Categories
Corporate

Top 5 firms add ₹1.54 lakh cr market value

India’s biggest listed companies delivered a strong performance on the stock market during the past week, with five of the country’s 10 most-valued firms together adding nearly ₹1.54 lakh crore to their combined market capitalisation. The rally was driven by robust investor interest in blue-chip stocks, with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) emerging as the biggest wealth creator during the week.

The rise in market value reflects improving investor confidence in fundamentally strong companies despite continued global uncertainties. Healthy corporate earnings, sustained domestic investment and optimism around India’s economic outlook encouraged investors to increase their exposure to leading stocks across information technology, banking and energy sectors.

Among all the companies, TCS recorded the highest jump in market capitalisation. The IT giant added more than ₹72,000 crore to its valuation during the week, making it the biggest contributor to the overall gains. Investor sentiment towards the company improved after its quarterly earnings met market expectations and the management expressed confidence about stronger business momentum in the coming months. The company’s positive outlook reassured investors that demand for technology services is expected to remain resilient despite global economic challenges.

Private sector lender ICICI Bank also witnessed a significant rise in market value, adding more than ₹29,000 crore during the week. Strong financial performance, consistent loan growth and healthy asset quality continued to attract investor interest in the banking major. Financial stocks remained among the preferred choices for investors as expectations of sustained credit growth and stable profitability supported buying activity.

Reliance Industries, India’s most-valued listed company, also contributed to the rally by adding nearly ₹24,000 crore to its market capitalisation. The conglomerate continued to receive support from investors due to its diversified business portfolio spanning energy, retail and digital services. The company’s long-term growth prospects and continued investments in expanding businesses helped maintain positive market sentiment.

Other major gainers included Infosys and HDFC Bank, both of which registered healthy increases in their market valuations during the week. The gains in these companies reflected renewed confidence in India’s leading technology and financial services firms, which continue to remain favourites among both domestic and foreign institutional investors.

Together, these five companies added approximately ₹1.54 lakh crore to their combined market capitalisation, highlighting the strength of India’s large-cap stocks. Market experts believe that investors continue to favour companies with stable earnings, strong balance sheets and proven business models, especially at a time when global markets remain volatile.

However, the week was not positive for every company among India’s top-10 most-valued firms. Five other companies witnessed a decline in their market capitalisation as investors booked profits after recent gains. Despite these losses, the combined increase recorded by the top performers comfortably outweighed the decline, allowing the overall valuation of India’s leading listed companies to move higher.

The latest changes did not significantly alter the hierarchy of India’s biggest listed firms. Reliance Industries retained its position as the country’s most-valued company by market capitalisation. It continued to be followed by HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, TCS, Bajaj Finance, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL). These companies collectively account for a substantial share of India’s total stock market value and often influence the movement of benchmark indices.

Market capitalisation, commonly referred to as market cap, represents the total value of a company’s outstanding shares. It is calculated by multiplying the current share price by the total number of shares in circulation. A rise in market capitalisation generally indicates growing investor confidence and an increase in shareholder wealth, while a decline reflects weaker market sentiment or profit booking.

Analysts say the latest rally underlines the resilience of India’s equity markets, supported by strong domestic participation, steady inflows from institutional investors and optimism surrounding corporate earnings. Large-cap companies continue to attract investors because they are generally considered more stable during periods of market volatility.

The performance of TCS has been particularly encouraging for the information technology sector, which has faced pressure over the past year due to slower global technology spending. The company’s strong quarterly performance and optimistic guidance have renewed hopes that demand for digital transformation projects could improve in the coming quarters.

With the earnings season gathering pace and investors closely monitoring quarterly results, market participants expect stock-specific movements to remain high in the coming weeks. If corporate earnings continue to meet expectations and macroeconomic conditions remain supportive, India’s leading companies could continue to witness healthy investor interest, strengthening the country’s equity markets further.

