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We are facing Industrial Revolution 4.0. Chiefly, it is powered by AI combined with other technologies such as robotics, IoT, machine-to-machine communication and gene editing. All these tend to converge in a single ecosystem. These make the innovations game changing. We witness intelligent automation (supported by agentic AI), voluminous data analytics, AI-based medical diagnosis at fast speed, individualized learning and so on.

AI is reorganizing companies so that decision-making is based on data analytics and is automated by agentic AI. Most startups in India work in building applications using open-source technologies. Gen AI will have a significant business impact.

AI is being widely used in BFSI – banking, financial services and insurance. It is used in healthcare, retail, e-commerce, logistics and marketing. AI can make operations streamlined. In finance, AI can detect frauds, assess credit risk and automate customer service. In health, there is AI-driven diagnostics and drug discovery. AI is integrated to education, GPS and navigation. It is also integrated to agriculture, social media, gaming and astronomy.

There is focus on strengthening AI infrastructure. It is done through Microsoft, Amazon and Google. It is further supported by OpenAI, Perplexity and Anthropic. There are huge investments in AI. Companies integrate their AI services into other products, making them much convenient to use. Microsoft with Copilot and Google with Gemini gain competitive advantage here.

Genes are responsible for transmission of characteristics that we inherit — complexion, colour of the eyes, height, cardiovascular health, thalassemia, sickle cell disease and a few cancers. It is possible to edit the genes — either add or delete certain genes. CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is the new gene-editing technique which is useful in gene therapy. Researchers are working on making the therapy scalable and affordable.

In cardiac issues, the therapy can be useful. In India, to cure sickle cell disease, they have already launched a CRISPR-based therapy. New inventions and advances in genome therapies are expected.

The technology is still at nascent stage. It requires research funding. It could prove useful in reducing LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. It will be useful in people suffering cardiac complications from genetic causes.

CRISPR works at gene level. It switches off or adjusts the genes. In near future, there could be trials for CRISPR lipid lowering. We shall collect long-term safety data and have to work for cost reduction.

Phase I trial results will be shared with the US authorities to proceed to Phase II trials. In next 3-4 years, there could be a product in the market.

CRISPR may ultimately be the best option for patients who do not respond to standard therapies.

Motorcycles were the preferred mode of mobility for several decades. However, the latest statistics show their sales have plateaued and the sales of scooters have growth in double digits. Buyers prefer gearless two-wheelers — mostly scooters. Here, the transition to electric mobility is easy, as there are few electric motorcycles

Motorcycles were considered a ‘male’ product, whereas scooters are a family purchase.

The urban areas are congested, and gearless scooters become very convenient. Scooters are getting electrified, and transition to EVs is easier. Though motorcycles score over scooters in terms of fuel efficiency (60-70 kms per liter), scooters too return more than 50 kms per litre, thus narrowing the gap with motorcycles. In stop-and-go traffic, the clutch pain is immense.

As rural infrastructure is improving, a lot of motorcyclists will adopt scooters. Scooters have smaller engines, fewer moving parts and simpler driving trains. Thus, they are easy to repair, and maintenance costs are less. They attract law insurance premia. Thus the total cost of ownership is less.

India was considered to be sex-negative market, but of late it is turning sex-positive, and as a result sexual wellness products are being sold readily. It is estimated that the current market stands at $1.4 billion and is likely to grow to $2.5 billion by 2033, with a growth rate of 6.2 per cent. The market potential can be judged from the fact that sexual wellness products are tapping 5 per cent of the total addressable market.

Some companies operating in this field are IMBesharam, ThatSassyThing, Mankind and MyMuse.

There are 12 million daily Google searches for products, key-words and interests related to sexual wellness. It is a signal that what was just a curiosity has turned into active intent.

These days women are more open to explore. It has broken the myth that women do not want these products. Organisations in this field report 30 per cent of their revenue is contributed by men buying products for their partners. Many products are bought by couples aiming to enhance their relationship. They like to experiment together.

