Category Archives: Business

New Urea Policy 2026: Government Aims to Strengthen Fertiliser Supply Chain

July 15: The Union Cabinet has approved the National Urea Investment Policy 2026, a major initiative aimed at boosting domestic fertiliser production and strengthening India’s agricultural supply chain.

The policy is designed to encourage investment in the urea manufacturing sector, expand production capacity, and reduce the country’s dependence on imported fertilisers. It is expected to support long-term fertiliser security while ensuring a steady supply of urea for farmers.

Officials said the new framework will help create a more favourable environment for investments in the fertiliser industry by promoting modern technologies, improving efficiency, and encouraging expansion of existing facilities.

The initiative comes as part of the government’s broader efforts to enhance self-reliance in critical sectors and ensure timely availability of essential agricultural inputs. Increased domestic production of urea is expected to benefit farmers by improving supply stability and supporting agricultural productivity.

The policy is also expected to generate employment opportunities, promote industrial growth, and contribute to the development of a stronger fertiliser manufacturing ecosystem in the country.

With the approval of the National Urea Investment Policy 2026, the government aims to build a more resilient fertiliser sector and strengthen India’s journey towards greater self-sufficiency in agricultural inputs.

July 2026 Patch Tuesday: Comment from Satnam Narang, Sr. Staff Research Engineer, Tenable

New Relic Announces Hein Hellemons as Chief Revenue Officer

 Enterprise software veteran brings a proven track record of scaling high-performing global sales organizations and driving revenue growth across AWS, Microsoft, and VMware

Bengaluru, India – July 15: New Relic, the Intelligent Observability company, announced the appointment of Hein Hellemons as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). Hellemons will oversee the company’s worldwide revenue and go-to-market strategy, leading global sales, commercial segments, and partner channel organizations to drive predictable, substantial growth.

Hellemons brings to New Relic more than 25 years of experience leading global go-to-market organizations at some of the world’s leading enterprise technology companies. Most recently, he served as CRO at Darktrace, a global leader in AI-powered cybersecurity. Prior to Darktrace, Hellemons held senior leadership positions at companies including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, and VMware, where he helped enterprise customers accelerate their digital transformation journeys while building and scaling high-performing global sales organizations.

“As AI transforms how software is built and operated, AI-strengthened observability has become foundational for modern businesses. This presents a tremendous market opportunity for us,” said New Relic Chief Executive Officer Ashan Willy. “Hein is a world-class revenue leader who brings to New Relic invaluable experience leading companies through periods of growth and transformation. His background scaling global GTM organizations will be crucial as we expand our platform, deepen customer relationships, and accelerate growth. We are thrilled to welcome him to the leadership team.”

Hellemons joins New Relic as the company accelerates its footprint across global enterprises that are scaling AI. Reporting into Willy, Hellemons will cultivate high-performing teams and foster a strong execution culture, guiding the company through its next phase of growth with a focus on operational excellence and customer success.

“I was drawn to New Relic by the immense market opportunity, its outstanding platform, highly respected brand and talented leadership team,” said Hellemons. “New Relic is uniquely positioned to help companies succeed in the AI era and I’m excited to be part of this effort. I’m looking forward to working with Ashan and the rest of the executive team.” 

ManageEngine Completes the Certificate Life Cycle Management Loop With CA-Agnostic, Zero-Touch Automation

Cairo, Egypt, July 15 – ManageEngine, a division of Zoho Corporation and a leading provider of enterprise IT management and security solutions, today announced post-deployment automation for TLS certificates in Key Manager Plus, its certificate life cycle and machine identity management solution. Key Manager Plus now automates the final stages of certificate renewal, pushing certificates to the target server, running configured scripts, restarting dependent services, and notifying stakeholders, so the whole certificate life cycle runs without manual intervention.

Historically, most organizations did not have much incentive to automate certificate management. Even the ones that did adopt automation workflows limited it to discovery, periodic expiration alerts, and in some instances, automated renewals. That changed when the CA/Browser Forum voted to reduce the maximum validity of public TLS certificates, phasing down from the legacy 398-day validity period to a 200-day period in March 2026 (current cadence), which will drop to 100 days by March 2027, and finally 47 days by March 2029.

