At Capitalmind Premium, we have a very active Slack channel where we discuss a lot of interesting topics. In there, a number of interesting links come our way. Here’s the most interesting of such links shared by our members in recent days.
The Dawn of Smart Beta Funds.
Smart beta funds, which attempt to benefit from the beta (passive returns) generated by the stock market, are slowly raising eyebrows in India. This article attempts to help the layman understand what a smart beta fund does and what are the prospects for a smart beta fund in India. Link
A New Model, to Share Personal Information with Service Providers.
The RBI has given in-principle permission to five companies to set up ‘account aggregation’ services. These account aggregation services will collect your personal information from various sources (after taking your permission) and pass it to companies (with your permission) that require this information, like credit providers. Link
Mantri Developers Defaults on EMI Payments to PNBHFC in ‘20-80’ Flat Buyback Scheme.
In 2013-14, Mantri Developers launched a ‘20-80’ scheme for its ‘Webcity’ premier residential project in Hennur, Bangalore with much fanfair. More than 500 people invested in the scheme at the time. It has now come to light that not only has Mantri Developers defaulted on EMI payments to the housing finance company on behalf of its customers, it has also failed to deliver the project on time. Link
Are Venture Capital Funds Living in La-la Land?
Venture capital funds have long been touted as the torchbearers of capitalism, bringing much needed funds to cash-starved businesses. But all may not be well with VC funds. According to a recent study by a registered, non-profit foundation that invests in such funds, VC funds have generally not out-performed the market since the late 1990s, except for the occasional success. Link.
Government’s Plan to Link PAN with Aadhaar Runs into Teething Troubles.
The government has been encouraging citizens to link their Aadhaar numbers to their PAN numbers. But a fault in the PAN system is preventing people from doing so. Apparently, the PAN software being more than 30 years old, has no provision to accept initials, which Aadhaar does (since it is based on biometrics). This has the potential to blow up into a big problem come tax season. Link
87 Interesting Facts on the Growth and Current Prospects of the Fintech Industry.
Fintech has become a mainstay in the global economy, thanks to its disruptive potential. Here’s a compendium of 87 facts about the fintech industry and what we can expect from it in the future. Link
Did Warren Buffet Compare Cryptocurrencies to ‘Rat Poison’?
Warren Buffet is known as an astute investor, having created billions in wealth for his investors over the last few decades. So when he speaks about something, people sit up and listen. In this video, he talks about his disdain for cryptocurrencies and why he considers them a ‘non-productive asset’. Link
The Canadian Pension Fund (or CDPQ) Commits $250 Million to Edelweiss Financial Services.
The Canadian Pension Fund, which controls assets of over $300 billion, has invested $250 million in Edelweiss Financial Services. Edelweiss Financial Services is the fourth company that CDPQ has invested in this space, the others being HDFC Limited, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Piramal. Link
Government Exceeds Disinvestment Target for PSUs for Second Year in a Row.
The NDA government seems to be in a hurry to sell its family jewels. For a straight second year, the government has managed to divest stakes worth Rs. 85,000 crores in public sector companies, against a target of Rs. 80,000 crores. Bloomberg Quint reports more on this. Link
Jet Airways’ Iconic Founder Naresh Goyal to Exit from the Airlines’ Board.
After 25 years at the helm of one of India’s most iconic air transport company, Jet Airways, Naresh Goyal and his wife are set to depart from the airlines’ board. The beleaguered airlines has been in the news recently for its failure to meet working capital requirements, even to the extent of delaying its engineers’ and pilots’ salary arrears for close to four months. Link
Dehlivery Becomes First Indian Logistics Company to Enter Unicorn Club.
Japan’s SoftBank has invested $413 million into India’s homegrown logistics firm, Delhivery, catapulting the firm to the unicorn league (companies with valuations of over $1 billion). In return, SoftBank will pick up 22.4% stake in the company, valuing it for a cool $2 billion. Link
Man Steals Millions from Facebook and Google by Sending them Fake Invoices.
Evaldas Rimasauskas had a neat racket going, swindling enormous amounts of money from internet giants Facebook and Google, until he was caught. All he did was send the companies fake invoices for services he never provided; services which the companies never took. It is estimated, he managed to steal more than $122 million from the two companies this way, before the law finally caught up with him. Read his fantastic story on this link.
