Companies in Hyde are really lucky to have Genome Valley: Estonian Ambassador to India Ms Marje
' I really have to compliment Hyderabad for having this kind of park. I would say that the companies in Hyderabad are really lucky to have this kind of Genome Valley', Ms Marje told reporters here.
During the three-day visit, she said that our delegation met the dignitaries of Telangana, including Governor Jishnu Dev Varma and Minister for IT Sridhar Babu and Chief Secretary K.Ramakrishna Rao and the Special Chief Secretary.
In addition, we had a lot of interaction with private companies, the Ambassador said that we brought biotech companies delegation in 2022, and now it has been three years, so this time we came again with a business delegation, and we have the representatives of Estonian health tech cluster, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) cluster, and AI and Robotics.
These representatives are here and we have been trying to identify the possible collaboration areas with the companies here in Telangana, she said investments can work from both sides, so of course we are always welcoming Indian investments into Estonia, and we are also looking for possibilities for our companies to invest here.
To a question, she said it is not only about export or investments, but also it's about collaboration of different companies in different software solutions, for example.
To find out the possibilities for both sides of the businesses to have some useful new developments, she said the trade relations between Estonia and India, then there are quite a lot of traditional groups like we are importing timber, we are importing also Estonian cheese is available on the Indian market, Estonian liquors are available.
Machinery we are exporting and some metals as well. Nevertheless, there is still a lot of potential in our trade. The trade is too small but it could be much bigger in numbers, she said 267 million euro bilateral trade covering merchandising and services.
We had many very good discussions about possible cooperation in biotech and in ICT, she said Estonia is one of the frontrunners in ICT and Cyber security is also one of our strengths.
So, these possibilities we have discussed, but also in engineering, and we have been also talking about usage of AI, she said that we have the representative of the health tech cluster, then there has been a lot of interest towards different solutions in Estonian health system.
'We have a patient portal, for example, where the data is stored electronically. We have an e-prescription, which can be used nowadays in nine countries of Europe, the Ambassador said that there are no paper prescriptions anymore in the country .
The data is digitally disregarded. If you go to different doctors, they can access your data from the patient's portal. The data is always there, she said.
In the case of cyber security, she said we are now 100% digital. Then we also have to protect our data. This is the reason why we have developed so much in cyber security. We have created a 'data embassy' in Luxembourg. So it's dubbing everything in our databases in Estonia. And this is rather a unique solution in the world and we are the first country to use the data embassy, she said.
Reliance has invested in our country and it has a research and development center in Estonia, she said.
When asked about any companies coming up from India to invest, she said ' yes' that some developments are in progress and I can't mention the names yet. But the biggest ones which are already present in Estonia certainly are Reliance and K-Champ.
'We have more than 4,000 e-residents from India in Estonia and they have established more than 1,000 companies in Estonia. All of those companies are not active, but most of them are, she said.
And for Indian businesses, it's a possibility to enter the European market and also the Scandinavian market, which are big and quite rich markets, the Ambassador said.
Data centers also have potential in terms of education. Data center is, come take a seat, she said some data centers are already working and enlarging their capacities.
The ambassador was accompanied by a higher powered delegation including Mr Svewn Aulik, Ms Madli Rahuvarm and Ms Katre Ekjas –experts in health, ICT , e-governance, Cybersecurity, AI and robotics.
UNI KNR GNK
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
12 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Godrej Properties plans its largest-ever bond issue: Report
Godrej Properties, the real estate unit of India's Godrej Industries, is set to tap the corporate bond market later this month with its largest issue to date, three sources aware of the matter said. ADVERTISEMENT The real estate developer is likely to raise around 20 billion rupees ($230 million) through the sale of shorter duration bonds, with a maturity of three to five years, the sources said last week. "The company could look to tap the market after the central bank's monetary policy decision this week, in the hope that yields ease further," one of the sources said. All the sources requested anonymity as the talks are private. Godrej Properties did not reply to a Reuters email seeking comment. The bonds are rated 'AA+', and this will be the company's first bond issuance in nearly a year. Last September, it had raised around 650 million rupees through the sale of five-year bonds at an annual coupon of 8.50%. ADVERTISEMENT Godrej Properties has borrowed 25 billion rupees through bonds since September 2023. The upcoming sale would take its outstanding issuances to 45 billion rupees. The Mumbai-based firm last month acquired around 50 acres of land for premium plotted residential units in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. ADVERTISEMENT ($1 = 87.2300 Indian rupees) (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel)
Time of India
12 minutes ago
- Time of India
Retail investors dump 68% of Nifty stocks chasing smallcap crorepati dreams. Is this a trap?
