Latest news with #MML
Business Standard
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Crisil Ratings assigns 'A1+' rating to commercial paper of Muthoot Microfin
Muthoot Microfin (MML) said that Crisil Ratings has assigned its 'Crisil A1+' rating to the commercial paper of the company. The rating on the long-term bank loan facilities and non convertible debentures has been reaffirmed at 'Crisil A+/Stable'. Crisil Ratings stated that the ratings continue to factor in expectation of continued support from the parent, Muthoot Fincorp (MFL). It also takes into consideration MMLs adequate capital position and its diversified resource profile. These strengths are partially offset by geographical concentration in the loan portfolio, moderate asset quality and susceptibility of the microfinance sector to regulatory and legislative changes. MMLs portfolio quality has been affected in line with several issues faced by the sector over the last 3-4 quarters. However, overall asset quality (in terms of collections) has started showing some stability, particularly during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. Crisil Ratings believes that despite some early signs of improvement in collections, the companys ability to show substantial improvement in portfolio quality will be closely monitored. The company remained well-capitalised, as reflected by networth of Rs 2,632 crore and gearing of 3.0 times as on 31 March 2025 (Rs 2,804 crore and 3.0 times, respectively, as on 31 March 2024). Capital position of the company also benefits from its strong parentage, which enables it to raise funds in a timely manner. Muthoot Microfin (MML), a part of Muthoot Pappachan Group (MPG), provides microfinance loans to women. MML had AUM of Rs 12,356 crore and networth of Rs 2,632 crore as on 31 March 2025. Operations of the microfinance division are spread across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana. The scrip rose 0.83% to trade at Rs 127.4 on the BSE today.
News18
5 days ago
- Politics
- News18
LeT's Show Of Strength In Pakistan With 1998 Nuclear Test Celebrations
Last Updated: Posters were put up across the country for the celebration of Youm-e-Takbeer (Day of Greatness) on May 28 -- the day Pakistan conducted nuclear test in 1998 The political front of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Milli Muslim League (MML), held celebrations on May 28 to mark the nuclear test conducted by Pakistan in 1998. Posters were put up across the country for the celebration of Youm-e-Takbeer (Day of Greatness). The posters — with the message 'When Pakistan became unconquerable' — were distributed by the Markazi Muslim League Karachi (Central Muslim League Karachi). These posters, which have picture of Pakistan's Army chief Asim Munir, were prominently showcased in both Lahore and Karachi. They endorse CNN-News18's earlier reports that he is the third generation Jihad chief. The MML, a political party that shares the same ideological roots as LeT, was founded by Saifullah Khalid, who has close ties to Hafiz Saeed. The party's mission is to transform Pakistan into a true Islamic welfare state. They position themselves as the political voice for those involved in the social work of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), LeT's charitable wing. WHAT INDIAN INTEL SOURCES SAY According to top intelligence sources, the appearance of these posters is not unusual and serves as a reminder to the world of Pakistan's nuclear capabilities. 'While this day is not celebrated annually, this year it has garnered special attention. The Pakistan Army consists of both those in uniform and those in traditional salwar kurta, highlighting the deep-rooted connection between military and Jihadi elements within the country," they said. MUNIR & JIHAD News18 has earlier reported how Munir leads the third generation of Jihad in Pakistan, weaponising the Quran and leveraging state power. His actions align with the goals of Hafiz Saeed and Maulana Masood Azhar to liberate Kashmir but with the support of state machinery, sources say. Unlike Saeed and Azhar, who are non-state actors, Munir's actions reflect state policy, combining state power, religious authority, and militant ideology. Munir has integrated radical clerics into the training programs of the Pakistani army, indoctrinating soldiers with the belief that Jihad for Kashmir is a divine duty, sources say. Sources say Munir frequently reads Quranic verses and offers his interpretations during meetings, emphasising the importance of countering 'oppressors", implicitly referring to Indian forces and government. Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published: May 28, 2025, 18:09 IST