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Categories
Leaders

Sandeep Bakhshi gets reappointed as ICICI Bank CEO

ICICI Bank has reappointed Sandeep Bakhshi as its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer for an additional two years, keeping him at the helm until October 3, 2028.

The decision was made at a board meeting on January 17, 2026, and disclosed through a regulatory filing. Bakhshi has been leading ICICI Bank since October 2018 and has over 30 years of experience across the ICICI Group, including roles at ICICI Bank, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, ICICI Lombard, and ICICI Limited.

In addition to Bakhshi, the board also approved the two-year extension of Executive Director Ajay Kumar Gupta, effective from November 27, 2026, to November 26, 2028. Both appointments are subject to approvals from the Reserve Bank of India, shareholders, and other statutory authorities.

Bakhshi’s reappointment comes as ICICI Bank continues to show steady operational performance. While the bank reported a slight decline in net profit for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, due to higher provisions following a regulatory review of agricultural loans, key metrics such as net interest income, asset quality, and loan growth remained robust. Analysts say that extending Bakhshi’s tenure ensures leadership continuity, which is crucial for maintaining strategic stability and investor confidence.

The board’s decision highlights the bank’s strategy of balancing performance, governance, and regulatory compliance, ensuring confidence among shareholders, customers, and stakeholders.

Under Bakhshi’s leadership, ICICI Bank has strengthened its presence in both retail and corporate banking, focusing on disciplined growth, technological innovation, and risk management. The bank’s board emphasized that these extensions reflect a commitment to strong corporate governance while providing stability in management during a period of evolving market conditions.

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Categories
1 Minute-Read

ICICI Bank Q3 profit seen up 7.5%

ICICI Bank is expected to report a steady performance in the December quarter, with analysts forecasting up to 7.5 percent year-on-year growth in profit after tax.

The growth is likely to be driven by healthy loan expansion, especially in retail and small business segments. Net interest income is estimated to rise around 6–8 percent, supported by strong credit demand.

Net interest margins are expected to remain largely stable despite pressure from funding costs. Market participants will closely track asset quality, fee income and provisioning trends when the bank announces its Q3 results.

Categories
Corporate

ICICI Bank revises credit card charges, benefits from 2026

ICICI Bank has announced a series of changes to its credit card charges and benefits, which will come into effect in phases starting January and February 2026. The revised structure will apply to all retail credit card customers and is expected to impact spending on gaming, wallets, travel, entertainment and premium card services .

One of the key changes is the introduction of a 2 per cent charge on online gaming transactions. This fee will apply to deposits, in-game purchases and other payments made on gaming platforms using ICICI Bank credit cards.

The bank has also revised rules around transportation-related spending. For certain merchant categories, transactions exceeding ₹50,000 will attract a 1 per cent charge. In addition, reward points earned on such spends will now be capped. Premium cards like Emeralde and Sapphiro will have a monthly reward cap of ₹20,000 on transportation spends, while mid-range cards will be capped at ₹10,000.

Digital wallet loading will become costlier as well. ICICI Bank will levy a 1 per cent fee on wallet top-ups of ₹5,000 or more, including payments made to popular platforms such as Paytm, Amazon Pay and MobiKwik.

Entertainment benefits are also being tightened. The popular BookMyShow Buy-One-Get-One movie ticket offer will now be available only to customers who spend at least ₹25,000 in the previous calendar quarter. The Instant Platinum credit card will no longer offer this benefit from February 2026.

For premium cardholders, the bank has announced higher charges on Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC), which applies when international transactions are converted into Indian rupees at the point of sale. Additionally, one-time add-on card fees will be introduced for select high-end credit cards.

Other changes include revised charges on branch cash payments, updates to Instant EMI cancellation fees, and modifications to certain service-related charges.

ICICI Bank has advised customers to carefully review the updated fee structure and benefit conditions. With new charges on specific spending categories and tighter reward limits, cardholders may need to reassess how they use their credit cards to avoid higher costs and maximise benefits under the new rules .

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