“We’re going from under 200 certificates to over 2,000, across a lot of domains, different server setups, credentials and post-deployment actions for nearly all of it. We’ve had to dedicate significant engineering time to certificate management alone since the change to 200 days. With the 47-day certificate renewals coming up, automation is the only way we can keep up, and Key Manager Plus’ CA-agnostic, certificate life cycle management has helped us automate the whole thing,” said Jonathan Choiniere, infrastructure manager at RevSpring, a payment solutions provider based in Nashville, Tennessee.

Automating the Last Mile of Certificate Renewal

Getting the certificate live is the last step in the renewal process, and this post-deployment task has primarily been handled manually by many teams. While this works when teams are renewing one certificate a year, as certificate lifespans shrink and the same steps repeat roughly eight times as often, manual errors become more likely and the cost of an outage can run into the millions.

“Certificate renewal is rarely the hard part. The work that piles up on teams is what comes after it, at scale: pushing certificates to the server, restarting the services, and confirming they actually went live. End-to-end automation is what turns a 47-day renewal cycle from a scramble into something that runs on its own. With Key Manager Plus, we are eliminating the last manual step in the life cycle management loop,” said Vasudevan Seshadri, director of product management at ManageEngine.

Quantifying the 47-Day Shift

To help organizations assess their own exposure to the reduced certificate validity mandate, ManageEngine has also released a 47-day TLS impact calculator. It lets enterprises quantify what the mandate means for them based on three factors: the size of their certificate estate, their current renewal labor, and their outage exposure. From there, it compares those numbers against what they will look like once their TLS certificate life cycle is fully automated. That automation is what Key Manager Plus delivers, and it runs identically whether teams deploy on-premises or in the cloud.

NSE, Augmont Partner to Strengthen India’s Electronic Gold Receipt Ecosystem

July 15: The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has partnered with Augmont to strengthen India’s Electronic Gold Receipt (EGR) ecosystem, marking a significant step towards developing a more transparent and organised gold market.

The partnership aims to encourage wider adoption of Electronic Gold Receipts, providing investors with a modern and efficient way to hold and trade gold through digital platforms backed by physical gold.

The initiative is expected to improve transparency, enhance price discovery, and create greater participation in the formal gold market. It will also help bridge the gap between traditional gold ownership and emerging financial market solutions.

Electronic Gold Receipts offer investors the convenience of digital ownership while reducing the challenges associated with storing physical gold. The platform-based approach is designed to provide a secure, efficient, and accessible option for individuals and institutions interested in gold investments.

The collaboration between NSE and Augmont is expected to benefit various stakeholders, including investors, jewellers, traders, and other participants in the gold value chain, by supporting a more structured and transparent trading ecosystem.

The move reflects the growing efforts to modernise India’s gold market and strengthen the role of technology in creating efficient financial solutions. The partnership is expected to contribute towards wider acceptance of digital gold instruments and support the formalisation of gold trading in India.

Andhra Pradesh Backs PPP Model for Ramayapatnam Port, Cites Growth and Development Benefits

July 15: The Andhra Pradesh government has reiterated its support for operating Ramayapatnam Port under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, stating that the approach will help accelerate infrastructure development and improve the state’s maritime growth prospects.

Officials said the PPP framework will enable the integration of government support with private sector expertise, bringing advanced technology, efficient management practices, and greater investment into port operations.

The government highlighted that Ramayapatnam Port is a key strategic project aimed at improving cargo movement, strengthening logistics networks, and supporting industries across the region. The port is expected to create new opportunities for trade, commerce, and employment while enhancing Andhra Pradesh’s position in the maritime sector.

Authorities said private participation in infrastructure projects helps ensure faster development, better operational efficiency, and improved services while contributing to long-term economic growth.

