The Morning Brief

Episodi

• 
  Why Volkswagen Needs JSW 18.09.2026 17min

   Volkswagen is one of the world’s largest carmakers, yet has less than 2% of India’s passenger vehicle market. Its proposed partnership with JSW could mark a striking reversal: JSW may own 51% of the venture, leaving the German giant as the junior partner. Anirban Chowdhury speaks to ET’s Arijit Barman and Shally Seth Mohile about what each side gains, why JSW wants European technology alongside its Chinese partnerships, and whether the deal can accelerate Volkswagen’s painfully slow India journey. They also examine JSW’s audacious automotive ambitions—and the risk that its three ventures could eventually compete with one another.Listen inYou can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and LinkedinCheck out other interesting episodes like - Cognizant’s Surya Gummadi on How AI Can Deliver Returns, The Future of Insurance in India | Sarbvir Singh of PB Fintech, Groww’s ₹6,600 Cr Leap - Fintech’s Big Market Test Begins , OML CEO on the Creator Economy’s Next Wave & much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• 
  UPI MDR Is Back: The Hidden Cost to You 17.09.2026 16min

  UPI is no longer entirely free. From October 15, merchant payments above ₹2,000 will attract a 0.4% MDR, while smaller transactions and person-to-person transfers remain exempt. But if merchants cannot surcharge customers directly, where does that cost go? IIT Bombay’s Professor Ashish Das tells The Morning Brief why businesses may quietly fold it into prices, forcing small-ticket shoppers to subsidise larger purchases. He also explains why online platforms are different, whether high-value payments could drift back to cash, and the policy question: should UPI be treated as commercial infrastructure—or as a public good funded by the government?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• 
  Bain’s Manny Maceda on the End of Globalisation, India’s Opportunity and the AI Reset 14.09.2026 21min

  The multinational is giving way to the multi-local, as tariffs, geopolitics and supply-chain risk force companies to rebuild around regional roots rather than one global blueprint. In the latest Corner Office Conversation from The Economic Times World Leaders Forum Bain & Company Global Chairman Manny Maceda tells Anirban Chowdhury what this fragmentation means for India's shot at becoming the world's factory, why AI's payoff still eludes most companies deploying it, and whether costlier capital is quietly forcing private equity to build better businesses instead of just cheaper deals. He closes with a leadership lesson for this moment: companies that lose their talent will eventually lose their customers too. Listen inYou can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and LinkedinCheck out other interesting episodes like - Cognizant’s Surya Gummadi on How AI Can Deliver Returns, The Future of Insurance in India | Sarbvir Singh of PB Fintech, Groww’s ₹6,600 Cr Leap - Fintech’s Big Market Test Begins , OML CEO on the Creator Economy’s Next Wave & much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• 
  Bastar After The Gun 13.09.2026 13min

  Chhattisgarh has declared an end to armed Maoism in Bastar, but the ground reality is far more complicated than a deadline. Over 1,000 surrendered cadres remain in rehabilitation centres while 1,800 others have already returned to their villages — some welcomed, others met with deep, unhealed anger. In this episode, based on Shantanu Nandan Sharma's on-ground reporting, we travel through Sukma's former conflict zones, from a courtyard once used for Maoist gatherings to a café run by surrendered women fighters, to understand what genuine reintegration looks like in a region reshaped by decades of insurgency, loss, and fragile hope.Anirban Chowdhury narrates for audioSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• 
  Why Are Banks' Corner Offices Suddenly Up For Grabs? 11.09.2026 14min

  HDFC Bank's Shashidhar Jagdishan is stepping down, Kotak Mahindra is searching for Ashok Vaswani's successor, and ICICI's Sandeep Bakshi has taken just a two-year extension. In this episode, Anirban Chowdhury talks to ET's Banking Editor Sangita Mehta about the wave of CEO exits hitting India's biggest banks through 2028, what really went wrong at HDFC, whether Deputy MD Kaizad Bharucha can take over given RBI's 15-year board cap, and why RBI's tenure and age rules may be quietly ending the era of the long-serving Indian bank CEO.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• 
  Publicis Sapient’s Nigel Vaz on AI, the Future of Work and India’s Opportunity 10.09.2026 35min

