The Times of India

Stock market recommendations: IndusInd Bank, and UPL are the top stock recommendations by Bajaj Broking Research for February 20, 2026 with a 3-month horizon in mind. The brokerage also shares its view on Nifty and Bank Nifty:

Industry leaders at the India AI Impact Summit emphasized the need for open, trusted, and globally accessible AI. Bharti Enterprises' Sunil Mittal highlighted AI's integration into telecom and its potential to boost sectors like healthcare and education.

Accenture CEO Julie Sweet highlights AI's shift towards driving business growth, with LLMs emerging as new commerce channels. She emphasizes that while AI adoption presents challenges, Accenture's expertise is crucial for clients. Sweet also notes the evolving role of Indian employees in the company's global AI strategy and advises universities to integrate AI fluency into curricula.

India is charting its own AI course, launching domestic models focused on linguistic and cultural depth. Companies like Sarvam AI, BharatGen, and Gnani.ai are prioritizing local relevance over sheer size, aiming to excel in Indic reasoning, translation, and speech processing. This strategy challenges global giants by addressing the nuanced needs of India's vast population.

Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran declared Artificial Intelligence as the technology sector's iggest opportunity. He highlighted that IT's core value stems from its deep understanding of enterprise businesses and its capability to integrate technology effectively within complex operational environments.

Indian education loans are growing strongly. Asset quality is improving significantly. This resilience continues despite global uncertainties. Banks' outstanding education loans have reached Rs 1.5 lakh crore. Non-performing assets have fallen sharply. Private lenders also report robust growth and strong asset quality. Financing penetration of education spend is increasing. Students are exploring new study destinations.

India is poised to commence domestic production of rare earth permanent magnets by year-end, marking a significant stride towards self-reliance in critical minerals. After extensive research, the government, in collaboration with NFTDC, has developed indigenous technology and is transferring it to the private sector for manufacturing.

Infosys Chairman Nandan Nilekani cautioned that white-collar worker resentment could derail AI progress if not managed carefully. He emphasized developing AI use cases that benefit the broader population, support career transitions, and reskilling. Nilekani urged a focus on useful AI diffusion for humanity to avoid negative consequences.

Tata Group and OpenAI are forming a major partnership to boost India's AI capabilities. TCS will construct significant AI data center capacity. This collaboration aims to support advanced AI training and inference. OpenAI will be the first client for TCS's HyperVault business. The initiative focuses on data residency and domestic AI development.

ANMI, a prominent stock brokers' body, has cautioned the RBI against its new stricter funding rules for brokers, warning of reduced government tax revenues and diminished stock market liquidity. The association has urged Sebi to delay the implementation by six months for consultations, citing increased trading costs and reduced borrowing capacity for brokers.

Inox Neo Energies and Authum Investment & Infrastructure are acquiring Wind World's assets for an estimated Rs 1,800-1,900 crore. The deal will see Inox Neo take over the 600 MW wind power portfolio, while Inox Green Energy will manage the 4.5 GW operations and maintenance business. This strategic move significantly expands the InoxGFL Group's renewable energy footprint and O&M capabilities.

Indian stock markets experienced a significant downturn, with the Sensex plummeting over 1,200 points. Investors lost nearly Rs 7 lakh crore as global concerns, including US Fed rate cut uncertainty and escalating geopolitical tensions, triggered widespread selling. Major sectors like real estate, power, and auto bore the brunt of the sell-off.

Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani announced a $110 billion investment over seven years to build India's sovereign AI infrastructure, including data centers and a nationwide edge compute network. This initiative aims to connect India to the intelligence era, reduce compute costs, and establish the nation as a global AI power.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin advocates for a multi-faceted AI governance framework, emphasizing societal norms alongside legal and technical standards. He also discusses Switzerland's commitment to a just peace in Ukraine through the OSCE and highlights the importance of free trade agreements like TEPA in challenging global trade times.

Indias foreign asset reporting regime has progressively aligned with global transparency standards, though its structural design differs from mature jurisdictions such as the United States.

