Alphabet's Q4 revenue reached $113.8 billion (18% YoY growth), pushing 2025 annual revenue over $400 billion for the first time. Google Cloud surged 48% to $17.7 billion, driven by AI infrastructure demand. Gemini app has 750M+ monthly users, with API processing 10B+ tokens/minute and costs down 78%. CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted AI enhancing search, cloud margins, and subscriptions (325M+ users). 2026 capex planned at $175-185 billion for AI investments.

If the world's top 10 billionaires donated half their wealth—totaling around $1.25 trillion—it could fund global extreme poverty reduction efforts for nearly four years, significantly boost climate adaptation, pandemic preparedness, and healthcare access in developing nations. However, challenges like illiquid assets, institutional absorption limits, and governance issues would constrain real-world impact. The hypothetical draws from studies on cash transfers, nutrition programs, and billionaire philanthropy trends.

Goldman Sachs is collaborating with Anthropic to develop autonomous AI agents using Claude models for tasks like trade accounting, transaction reconciliation, and client onboarding/vetting. The six-month partnership aims to reduce processing time by handling large data volumes and applying rules/judgment. Early results show effectiveness beyond coding in compliance areas. CEO David Solomon plans multi-year AI reorganization with constrained headcount growth. The move reflects broader finance sector adoption of generative AI for efficiency, though job impacts remain a concern.

Anthropic's Claude Cowork is an autonomous AI assistant for white-collar tasks like payroll, data analysis, visualization, and stock tracking, evolving from Claude Code. Launched January 12 with 11 plugins on January 30 (Productivity, Finance, Legal, etc.), it installs locally, accesses files, and delivers professional work from user goals. The plugin rollout triggered a "SaaS-pocalypse," wiping hundreds of billions from Indian firms like Infosys and TCS on February 3, 2026, as investors fear it obsoletes routine enterprise automation at low cost. CEO Dario Amodei predicts AI eliminating 50% of white-collar jobs by 2030.

Union Budget 2026 removes the requirement for individuals buying immovable property from non-residents to obtain a Tax Deduction Account Number (TAN), simplifying compliance and reducing bureaucratic hurdles in such transactions. The revised norm takes effect from October 1, 2026. Previously, buyers needed TAN for TDS deductions on payments to NRIs. This change aims to facilitate smoother property deals involving overseas sellers while maintaining tax collection through alternative mechanisms. The budget includes other procedural simplifications for taxpayers.

Union Budget 2026 maintains stability in income tax slabs and rates but introduces five significant measures impacting compliance and filing for individuals. These include unchanged deadlines for ITR-1 and ITR-2 (July 31), extended revised return timeline to March 31 with a fee, higher 100% penalty for misreporting income, a six-month voluntary disclosure scheme for undisclosed foreign assets targeting small taxpayers like students and young professionals, and tightened penalties for non-disclosure of movable foreign assets. The focus is on enforcement against evasion while easing procedural burdens for honest taxpayers through trust-based mechanisms. No major relief in slabs or deductions was announced, continuing the new regime as default with its lower rates and limited exemptions.

Union Budget 2026-27 described as "not a big bang but build better one," emphasizes sustained growth through manufacturing, infrastructure, MSMEs, and fiscal discipline amid global fragility. Key measures include record capex Rs 12.2 lakh crore FY27, higher defence and railways allocations, incentives for pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, electronics, textiles, revival of 200 legacy industrial clusters, MSME export champions support, new debt-to-GDP anchor at 55.6% FY27, fiscal deficit 4.3%, and banking review committee. Customs reforms simplify tariffs and boost competitiveness. It prioritizes policy continuity and investor reassurance over populist announcements.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attributed the rupee's depreciation to an all-time low of 92 against the dollar primarily to global uncertainty, asserting India's domestic fundamentals remain strong. The currency has weakened about 2% this year and nearly 5% since steep US tariffs on Indian goods. The Economic Survey notes a weaker rupee cushions export impacts from tariffs without immediate inflation risks from crude imports, though prolonged weakness could dent investor sentiment. RBI intervenes to curb volatility without targeting levels. Corporate hedging demand and portfolio outflows add pressure amid trade deficits and capital flow dependence.

Union Budget 2026-27 focuses on aircraft manufacturing with basic customs duty exemptions on components and parts for civilian/training aircraft, extended to MRO raw materials for defence units. Civil aviation ministry budget down 12%, but regional connectivity scheme up to Rs 10 crore. Emphasis on Tier II/III cities infrastructure, temple towns, trekking trails, archaeological sites for tourism growth. Aviation safety budget flat under DGCA/BCAS. No specific leasing proposals. Overall vibe self-reliance manufacturing tourism connectivity smaller cities rising travel demand.

Union Budget 2026 responds to US Trump-era tariffs with customs duty reforms to support domestic manufacturing and export competitiveness. Proposals simplify tariff structure, remove exemptions on locally produced items, extend duty-free inputs for sectors like seafood, footwear, electronics, and exempt capital goods for lithium-ion batteries, solar glass, microwave ovens. Measures shield factories from import surges, boost exports via extended periods and higher limits, and introduce trust-based facilitation like automated clearance and digital windows. Personal import tariffs reduced, medicine exemptions expanded.