  AI is reshaping how businesses work, but the biggest shift may be how humans and technology work together. At The Economic Times World Leaders Forum, Nigel Vaz, CEO, Publicis Sapient, joins Dia Rekhi to break down the “Iron Man” approach to AI, why enterprises need to reimagine how work gets done, and where agentic AI can create real business value.Listen InYou can follow Dia Rekhi on social media: Linkedin & X Check out other interesting episodes like - Cognizant’s Surya Gummadi on How AI Can Deliver Returns, The Future of Insurance in India | Sarbvir Singh of PB Fintech, Groww’s ₹6,600 Cr Leap - Fintech’s Big Market Test Begins , OML CEO on the Creator Economy’s Next Wave & much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• 
  India’s 7.8% GDP: The Number That Doesn’t Add Up 08.09.2026 27min

  India’s latest GDP estimate shows the economy growing at 7.8%. Rajeswari Sengupta, associate professor of economics at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research is unconvinced. She tells Anirban Chowdhury why weak job creation, subdued investment, falling import volumes and an unresponsive stock market sit uneasily beside the headline number. She also explains why a low GDP deflator is economically logical, how double deflation is supposed to improve measurement, and why India’s new producer price indices raise questions. The government may have corrected important weaknesses in the earlier GDP series. But without detailed sources, methods and historical comparisons, Sengupta argues, economists cannot independently establish what changed—or whether the new number is credible.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• 
  J.P.Morgan’s Anu Aiyengar on Mega Deals, AI’s Banking Reset and the India Bet 07.09.2026 22min

  ET opens its World Leaders Forum podcast series with Anu Aiyengar, global chair of investment banking, J.P.Morgan. In conversation with Anirban Chowdhury, she explains why uncertainty is driving—not deterring—big-ticket deals, and why companies are buying scale, stability and resilience. She examines the risks posed by rising yields, inflation and oil, the curious leeway investors are giving AI spending, and how automation is reshaping entry-level investment-banking work. Aiyengar also makes the case for India as an under-owned market and reveals her contrarian bets on old-economy businesses, healthcare and cross-border dealmaking over the next five years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• 
  ET Deep Dive: When Development Turns Disaster 06.09.2026 14min

  Climate change is making extreme weather more frequent and unpredictable. But are we making its consequences worse? Across the Himalayas and the Western Ghats, glaciers are collapsing, rainfall patterns are shifting and landslides and flash floods are becoming increasingly destructive. At the same time, roads, hotels, hydropower projects and settlements are pushing deeper into fragile landscapes. Reported by Alenjith K Johny, narrated by Anirban ChowdhurySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• 
  Subrata Mitra on India’s VC Reset, the AI Capital Race and What Comes Next 04.09.2026 45min

  What does one of India’s original venture capitalists see coming next? Accel’s Subrata Mitra speaks to Anirban Chowdhury about a funding market moving from exuberance to discipline—and an AI boom whose economics remain deeply uncertain. He explains why India cannot fight a trillion-dollar foundational-model battle with a fraction of that capital, and where its more credible opportunities lie. The conversation explores Accel’s interest in AI-enabled services, deeptech, spacetech and advanced manufacturing, the logic behind keeping funds relatively small, and the long process of developing investors. Mitra also shares lessons from failure, reinvention and the unpredictable journeys of successful founders.Listen In You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and LinkedinCheck out other interesting episodes like -Sarvam AI on NVIDIA's Investment, Voice AI Economics, and India's AI Strategy, Cognizant’s Surya Gummadi on How AI Can Deliver Returns, The Future of Insurance in India | Sarbvir Singh of PB Fintech, Groww’s ₹6,600 Cr Leap - Fintech’s Big Market Test Begins , OML CEO on the Creator Economy’s Next Wave & much more.Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• 
  HDFC Bank’s CEO Hunt 03.09.2026 11min

