Eight Core Industries Output at 2.3% in February 2026

1 March 2026National

India's eight core infrastructure industries grew 2.3% in February 2026, slowing from an upwardly revised 4.7% in January; cement (+9.3%), steel (+7.2%) and fertilisers grew while crude oil and natural gas declined.

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Razorpay and IndusInd Bank Launch AI Account Manager 'RAY' on WhatsApp

Razorpay, in partnership with IndusInd Bank, launched 'RAY', a conversational Artificial Intelligence account manager on WhatsApp for businesses. RAY lets MSMEs manage payments, analyse transactions, generate payment links, issue refunds and resolve queries through simple chat messages, executing actions directly without a dashboard while tracking payment health and pushing alerts, insights and recommendations. Bajaj Finserv is among the first live users, and the platform has already recorded over 20,000 conversations, signalling a shift towards AI-led, real-time business support in Indian fintech. Razorpay, founded in 2014 by Shashank Kumar and Harshil Mathur, is headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

GK ByteIndusInd Bank was incorporated in 1994 as one of the first new-generation private banks and is headquartered in Mumbai | Razorpay was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka | MSMEs in India are classified under the revised composite criteria of investment and turnover

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GK ByteSEBI was established in 1988 and given statutory powers by the SEBI Act, 1992; it is headquartered in Mumbai | ESMA, the EU's securities markets regulator, was established in 2011 and is headquartered in Paris | India's main CCPs include NSE Clearing Ltd, Indian Clearing Corporation and the Clearing Corporation of India

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GK ByteScapia was incorporated in 2022, is headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka, and was founded by Anil Goteti | Axis Bank, headquartered in Mumbai, began in 1993 as UTI Bank and was renamed Axis Bank in 2007 | RuPay is the domestic card network operated by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), launched in 2012

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GK ByteThe big three global rating agencies are S&P Global Ratings, Moody's and Fitch Ratings; JCR is a Japanese agency headquartered in Tokyo | 'BBB-' and above is investment grade; a move to 'A-' takes a sovereign two notches above the investment-grade floor | India's foreign exchange reserves are managed by the RBI and comprise foreign currency assets, gold, SDRs and the reserve position in the IMF

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