Gaming
Rajeev Chandrasekhar to deliver keynote at India’s largest online gaming convention on 5 Dec
Mumbai: The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) and the E-Gaming Federation (EGF) is all set to organise the first edition of the nation’s largest gaming conference, the Indian Gaming Convention (IGC), on December 5, 2023, at the Taj Palace, New Delhi. Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, will deliver the keynote address at the valedictory session.
Leading policymakers, regulators, gaming industry captains, marketers, game developers and service providers will converge on one platform to address the IGC, which is expected to draw more than 700 delegates, including senior professionals of the online gaming ecosystem of the country.
Among stalwarts of the gaming landscape who will share their insights at the IGC will be Dr. Trivikraman Thampy, Co-founder, Games24x7; Dilsher Singh Malhi, Founder & CEO, Zupee; Salone Sehgal, General Partner, Lumikai; Ishita Grover, Director (Marketing), Oneplus; Deepak Jacob, General Counsel, DreamSports, and Anuraag Saxena, CEO, EGF.
International speakers, addressing the IGC will include Jean Major, a former Canadian regulator currently on the Board of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission, and Sarah Ramansaukas, a player safety expert from the UK, who co-founded The Game Safety Institute.
Elaborating on the context of the convention IAMAI chairman and Dream Sports CEO and co-founder Harsh Jain said, “2023 has been a defining year for India’s Online Gaming industry, marked by multiple positive developments like MeitY’s appointment as our nodal ministry, notification of the IT regulations and clarity on taxation. These developments will facilitate the industry’s sustainable and responsible growth over the long term. I look forward to insightful discussions at IGC, where the focus will be on exploring collaborative strategies between industry, Government, and the ecosystem to enable a safe, trusted, and accountable Indian online gaming industry that can emerge as the global hub for gaming.”
IAMAI Online Gaming Committee chairman and Games24X7 Co-founder & Co-CEO Bhavin Pandya said, “The Indian online gaming industry is going through a tectonic shift, with 2023 being a landmark year in its evolution. Key tax and policy frameworks have laid a robust foundation for the online gaming sector, but there is a long way to go from here. This underscores the need for platforms like the Indian Gaming Convention (IGC) where open and honest dialogues between industry and government, stakeholders and partners, and visionaries and innovators are earnestly facilitated. Such platforms are crucial for our industry to seize opportunities and face challenges collectively. I’m confident that the IGC will evolve into a central platform which will play an instrumental role in shaping the future of the online gaming industry in India.”
More than 35 of subject-experts will deliberate upon the opportunities and challenges before India’s online gaming industry 360 degrees in 10 of sessions, including keynotes, fireside chats, and panel discussions. Some of the key sessions of the IGC will be on “Future of Gaming: Fuelling Innovation to Make India a Global Gaming Hub”, “Empowering the Digital Landscape: Online Gaming’s Role in Fueling Digital India”, ”Building a Robust National Regulatory Framework for Online Gaming”, “Investor Insights: How Can the Industry Build Through Regulatory Shifts”, “Gaming’s Role in Promoting Culture, Education, and sports”, and “Voices of the game: Online gaming in India, a user-speaks experience”.
Value Leaf is the Platinum Partner of the IGC, and it is being supported by the Government of Telangana.
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.
