In order to let artificial intelligence work, we must violate our own personal privacy. That's a huge price to pay.

- By Jeff Kagan, Principal Analyst in Wireless, Telecom, AI and Tech Atlanta, GA, USA

Artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm. It is truly amazing how this technology can improve the quality of life and let us do things we could never do before. On the other hand, in order to let AI work, we must violate our own personal privacy. That's a huge price to pay and most people have no idea. So, let's take a closer look at both sides of this amazing new technology and find out how this privacy violation issue can be addressed.

In the complex equity ecosystem, risks can emanate from any player, including stock exchanges, brokers, regulators, mutual funds, and retail investors. Some risks can be anticipated and contained, while others may surprise and quickly escalate into a major crisis. Hence, it would be better if investors fastened their seatbelts so as to avoid any mid-air turbulence.

- By M R Raghu, CFA, FRM, FCMA, CEO, MARMORE MENA Intelligence

India is entering an exciting growth phase, with its stock markets reaching lifetime highs. Economists and analysts believe this is just the beginning, potentially laying the foundation for multi-decade growth and opportunities. However, the ride won't be smooth, so fasten your seat belts.

For the uninitiated, the Nifty 50 has clocked a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.6% over the last five years, outperforming the MSCI EM index, which achieved just 1.1%. The strong market performance can be attributed to robust domestic flows, thanks to systematic investment plans (SIP) by retail investors, while foreign flows have also provided support at times. There is a positive feedback loop where good market performance encourages more SIPs, further contributing to good market performance.

The 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit held recently holds great significance for India-West relations, as it underscores India's strategic autonomy and diversification of its international partnerships.

- By Manish Vaid, Junior Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi

In the heart of Moscow, where history and geopolitics converge, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a pivotal journey. His recent visit to the Kremlin, the first since 2019, unfolded against global tensions and strategic recalibrations. As Modi embraced Russian President Vladimir Putin, their camaraderie echoed decades of diplomatic ties. But beyond the smiles and handshakes lies a deeper narrative-the quest for mutual gains.

Notwithstanding their recent good performances, India's Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) face a long and windy road ahead as challenges mount.

- By Ajay Chandra Pandey, AGM and Faculty, State Bank Academy, Gurugram

Established in 1975, on the recommendation of the Narasimham Committee on rural credit, government-backed Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) are an integral part of the rural credit structure of the country. The objective of creating RRBs was to provide credit and other facilities particularly to small and marginal farmers, agricultural laborers, artisan and small entrepreneurs, and develop agriculture, trade, commerce, industry, and other productive activities of the rural population. Operating within designated districts of the state, RRBs have played a critical role in strengthening the rural economy's foundation. These entities are also instrumental in uplifting rural communities, reducing poverty, and fostering inclusive economic development by serving the underserved rural population.

The advent of artificial intelligence marks a new era in agriculture, characterized by intelligent systems capable of learning, adapting, and making autonomous decisions.

- By Ravirajan K, Associate Principal, LTIMindtree (US); and Suresh Babu, Senior Researcher, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington DC, US

The agricultural sector faces unprecedented challenges amid a surging global population, which is set to reach an estimated 9.7 billion by 2050 (United Nations, 2019). Some of these challenges include meeting increasing food demand, adapting to climate change, managing resource scarcity, and addressing environmental concerns. Against this backdrop, artificial intelligence (AI) emerges as a powerful tool with the potential to revolutionize farming practices, enhance productivity, and promote sustainability.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI (GenAI) are revolutionizing the glo bal economy, transforming businesses and the job market at an unprecedented pace. As these technologies advance, they are increasingly integral to driving productivity, efficiency, and cost savings across various sectors. AI's ability to process vast amounts of data and generate insights is reshaping traditional business operations, while GenAI, which focuses on creating new content and solutions, is particularly impactful in creative industries and in the field of marketing.

The world continues to pay the price for Russia's ongoing military misadventure in neighboring Ukraine.