  HDFC Bank is staring at an unusual leadership vacuum. CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan is set to leave in October, even as India’s largest private sector bank grapples with slowing profit growth, squeezed margins and the lingering impact of its mega merger with HDFC Ltd. Who could take over — internal heavyweight Kaizad Bharucha or an outsider? And can a successor even be found in time? Anirban Chowdhury speaks to ET’s banking editor Sangita Mehta about the names in contention, a wider leadership crunch across Indian banking, what has gone wrong with HDFC Bank’s financial engine, and the challenges awaiting its next chief.Listen inYou can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and LinkedinYou can follow Sangita Mehta on her social media: Twitter and Linkedin Check out other interesting episodes like India’s Costly Crude Problem Who Must File Their ITR by August 31?-Sarvam AI on NVIDIA's Investment, Voice AI Economics, and India's AI Strategy, Cognizant’s Surya Gummadi on How AI Can Deliver Returns, The Future of Insurance in India | Sarbvir Singh of PB Fintech, Groww’s ₹6,600 Cr Leap - Fintech’s Big Market Test Begins , OML CEO on the Creator Economy’s Next Wave & much more.Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• 
  Subhash Chandra’s Insolvency Maths 01.09.2026 13min

  Subhash Chandra’s latest insolvency battle has produced a startling equation: ₹22,006 crore in admitted claims against just ₹6.25 crore for creditors. But the headline hides a more complicated story. These claims largely arise from personal guarantees for corporate borrowings, even as major lenders question the repayment plan, creditor voting and what happened to Chandra’s once-vast personal wealth. Meanwhile, Zee is rebuilding after the collapse of its Sony merger, and its promoters are seeking to increase their stake again. Anirban Chowdhury talks to Shiram Subramanian, founder and MD of InGovern about the Essel debt crisis, the controversial NCLT order and what a promoter’s personal guarantee is really worth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• 
  What It Really Takes To Vibe Code 28.08.2026 11min

  ET’s Swathi Moorthy cannot code. Yet she has built four web applications using AI. That is the seductive promise of vibe coding: describe what you want and let the machine build it. The reality involves muddled prompts, unreliable advice, stubborn bugs, confusing backends, hosting headaches and subscription bills. In this episode, Moorthy joins Anirban Chowdhury to explain how a non-coder can create and publish an app, which tools make it easiest, and where human expertise remains indispensable. It is a candid account of what AI has democratised and what it still cannot do on its own for ordinary aspiring app builders.Listen inYou can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and Linkedin Check out other interesting episodes like India’s Costly Crude Problem Who Must File Their ITR by August 31?-Sarvam AI on NVIDIA's Investment, Voice AI Economics, and India's AI Strategy, Cognizant’s Surya Gummadi on How AI Can Deliver Returns, The Future of Insurance in India | Sarbvir Singh of PB Fintech, Groww’s ₹6,600 Cr Leap - Fintech’s Big Market Test Begins , OML CEO on the Creator Economy’s Next Wave & much more.Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• 
  From Insurgent to Establishment: The Trilegal Story 27.08.2026 33min

  Trilegal began as an outsider in a legal industry dominated by closely held, family-run firms. More than two decades later, it has become one of India’s largest law firms—and part of the establishment it once challenged. Partners Nishant Parikh and Sridhar Gorthi talk to ET’s Vinod Mahanta and Maulik Vyas about the model behind that rise, the founder-rainmaker trap holding back midsized firms, competition from global firms and the Big Four, and why AI could reshape both fees and the traditional associate pyramid. They also confront two deeper questions: whether elite credentials still determine who enters corporate law, and whether Trilegal’s founders can truly surrender power when success arrives.Tune inYou can follow Maulik Vyas on his social media  X and Linkedin You can follow Vinod Mahanta on his social media: X and LinkedinCheck out other interesting episodes like India’s Costly Crude Problem Who Must File Their ITR by August 31?-Sarvam AI on NVIDIA's Investment, Voice AI Economics, and India's AI Strategy, Cognizant’s Surya Gummadi on How AI Can Deliver Returns, The Future of Insurance in India | Sarbvir Singh of PB Fintech, Groww’s ₹6,600 Cr Leap - Fintech’s Big Market Test Begins , OML CEO on the Creator Economy’s Next Wave & much more.Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• 
  ET Deep Dive: Love, Inheritance & the Second Innings 23.08.2026 11min

