNR(B) deposits raised under the special swap window stood at $52.30 billion and the total under the three schemes at $56.85 billion untilAugust 13. Banks had mobilised $2.81 billion through OFCBs and $1.74 billion via ECBs during thisperiod.Inaninterviewwith FE earlier,RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said the central bank expects at least $80 billion to come in through all the three swap facilities. Continued on Page 2 ● HUMANOIDSTAKETHE FIELD ■ Many business leaders, including NR Narayana Murthy and Harsh Mariwala, have also appeared as podcast guests Setia’s Gully to Glory takes him to manufacturing hubs across Tier 2 and Tier 3 India, where hemeetsMSMEfounders,sell- VIKRAM CHAUDHARY New Delhi, August 22 INARESHUFFLE of India’s elec- tricvehicle(EV)market,Mahindra has surpassed JSW MG Motor India to become the country’s second-largest EV manufacturer in the first half of 2026.Sales data for the January-June 2026 period show that Mahindra recorded EV sales of 38,751 units, comprehensively beating MG which sold 27,973 units during the D E L H I , P U N E same period.Tata Motors continues to lead the overall EV market with sales of 59,961 units across its seven models. A primary driver behind Mahindra’s surge is the performance of the XEV 9S. Having sold18,167unitsinsixmonths, the XEV 9S has emerged as India’ssecondlargest-selling EV model,behind the MGWindsor,whichregistered 19,080 units. The successoftheseven-seater electric SUV highlights Mahindra’sstrategyofaddressing largerfamilyrequirements. “WhenwelaunchedtheXEV 9e,which is a large five-seater electricSUV,werealisedthatwe needed to also bring a product thatfitsintothelifeofsomeone CHARGED CONTEST visa delays faced by its businesses with China, External AffairsMinisterSJaishankarsaid on Saturday. The government has taken up the issue with its neighbour,Jaishankarsaid at an event in New Delhi,in response to a question on the inability of IndianbusinessestogetChinese business visas, reports Bloomberg.China has tightened the issuance of businessvisas to Indian executives to such an extentthatevencompanieswith ‘advanced partnerships’are facingvisa denials,forcing them to shiftcrucialmeetings.■ PAGE 18 US-Canada amid heated tariffwar Mark Carney said on Saturday that starting September 8, Canada would impose tariffs on imports from the US across a raft of sectors, in retaliation for President Donald Trump's new50%tariffsthatcameinto effect from midnight. After days of intense negotiations, the two countries failed to reach a trade deal late Friday. Trump's new tariffs hit a slew of sectors,including wine,furniture,dairyproducts,cement, clothing, fishing rods, hockey equipment and cover some $20 billion of Canadian exports south of the border. "Canada will match Washington's new tariffs dollar for dollar in order to protect ■ Mahindra recorded 38,751 units in H1CY26, surpassing MG Motor’s 27,973 units ■ XEV 9S seven-seater e-SUV registered 18,167 units, becoming India’s second-best selling EV who wants space and seven seats – someone who has a largerfamilyandoftengoesout with friends,” Pratap Bose,chief designandcreativeofficer,auto & farms,Mahindra,told FE. ■ MG Windsor was ■ Tata Motors 19,080 units 59,961 units barely able to defend its top position, having sold maintained market dominance, logging ■ Maruti Suzuki made a strong debut, with its eVitara selling 8,572 units in five months (Feb to Jun) “TheXEV9eattractedalotof people to the showroom; they lovedthecar,butcouldn’tbuyit because they were in a certain life stagewhereyou have a couple of kids or live in a joint fam- ily.TheXEV9Smeetstheneedof such families.” Mahindra’s five-seater XEV 9e maintained a steady sales run, having sold 11,149 units during H1CY26. Coupled with Continued on Page 2 investorsunderstandwhatmatters, adding that making a disclosure does not necessarily MARKET REGULATOR SECURI- mean a company has become TIES and Exchange Board of transparent."Truetransparency India is reviewing the frame- is the quality, timeliness and work for monitoring and dis- usefulness of information,"the closing utilisaSebichairmansaid. tion of issue "We are reviewing proceeds to TUHIN KANTA PANDEY the framework for SEBI CHAIRMAN improve timely monitoring and disclosures and disclosure of utiliTrue streamline the sation of issue protransparency not ceeds, with the compliance process, Sebi objective of volume of info, Chairman Tuhin improving timely but its quality Kanta Pandey disclosures and and usefulness said on Saturday. streamlining the Addressing a compliance public