The state government reaffirmed its commitment to developing world-class infrastructure and creating a business-friendly environment. The development of Ramayapatnam Port under the PPP model is expected to support industrial expansion and boost economic activity in Andhra Pradesh.

Northeast Set to Become India’s Next Innovation Powerhouse: NITI Aayog Officials

July 15: The Northeast region has the potential to emerge as India’s next major innovation hub, according to NITI Aayog officials, who highlighted the area’s growing strengths in technology, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development.

Officials said the region’s young workforce, rich natural resources, diverse culture, and strategic importance provide a strong foundation for building an innovation-driven economy. With the right support systems, the Northeast can become a key contributor to India’s growth and development journey.

NITI Aayog emphasised the importance of strengthening research and development, promoting startups, improving digital connectivity, and creating an ecosystem that encourages local talent to develop innovative solutions.

The region has already been witnessing growth in areas such as technology, agriculture, tourism, renewable energy, and entrepreneurship. Greater collaboration between government agencies, industries, educational institutions, and local communities can further accelerate this transformation.

Officials noted that empowering young entrepreneurs and expanding opportunities for innovation will play a crucial role in unlocking the Northeast’s full potential.

The focus on innovation-led development aligns with India’s broader vision of inclusive growth, where every region contributes to the country’s economic progress. With continued investment and support, the Northeast is expected to emerge as an important centre for innovation, enterprise, and sustainable development.

UST Wins Seven Awards at the ETHRWorld Future Skills Awards 2026

Mumbai, India, July 15: UST, a leading AI and technology transformation solutions company, has been conferred with seven awards at the ETHRWorld Future Skills Awards 2026 across organizational and individual categories. The recognition across different leadership categories underscores UST’s commitment to building future-ready talent and continuously strengthening capabilities that drive client value. 

The ET Future Skills Awards (ETFSA) honour organizations driving impactful learning and talent development initiatives that empower people, build future-ready capabilities, and shape the workplaces of tomorrow. UST has been honoured with four awards in the Organizational category – India’s Future Skills Impact Award, ‘Gold’ in Best Innovative Leadership Development Program, ‘Silver’ in Best Generative AI Learning Solution, and Excellence in AI-Driven Learning & Analytics.  In the Individual category, UST received ‘Gold’ in Visionary Women L&D Leader – Mary Mathew and ‘Silver’ in Visionary Women L&D Leader – Krishna Ahir, and NextGen Learning Leader – Under 40 – Rajit Rangan.

“These awards are not just a celebration of learning programs; they are a recognition of the capability movement we are building at UST. The future belongs to organizations that can learn faster than change, build strategic skills ahead of demand, and translate learning into measurable business impact. At G.A. Menon Academy, our aspiration is to make continuous learning a cultural advantage and capability-building a strategic engine for UST’s future growth,” said Krishnan Nilakantan, Chief Learning Officer, UST.

The industry validation through the ET HRWorld Awards matters more at a time when skills are becoming a key source of competitive advantage. It recognizes UST‘s programs that are designed to contribute to the internal growth as well as setting a benchmark in developing the larger talent and learning ecosystem. The achievements reflect the depth of leadership, innovation, and learning excellence at UST.

UST’s learning ecosystem is driven through the G.A. Menon Academy (GAMA), which shapes enterprise capability. The Learning and Development initiatives at UST have been steadily evolving from a traditional learning delivery model to a more strategic capability-building engine focusing on building future skills, enabling leadership effectiveness, accelerating AI adoption and readiness, and driving measurable organizational impact, closely aligned with business priorities.

Carne Group’s Study finds Asset Managers accelerate Outsourcing pivot as Regulatory Burden Intensifies

July 15: A global study of 200 fund managers across Europe and the United States who collectively manage $7.72 trillion in assets, commissioned by Carne Group (Carne), Europe’s largest third-party management company (ManCo), reveals a fundamental shift in the operational architecture of the asset management industry. Faced with a looming regulatory storm and an increasingly difficult recruitment landscape, fund managers are moving rapidly towards a model defined by the aggressive outsourcing of core functions to third-party specialists (please see the attached press release).