Eater
20-05-2025
- Business
- Eater
Celebrated Chef April Bloomfield Will Lead a Texas Restaurant Group
One of New York's most famous chefs, April Bloomfield has dazzled critics and diners alike in her soulful cooking at Fort Greene's Sailor from restaurateur Gabe Stulman since it opened in 2023. Now, the chef has announced she is headed to a restaurant group in Austin, Texas while she continues to steer the kitchen in Brooklyn. In Bloomfield's new role, she'll also oversee the McGuire Moorman Lambert Hospitality group, which is behind a collection of restaurants that include an oyster bar, a bakery, a hamburger joint, a sushi spot, a cafe, and a Tex-Mex diner in locations around Austin, Houston, Aspen, Colorado, and San Francisco. Her first focus will be revamping California-inspired Pecan Square Cafe and fifty-year-old fine-dining steakhouse Jeffrey's in Austin, as reported by Texas Monthly . The company also announced that it would be taking over historic Austin hotel the Driskill and its two dining rooms — currently the Driskill Bar and 1886 Cafe & Bakery — which is owned by Hyatt Hotels Corporation. 'April has a true sense of hospitality that's behind the cooking,' McGuire told Texas Monthly . 'It's not just cooking for ego or cooking for what looks good on the plate.' Eater has reached out to Bloomfield and Stulman to learn more about the position and what's next for Sailor. Stulman issued a statement on Tuesday morning. 'This June, Bloomfield joins MML Hospitality, one of the country's most successful and influential hospitality groups, as Executive Chef. In her role, Bloomfield brings exceptional expertise and experience to the group's nationwide operations. Bloomfield will play a pivotal role in upcoming MML projects, including the multi-dimensional development, Sixth & Blanco, designed by Pritzker award-winning firm Herzog & de Meuron, that encompasses luxury retail and hospitality in Austin's Clarksville neighborhood. Longtime admirers of Bloomfield's cooking, MML's partners demonstrate a similar intuition for knowing what diners want. Bloomfield brings her deep understanding of seasonal produce and tip-to-tail butchery to MML, while mentoring its roster of rising culinary talent, initially focusing on Pecan Square Cafe, Jeffrey's, Josephine House, Howard's and Rosie's. Her role as Chef Partner of Happy Cooking Hospitality's celebrated Brooklyn restaurant Sailor will continue and she will remain a presence there. Bloomfield's return to Sailor was a big deal for the New York restaurant world. Known for her memorable meat-centric fare, Bloomfield steered the opening of Sailor — part of Happy Cooking Hospitality, which includes West Village staples like Joseph Leonard, Jeffrey's Grocery, and Fairfax — a lower-key affair than her Manhattan restaurants from years earlier. In opening in Brooklyn, she reemerged on the scene to mostly celebration after being caught in the middle of one of the biggest restaurant scandals of the #MeToo era, leading her to shutter restaurants including the Spotted Pig and others she ran in partnership with Ken Friedman. When Sailor was deemed one of the year's best new restaurants in the country its debut year, Eater noted that 'despite being billed as a simple neighborhood bistro, Brooklyn's Sailor has been a destination since the day it opened: It represents the return of chef April Bloomfield to New York and the British-inflected cooking that made her name.' It's been celebrated for its 'unfussy elegance, coaxing complex flavors from humble ingredients.' In the announcement this week, Texas Monthly wrote 'New York City's April Bloomfield is one of the most talented chefs in the country. Period — no qualification.' Sign up for our newsletter.