Indian retail investors are selling their holdings in Nifty50 companies. They are seeking higher returns in small and mid-cap stocks. This trend is driven by impatience and the desire for quick profits. Experts warn against this strategy. They cite risks like volatility and poor governance. Institutional investors are buying the bluechip stocks that retail investors are selling. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What's the psychology behind the sell-off? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The smallcap gamble The experts highlight a minefield of specific, often overlooked, dangers: Crippling Volatility and Liquidity Traps: "Smallcaps are inherently more volatile than largecaps, with lower liquidity and higher sensitivity to market or economic shocks," explains Karthick Jonagadla. This means portfolios can "magnify portfolio swings and potential losses." Sheth adds a critical point about exit strategy: "Smallcaps can be hard to exit in downturns. If there's a market correction or panic, these stocks fall harder and faster—and may not recover as easily." Questionable Quality and Governance: The mad dash for returns often means due diligence is ignored. "Many small and midcap companies may lack the transparency, consistent performance, and robust governance standards that bluechip stocks maintain," Jonagadla warns. "Retail investors chasing rallies often ignore these critical qualitative factors." The Peril of Herding and Stretched Valuations: When everyone rushes into the same few stocks, it creates a bubble. "As more retail investors crowd into the same set of smallcaps, these stocks can become highly overvalued, exacerbating the risk of a sharp correction when sentiment reverses," says Jonagadla. Sheth confirms that many of these stocks are now trading at "stretched valuations, without matching earnings support," exposing investors to severe valuation compression risk. In a high-stakes gamble for explosive returns, a vast army of retail investors has systematically shedded its holdings in India's most formidable bluechip companies. Driven by a potent cocktail of impatience, profit-booking, and the intoxicating allure of finding the next multibagger , they are abandoning the perceived safety of Nifty50 stock to chase the "crorepati" dream in the volatile, high-octane world of small and mid-cap numbers from the June 2025 quarter show that retail investors have pared stakes in 34 of 50 companies constituting the Nifty index, which means 3 out of every 4th bluechip stock saw small investors taking a bearish move is made all the more dramatic by the fact that many of these discarded giants have been stellar performers. Investors have been selling shares in companies like Bajaj Finance, which has rocketed 28.5% year-to-date, and defence stalwart BEL, up an impressive 29%. This paradox suggests a conscious, aggressive strategy: cash in the steady gains from the giants and redeploy the winnings onto the riskier, but potentially more rewarding, terrain of the broader is driving millions of investors to collectively turn their backs on stability? Market experts point to a confluence of powerful behavioral Sheth , Head of Market Perspectives & Research at SAMCO Securities , identifies a core sentiment of frustration. "Looking at the investment behaviour of the retail investors in the recent past, it seems that they are fed up with the ongoing consolidation in the largecap stocks," he observes, adding that this phase of sideways movement has been "unduly prolonged." For investors seeing small-caps deliver triple-digit returns elsewhere, the steady, single-digit churn of a largecap leader can feel like impatience is fertile ground for the fear of missing out, or FOMO. Karthick Jonagadla , Founder of Quantace Research, says retail investors may be exiting bluechip Nifty stocks in favor of smallcap and midcap names, hoping to capture outsized gains in those segments.'The outperformance of these lesser-valued segments in previous cycles can generate a fear of missing out (FOMO), often leading retail participation to surge in already rallying stocks,' he concurs, noting, "Retail tends to follow trends, and the recent outperformance of broader markets may have created a FOMO effect. Stocks that already ran up are being assumed to continue that momentum."For many, the decision is also tactical. Anand K Rathi, Co-Founder of MIRA Money, sees this as a "classic case of profit booking." He elaborates that it's a "common behavioral pattern where investors—retail or HNIs—tend to exit well-performing bluechip stocks to preserve gains and rotate capital into areas they believe have higher near-term upside or appear undervalued."However, Rathi issues a stern warning against this seemingly savvy move. "Investors frequently lose out on long-term wealth building while using this strategy," he cautions. "They enter risky equities without considering fundamentals and sell winners too soon, only to see their earlier holdings grow even more. Such reactionary investing, motivated more by short-term stories than by long-term convictions, may backfire."The exodus of retail investors has created a fascinating divergence when contrasted with the behavior of institutional "smart money." While retail sold, mutual funds increased their holdings in 33 Nifty companies, and foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net buyers in schism is starkly visible at the individual stock level. In IndusInd Bank, retail investors shed a significant 1.10% of their holdings. In the same period, FIIs saw a buying opportunity, aggressively increasing their stake by a massive 4.16%. A similar story played out in BEL, where a 0.72% retail exit was met with a 1.01% FII institutional conviction suggests a fundamentally different thesis. While retail chases short-term momentum, institutions appear to be capitalizing on the availability of high-quality assets, perhaps seeing long-term value where retail sees