iWorld
5ire onboards activist Didier Drogba as advisor
Mumbai: Didier Drogba, a Chelsea legend and one of the greatest footballers turned social and environmental activists, has joined hands with 5ire, the 5th-generation blockchain network.
Founded by visionary entrepreneurs from India, Pratik Gauri and Prateek Dwivedi, 5ire signs up Drogba as their business advisor to work towards a shared vision of pushing the boundaries of sustainability and making this planet a better place.
As an advisor for 5ire, Drogba will leverage his network and the Didier Drogba Foundation to get more businesses and institutions on 5ireChain, the world’s first and only sustainable blockchain.
The former captain of the Ivory Coast national football team and its all-time leading scorer in professional football, Didier Yves Drogba Tébily, is one of the greatest footballers to have graced the sport. He is best known for his time spent playing for Chelsea, where he was chosen by the club’s supporters as the best player to ever represent the team. He has scored more goals for Chelsea than any other foreign player and is presently the fourth-highest goal scorer in club history.
Never one to shy away from social issues, Drogba is credited with having famously stalled a civil war in his country on the day he led the Ivory Coast team to their first-ever berth in the Football World Cup finals. Since then, he has been known to have been actively involved in social causes, receiving an honorary degree in recognition of his contributions. His role in the peace process also earned him a place on the fabled Time magazine list of the top 100 most influential people in the world in 2010.
Having launched the Didier Drogba Foundation , which works towards helping provide better options for improving the lives and futures of children, he has been working tirelessly with the vision of creating a better world for future generations.
On this occasion, 5ire CEO and founder Pratik Gauri said, “Didier is a footballing legend and a superstar in the truest sense of the term. He is also an incredibly empathetic human being and an agent of change, who cares for this planet and its future. The work he has done over the past decade in bettering the lives of children has been phenomenal. He shares our vision of sustainability and making this planet fit for future generations. We are delighted to have him on board as 5ire’s business advisor and look forward to working with him towards a common goal.”
Adding to it, Didier Drogba said, “I have been working on social issues for more than a decade, and I have realised how societal and environmental factors are intricately intertwined. This is where I have felt that technology can play a part in paving the path towards sustainability. My association with 5ire is a natural culmination of my experiences and beliefs, and I am thrilled to partner with this cutting-edge brand, helmed by young tech visionaries like Pratik and Prateek, who are working towards not only revolutionising the way the world does business, but to ultimately make the planet a better place to live in.”
5ire co-founder Prateek Dwivedi added, “Didier is an inspirational leader. Not only is he a legend of the world’s greatest sport, but he also happens to be deeply involved in the betterment of the world around him. His exploits in social and environmental activities and his constant endeavour to make the world a better place for children and future generations make him a natural fit for the 5ire ecosystem. We are delighted to have him on board and look forward to changing the world with him.”
Gaming
Bluestone FY26 revenue rises to Rs 2,436 crore, turns profitable
Q4 profit at Rs 31 crore, full-year profit at Rs 13 crore vs loss last year.
MUMBAI: From sparkle to numbers, Bluestone seems to be polishing more than just jewellery this year. Bluestone Jewellery and Lifestyle Limited reported a sharp turnaround in FY26, with revenue from operations rising to Rs 2,436 crore (Rs 24,364 million), up from Rs 1,770 crore (Rs 17,700 million) in FY25. The company posted a full-year profit of Rs 13 crore (Rs 131.79 million), a significant recovery from a loss of Rs 222 crore (Rs 2,218 million) a year ago.
Total income for the year stood at Rs 2,486 crore (Rs 24,860 million), compared to Rs 1,830 crore (Rs 18,300 million) in the previous year, reflecting both topline growth and improved operational momentum.
The March quarter, however, told a more nuanced story. Revenue from operations came in at Rs 681 crore (Rs 6,814 million), down from Rs 748 crore (Rs 7,486 million) in the year-ago period, though higher than Rs 461 crore (Rs 4,613 million) in the preceding December quarter. Net profit for Q4 stood at Rs 31 crore (Rs 311.81 million), compared to Rs 68 crore (Rs 688 million) a year earlier, but a clear reversal from a loss of Rs 51 crore (Rs 512 million) in Q3.
Margins were shaped by higher input costs, with raw material consumption rising to Rs 2,204 crore (Rs 22,043 million) for the full year, alongside employee benefit expenses of Rs 282 crore (Rs 2,824 million) and finance costs of Rs 210 crore (Rs 2,104 million). Other expenses came in at Rs 371 crore (Rs 3,715 million), slightly lower than Rs 393 crore (Rs 3,938 million) in FY25.
On the balance sheet front, total assets expanded to Rs 4,961 crore (Rs 49,610 million) as of March 31, 2026, from Rs 3,532 crore (Rs 35,322 million) a year earlier, driven largely by a surge in inventories to Rs 2,672 crore (Rs 26,718 million). Equity also strengthened to Rs 1,803 crore (Rs 18,030 million), nearly doubling from Rs 911 crore (Rs 9,107 million).
Cash flows reflected the cost of growth. Net cash used in operating activities stood at Rs 199 crore (Rs 1,990 million), while investing activities saw an outflow of Rs 239 crore (Rs 2,392 million). Financing activities, however, generated Rs 497 crore (Rs 4,971 million), helping the company end the year with cash and cash equivalents of Rs 108 crore (Rs 1,075 million), up from Rs 49 crore (Rs 487 million).
Earnings per share for FY26 came in at Rs 1.10, a sharp improvement from a negative Rs 79.74 in FY25, underlining the shift from losses to profitability.
With revenue scaling up, costs still glittering on the higher side, and profitability finally back in the black, BlueStone’s FY26 performance suggests a business mid-transition less about shine alone, and more about sustaining it.
