Brands
Parle Agro launches ‘Dhishoom’
Mumbai: Parle Agro, known for its innovative contributions to the Indian beverage industry, has launched Dhishoom, a jeera masala flavored carbonated drink, nationwide. With its availability across the country, Dhishoom establishes itself as the first national brand in this category.
Dhishoom was originally launched in 2012 and was available in rural and small-towns markets. Recognizing the growing demand for jeera-based drinks in India, Parle Agro has now introduced Dhishoom across the country. With this move, Parle Agro aims to not only meet but also lead the expansion of this burgeoning category.
Dhishoom brings consumers the authentic taste of a jeera drink. With the perfect blend of savory, tangy and citrusy flavours, expertly infused with the right mix of jeera masala and carbonation, Dhishoom delivers a taste that’s not just refreshing but also packs a punch. Its quirky eye-catchy packaging is hard to miss on the retail shelf. Available in two sizes – 125ml and 250ml, priced at Rs. 10 and Rs. 20 respectively, Dhishoom offers affordability without compromising on quality.
Speaking on the launch, Parle Agro head of Marketing and International Business Ankit Kapoor said, “The pan India launch of Dhishoom marks our national foray into the masala soda segment with the aim to establish leadership in the fragmented jeera masala drink category. We will leverage our superior understanding of the consumer’s taste, design lead brand building capability and our distribution network to unlock this category.”
The jeera masala drink category, encompassing both organized and unorganized segments, commands a substantial market size of approximately ₹700 crore. While regional players currently dominate pockets of the market, there exists a noticeable gap for a strong national brand to emerge and capture market share. Parle Agro aims to fill this gap by becoming the first nationwide brand in this segment.
Speaking about the launch, Parle Agro managing director Nadia Chauhan added, “Nothing fuels our passion more than elevating categories to unimaginable heights. Dhishoom’s national launch shows our commitment to seizing market potential. Our mission is to position Dhishoom as the ultimate choice in the jeera masala drink category, cementing Parle Agro’s leadership in the category and the beverage industry as a whole.”
Brands
Jio Financial Services posts Rs 1,560 crore FY26 profit
Revenue rises to Rs 3,513 crore as investments and lending scale up.
MUMBAI: If money makes the world go round, Jio Financial Services Limited is quietly spinning a much bigger wheel. The Reliance-backed financial arm reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 1,560.9 crore for FY26, slightly lower than Rs 1,612.6 crore in FY25, even as revenue growth gathered pace.
Total revenue from operations rose sharply to Rs 3,513.3 crore in FY26 from Rs 2,042.9 crore a year earlier, driven largely by a surge in interest income, which more than doubled to Rs 1,901.9 crore from Rs 852.5 crore. Fee and commission income also saw a significant jump to Rs 597 crore, compared to Rs 155.2 crore in FY25, reflecting expanding financial services activity.
For the March quarter, profit stood at Rs 272.2 crore, broadly flat compared to Rs 269 crore in the same period last year. Quarterly revenue from operations climbed to Rs 1,018.5 crore, up from Rs 493.2 crore year-on-year, signalling steady momentum in core income streams.
Expenses, however, moved in tandem with growth. Total costs nearly quadrupled to Rs 1,982.9 crore in FY26 from Rs 524.8 crore in FY25, with finance costs alone rising to Rs 745.1 crore from just Rs 7.7 crore a year earlier, reflecting increased borrowing and scale of operations. Employee expenses also grew to Rs 387.3 crore, while other expenses expanded to Rs 755 crore.
Profit before tax stood at Rs 1,911.7 crore for the year, slightly below Rs 1,946.9 crore in FY25. After accounting for a total tax outgo of Rs 350.8 crore, the company reported its final net profit figure.
Beyond the income statement, the balance sheet tells a story of rapid expansion. Total assets surged to Rs 1,63,497 crore as of March 31, 2026, up from Rs 1,33,510 crore a year earlier. Investments alone stood at Rs 1,33,088.7 crore, underscoring the company’s strong focus on treasury and financial asset growth.
However, the year also saw sharp volatility in other comprehensive income, which swung to a loss of Rs 16,028.3 crore, largely driven by fair value changes in equity instruments. This dragged total comprehensive income for FY26 to a negative Rs 15,756.1 crore, compared to a positive Rs 14,870 crore in FY25.
On the capital front, the company’s paid-up equity share capital remained steady at Rs 6,353.1 crore, with other equity rising to Rs 1,27,500.5 crore.
The numbers reflect a business in transition scaling rapidly across lending, investments and fee-based services, but also navigating the volatility that comes with mark-to-market movements in financial assets. In other words, while the top line is accelerating, the fine print still carries a few swings.