The Courier
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Courier
Ryan Russell on rock star start to leading Dundee solicitors MML
When Ryan Russell left law school, being one of Dundee's most recognisable solicitors was not at the forefront of his life plan. In 2006, Dundee's music scene was bursting. The View were gaining UK acclaim ahead of the release of their debut album and you could scarcely visit a pub or bar without hearing 'the next big thing' strumming away. Ryan, fresh out of Dundee University, was the singer of rock band Page Six, who played multiple festivals and gigs across Scotland and the UK. As the band gained popularity Ryan's first go at a traineeship, with Aberdein Considine, faltered. 'They were supposed to be opening an office in Dundee, but didn't and I was travelling everyday to Aberdeen. I absolutely hated it,' Ryan recalls. 'It was in conveyancing and at the time I could not think of anything more boring. 'So after three months I packed it in and followed my heart which was the band.' Almost two decades later, now aged 41, Ryan was named senior managing partner at MML, one of the city's leading law firms earlier this year. When the news was announced, Ryan was inundated with calls, texts and emails congratulating him on his promotion and reminders of the huge shoes he has to fill in the wake of former boss John Muir retiring. So how did a lawyer who jacked in a promising start with a legal behemoth like Aberdein Considine, end up as the head of one of the city's most burgeoning law firms? Dundee is a city with lawyers who enjoy the reverence and personalities of rock stars. Among them are John, and another was the late Billy Boyle. It was with Billy where Ryan got his legal career back on track, taking on one of the coveted traineeships many now sitting in the country's courts have sweated through (including The Courier's Martell Maxwell). 'I went to Billy's and I did everything right and I got on really well with him,' Ryan said. 'But no matter how well you did, he would push you and push you. It was like nothing was ever good enough. 'And he always said to me 'you know son, you think you're Premier League, but I'm training you for Champions League'. 'Because every time you did something you felt was decent, he could pick holes in it. It was so frustrating at the time but there was method in the madness. 'And he and John Muir were great pals, but they were also super competitive. John was the leader in employment law and I was coming to the end of my first year with Boyles. 'And Billy couldn't handle that John had the stronghold on employment law in Dundee. 'So he sent me to MML and he said 'right don't tell John, but I want you to go there for three months and learn all about employment law, then come back and we'll start doing it right, and that'll show him!' 'So off I went, but when I went there I just got on so well with John that I never went back. 'And they fell out over it, because Billy had paid for my first year of training. So there was effectively a transfer fee involved. And that's how I ended up at MML. 'Growing up with these local legends was quite the education. Because the legal landscape is so different now.' It's this old-school, independent, David vs Goliath mindset the former Morgan Academy pupil wants to continue in his new role as senior partner at MML. The country's legal landscape is changing, he says, with huge firms buying up lots of smaller ones. And he wants MML to stand out. 'It's a massive USP for us. I'm not against the corporate model, but it's just not me and it's not MML. 'We've just recruited a host of young, eager lawyers. And most important to me, is they are just themselves. 'We've taken a conscious decision to develop young lawyers and it's really exciting. It is a lot of work because you've got to bring them on. 'But when I'm recruiting, I'm not recruiting somebody to fill a hole. I'm recruiting for the next generation to come through. 'And I can say to them 'I started here as a trainee and now I run the business'.' Ryan has been with MML for 16 years and in that time has represented a range of clients through particularly difficult employment law cases. These include trials like the internationally reported case of Jason Grant, the male period dignity officer from Tayside axed following a huge public backlash. The story made CNN, the BBC and the New York Times, with Mr Grant turning down big-money tell-all interviews about his case. Mr Grant settled out of court for an undisclosed fee. 'As a young lawyer, I would win a big case, then another. And then the press started reporting on it, and then it would get covered all over social media. 'Now, when there is a big case, more often than not we are the ones instructed on it.' Over the next 10-15 years, Ryan wants to see MML continue in its underdog spirit. 'We want to be the leading independent law firm in Tayside and beyond. We already punch way above our weight. 'But the idea going forward is not so much massive expansion. What we want to do is serve our clients and support our staff the best way we can. 'There are 35 employees at MML just now. And it's always the temptation when you're doing well to expand, to get bigger and better. 'But that was a lesson I learned from John and Billy, they would always say 'don't make the mistakes we made, make sure you always have time for your family'. 'So my golden rule is always making sure I drop my kids off at school, that my work fits around the family and not the other way around. 'At MML, we are about creating the right culture, the right vibe, to be a thorn in the side of all the big corporates.' Outside of MML, Ryan is involved in a range of other businesses and ventures. These include teaching at Dundee University's law school, sitting as a non-executive director on the board of Graeme Carling's United Capital, and setting up a glass-recycling company in the wake of council cuts to collections. Of Doorstep Glass Recycling he says: 'It's something I am so proud of. 'At the start, I was going out and doing the collections myself. And now we have a team and operate across Dundee, Angus, Perth, Aberdeen. 'We always either put the money back into the business, or donate. Supporting foodbanks is a huge thing for us. 'It was about doing something environmentally friendly and giving something back.'
