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The Morning Brief

The Morning Brief

The Economic Times 965 Episodes Sep 21, 2026

The Morning Brief is a thrice-weekly podcast by The Economic Times that breaks down the week's most important stories in business, economy, politics, and markets. Journalists from the ET team chat with reporters and industry leaders to provide insights and analysis. Episodes are released on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

Episodes

Sun Life’s Kevin Strain on FDI, Bancassurance and More
Sun Life’s Kevin Strain on FDI, Bancassurance and More Sep 21, 2026 1355 India has opened insurance to 100% foreign ownership. But Sun Life CEO Kevin Strain says ownership is less important than building the right business—and that the company currently works better alongside the Aditya Birla Group than alone. In this conversation from the Economic Times World Leaders Forum, Strain explains to ET’s banking editor Sangita Mehta why Sun Life’s India ins
The Vanishing Footpath Economy
The Vanishing Footpath Economy Sep 20, 2026 878 Every morning in Mahim, Vijay Raut sold cutting chai to taxi drivers, construction workers and bank staff, until the BMC's pavement drive took away his stall. Now he serves from a flask. He's not alone: across Mumbai, Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram, street vendors are caught between clean-city drives and a system that never gave them secure space. In this episode, we look at India's Rs 8,000 cro
Why Volkswagen Needs JSW
Why Volkswagen Needs JSW Sep 18, 2026 1035  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
UPI MDR Is Back: The Hidden Cost to You
UPI MDR Is Back: The Hidden Cost to You Sep 17, 2026 995 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 t
Bain’s Manny Maceda on the End of Globalisation, India’s Opportunity and the AI Reset
Bain’s Manny Maceda on the End of Globalisation, India’s Opportunity and the AI Reset Sep 14, 2026 1291 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
Bastar After The Gun
Bastar After The Gun Sep 13, 2026 839 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 Suk
Why Are Banks' Corner Offices Suddenly Up For Grabs?
Why Are Banks' Corner Offices Suddenly Up For Grabs? Sep 11, 2026 877 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 o
Publicis Sapient’s Nigel Vaz on AI, the Future of Work and India’s Opportunity
Publicis Sapient’s Nigel Vaz on AI, the Future of Work and India’s Opportunity Sep 10, 2026 2132 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
India’s 7.8% GDP: The Number That Doesn’t Add Up
India’s 7.8% GDP: The Number That Doesn’t Add Up Sep 8, 2026 1660 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 deflato
J.P.Morgan’s Anu Aiyengar on Mega Deals, AI’s Banking Reset and the India Bet
J.P.Morgan’s Anu Aiyengar on Mega Deals, AI’s Banking Reset and the India Bet Sep 7, 2026 1367 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
ET Deep Dive: When Development Turns Disaster
ET Deep Dive: When Development Turns Disaster Sep 6, 2026 873 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.
Subrata Mitra on India’s VC Reset, the AI Capital Race and What Comes Next
Subrata Mitra on India’s VC Reset, the AI Capital Race and What Comes Next Sep 4, 2026 2751 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 oppor

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