India, the US and Mexico have emerged as the most balanced global capability centre (GCC) ecosystems globally — with India uniquely combining scale, innovation and efficiency, a report showed on Wednesday.

The report highlights AI — notably advanced AI use cases including GenAI, NLP and AI agents — as a critical accelerator of GCC maturity. While top performers have moved beyond pilots to embed AI across core workflows, most GCCs remain trapped in early-stage experimentation, said the report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

“GCCs have always been good at acting as the engine room — now the best ones are learning to steer the ship,” said Sreyssha George, Managing Director and Partner at BCG.

India's travel and tourism sector is expected to contribute a staggering Rs 22 lakh core to the Indian economy in 2025, with employment in the sector likely to exceed 48 million as a surge in both foreign and domestic tourists drive growth, according to the latest report released by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

International visitor spend is expected to reach Rs 3.2 lakh crore, while spending from domestic travellers is set to hit Rs 16 lakh crore during 2025, said WTTC president and CEO Julia Simpson.

She pointed out that the travel and tourism industry is a very significant employer in India, and in 2024, an all-time high of more than 46 million jobs were created in the sector across India, which represents over nine per cent of total employment in the country.

The WTTC has forecast employment figures for 2025 and at 48.2 million and 63.9 million, in 2035.

Adani Airports Holdings Ltd (AAHL) on Wednesday said it has raised $750 million via External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) from a consortium of international banks.

According to India’s largest private airport operator and a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL), the proceeds will be used to refinance existing $40 million debt, invest in infrastructure upgrades, and capacity expansion across the six airports — Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram — along with scaling the non-aeronautical businesses, including retail, F&B, Duty Free and services across the airport network.

“The trust placed in us by leading global financial institutions underscores the long-term value and potential of India’s aviation infrastructure. AAHL is well on its path to deliver exceptional customer experiences, leveraging technology for seamless operations, and prioritising sustainability and community engagement across its airport network,” said Arun Bansal, CEO of AAHL.

Indian firms have significantly increased their footprint in the commercial real estate market, with domestic occupiers accounting for 46 per cent of gross leasing activity since 2022 -- up from 35 per cent during 2017-2019, according to a new report released on Wednesday.

Leasing volumes by domestic firms reached unprecedented levels in 2024 with 31.9 million square feet, with them continuing the strong momentum into Q1 2025 with 8.8 million square ft already leased, said the report by JLL.

The BFSI sector has recorded the most substantial growth in average transaction size. BFSI firms have more than doubled their space requirements, with average deal sizes jumping from 10,500-11,500 sq. ft in 2017-2019 to 24,000-25,000 sq. ft in the 2022-Q1 2025 period, representing a staggering 125-130 per cent increase.

Reinforcing its commitment to enhance usage of renewable energy in its operations, Maruti Suzuki India Limited on Wednesday announced the expansion of its solar capacity by 30MWp (megawatt-peak) with two new projects.

The automaker commissioned a 20MWp solar power project at its new facility in Kharkhoda, Haryana, and added another 10MWp solar capacity to its Manesar facility.

With these additions, MSIL's total solar capacity across its locations has enhanced from 49MWp to 79MWp in the last one year.

By FY2030-31, Maruti Suzuki plans to reach 319MWp of solar capacity, backed by an investment of over Rs 925 crore.

Riding on a surge in online orders in smaller cities and towns, India is likely to see its quick commerce (QC) total addressable market (TAM) reach $57 billion by 2030, according to a new report.

Morgan Stanley has updated its forecast from earlier $42 billion, as quick commerce adoption rises across the country. The global brokerage has also raised its gross order value (GOV) estimates for the quick commerce segment in India by 9-11 per cent for FY26–28.

It also identified key catalysts for the sector in the coming quarters, including sustained growth in quick commerce GOV, continued improvement in food delivery margins, and a stable competitive environment.

South Korea's exports of pharmaceutical products reached an all-time high in the first quarter thanks to strong demand for Korean medicines in the European market, according to a report on Wednesday.

Outbound shipments of pharmaceuticals came to a quarterly high of US$2.56 billion in the January-March period, up 17.7 per cent from a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, news agency reported.

In particular, shipments of biopharmaceutical products increased by 30.2 per cent year-over-year, driven by sharp rises in shipments to Germany and Hungary, which rose 230 per cent and 112 per cent year-over-year, respectively.

Vaccine exports also escalated 37.7 per cent on high demand in South America and Africa.

Samsung Electronics released a teaser for its upcoming foldable smartphone on Wednesday, promising wider screens and higher-performance cameras.

In a short video posted on its official Newsroom site, the company showcased a smartphone folding in half like a book, hinting at the next evolution of its foldable lineup, reports news agency.

Samsung Electronics highlighted increasing consumer demand for larger screens, enhanced cameras and advanced artificial intelligence (AI) features.

"The demand is clear -- an Ultra-experience that goes beyond a simple list of upgraded features in a smaller and more portable form factor," the company said.

"With industry-leading hardware, cutting-edge performance and seamless AI integration optimised for the foldable format, it's what users have come to expect from Galaxy Ultra."

Investors on Tuesday largely ignored a recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report alleging new US prosecution scrutiny over Adani's potential Iran sanctions violations. Adani Group stocks demonstrated resilience, with the group's market capitalisation down a mere 1.8 per cent, against the broader Nifty's 0.7 per cent dip.

Adani Enterprises saw a 1.9 per cent decline, while ACC fell just 0.3 per cent.

The Adani Group swiftly dismissed the report as "baseless and mischievous." Analysts suggest the market is increasingly discounting such external pressures, viewing them as targeted attacks on Adani's crucial role in India's energy security.

Tesla India Motor and Energy Private Ltd has leased a 24,500-square-foot space in Mumbai’s Kurla West to set up a service centre, located close to its upcoming showroom in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC).

This move marks a significant step in Tesla’s plans to enter the Indian electric vehicle (EV) market, although the company does not currently intend to manufacture vehicles in the country.

According to real estate documents sourced by CRE Matrix, a property data analytics firm, Tesla has signed a lease and license agreement with Bellissimo in City FC Mumbai I Private to rent the space in Lodha Logistics Park.

The agreement is for a five-year period, with a starting monthly rent of Rs 37.53 lakh. Over the duration of the lease, Tesla will pay nearly Rs 25 crore in total, including a security deposit of Rs 2.25 crore, as per the documents.

Tesla has made it clear that its current interest lies only in selling its vehicles in India, not in manufacturing them at the moment.