Author: Neel Achary

Cornelius Electronics commits €5 Million Investment in Moldova’s Edineț Region in the Electronics Manufacturing Sector

Jan 27: The British company Cornelius Electronics will invest approximately €5 million to expand production at the Edineț Industrial Park located in the Republic of Moldova’s North-Western region. The project includes the construction of three production halls totaling over 3,000 m², intended for the manufacturing of wiring harnesses and connection systems used across 14 industries, including healthcare, artificial intelligence, railway transport, and renewable energy. Cornelius Electronics currently employs 81 people, of whom over 80% are women. All production is destined for export, serving industrial clients in the European Union.

“Cornelius Electronics SRL is a fast-growing business built on passion, dedication, and the desire to deliver real value to our clients. Through continuous investments in technology, modern equipment, and team development, we have strengthened our position as a trusted partner in a transforming industry. Our mission remains clear: high-quality services, continuous innovation, and full customer satisfaction”,

stated Diana Popovici, Managing Director of Cornelius Electronics SRL.

The expansion of Cornelius Electronics was supported and made possible by a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Invest Moldova Agency, Innovate Moldova, and the Municipality of Edineț, which envisages amendments to the industrial park’s infrastructure plan and allows the extension of existing production halls.

“Cornelius Electronics is an example of how international expertise can be integrated into the local industrial ecosystem. We are pleased that, after several years of validated business activity in Moldova, Cornelius Electronics is managing to attract more clients for its production, making it possible to expand its investment in the country”,

said Natalia Bejan, Director of Invest Moldova Agency.

“Through investments in the Edineț Industrial Park, we are contributing to the transformation of the entire northern region. Each new hall brings dozens of jobs, more prosperous communities, and a more competitive national economy, based on engineering, innovation, and modern, export-oriented manufacturing”,

said Sergiu Rabii, Director of the Innovate Moldova Programme.

The investment fits into the positive dynamics of bilateral economic relations between the Republic of Moldova and the United Kingdom, grounded in the Strategic Partnership, Trade and Cooperation Agreement signed on December 24, 2020. According to data from the National Bank of Moldova, British foreign direct investment increased from USD 78.8 million in 2009 to over USD 257 million in 2024, with the bulk concentrated in value-added sectors such as IT, electronics, agro-industry, and services. Currently, 235 companies with British capital operate in the Republic of Moldova, with a total share capital investment volume of approximately MDL 840 million.

The approximately €5 million investment in Edineț, made by Cornelius Electronics, aims to bring British capital and technology in the future, support professional training, and create opportunities for better integration of Moldova into regional value chains, strengthening the country’s role as a stable supplier in the European electronics sector and regional value chains.

The Republic of Moldova’s electronics sector is an essential supplier to European markets, accounting for a significant share of the country’s exports. According to UN Comtrade, between 2019 and 2024, Moldovan exports of electrical equipment and components to the European Union totaled USD 3.37 billion, accounting for over 90% of the sector’s total exports.

4 Signals from Republic Day Sales 2026: Unicommerce Analysis

Mumbai, Jan 24: Republic Day Sales 2026 offer a clear view into how India’s e-commerce market is maturing beyond discount-driven spikes towards structurally driven growth. An analysis by Unicommerce, based on over 27 million order items processed on its Uniware platform during the 2025 and 2026 Republic Day Sales periods, highlights four signals shaping the sector’s trajectory.

Tier 3 Cities Are Now Volume Leaders

Smaller cities emerged as key growth drivers. Tier 3 cities, led by Kolar (Karnataka), Rohtak (Haryana), Kamrup (Assam), Ernakulam (Kerala) and Khordha (Odisha) among others accounted for nearly 40% of total order items, with order volumes growing over 19% YoY. Healthy food volumes more than doubled in Tier 2 cities, while Tier 3 markets contributed around 43% of total food and beverage orders, underscoring the deepening reach of e-commerce beyond metros.

Repeat consumption driving growth 

Order volumes grew 16.9% year-on-year, while GMV rose 11.9%, driven by higher order frequency rather than ticket size alone. FMCG & Agriculture and Beauty & Wellness were the fastest-growing categories, with nearly 80% and ~53% YoY growth respectively. Demand was led by healthy and everyday items such as dry fruits, millet-based products, packaged healthy snacks, and organic staples, and face serums, body washes along with other grooming products—reflecting a shift towards habit-driven, repeat consumption.

Speed and Automation Are Driving Conversions

Channel trends highlighted rising expectations for faster fulfillment. Quick commerce led growth with a ~25% YoY increase in order volumes, followed by brand-owned websites at 23%, while marketplaces continued to process the largest share of orders. Brands increasingly relied on automation to manage real-time inventory, routing, and customer engagement, reinforcing that execution quality is now as critical as pricing in driving sales performance.

AI-Led Engagement Is Closing the Conversion Gap

Brands leveraged AI and automation to convert high-intent demand during the Republic Day sale period this year. Insights from Unicommerce’s Convertway platform show over 2.5 million customer communications across SMS, WhatsApp, and RCS, driving improvement in conversion rates. AI Voice Agent ‘Catalyst’ further enabled last-mile order completion, with over 1.2 lakh calls made during the sales period—generating over ten times revenue for brands compared to the cost they incurred, making it a high-yield channel and highlighting the growing role of AI in shaping sale outcomes.

Together, these four signals point to an inflection in India’s e-commerce growth: repeat consumption driving growth, execution and technology-led expansion, smaller-city participation, faster fulfillment, and AI engagement emerging as the key growth levers in 2026.

Data Privacy Day: Building Trust Through Secure and Responsible Data Stewardship

 By:  Matthew Oostveen, VP & CTO, Asia Pacific & Japan, Pure Storage

“Data Privacy Day is a reminder that privacy is fundamentally about trust and how responsibly organizations protect and control the data they are entrusted with.

As data volumes grow and regulations evolve, privacy can no longer be addressed through policy alone. It must be built into the way data is stored, accessed, and governed across the enterprise. In India, the introduction of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP Act), marks a significant step forward, placing sharper focus on accountability, consent, and responsible data stewardship for organizations operating in an increasingly digital economy.

Strong data privacy begins with secure foundations. Built-in encryption and robust key management play a critical role in protecting sensitive information at rest, supporting privacy objectives, and enabling organizations to manage regulated and mission-critical data with confidence. As regulatory frameworks such as the DPDP Act, GDPR, and DORA continue to raise expectations around accountability and resilience, maintaining clear ownership and control of data has become essential.

This Data Privacy Day, organizations should recognize that lasting trust is built not only through how data is used, but through how securely it is protected and how firmly they remain in control of it.”

From Assembled to Engineered in India: A Call for R&D-Driven Budget Support

By:  Mr. Ritesh Goenka, Managing Director, Damson Technologies,

“We have successfully moved from ‘Imported in India’ to ‘Assembled in India’; the 2026 Budget must now build the bridge to ‘Engineered in India.’ For brands like Just Corseca investing heavily in local infrastructure, the focus must shift from basic assembly incentives to deep-tier manufacturing.

We need a fiscal runway that rationalises duties on high-tech capital machinery and incentivises domestic R&D for core components like PCBAs and batteries. The government has given us the volume; now we need the policy support to own the value. This budget should be about empowering Indian brands to own the intellectual property, not just the factory floor.”