Previously, people approached only pharma companies to buy the contraceptives. However, with the advent of quick commerce (Zepto, Instamart and Blinkit), people add sexual wellness products in their carts along with daily necessities. Organisations selling sexual wellness products say that 60 per cent of their sales come from quick commerce platforms. Another major channel to sell the products are the websites selling these products online (35 per cent). Only 5 per cent revenue comes from offline retailers. Quick commerce platforms are convenient, discretionary and faster.

Women-led purchases have shown a major shift. Almost half the products are bought by women buyers.The age group that purchases most products is from 25-44. Younger age group buy fun products, and elder ones the premium products.

The market is now restricted to urban areas but is spreading to Tier I and Tier II cities. The geographical spread is broadening.

The whole sector has its own sensitivity, making it necessary to communicate subtly, and make the products relatable. Consumers must be comfortable to engage with the organisation. The promotion is digital-first. Social media is used. The content is influencer-led. It is a challenging field as the category is socially sensitive. As a marketer, you should be smarter, educative and respectful.

The world is concerned about the effects of climate change and is taking measures to control this. The good news is that there is positive climate news for the world at large.

There were efforts to decarbonize the electricity by using non-fossil fuels for its generation. Currently, three quarters of power-generation in the UK and Europe come from non-fossil fuels, and these regions are now on par with Brazil and Canada where the vast hydro-electric resources provided them some of the cleanest grids.

As more renewables are added each year, the projects being planned put European grid between 80-90 per cent clean energy. It is not feasible to add more renewable deployment. The achievement is creditable.

Cement production has always been associated with climate change. Since the Chinese construction has slowed down, the production of cement has come down to 1.7 billion metric tons since 2009. And the forecast shows a sluggish growth of 1-2 per cent in the rest of the world. The global consumption is the lowest since 2012.

In developed markets, the sale of EVs has shown that the technology is faltering. The truth is far from it. In China plug-in cars constitute half of all sales. EVs make up a third of sales in Europe. Of late, Turkey, Thailand and Vietnam register 20 per cent of EV sales. EVs are being adopted in the UAE, Nepal and Ethiopia.

Solar energy story is not so encouraging. China has cut capital expenditure on solar. Installations are rising slowly. Losses are mounting. Russia-Ukraine war has played a role in surging gas. Lithium-ion batteries can flatten the rise at some places. Energy transition has never been smooth.

In rich societies, there has been a concern for immigration — outsiders flocking to these societies and affecting the locals. What if instead of immigration, there is emigration — exodus of skilled professionals from these traditional rich cities of the UK and France to the UAE or Switzerland? One major cause for such emigration is lower taxes there. The UK PM recently warned of shifting of talented Brits to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

A net of 110,000 British people aged 16-34 emigrated in 2025. It is not clear where they have settled but relocation requests point to the Middle East. These geographies may act magnets because of low taxes or no personal tax. Even bankers and hedge funds are flocking to the UAE. As a consequence, the real estate prices have shown an upward rise. These locations are more tempting for knowledge workers and wealthy families. These high earners contribute 60-70 per cent income tax receipts in France and the UK.

There is competition for attracting these emigrants. The middle east is investing heavily in infrastructure and is concentrating on quality of life. It gives a competitive advantage to the middle east. However, the big financial centers too are still the best in providing education and jobs.

It is difficult to compete with the new emigration centers on the basis of zero taxation. France no longer spreads red carpet for the bankers. Dubai as financial hub now boasts of 100 registered hedge funds. The UAE also curbs the dodgy money flows.

There should be a carrot and stick policy. The older centers should do a cost benefit analysis. There should be focus on their strengths. Though Dubai attained rank 20 in Savills index of tech hubs, it is still below Paris and London. Paris and London have the best educational infrastructure. There is a large pool of skilled graduates. There are VCs. The European capital markets are well-managed, and good for startups. They can scale more freely. Policies help the young and not tilted towards pensioners. Though exit levies are unpopular, they cannot be floated.

