Brands
Bajaj shifts gears as profits zoom past Rs 5,000 crore in turbocharged H1
MUMBAI: If the first half of FY26 were a dashboard, Bajaj Holdings & Investment ltd. would be watching every needle slide confidently into the green. In a half-year that blended divestment gains, strong subsidiary performance and regulatory tailwinds, BHIL has reported a consolidated profit of Rs 5,046 crore, racing well ahead of the Rs 3,047 crore clocked in H1 FY25.
The group is calling it momentum; the numbers read more like acceleration.
Kicking off the period was a hefty interim dividend Rs 65 per share (650 per cent), totalling Rs 723 crore, paid on 14 October 2025. But the real torque came from a strategic move: the sale of 1.04 crore shares of Bajaj Finserv (BFS) via a block deal, executed to help fund its upcoming insurance stake acquisition. The transaction added significantly to BHIL’s standalone and consolidated profit, even as BFS remained an associate.
Bajaj Holdings & Investment ltd chairman Shekhar Bajaj credited the broader economic climate as well, “The recent GST reforms should provide tailwinds for our automobile and financial service businesses in the coming quarters.” With macro winds blowing favourably, the group’s performance across verticals suggests the engines were already revving.
If BAL were a speedometer, it would be nudging red. In H1 FY26, the standalone numbers show:
● Volumes: 24,05,357 units
● Turnover: Rs 28,306 crore (up 10 per cent)
● EBITDA: Rs 5,534 crore (up 9 per cent)
● PAT: Rs 4,576 crore (up 15 per cent)
Premium motorcycles and double-digit commercial vehicle growth powered a record domestic revenue, while exports surged with standout regional performance.
The Chetak EV, despite supply headwinds, continued to strengthen its position in India’s electric scooter race. Commercial vehicles hit their own milestone, driven by robust internal combustion and electric portfolios. BAL ended the period sitting on Rs 14,244 crore in surplus funds, a war chest worthy of a manufacturer firing on all cylinders.
On a consolidated basis, BFS posted:
● Total income: Rs 72,854 crore (up 12 per cent)
● PAT: Rs 5,033 crore (up 19 per cent)
At Bajaj Finance, the appetite for credit was unmistakable: 25.7 million new loans were booked in H1 FY26, a 24 per cent jump. Income grew 20 per cent to Rs 39,709 crore, while PAT rose 21 per cent to Rs 9,575 crore.
Across insurance:
Bajaj General Insurance grew gross written premium by 9 per cent to Rs 11,615 crore, but excluding crop and government health premiums, underlying growth hit 16 per cent. PAT climbed to Rs 1,177 crore.
● Bajaj Life Insurance grew GWP by 20 per cent to Rs 13,844 crore, with new business premium up 10 per cent to Rs 6,328 crore and PAT at Rs184 crore.
● Bajaj Finserv AMC closed the half with Rs 28,814 crore in AUM.
● BHIL’s standalone engine dividends, interest income and investment gains delivered:
Dividend income: up to Rs 2,205 crore (from Rs 1,025 crore)
● Profit on debt securities: Rs 258 crore
● Total income: Rs 2,822 crore (vs Rs 1,282 crore in H1 FY25)
● Standalone PAT: Rs 4,217 crore
● Total comprehensive income: Rs 4,416 crore
The company continues to realign its portfolio to comply with RBI’s Core Investment Company (CIC) guidelines.
The investment book remains formidable, with the 30 Sept 2025 market value at Rs 2,36,429 crore, compared to Rs 2,23,734 crore in March.
Perhaps the most transformative update: all approvals have now been received for the acquisition of Allianz SE’s 26 per cent stake in Bajaj Allianz General Insurance and Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance.
BHIL has been authorised to purchase up to 19.95 per cent of this stake in each company.
Talks are now moving from negotiation rooms to final documentation, with the acquisition expected to conclude “in the next few months.”
From double-digit growth across verticals to strategic investment realignment and a long-awaited insurance consolidation move, BHIL’s H1 FY26 showcases a portfolio firing on every piston. With GST reforms poised to add tailwinds and capital positions strong across companies, the Bajaj empire enters the second half not just well-fuelled but firmly in the fast lane.
In a year of shifting economic gears, BHIL’s performance proves one thing: some engines don’t just run, they roar.
Brands
Google says Gemini AI cuts irrelevant ads by 40 percent
AI driven search and ad tools boost relevance and results for brands.
MUMBAI: In the never ending hunt for the right ad at the right moment, artificial intelligence may finally be sharpening the aim. Google says the integration of its multimodal AI models, Gemini, has reduced irrelevant advertisements across its platforms by 40 percent, as improved query understanding allows ads to match user intent more closely.
Speaking at a roundtable on Thursday, Google vice president of Global Ads Dan Taylor said the company has been steadily deploying Gemini powered upgrades to interpret complex search queries more accurately. “We have been making Gemini based improvements to query understanding at a rate of almost one launch per month over the last two years. As the models improve and our ability to deploy them improves, ad quality continues to get better,” Taylor said.
The improvements come as Google leans deeper into AI driven advertising tools. According to the company, 2025 saw a threefold increase in Gemini generated creative assets produced by advertisers using its AI powered ad solutions.
The company also highlighted how these tools are influencing marketing performance for brands in India.
Insurance marketplace Policybazaar recorded a 28 percent rise in health insurance sales while reducing cost per sale by 23 percent after adopting AI Max, a tool that interprets natural language search queries to improve ad targeting.
Meanwhile, hospitality platform OYO reported 50 percent higher return on ad spend (ROAS) and a 25 percent reduction in cost per acquisition after combining its existing search campaigns with Google’s Performance Max (PMax) advertising campaigns.
Taylor noted that evolving consumer behaviour is also reshaping how brands approach digital advertising. According to Google’s data, 86 percent of shoppers in India using Google Search said they were open to trying new brands or products, suggesting that AI driven discovery tools could increasingly influence purchase decisions.
Beyond advertising, Google is also investing in what it calls agentic commerce, an emerging model where AI agents autonomously assist users in discovering, comparing and purchasing products online.
“Our goal with agentic commerce is twofold, first, to remove the grunt work of shopping so consumers can focus on the fun parts; and second, to work hand in hand with the industry to build the foundations needed to make agentic commerce seamless and secure across the web,” Taylor said.
The push into AI enhanced advertising and commerce comes as Google’s core ads business continues to grow. The company recently reported $82.28 billion in advertising revenue, marking a 13.5 percent year on year increase.
For advertisers navigating an increasingly crowded digital landscape, Google is betting that smarter algorithms and sharper intent signals will make ads feel less like interruptions and more like timely suggestions.