event in process," Pandey New Delhi, said.He added that Pandey said transSebi has progressively parency is not merely strengthened the frameabout the volume of work for disclosure, with informationdisclosedbya materialitythresholdsand company but about specified timelines. whether the information Continued helps on Page 2 CANADA'S PRIME MINISTER Humanoid robots line up before the second World Humanoid Robot Games begin in Beijing, China, on Saturday. During a test run, smartphone maker Honor’s humanoid robot ‘Lightning’ ran 100 metres in 9.32 seconds, beating Usain Bolt’s world record of 9.58 seconds REUTERS ersandregionalentrepreneurs to understand how their businesses are built and scaled. Setia said the show was not conceived as a branding exercise. “We wanted to bring the inspiring journeys of MSME founders and sellers into the spotlight and accessible to aspiring entrepreneurs across India,” he said. The conversationshavealsobecomeawayfor Snapdeal to listen to its seller ecosystem,givingthecompany a closer view of challenges around technology adoption, operations and growth. PRESS TRUST OF INDIA New Delhi, August 22 theBE6(6,849units),XUV3XO EV (1,935 units), and XUV400 (651units),Mahindraexpanded its footprint across multiple price brackets. For MG, the Windsor remained its primary volumecontributor,accounting for 19,080 units. MG’s other offerings, the Comet (4,474 units) and ZS EV (4,419 units), provided supplementaryvolumes.Industry analysts note that product differentiationplayedacrucialroleinMahindra’smarket expansion. “Mahindra took the lead over MG because the XEV 9S, a seven-seater electric SUV, brought in additional sales for Mahindra without cannibalising the five-seaterXEV 9e,” said GauravVangaal,associatedirec- Travel abroad sans physical boarding pass PRESS TRUST OF INDIA New Delhi, August 22 PASSENGERS FLYING OUT of ■ Canada to impose tariffs on US from Sept 8 in response to Trump’s 50% Canadian workers, farmers, families,and businesses,"Carney said at a news conference. "We cannot accept what they have offered, and we will not give what they have asked," Carney said. ■ PAGE 18 A family car takes Mahindra to second spot on EV list ● Beats MG as its XEV 9S becomes 2nd most sold EV N E W Disclosureofissue proceedsutilisation underSebireview GUV EXPECTS TO RAISE ABOUT $80 BN ■ SPOTLIGHT, P5 Participation of female traders READ TO LEAD CEOs’2ndinnings:Fromboardroomtopodcaststudio WHAT'S INSIDE WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN futures and options (F&O) trading has increased steadily over the past three years. Their share of the total trader base rose from 13.7% in FY24 to 17.1% in FY26, with 1.31 million women traders out of a total 7.65 million in FY26, as per a Sebi study. The proportion of C H E N N A I , Brings his innovative cuisine to India with Raga Page 7 tor, LVP forecasting, Mobility Global. “Mahindra is also expected to maintain the lead because it has more EV models than MG. But you never know themarket. MGgotasleeperhit in the form of the Windsor two years ago, and the upcoming electric EV on their newADAPT platform,if pricedwell,will pull in a new set of customers,helpingMGreduceitssalesgapwith Mahindra in the EVspace.” MG is now preparing to launch the Hector Tomahawk EV on August 26.The model is positioned to target buyers in themulti-seatere-SUVsegment andcouldallowMG toclosethe gapwith Mahindra. Continued on Page 2 New Delhi Indianairportswillnolongerbe required to carry a physical boarding pass as immigration authorities have decided to do away with the stamping of this document from September 1, officials said on Saturday. Instead, passengers travellingabroadwillhavetoproduce an e-boarding pass on their smartphones for immigration clearance, officials said. The Bureau of Immigration under the Ministry of Home Affairs recently communicated the official directive to airport authorities after the agency found that the physical stampingofboardingpassesforimmigration purposes was causing 'inconvenience'to passengers. Continued on Page 2 Irancondemns USsanctions IRANONSATURDAY denounced USplanstoannouncenewsanctions that could put further strain on the Islamic Republic's economyandhaveanimpacton itsmostimportanttradingpartners,includingChina. Aftersixmonthsofwarsince the US and Israel launched airstrikesagainstIranonFebruary28,the sides are not firing at each other but also showing no sign of pursuing peace talks.Oil shipmentsareatavirtualstandstill with Tehran threatening to strike unauthorised oil tankers ontheStraitofHormuz. Continued on Page 2