Another impotatnt center for emigration is Milan(Milano) in Italy which is a global fashion hub. It is also known for design and finance. It is cultural center in northern Italy’s Lombardy region. It has two famous football clubs — AC Milan and Inter Milan. It is an ancient city. Here Vinci’s masterpiece The Last Supper is on display at Santa Maria delle Grazie.

The exodus from the UK and elsewhere is real and the efforts to curb it must be concrete.

TCS has announced that it has reached an annualized $1.5 billion revenue from AI-related services. It has adopted an AI-first strategy and has put a number to it. It is a serious attempt by a company to highlight facts in a field where exaggeration is the norm. TCS has chosen clarity over rhetoric on AI.

AI is not discrete technology layer or just an add-on. It is in fact distinct enterprise technology. Accenture too announced that its AI bookings have doubled year-on-year basis to $2.2 billion, and AI earnings have risen to $1.1 billion. Yet, it declines to report AI as a separate line them because AI has been embedded across most projects. The segregation is meaningless.

AI is quickly moving from pilots to monetization. Investors demand a clarity on revenue run rates. Clients want AI deployment must produce outcomes. AI should be a default mode of delivery (rather than a distinct revenue stream.)

Infosys does not announce its AI-linked revenue, though internally it is counted. Wipro, HCL, LTIMindtree and Tech Mahindra avoid announcing a consolidated monetary figure for AI. The reluctance emanates from the fact AI revenues are intertwined with cloud migration, digital engineering, and application modernization. It becomes difficult to attribute it to AI adoption. However, when a clear number is put on AI run rate, the conversation reflects facts, rather than hype. More organizations are likely to follows suit. It will help investors to distinguish between companies dedicated to AI scaling and those who are experimenting on the margin. Global clients are asking hard questions on returns on AI spending. Numbers will build up confidence among investors. Global firms rely on hyperscalers. India focuses on building, infrastructure. Indian IT companies benefit from scale, talent pool and client proximity. Indian companies should not fight shy of AI-led delivery, or else the benefits will not accrue. These days AI is indistinguishable from technology itself. We cannot afford silence on this front.

The BCCI has accepted ChatGPT and Kingfisher Packaged Water as new commercial partners for the upcoming 2026 and 2027 seasons for Women’s Premier Legue (WPL) in deals that are collectively valued at Rs. 48 crores. Bisleri too has been onboarded as the league’s beverage partner.

There are existing deals with brands such as CEAT, TaTa Group, Syntex, Herbal life. It is a recognition of the surge in popularity for women’s cricket. India winning World Cup in women’s cricket has boosted advertisers’ confidence. Women cricketers get endorsements for brands. Women cricketers are in the mainstream.

Advertising participation has been growing in 2025. The BCCI has roped in 10 major sponsors for WPL 2025 including SBI, Amul, Himalaya, Tata Motors among others. In 2025, WPL broadcast attracted 70 advertisers. Ad rates have risen for 2026 season by 20-25 per cent. They have reached to Rs. 60,000 per ten seconds for TV. The rates for CTV are Rs. 400-450 CPM. The mobile CPM is at Rs.130-140.

JioStar is projecting a reach of 200 to 250 million viewers on linear TV and 105 million viewers on digital for this season, It is 50 per cent higher than the 2025 season. Though the projected numbers are high, they are hopeful since the new viewership benchmarks have been reached in the WPL viewership.

There are doubts about advertisers showing the enthusiasm for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup starting in February, 2026. Both team sponsorship and player endorsement figures have risen post the World Cup success.

Audience perceptions have changed on account of the league. The league can reach new heights. It can create a welcoming atmosphere at new sites, and immersive experience both for digital and in-stadium audiences. It can augur well for the markets beyond the tournament.