The research reveals fund managers are increasingly moving away from a do-it-all-in-house approach in favour of external partnerships that offer the scale, technological sophistication, and jurisdictional reach required to survive in a high-cost, high-scrutiny environment.

The regulatory squeeze and the talent deficit

Central to this transformation is a deepening concern regarding the global regulatory environment. An overwhelming 89% of fund managers surveyed agree that the ability to navigate regulatory complexities will become much harder over the next two years. This sentiment is driving a flight to expertise, as many fund managers realise that internal resources are no longer sufficient to keep pace with evolving transparency requirements and reporting standards.

The data also points to a critical talent gap within the industry. When asked why they are increasing their use of third-party service providers, 35% of respondents ranked the difficulty in recruiting appropriate staff as their top challenge. This was followed by the growing burden of regulation, which was cited by one in five (21%) as being the number one driver.

The outsourcing surge: Middle and back office in focus

In terms of the scale of this planned operational overhaul, 70% of fund managers surveyed expect to increase their use of third-party service providers over the next 12 months alone, with 41% of respondents planning a dramatic increase.

This trend is not a short-term fix but a long-term strategic realignment. Looking ahead over the next five years, 96% of asset managers questioned expect their use of third-party suppliers to increase, with over a third (37%) anticipating a dramatic shift in how they support their fund management businesses.

The willingness to switch

The research also reveals a highly competitive and fluid market for third-party services. Gone are the days of ‘provider for life’ relationships; fund managers are increasingly willing to switch suppliers to find the right fit for their evolving needs.

One in five managers (20%) confirmed they expect to switch to an alternative third-party service provider within the next year. When asked what would trigger such a move, the ability to offer a wider range of services was most frequently ranked top by respondents, followed by wanting higher service levels and then the need for better technological capabilities.

Interestingly, while cost and price remain important, they were cited as the primary reason for switching by only 13% of managers. This suggests that for today’s fund managers, value-add and service depth are now considered more critical than purely competing on price.

India leads global online interest in Dubai real estate

New fäm Properties data shows UK and Egypt in top three countries generating biggest share of international search traffic

Dubai, UAE, July 15: India is producing the most overseas online interest in Dubai’s property market as the city’s real estate appeal remains strong among prospective buyers worldwide.

According to new international web traffic data revealed today by fäm Properties, India accounted for 20.59% of international search traffic over the last three months, followed by the United Kingdom (13.26%) and Egypt (12.60%).

The data, which excludes UAE-based traffic and reflects only international visitors, shows the United States (8.99%) and Pakistan (6.94%) rounding out the top five.

Saudi Arabia, Australia, Germany, France, and Canada complete the leading ten of countries producing the most search traffic for Dubai property.

India’s top spot reflects its long-standing position as one of the biggest sources of overseas buyers of Dubai property, based on established trade links, a large Indian expatriate population in the UAE, and continued appetite for real estate as an investment and diversification vehicle.

“The online search data that we’ve compiled doesn’t guarantee sales, and should be treated as a directional indicator of potential buyer interest rather than a precise forecast of future transactions,” said Firas Al Msaddi, CEO of fäm Properties.

“But what it does show is where global attention is genuinely concentrated right now. Search behaviour is an early signal, often months ahead of when that interest shows up in official transaction records.

“For a market as internationally driven as Dubai’s, understanding where that demand is building can be just as important as tracking where it’s already landed.”

Notably absent from the top rankings is China, long considered one of the most active buyer nationalities in Dubai’s property market.

“This should be attributed to a difference in buying behaviour rather than any decline in interest,” explained Msaddi. “Chinese buyers tend to transact through agent networks, developer relationships, and word-of-mouth referrals rather than independent online research.”

A similar factor could explain why Russia, traditionally one of the top five buyer nationalities in Dubai’s property market, is in 12th place with 2.50% of international search traffic.

TOP 10 COUNTRIES BY SHARE OF INTERNATIONAL

SEARCH TRAFFIC