limited near-term upside. Jonagadla notes that some retail investors may be selling because they believe "further upside is now limited" in Nifty stocks that have already run Apurva Sheth offers another layer of nuance. The decline in direct share ownership might not be a complete abandonment of blue-chips. "Some of the reduced direct ownership in largecaps may also be explained by a shift to SIPs and mutual fund investing," he suggests. "Retail may prefer managed portfolios, especially in volatile markets, leading to declining individual holdings even in top-quality names."While the chase for multibaggers is exhilarating, market veterans are nearly unanimous in their warnings about the dangers of this strategy. They describe it as "classic late-cycle optimism" and a gamble that exchanges stability for fragility."This is a serious risk during bullish times," states Anand K Rathi. "It may seem profitable to sell largecaps with solid fundamentals and reallocate a significant portion to smallcaps but doing so exposes investors to high volatility and concentration risk."Apurva Sheth echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the danger for the average investor. "It's a significant risk, especially for inexperienced or emotionally driven investors," he says. "By exiting diversified bluechips (like RIL, HDFC Bank), retail is exchanging stability for fragility."Perhaps the most significant risk is the abandonment of a proven wealth-creation strategy. "Historical returns demonstrate that a core allocation to quality bluechip stocks underpins long-term wealth creation," reminds Jonagadla. "Sudden portfolio shifts based on short-term momentum can compromise overall diversification, making portfolios riskier than what retail investors may realize."Anand K Rathi stresses that this behavior can be self-destructive. "From the perspective of portfolio construction, these tactics have the potential to sabotage long-term objectives," he says. The very act of selling a steady compounder to buy a speculative asset can be the costliest mistake an investor Anand K Rathi aptly concludes, investors should build their portfolios with a clear principle in mind: "Balance, not blind rotation is the key.": Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
India Today
12 minutes ago
- India Today
RBI MPC begins today: Will US tariffs trigger a rate cut?
The Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) begins its three-day meeting today, August 4. The decision of the meeting, led by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, will be announced on Wednesday, August meeting comes at a time when the global trading ecosystem is facing new challenges after the US imposed a 25% tariff on Indian MPC is meeting after cutting interest rates by 100 basis points across its last three policy meetings. The policy stance has remained 'neutral'. However, with inflation easing and growth concerns rising, there is now debate over whether the central bank will go for another rate cut or OF A RATE CUT REMAINSExperts say the MPC has reasons to consider another cut. The latest trigger is the US move to raise tariffs, which may affect exports and slow down economic brokerage Nomura said there is a 35% chance of a rate cut this week. While it expects a 25 basis points (bps) cut in October and December, it said a surprise cut in August is not ruled Capital said in a note that risks to growth have increased and inflation remains under control."The July inflation is likely to be around 2%, which is at the lower end of the RBI's tolerance band. If the US tariffs start to affect growth more sharply, the chance of a bigger rate cut—up to 50 bps—could rise. However, we do not expect inflation to rise unless there is a sudden shock to global supply chains," the firm added.A report by the State Bank of India (SBI) also predicted a 25 bps rate cut in this MPC meeting. It said a front-loaded cut now could help boost credit demand ahead of the festive season. The report also pointed out that repo rate cuts before Diwali have historically led to strong credit growth during the festive HAS BEEN FALLINGRetail inflation in India has been cooling for the past few months. In June, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) came in at 2.1%, the lowest reading since January 2019. This sharp fall has been driven by falling food prices and a favourable comparison with high prices last to Barclays, July CPI inflation could fall even further, possibly to 1.5%.If that happens, it would bring down the average for the first quarter of FY26. Barclays has already cut its full-year inflation estimate to 3.5%, below the RBI's forecast of 3.7%. It said the lower inflation numbers may give the RBI more room to support ON HOME LOAN EMIsA rate cut would be welcomed by consumers, especially those looking to borrow for homes or businesses. Pradeep Aggarwal, Founder and Chairman of Signature Global (India) Ltd, said a 25-bps cut would add to the positive mood in the housing market.'With inflation staying low, the RBI has some space to cut rates again. A lower repo rate could make loans cheaper, especially when many banks are already offering home loans below 8%. This could encourage more home buyers to act quickly,' he he also said that even if the RBI keeps rates unchanged, the current low-rate environment is already helping the housing sector. 'The market is doing well because of good buyer interest, better affordability, and easy access to loans,' he global trade under pressure and the US tariffs now in place, the RBI may have to weigh its options carefully. Experts believe the central bank may stick to its 'neutral' stance while remaining ready to act if growth slows meeting outcome on August 6 will be closely watched, especially by markets, banks, and borrowers. Whether the RBI cuts the rate or holds steady, it will likely signal its future path based on inflation trends and the evolving trade situation.- Ends advertisement
