Business & Beyond

Financial awareness is growing. But is financial resilience keeping pace?

While 63% of respondents consider themselves financially stable and confident, 83% say their emergency savings would last less than a year if their income stopped.

In this episode of #GTBharat’s PolicyCast, Ramkumar Subramanian, Partner, Financial Services - Risk Advisory, Grant Thornton Bharat, explores the findings of ‘India's Financial Resilience Report 2026’ and what they reveal about how prepared households really are.

The conversation examines:

• The gap between financial awareness and resilience

• How family responsibilities shape financial decisions

• Why retirement preparedness is a concern, particularly for younger professionals

• Why women need stronger financial independence and more diverse income sources

• The growing role of AI in personal finance and investment decisions

Tune in to our latest episode to find out what it will take to build a more financially resilient India.

#PolicyCast #FinancialResilience #FinancialServices #PodcastSeries

India has built a strong digital Customs backbone. The next challenge is to make clearances faster, decisions more predictable and compliance simpler for businesses.

In the latest episode of #GTBharat PolicyCast, Manoj Mishra, Partner and Tax Controversy Management Leader, Grant Thornton Bharat, discusses the priorities shaping the next phase of Customs reforms.

Key areas of focus:

• Integrating Customs processes through the proposed Customs Integrated System (CIS)

• Simplifying compliance and improving coordination across regulatory agencies

• Strengthening risk-based compliance and the AEO framework

• Improving certainty in valuation, classification and dispute resolution

• Simplifying procedures under the MOOWR scheme and enabling faster, more predictable clearances

The way forward is clear: move beyond digitisation to measurable outcomes for businesses—without compromising revenue protection or enforcement.

Tune in to understand how India can move from digital Customs to predictable, time-bound clearance, and what that means for businesses engaged in international trade.

#PolicyCast #Customs #TradeFacilitation #EaseOfDoingBusiness #UnionBudget #PodcastSeries

Beyond tax rates: What’s on corporate India’s pre-Budget tax wishlist?

Tax certainty, simpler compliance and faster dispute resolution can be just as important as tax rates and incentives.

In the latest episode of #GTBharat’s PolicyCast, Richa Sawhney, Partner, Tax, Grant Thornton Bharat, discusses some of the key direct-tax concerns of the foreign/corporate taxpayers and the reforms they would like to see in the upcoming Union Budget and beyond.

The conversation covers:

• Greater clarity on anti-avoidance provisions

• Simplification and rationalisation of TDS

• Faster and more effective dispute resolution

• Greater clarity across key direct-tax provisions

Tune in to explore more!

#PolicyCast #TaxPolicy #UnionBudget #EaseOfDoingBusiness

An IPO is a milestone. Organisational readiness is a much longer journey.

In Episode 5 of IPO Access, Karan Marwah, Partner and Capital Markets Advisory Leader, speaks with Priyanka Gulati, Partner, Grant Thornton Bharat, about the leadership, people and governance considerations that shape a company's transition to public markets. The conversation explores three essentials of stakeholder trust: leadership credibility that extends beyond the promoter, reliable processes that can withstand public scrutiny, and relationships built on a stronger, moredistributed leadership team.

Most businesses are built to grow fast. Fewer are built to last.In the first episode of CFO Radar, Karan Marwah, Partner and CFO Advisory Leader, Grant Thornton Bharat, speaks with Alok Bansal, Executive Vice Chairman & Co-founder, PB Fintech, about the choices behind building and scaling one of India’s leading financial services platforms. From getting unit economics right before scaling, to understanding where frugality creates value and where it can hold a business back, Alok shares the principles that helped build a company designed for the long term.

What do the 57th GST Council’s recommendations mean for businesses and taxpayers?

Faster refunds, changes to input tax credit provisions and a proposed shift in enforcement. The 57th GST Council meeting addresses several long-standing industry concerns. The key question is how these recommendations could translate into meaningful change for businesses.

