In today’s newsletter, we take a look at Bill Gates’ cancellation of his speech at the AI summit, TCS’s new collaboration with OpenAI, the IMF’s warning on China’s economic policies, details from the FOMC minutes, Nvidia’s recent gains, and more.
Bill Gates cancels keynote address at AI Impact Summit amid Epstein files controversy
Microsoft founder and face of the Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, will not be delivering the keynote speech at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. Instead of Bill Gates, the Gates Foundation will be represented by Ankur Vora, President of the Africa and India Offices, who will speak later today at the Summit.
TCS gets into AI-collaboration race, partners with Sam Altman’s OpenAI
After Infosys’ announcement of collaboration with Anthropic and Eternal with OpenAI, another tech major, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has taken notice of the AI gold rush and has entered into a collaborative partnership with OpenAI, the makers of ChatGPT.
₹1 lakh invested in a money market mutual fund has grown over 4x in 23 years
An investment of ₹1 lakh at inception in Bandhan Money Market Fund has grown to ₹4.16 lakh, according to the fund house, as the scheme completed 23 years of operations and crossed ₹13,000 crore in monthly average assets under management (AUM).
IMF warns China’s economic policies are causing damage to others
The International Monetary Fund faulted China’s economic policies for causing waste at home and damage abroad and called for a reorientation by Beijing to embrace a model based on domestic consumer spending.
Foreign inflows into US equities jump 134% in 2025 despite Trump’s tariff turmoil
Foreign investors more than doubled their net purchases of US equities in 2025, even as President Donald Trump’s tariff policies fuelled market volatility and raised concerns over global trade and corporate outlooks.
SC quashes Allahabad HC’s ‘breaking pyjama string, grabbing breasts not attempt to rape’ ruling
The Supreme Court has overturned a controversial order of the Allahabad High Court that had ruled that breaking the string of an 11-year-old girl’s pyjama, grabbing her breasts, and attempting to drag her beneath a culvert did not amount to rape or an attempt to rape.
Fed minutes: Lower inflation needed before many officials will support rate cuts
Many Federal Reserve officials want to see inflation fall further before they would support additional interest rate cuts this year, particularly if the job market continues to stabilise, minutes of last month’s meeting show.
Alembic Pharma completes USFDA inspection at Karakhadi, Gujarat facility with two observations
Drug firm Alembic Pharmaceuticals Ltd on Wednesday (February 18) completed an unannounced cGMP inspection by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) at its injectable facility (F-3) in Karakhadi, Gujarat. The inspection was conducted from February 9 to February 18, 2026.
Cochin Shipyard signs $360 million mega deal with French firm CMA CGM for six LNG vessels
State-run Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) on Wednesday (February 18) said it has signed a formal contract with France-based CMA CGM, worth around $360 million (around ₹3,267 crore) for the construction of six 1,700 TEU LNG-fuelled feeder container vessels.
Wall Street rises as Nvidia gains on Meta AI data center deal
US stocks moved higher on Wednesday (February 18), led by gains in Nvidia. The S&P 500 advanced 0.6%, standing 1.4% below its all-time high reached late last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 222 points, or 0.5%, as of 10 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.8%.
Intellect Design launches AI-powered banking platform to make services simpler
Intellect Design Arena Ltd on Wednesday (February 18) announced the launch of its eMACH.ai AI-First Banking platform at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi. The platform is designed to support inclusive banking and features 550 domain-aware agents across lending, trade, payments, treasury, wealth management, banking operations, customer service and grievance management.