The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) aims to make homeownership affordable in urban India, offering interest subsidies and financial aid to EWS, LIG, and MIG categories. Essential documents like Aadhaar, income proof, and identity verification are crucial for eligibility. Beneficiaries must not own a pucca house and haven't received prior central housing assistance.

According to data from the US Geological Survey, India holds the worlds third-largest rare earth reserves, estimated at 6.9 million tonnes. However, extraction remains limited, largely due to modest private-sector participation and investment.

India's BPCL and HMEL have each acquired one million barrels of Venezuelan crude, marking significant new imports for the nation. This move, facilitated by trader Vitol, boosts India's Venezuelan oil intake as refiners pivot away from Russian supplies. The purchases are part of a broader trend of increased Venezuelan oil exports, with US refiners also scaling up their purchases.

Gold and silver price prediction: Gold may extend its rally to the Rs 1,63,000 per 10 grams mark and silver has managed to sustain support, says Abhilash Koikkara, Head - Forex & Commodities, Nuvama Professional Clients Group.

Tata Consultancy Services has partnered with OpenAI to build AI infrastructure in India, aiming to enhance productivity and innovation. The collaboration will leverage OpenAI's enterprise ChatGPT and Codex tools, with TCS developing AI-ready, green energy-powered data centers. This strategic alliance seeks to position India as a global AI hub and empower its youth for the AI era.

Speaking to attendees, Mukesh Ambani conveyed optimism that AI would broaden economic prospects instead of diminishing them. He maintained that fears surrounding large-scale job losses are misplaced

In many instances, the taxpayers are alleged to have sought tax relief by reporting bogus donations to religious bodies, charitable organisations, or educational institutions.

Stock market today: Indian equity benchmarks are slowly inching upwards, with Nifty50 and BSE Sensex opening in green after three days of gains. While Nifty50 was above 25,850 in early trade, BSE Sensex rose over 100 points.

Top stock market recommendations: Sona BLW Precision Forgings, PFC, and NLC India are the top stocks that Aakash K Hindocha, Deputy Vice President - WM Research of Nuvama Professional Clients Group recommends buying today. Here is the experts view on Nifty, Bank Nifty for February 19, 2026:

UAE private sector employees now enjoy a two-hour daily reduction in working hours during Ramadan, a legal right for all regardless of faith. This adjustment supports work-life balance and respects the physical demands of fasting. While most benefit, some roles have exemptions and overtime rules ensure fair compensation for extra work.

BofA maintained its buy on Infosys, citing AI opportunities despite execution challenges. UBS upgraded ITC with a target price cut, anticipating price hikes in cigarettes. Goldman Sachs initiated coverage on LG Electronics with a buy rating, expecting faster industry growth. Morgan Stanley rated Dabur underweight, noting leadership changes.

Infosys CEO Salil Parekh believes AI tools will expand, not shrink, IT services opportunities. He argues that while AI automates some development, complex integration, testing, and maintenance in legacy systems remain significant challenges. Parekh sees AI as a substantial opportunity for IT firms, leading to increased demand for skilled professionals and a focus on reskilling.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India has formed a special group to expedite high-profile cases, including those involving Gensol Engineering and IndusInd Bank. President Prasanna Kumar D anticipates findings within two months. He also highlighted the expanding role of chartered accountants in Global Capability Centres and the introduction of new digital audit standards.

Indian startup Sarvam has launched a 105-billion-parameter large language model, performing on par with global counterparts and outperforming others on Indian language benchmarks. This homegrown AI model, developed with government support, signifies India's capability to build state-of-the-art AI from scratch, targeting commercial applications.

Google DeepMind's Demis Hassabis believes Artificial General Intelligence is a decade away, emphasizing its role in scientific breakthroughs rather than job displacement. He urged India to leverage AI in its strong sectors and advised youth to embrace AI tools. Hassabis highlighted AI's potential to accelerate scientific discovery, citing AlphaFold as an example, and cautioned about dual-use risks like cyber threats.

India is crucial to ServiceNow's innovation, housing nearly half of its global R&D. The company's Hyderabad and Bengaluru centers are its largest outside the US, driving core development in AI, security, and CRM.