In the latest episode of #GTBharat’s PolicyCast, Manoj Mishra, Partner and Tax Controversy Management Leader, Grant Thornton Bharat, discusses the implications of the recommendations and the issues that remain unresolved.

The conversation covers:

Refunds and input tax credit: Potential implications for business liquidity and tax efficiency.

Enforcement reforms: What the proposed changes to arrest powers and prosecution thresholds could mean for taxpayers.

Reducing litigation: The role of greater clarity in GST provisions in providing tax certainty.

Pending issues: The legacy disputes and interpretational challenges that continue to concern businesses.

Tune in for insights on the proposed reforms, their potential impact on businesses and the key developments to watch as India’s GST framework evolves.

#PolicyCast #GST #TaxReforms #Tax

From creative talent to global IP, what will define the next phase of growth for India's AVGC-XR industry?

In episode 7 of #BeyondTheScreen podcast series, Ananay Jain, Partner and Media Industry Expert, Grant Thornton Bharat, speaks with Ninad Raikar, COO, Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), about the trends, opportunities and priorities shaping the future of India's creative economy.

Key themes:

• India's potential to emerge as a global AVGC-XR hub

• Building industry-ready talent through stronger academia-industry collaboration

• The opportunities and challenges AI presents for creative workflows

• Strengthening innovation, incubation and entrepreneurship across the ecosystem

• Creating globally competitive IP with Indian stories at its core

As the AVGC-XR sector gains momentum, the conversation explores what it will take to translate India's creative strengths into sustained global impact.

🎧 Watch the full episode.

#AVGCXR #CreativeEconomy #MediaAndEntertainment #Animation #Gaming #VFX #ArtificialIntelligence #AI

The right board can do more than govern. It can change the trajectory of a business.

In this special episode of IPO Access, Karan Marwah, Partner and Capital Markets Advisory Leader, is joined by Richard Rekhy, Vice Chairman, Grant Thornton Bharat, for a conversation on building boards that go well beyond meeting governance requirements.

Richard shares when companies should begin reconstituting their boards, how to bring together the right mix of skills, experience and perspectives, and what independent directors need in order to be effective. He also reflects on how boards can help a company navigate uncertainty and hold their nerve when it matters most.

Then comes the question every company heading to market should be able to answer: why are you doing it?

From board composition and governance to purpose, stewardship and long-term value, this is a conversation on what to think through before making the transition to a public company.

This special episode stands apart in the IPO Access series. Watch now, and tell us in the comments: what is the best board advice you have ever received?

#IPOAccess #SpecialEpisode #IPOReadiness #CorporateGovernance #BoardOfDirectors #GoingPublic

Ten months into India’s Labour Codes, implementation is bringing a new set of questions for employers.

From compensation and wage structures to workforce classification, contract labour and settlement of dues, organisations are working through the practical implications of the new framework.

In the latest episode of #GTBharat’s PolicyCast, Rajashree Sarna, Partner, Global People Solutions, Grant Thornton Bharat, shares her perspective on:

• What has changed over the first 10 months
• The areas that continue to require greater clarity
• How organisations are adapting their workforce and governance practices
• What employers should focus on over the next 6–12 months

🎧 Listen to the episode for the full perspective.

Ten months into India’s Labour Codes, implementation is bringing a new set of questions for employers.

From compensation and wage structures to workforce classification, contract labour and settlement of dues, organisations are working through the practical implications of the new framework.

In the latest episode of #GTBharat’s PolicyCast, Rajashree Sarna, Partner, Global People Solutions, Grant Thornton Bharat, shares her perspective on:

• What has changed over the first 10 months

• The areas that continue to require greater clarity

• How organisations are adapting their workforce and governance practices

• What employers should focus on over the next 6–12 months

🎧 Listen to the episode for the full perspective.

#LabourCodes #PolicyCast #HumanResources #FutureOfWork #WorkforceGovernance