5154: ECLGS 5.0 lifeline, easing UPI payments & investors line up for Sprng Energy sale

The government is preparing to roll out ECLGS 5.0 to cushion businesses hit by the Iran war fallout; listen in for expected borrowing rates and how much additional credit this brings. Meanwhile, India’s payments ecosystem is bracing for Apple Pay’s entry as NPCI fast-tracks ‘UPI Meta’ or ‘Checkout’, a tokenisation layer designed to make UPI payments as seamless as card transactions. In the clean-energy space, Shell’s sale of Sprng Energy has sparked intense bidding from global investors. Domestic investors, meanwhile, have poured more than Rs 3 lakh crore into Indian equities despite volatility and foreign outflows, while policymakers are exploring reforms to deepen SME access to India’s corporate bond market as bank funding alone is not deemed enough. Also inside: How TVK’s Vijay rode a social media wave to power. Tune in!