  Love can arrive at any age. But when it arrives after 60, it often comes with decades of accumulated wealth, grown-up children and expectations about inheritance. As more Indians seek companionship, remarry or choose live-in relationships later in life, families are confronting difficult questions around homes, wills, trusts and succession. Based on Lijee Philip’s report, this episode explores India’s emerging world of silver romance—and the financial negotiations that accompany it. Can older Indians build a new life without unsettling the families and fortunes built in the old one? And can love and inheritance peacefully coexist? Lijee Philp reports, Anirban Chowdhury narrates.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• 
  India’s Costly Crude Problem 21.08.2026 14min

  Brent above $90 doesn’t tell the full story of India’s oil bill. Tight physical supplies have pushed some Gulf crude to a hefty premium, while the Russian discounts that helped Indian refiners after the Ukraine war have largely vanished. Disruptions in West Asia have also forced India to source more oil from farther-flung suppliers, adding freight costs. Anirban Chowdhury speaks to ICRA’s, senior VP and Co-Group Chair Prashant Vasisht about why the physical crude market has diverged from benchmark prices, what it means for refinery and marketing margins, whether consumers could eventually feel the pain, and what could bring India’s crude costs down. Listen inSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• 
  Who Must File Their ITR by August 31? 20.08.2026 17min

  India’s tax calendar looks different this year. While most salaried taxpayers wrapped up their returns by July 31, taxpayers with certain business or professional income have until August 31. But who exactly qualifies? What happens if you earn a salary alongside income from F&O trading, consulting, freelancing or content creation? Which ITR should you file, and how is F&O turnover calculated? In this episode of The Morning Brief, ET Wealth’s Preeti K talks to with Aarti Raote, Partner, Deloitte about ITR-3 versus ITR-4, presumptive taxation, reconciling AIS and brokerage statements, and the expensive mistakes taxpayers should avoid before the deadline. Listen in.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• 
  EB-1A, Explained: The Green Card Route That's Closing on Indians 18.08.2026 9min

  For Indian professionals chasing a US green card, even the fast lane is getting harder. Approval rates for EB-1A — the category reserved for people with extraordinary ability — have fallen sharply, from 49% to 35% in a year. That compounds an already punishing green-card backlog for Indians on H-1B visas, many of whom face waits stretching decades. So what is driving the tougher scrutiny? Can legal challenges change the trajectory? And are Canada, the UK or the investment-linked EB-5 route credible alternatives? On The Morning Brief Swathi Moorthy joins Anirban Chowdhury to unpack America’s tightening immigration maze.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• 
  75 Days in a War Zone 16.08.2026 12min

  For 75 days, an Indian oil tanker captain and his 23-member crew were stranded in the Strait of Hormuz as war raged around them. Missiles flew overhead. Explosions shook the ship. Supplies dwindled, families waited anxiously and the crew faced pressure to carry out a risky cargo transfer. Through it all, the tanker remained loaded with 110,000 tonnes of cargo. This episode is a first-hand account of life aboard a merchant vessel caught in a conflict it had no part in — and of the seafarers who keep global trade moving while remaining largely invisible, unarmed and vulnerable.Raman Kapoor’s first person account, narrated by Anirban ChowdhurySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• 
  What Chandra Leaves for Tata’s Next Chairman 14.08.2026 15min

  N Chandrasekaran’s decision not to seek another term as Tata Sons chairman brings an extraordinary year of tensions inside the Tata Group to a head. Behind the succession question lies a deeper struggle over how Tata Trusts exercises control over Tata Sons, how much capital the group should commit to businesses such as Air India, digital and semiconductors, whether Tata Sons should remain private, and how the Shapoorji Pallonji Group gets liquidity from its stake. Anirban Chowdhury speaks to governance experts Amit Tandon, founder and MD IiAS and Shriram Subramanian, founder and MD, InGovern about what Chandra leaves behind and the problems awaiting Tata’s next chairman. Listen in You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and LinkedinCheck out other interesting episodes like - Cognizant’s Surya Gummadi on How AI Can Deliver Returns, The Future of Insurance in India | Sarbvir Singh of PB Fintech, Groww’s ₹6,600 Cr Leap - Fintech’s Big Market Test Begins , OML CEO on the Creator Economy’s Next Wave & much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.