That there would be continuity in the intent and actions of the government was a foregone conclu- sion ever since Narendra Modi reappointed Nirmala Sitharaman to spearhead the all-important Ministry of Finance after he was sworn in for a record third straight term as India's Prime Minister. Hence, when the Finance Minister (FM) rose to present her seventh and the first full-fledged budget of Modi 3.0, it was widely expected that the existing policies and vision would continue. And with the wait finally over now, there is absolutely no doubt it does come on expected lines, ticking all the right boxes.

The world's sixth-largest economy's woes do not seem to be ending anytime soon: private investments have been languishing for decades, while government's finances are in dire straits. The big question thus is: can the newly installed Labour government revive the moribund economy, which is apparently the weakest link in the formidable G7 grouping?

- By Michael Roberts, Economist, London, UK

In July's general election in the United Kingdom (UK), the opposition Labour Party stormed to a massive victory in the UK parliament, taking 411 seats out of the 650 available, with the Conservative party, in government for the last 14 years, being reduced to just 121 seats. The new Labour government has a majority of 170 seats over all other parties.

China is pinning much hope on the Third Plenum, a key gathering of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, amid a raft of challenges.

- By Andrew K P Leung, SBS, FRSA, International and Independent China Strategist, Hong Kong

Several past third plenums ushered in momentous changes. For example, former leader Deng Xiaoping launched China's unprecedented reform and opening-up strategy at the Third Plenum of the 11th Central Committee in 1978. In 1993's Third Plenum, former leader Zhu Rongji unveiled the "socialist market economy", dismantling a large part of China's state-owned sector. The 2013 Third Plenum deepened reform on various fronts, allowing the market to take up a more "decisive role". Plenums are meetings of the Central Committee-the top policy-making body, of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

One way of lessening the risk of executive malfunctions, and the potential for toxic leadership, could be to consider ways in which the connection between motive, means and opportunity can be disconnected.

- By Michael Walton, Business Psychologist and Visiting Professor, UK

High-profile leadership failures continue to be regularly reported in the press across the globe and employee surveys continue to record decreasing trust in organizational leadership. This unfortunate state of affairs is exacerbated by continuing reports of corporate fraud and white-collar crime which continue unabated. One can only imagine the full and pervasive extent of such matters. Reported incidents must be just 'the tip of the iceberg' of the total number of leadership failures, fraudulent activities and miscellaneous leadership misdemeanors which are occurring globally on a day-to-day basis!

The global entertainment industry is entering a new era, and the Skydance-Paramount merger may well be remembered as a pivotal moment in this transformation.

- By Surbhi Aggarwal, CA, CS, Independent Sr. Research Analyst, Florida, US

In a move that has sent shockwaves through Hollywood and Wall Street alike, Skydance Media and Paramount Global have announced a merger that promises to reshape the landscape of the entertainment industry. The $28 bn deal, which brings together one of Hollywood's most storied studios with a dynamic, tech-savvy production company, marks the end of an era and potentially the beginning of a new one in the ever-evolving world of media and entertainment.

The World of AI
India ranks fifth globally in GenAI innovations.

India is the only Asian country after China to have made it to the list of world's top five generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) destinations, as per a new report by United Nation's World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). China with 38,210 patents currently leads the chart. It is followed by the US (6,276 patents), the Republic of Korea (4,155) and Japan (3,409) at the second, third and fourth spots respectively. India, which is ranked fifth, has a total of 1,350 patents in GenAI to its credit. The ranking has been done on the number of patents received during the 10-year period from 2014 through 2023.

NSE launches India's First Municipal Bond Index

On July 18, people sitting in front of their computers were greeted by that infa- mous "blue screen of death" and the world encountered Microsoft outage. The result: Flights were grounded, airports were thronged with agitated passengers; a wide range of businesses were disrupted; healthcare providers had to cancel appointments, and even defer surgeries; and stores and broadcasters in several countries went offline.