Cricket is the most popular game in India. Cinema and cricket are almost religions in India. Cricket still contributes 85 per sent to the total sports advertising revenue of around Rs. 16333 crores in 2024 (Neilsen report). Cricket’s popularity among Indian youth (18-30) has dipped between 2019 and 2025, with youngsters exploring other games such as motorsports, basketball and MMA. Cricket has reached its peak, and the hype is on the verge of ending, TV channels and media cannot justify the economics of the media rights, Jiostar has negotiated a $3 billion TV and digital media rights with the ICC for cricket broadcast over a four year period starting 2024.

The broadcaster is facing rising financial losses as the sports deals have risen sharply. There are monetization challenges and there is a widening gap between content costs and recoverable revenue. There is rising dollar and falling rupee, and the ICC payments are in dollars. This has increased the burden on the broadcaster.

Besides, under the current cycle India is playing only 28 out of 179 ICC matches. There are many matches which will attract lower audiences translating into lower retention and reduced revenues.

JioHotstar inherited the ICC deal from Disney Star India and paid Rs. 48390 crores plus for IPL’s digital and TV rights for 2023-27. In the meantime, there was ban on money gaming and fantasy platforms, which happen to be single largest advertising category. This in fact wipes out Rs.700 crores in potential ad spends.

In the meanwhile, Netflix has plans to acquire Warner Bros Discovery which includes shows such as House of Dragon , Succession, Euphoria, The White Lotus (all Jio cinema shows). It means JioStar will have to work harder to hold on the current subscribers. Thus renegotiation of the deal is necessary for JioStar. It wants the deal to be reduced to $2-2.1 billion over the 2026-29 cycle. The ICC wants the deal to be at $2.4 billion for the four-year period. In 2026, there is Men’s T20 World Cup to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The matter thus acquires urgency.

ICC is approaching JioStar’s rivals to pick up the ights for the rest of the cycle. The frontrunners are Sony Pictures and Netflix. But both have not evinced interest in the weak TV advertising landscape in India and volatility of the OTT channels.

The IPL rights in the 2027 cycle may plateau or fall, unless there is aggressive bidding by other players. A fall may also affect the franchisee valuations by 30 per cent.

Eli Lilly, the US-based company, took an early lead by launching Mounjaro in March 2025.

It was followed by Wegovy of Novo Nordisk, which launched a weight-reduction injection in India in June 2025. Wegovy, Novo Nordisk, starts at Rs. 10,850 a month and goes up to Rs.16400.

Mounjaro of Eli Lilly is available in vials and multi-dose KwikPens. The monthly cost ranges from Rs. 14000 (2.5 mg) to Rs. 27,500 (15 mg).

Novo Nordisk announced in December 2025 the launch of Ozempic available in 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg and 1 mg doses in India, priced between Rs.8800 and Rs 11,175 for a month. The starting dose of 0.25 mg costs Rs. 2200 per week. A four-week entry course therefore comes to Rs.8800. It is the premium segment. One can compare the prices of Mounjaro which Rs.14000 a month for 2.5 mg initiating dose and rises up to Rs 27500 for the 15 mg. strength.

It is difficult to offer Ozempic at this price, but the company has considered affordability to make the drug more accessible.

Ozempic has been approved in the US in 2017 for type II diabetes. Since then it has become the global best best seller by the wide off-label use for weight loss.

Novo Nordisk claims that Ozempic also reduces cardiovascular and renal risks. The drug is prescribed either by internal medicine specialists or endocrinologists. Ozempic helps people with a weight loss of up to 8 kg. in those with diabetes.

Indian companies such as Sun Pharma, Cipla and Dr Reddy’s are hastening to add semaglutide generics since both Wegovy and Ozempic lose their patents in March 2026. Novo Nordisk therefore pre-empted this development by introducing the drug now.

Mounjaro is right now the market leader. It keeps the prices stable and keeps the inventory tight to sustain the demand.

By the end of the decade, analysts expect the weight loss drug market to reach $150 billion annually.